Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2002-03-06
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
14 pages, To appear in Hot Star Workshop III: The Earliest Phases of Massive Star Birth, ASP Conference Series, 2002, ed. P. A
Scientific paper
We model the formation of high-mass stars, specifying the accretion rate in terms of the instantaneous and final mass of the star, the ambient pressure of the star-forming region and the form of polytropic pressure support of the pre-stellar gas core. The high pressures typical of Galactic regions of massive star formation allow a 100 solar mass star to form in ~10^5 years with a final accretion rate ~10^-3 solar masses per year. By modeling protostellar evolution we predict the properties of several nearby massive protostars. We model cluster formation by applying this theory to many stars. We use the observed intensity of outflows from protoclusters to estimate the star formation rate, finding that clusters take at least several free-fall times to form; for a cluster similar to the Orion Nebula Cluster, we predict a formation timescale of ~1x10^6 years.
McKee Christopher F.
Tan Jonathan C.
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