Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t8hqh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-20T17:37:51.707Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The Formation of Massive Stars

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 April 2011

Ian A. Bonnell
Affiliation:
SUPA, School of Physics & Astronomy, Universiy of St Andrews, North Haugh, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9SS, UK email: [email protected]
Rowan J Smith
Affiliation:
Institut fuer Theoretische Astrophysik, Albert-Ueberle-Str. 2, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

There has been considerable progress in our understanding of how massive stars form but still much confusion as to why they form. Recent work from several sources has shown that the formation of massive stars through disc accretion, possibly aided by gravitational and Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities is a viable mechanism. Stellar mergers, on the other hand, are unlikely to occur in any but the most massive clusters and hence should not be a primary avenue for massive star formation. In contrast to this success, we are still uncertain as to how the mass that forms a massive star is accumulated. there are two possible mechanisms including the collapse of massive prestellar cores and competitive accretion in clusters. At present, there are theoretical and observational question marks as to the existence of high-mass prestellar cores. theoretically, such objects should fragment before they can attain a relaxed, centrally condensed and high-mass state necessary to form massive stars. Numerical simulations including cluster formation, feedback and magnetic fields have not found such objects but instead point to the continued accretion in a cluster potential as the primary mechanism to form high-mass stars. Feedback and magnetic fields act to slow the star formation process and will reduce the efficiencies from a purely dynamical collapse but otherwise appear to not significantly alter the process.

Type
Contributed Papers
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2011

References

Alves, J., Lombardi, M., Lada, C. J., 2007, A&A, 462, L17Google Scholar
André, P., Belloche, A., Motte, F., & Peretto, N., 2007, A&A, 472, 519Google Scholar
Banerjee, R. & Pudritz, R., 2007, MNRAS, 660, 479Google Scholar
Bate, M. R., Bonnell, I. A., & Bromm, V., 2003, MNRAS, 339, 577CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bonnell, I. A. & Bate, M. R., 2005, MNRAS, 362, 915CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bonnell, I. A. & Bate, M. R., 2006, MNRAS, 370, 488CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bonnell, I. A., Bate, M. R., Clarke, C. J., & Pringle, J. E., 2001a, MNRAS, 323, 785CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bonnell, I. A., Bate, M. R., & Vine, S. G., 2003, MNRAS, 343, 413CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bonnell, I. A., Bate, M. R., & Zinnecker, H., 1998, MNRAS, 298, 93CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bonnell, I. A., Clarke, C. J., Bate, M. R., & Pringle, J. E., 2001, MNRAS, 324, 573.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bonnell, I. A., Clarke, C. J., & Bate, M. R., 2006, MNRAS, 368, 1296CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bonnell, I., Martel, H., Bastien, P., Arcoragi, J.-P., & Benz, W., 1991, ApJ, 377, 553CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bonnell, I. A., Smith, R. J., Clark, P. C., & Bate, M. R., 2010, MNRAS, in pressGoogle Scholar
Chakrabarti, S. & McKee, C. F., 2005, ApJ, 631, 792CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dale, J. E. & Bonnell, I. A. 2008, MNRAS, 391, 2CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dale, J. E., Bonnell, I. A., Clarke, C. J., & Bate, M. R. 2005, MNRAS, 358, 291CrossRefGoogle Scholar
de Wit, W. J., Testi, L., Palla, F., & Zinnecker, H., 2005, A&A, 437, 247Google Scholar
Dobbs, C. L., Bonnell, I. A., & Clark, P. C., 2005, MNRAS, 360, 2CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Federrath, C., Banerjee, R., Clark, P. C., & Klessen, R. S., 2010, ApJ, 713, 269CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heggie, D., 1987, MNRAS, 173, 729CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jappsen, A.-K., Klessen, R. S., Larson, R. B., Li, Y., & Mac Low, M.-M., 2005, A&A, 435, 611Google Scholar
Kahn, F. D. 1974. A&A 37, 149.Google Scholar
Kainulainen, J., Lada, C., Rathborne, J. M., & Alves, J F., 2009, A&A, 497, 399Google Scholar
Keto, E., 2003, ApJ 580, 980986.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Klessen, R. S., 2001, ApJ, 556, 837CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Klessen, R. S., Burkert, A., & Bate, M. R., 1998, ApJ, 501, L205CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kratter, K. & Matzner, C., 2006, MNRAS, 373, 1563CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Krumholz, M., Klein, R. I., & McKee, C. F., 2005, ApJ, 618, L33CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Krumholz, M. R., Klein, R. I., McKee, C. F., Offner, S. S. R., & Cunningham, A. J., 2009, Sci, 323, 754CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Krumholz, M. R. & McKee, C. F., 2008, Natur, 451, 1082CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Larson, R. B., 2005, MNRAS, 359, 211CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McKee, C.F. & Tan, J.C., 2003, ApJ, 585, 850CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Motte, F., Andre, P. & Neri, R., 1998, A&A, 336, 150Google Scholar
Nutter, D. & Ward-Thompson, D., 2007, MNRAS, 374, 1413CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Peters, T., Banerjee, R., Klessen, R. S., Mac Low, M.-M., Galván-Madrid, R., & Keto, E. R., 2010, ApJ, 711, 1017CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Simpson, R.J., Nutter, D., & Ward-Thompson, D., 2008, MNRAS, 391, 205CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, R. J., Clark, P. C., & Bonnell, I. A., 2008, MNRAS, 391, 1091CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, R. J., Clark, P. C., & Bonnell, I. A., 2009, MNRAS, 396, 830CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, R. J., Longmore, S., & Bonnell, I. A., 2009, MNRAS, 400, 1775CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Testi, L., Sargent, A., 1998; ApJL, 508, L91CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Urban, A., Martel, H., & Evans, N. J., 2010, ApJ, 710, 1343CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wang, P., Li, Z.-Y., Abel, T., & Nakamura, F., 2010, ApJ, 709, 27CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weidner, C. & Kroupa, P., 2006, MNRAS, 365, 1333CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weidner, C., Kroupa, P., & Bonnell, I. A. D., 2010, MNRAS, 401, 275CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wolfire, M. G. & Cassinelli, J. P. 1987. ApJ 319, 850867.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yorke, H. W. & Sonnhalter, C. 2002, ApJ 569, 846.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zinnecker, H., 1982, New York Acad. Sci. Ann., 395, 226CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zinnecker, H., Yorke, H., 2007, ARA&A, 45, 481Google Scholar