X-ray studies of massive star birth regions
Abstract
I report X-ray features of young stage of intermediate and high mass stars. The giant molecular cloud Sagittarius B2 (Sgr B2) exhibits more than dozen X-ray sources, two are associated with the ultra compact (UC) HII complex, Sgr B2 Main. The sources show large absorption of ≫1023 Hcm-2, the largest among any known stellar X-ray sources.The Arches cluster exhibits 3 extremely bright (a few ×10^{33} ergs s-1) X-ray sources associated with the infrared (IR) massive stars. The X-ray spectra have 1-3 keV temperature in thin thermal model. Elongated diffuse 6.4 keV line emission is found.The Monoceros R2 cloud exhibits half dozen X-ray sources associated with young high-mass IR stars. They show rapid time variability and a thin thermal spectrum of {∼ }2 keV temperature. Among 28 ASC A pointing on intermediate-mass pre-main-sequence stars, or Herbig Ae/Be stars (HAeBes), eleven are found to be plausible X-ray sources. The general X-ray properties of these HAeBes are; (1) the plasma temperature and time variability are higher than those of high mass main-sequence stars, and more similar to low mass stars; (2) the X-ray luminosities come to the upper end of low mass pre-main sequence stars, or in some cases exceed that; (3) the X-ray activity of HAeBe decreases at the age of about a few×106 years.Using above observational facts, I propose a unified picture of X-ray activity of young stars in the wide mass range.
- Publication:
-
Massive Star Birth: A Crossroads of Astrophysics
- Pub Date:
- 2005
- DOI:
- 10.1017/S1743921305004618
- Bibcode:
- 2005IAUS..227..257K