Modelling the composition of a young star cluster ejecta
Abstract
We have computed with a fine time grid the evolution of the elemental abundances of He, C, N and O ejected by young (t < 20 Myr) and massive (M = 106 M⊙) coeval stellar cluster with a Salpeter initial mass function (IMF) over a wide range of initial abundances. Our computations incorporate the mass loss from massive stars (M ≥ 30 M⊙) during their wind phase including the Wolf-Rayet phase and the ejecta from the core-collapse supernovae. We find that during the Wolf-Rayet phase (t < 5 Myr) the cluster ejecta composition suddenly becomes vastly overabundant in N for all initial abundances and in He, C and O for initial abundances higher than one-fifth of the solar. The C and O abundances in the cluster ejecta can reach over 50 times the solar value with important consequences for the chemical and hydrodynamical evolution of the surrounding interstellar medium.
- Publication:
-
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
- Pub Date:
- September 2012
- DOI:
- 10.1111/j.1365-2966.2012.21607.x
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1204.4879
- Bibcode:
- 2012MNRAS.425.1696M
- Keywords:
-
- stars: abundances;
- stars: mass-loss;
- supernovae: general;
- stars: Wolf-Rayet;
- galaxies: abundances;
- galaxies: star clusters: general;
- Astrophysics - Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics;
- Astrophysics - Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- 13 pages, 10 figures, 7 tables, accepted by MNRAS