在极度金属贫困的星系中,恒星形成效率低下
Yong Shi1, Lee Armus2, George Helou2
11] School of Astronomy and Space Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China [2] Key Laboratory of Modern Astronomy and Astrophysics (Nanjing University), Ministry of Education, Nanjing 210093, China.
Nature
|October 17, 2014
概括
在早期宇宙中,恒星形成的效率极低. 对附近金属贫乏星系的观测显示,恒星形成效率不到今天金属丰富星系的十分之一.
科学领域:
- 天文学 天文学
- 天体物理学 天体物理学
- 宇宙学的宇宙学是什么?
背景情况:
- 早期的星系从具有非常低金属度的气体 (比更重的元素) 中形成恒星.
- 理论上预计低金属度会阻碍气体冷却和高效的恒星形成.
- 在氧气丰富度低于太阳值10%的星系中,没有直接观察到这种抑制.
研究的目的:
- 为了研究极其金属贫困星系的恒星形成效率.
- 了解早期宇宙中低金属度星系的条件.
- 在低金属度环境中评估气体跟踪器的可靠性.
主要方法:
- 空间分辨的红外观测两个极其金属贫困的星系 (氧气丰富度<10%的太阳).
- 分析了这些星系内七个不同的恒星形成团中的恒星形成.
主要成果:
- 在研究的星团中观察到的恒星形成效率不到当今金属丰富星系的十分之一.
- 在这些金属含量低的环境中,已证明恒星形成的效率极低.
结论:
- 这些发现支持这样一个假设:由于金属度较低,在早期宇宙中恒星形成的效率显著下降.
- 极其缺乏金属的星系是研究早期宇宙时代的关键本地类型.
- 在低金属度下,传统气体标记器 (CO,尘埃) 面临的挑战凸显了对先进的观测技术的需求.
相关概念视频
Metallic Solids
21.5K
Metallic solids such as crystals of copper, aluminum, and iron are formed by metal atoms. The structure of metallic crystals is often described as a uniform distribution of atomic nuclei within a “sea” of delocalized electrons. The atoms within such a metallic solid are held together by a unique force known as metallic bonding that gives rise to many useful and varied bulk properties.
All metallic solids exhibit high thermal and electrical conductivity, metallic luster, and malleability....
All metallic solids exhibit high thermal and electrical conductivity, metallic luster, and malleability....
21.5K
Detection of Black Holes
2.6K
Although black holes were theoretically postulated in the 1920s, they remained outside the domain of observational astronomy until the 1970s.
Their closest cousins are neutron stars, which are composed almost entirely of neutrons packed against each other, making them extremely dense. A neutron star has the same mass as the Sun but its diameter is only a few kilometers. Therefore, the escape velocity from their surface is close to the speed of light.
Not until the 1960s, when the first neutron...
Their closest cousins are neutron stars, which are composed almost entirely of neutrons packed against each other, making them extremely dense. A neutron star has the same mass as the Sun but its diameter is only a few kilometers. Therefore, the escape velocity from their surface is close to the speed of light.
Not until the 1960s, when the first neutron...
2.6K
Extraction: Advanced Methods
1.3K
Metal ions can be separated from one another by complexation with organic ligands–the chelating agent– to form uncharged chelates. Here, the chelating agent must contain hydrophobic groups and behave as a weak acid, losing a proton to bind with the metal. Since most organic ligands used in this process are insoluble or undergo oxidation in the aqueous phase, the chelating agent is initially added to the organic phase and extracted into the aqueous phase. The metal-ligand complex is...
1.3K
Reduced Mass Coordinates: Isolated Two-body Problem
2.6K
In classical mechanics, the two-body problem is one of the fundamental problems describing the motion of two interacting bodies under gravity or any other central force. When considering the motion of two bodies, one of the most important concepts is the reduced mass coordinates, a quantity that allows the two-body problem to be solved like a single-body problem. In these circumstances, it is assumed that a single body with reduced mass revolves around another body fixed in a position with an...
2.6K
Ostwald’s Dilution Law
123
Consider a binary electrolyte AB with a concentration ‘c’ that reversibly dissociates into its constituent ions. The degree of this dissociation is represented by ⍺. This means that the equilibrium concentration of each ionic species can be expressed as ⍺c. As well as this, the fraction of the electrolyte that remains undissociated at equilibrium is given by (1−⍺). The corresponding equilibrium concentration for this undissociated portion is then calculated...
123
Microbes and Other Elemental Cycles
67
Microbial activity plays a pivotal role in the biogeochemical cycling of iron and manganese, especially at the redox gradients characteristic of stratified aquatic environments. These cycles are driven by microbial transformations between oxidized and reduced forms of the metals, allowing organisms to exploit them for metabolic energy and structural purposes.Iron Cycling Across Redox GradientsIn neutral, oxygen-rich surface waters, iron is predominantly found in its oxidized, insoluble ferric...
67


