Related papers: A Propos Crossing the Hertzsprung Gap
The details of the physical process through which high-mass stars form remains nearly as much of a mystery now as it was when the Parkes radio telescope commenced operation. The energy output from high-mass stars influence, or directly…
New stellar models with mass ranging between 4 and 8 Mo, Z=0 and Y=0.23 are presented. The models have been evolved from the pre Main Sequence up to the Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB). At variance with previous claims, we find that these…
Direct imaging observations constrain the fraction of stars orbited by gas giant planets with separations greater than 10 au to about 0.01 only. This is widely believed to indicate that massive protoplanetary discs rarely fragment on…
Here we consider the strong evolution experienced by the matter reinserted by massive stars, both in giant star forming regions driven by a constant star formation rate, and in massive and coeval superstar clusters. In both cases we take…
The post-main sequence evolution of stars of intermediate or large masses is notoriously complex. In the recent past, a number of workshops and meetings have focused on either the Asymptotic Giant Branch of intermediate mass stars, or the…
A popular self--enrichment scenario for the formation of globular clusters assumes that the abundance anomalies shown by the stars in many clusters are due to a second stage of star formation occurring from the matter lost by the winds of…
We investigate the formation by accretion of massive primordial protostars in the range 10 to 300 Msun. The high accretion rate used in the models (4.4 x 10^{-3} Msun/yr) causes the structure and evolution to differ significantly from those…
To address the problem concerning the early formation of stars in massive galaxies, we present the results of a semi-analytic model of galaxy formation which includes a physical description of starbursts triggered by galaxy interactions.…
I show that after the "helium flash" abruptly ends its first ascent red giant evolution, a solar-type star is powered primarily by gravitational contraction of its helium core, rather than by nuclear fusion. Because this energy is released…
We discuss a possible delay experienced by protogalaxies with low column density of gas in forming stars over large scales. After the hydrogen has recombined, as the external ionizing UV flux decreases and the metal abundance $Z$ increases,…
In the local Universe, star formation is typically inefficient both globally and when considered as the fraction of gas converted into stars per local free-fall time. An important exception to this inefficiency is regions of high…
Dense star clusters expand until their sizes are limited by the tidal field of their host galaxy. During this expansion phase the member stars evolve and lose mass. We show that for clusters with short initial relaxation time scales (<~100…
Star formation occurs within dusty molecular clouds that are then disrupted by stellar feedback. However, the timing and physical mechanisms that govern the transition from deeply embedded to exposed stars remain uncertain. Using the…
Products of stellar mergers are predicted to be common in stellar populations and can potentially explain stars with peculiar properties. When the merger occurs after the initially more massive star has evolved into the Hertzsprung gap…
The evolution of circumstellar discs is influenced by their surroundings. The relevant processes include external photoevaporation due to nearby stars, and dynamical truncations. The impact of these processes on disc populations depends on…
The efficiency of convection in stars affects many aspects of their evolution and remains one of the key-open questions in stellar modelling. In particular, the size of the mixed core in core-He-burning low-mass stars is still uncertain and…
We demonstrate that among the potential sources of the primordial abundance variations of the proton-capture elements in globular-cluster stars proposed so far, such as the hot-bottom burning in massive AGB stars and H burning in the…
The interstellar medium of galaxies is composed of multiple phases, including molecular, atomic, and ionized gas, as well as dust. Stars are formed within this medium from cold molecular gas clouds, which collapse due to their gravitational…
Context: In cold and dense gas prior to the formation of young stellar objects, heavy molecular species (including CO) are accreted onto dust grains. Under these conditions H$_3^+$ and its deuterated isotopologues become more abundant,…
Young A-type stars in the pre--main-sequence (PMS) evolutionary phase are particularly interesting objects since they cover the mass range (1.5-4 solar ma sses) which is most sensitive to the internal conditions inherited during the…