Dynamical heating of newborn stars driven by accretion-induced orbital tightening

Fuente: arXiv
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Auteurs principaux: Camacho, Vianey, Bonilla-Barroso, Andrea, Ballesteros-Paredes, Javier, Zamora-Aviles, Manuel, Aguilar, Luis
Format: Preprint
Publié: 2025
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author Camacho, Vianey
Bonilla-Barroso, Andrea
Ballesteros-Paredes, Javier
Zamora-Aviles, Manuel
Aguilar, Luis
author_facet Camacho, Vianey
Bonilla-Barroso, Andrea
Ballesteros-Paredes, Javier
Zamora-Aviles, Manuel
Aguilar, Luis
contents In previous works, we have shown that stars in the Orion and the Lagoon Nebula Clusters, and simulations of collapsing clouds, exhibit constant velocity dispersion as a function of mass, a result described by Lynden-Bell 50 years ago as an effect of a violent relaxation mechanism. In contrast, numerical simulations of turbulent clouds show that newborn massive stars experience stronger dynamical heating than low-mass stars. We analyzed turbulent numerical simulations and found that this effect arises from the fact that, in clouds that are globally turbulence-supported against collapse, massive stars are formed within more massive and denser clumps and in more crowded environments compared to low-mass stars. This allows them to accrete more mass and interact with other stars simultaneously. As they become more massive, their orbits tighten, increasing their velocity dispersion. In contrast, low-mass stars are formed in the periphery of such cores, more separated, and at lower densities. Thus, their velocity dispersion remains lower because they do not accrete as vigorously as massive stars and tend to be more isolated. We call this mechanism "accretion-induced orbital tightening." Our results and previous findings about violent relaxation provide a key observational diagnostic of how to distinguish the dynamic state of star-forming molecular clouds through the kinematics of their newborn stars.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2502_18016
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Dynamical heating of newborn stars driven by accretion-induced orbital tightening
Camacho, Vianey
Bonilla-Barroso, Andrea
Ballesteros-Paredes, Javier
Zamora-Aviles, Manuel
Aguilar, Luis
Astrophysics of Galaxies
In previous works, we have shown that stars in the Orion and the Lagoon Nebula Clusters, and simulations of collapsing clouds, exhibit constant velocity dispersion as a function of mass, a result described by Lynden-Bell 50 years ago as an effect of a violent relaxation mechanism. In contrast, numerical simulations of turbulent clouds show that newborn massive stars experience stronger dynamical heating than low-mass stars. We analyzed turbulent numerical simulations and found that this effect arises from the fact that, in clouds that are globally turbulence-supported against collapse, massive stars are formed within more massive and denser clumps and in more crowded environments compared to low-mass stars. This allows them to accrete more mass and interact with other stars simultaneously. As they become more massive, their orbits tighten, increasing their velocity dispersion. In contrast, low-mass stars are formed in the periphery of such cores, more separated, and at lower densities. Thus, their velocity dispersion remains lower because they do not accrete as vigorously as massive stars and tend to be more isolated. We call this mechanism "accretion-induced orbital tightening." Our results and previous findings about violent relaxation provide a key observational diagnostic of how to distinguish the dynamic state of star-forming molecular clouds through the kinematics of their newborn stars.
title Dynamical heating of newborn stars driven by accretion-induced orbital tightening
topic Astrophysics of Galaxies
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.18016