Related papers: The Galactic Spatial Distribution of OB Associatio…
We update and extend a previous model by Higdon and Lingenfelter for the longitudinal profile of the N\,II intensity in the Galactic plane. The model is based on four logarithmic spiral arms, to which features like the Local Arm and local…
Massive stars blow powerful winds and eventually explode as supernovae. By doing so, they inject energy and momentum in the circumstellar medium, which is pushed away from the star and piles up to form a dense and expanding shell of gas.…
The locations of massive stars (> 8 Msun) within their host galaxies is reviewed. These range from distributed OB associations to dense star clusters within giant HII regions. A comparison between massive stars and the environments of…
Observations indicate that most massive stars in the Galaxy appear in groups, called OB associations, where their strong wind activity generates large structures known as superbubbles, inside which the subsequent supernovae (SNe) explode,…
The combined effects of supernova explosions and stellar winds produce a hot bubble in the central regions of starburst galaxies. As the bubble expands, it can outbreak into the galactic halo driving a superwind that transports hot gas and…
Star complexes are the largest globular regions of star formation in galaxies. If there is a spiral density wave, nuclear ring, tidal arm, or other well-defined stellar structure, then gravitational instabilities in the gaseous component…
Massive stars blow powerful winds and eventually explode as supernovae. By doing so, they inject energy and momentum in the circumstellar medium, which is pushed away from the star and piles up to form a dense and expanding shell of gas.…
Interstellar superbubbles generated by multiple supernova explosions are common in star-forming galaxies. They are the most obvious manifestation of mechanical feedback, and are largely responsible for transferring both thermal and kinetic…
Several supernova remnants and young neutron stars were recently discovered relatively high above the Galactic plane. One possibility is that they originate from runaway OB stars born in the Galactic disk. Understanding their origin will…
We review the evidence for cosmic ray acceleration in the superbubble/hot phase of the interstellar medium, and discuss the implications for the composition of cosmic rays and the structure and evolution of the interstellar medium. We show…
OB associations are low-density groups of young stars that are dispersing from their birth environment into the Galactic field. They are important for understanding the star formation process, early stellar evolution, the properties and…
We compute the production of cosmic rays in the dynamical superbubble produced by a cluster of massive stars. Stellar winds, supernova remnants and turbulence are found to accelerate particles so efficiently that the nonlinear feedback of…
Supernova remnants are believed to be a major source of cosmic-rays in the Galaxy. As their progenitors are commonly found clustered in OB associations, one has to consider the possibility of collective effects in the acceleration process.…
Super Star Clusters (Mecl > 10^5 Msol) are the largest stellar nurseries in our local Universe, containing hundreds of thousands to millions of young stars within a few light years. Many of these systems are found in external galaxies,…
Cosmic rays are highly energetic messengers propagating in magnetized plasma, which are, possibly but not exclusively, accelerated at astrophysical shocks. Amongst the variety of astrophysical objects presenting shocks, the huge…
We describe the propagation of supernova shocks within the surrounding medium, which may be due to mass-loss from the progenitor star. The structure and density profile of the ejected material and surrounding medium are considered. Shock…
Stars form by gravoturbulent fragmentation of interstellar gas clouds. The supersonic turbulence ubiquitously observed in Galactic molecular gas generates strong density fluctuations with gravity taking over in the densest and most massive…
Mass loss from massive stars ($\ga 8 \msun$) can result in the formation of circumstellar wind blown cavities surrounding the star, bordered by a thin, dense, cold shell. When the star explodes as a core-collapse supernova (SN), the…
The galactic supershells are cavities in the interstellar medium. These shells can be explained by introducing the concept of superbubbles, the theoretical result of multiple supernova. The superbubbles can be analytically described if the…
The Galactic distribution of the high-latitude molecular clouds is considered. It is suggested that the majority of these clouds are clustered in two large shells around the two closest OB associations, Per OB3/Cas-Tau and Sco OB2. The most…