Eagle Nebula Pillars: From models to observations

Marc Pound University of Maryland Jave Kane, Bruce Remington, Dmitri Ryutov Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Akira Mizuta, Hideaki 5th International Conference on High EnergyTakabe Density Laboratory Astrophysics Institute of Laser March Engineering, 10 13,Osaka 2004 University

How do pillars form?

Pillars (elephant trunks) common Formation mechanism unclear Instabilities at cloud interface? Pre-existing dense cores?

Observations of morphology alone cannot distinguish between models.

Formation Mechanism Examples

Ablative Rayleigh-Taylor instability
e.g., Spitzer (1954); Frieman (1954); Pound (1998); Kane et al. (2001)

see also Tilted Radiation instability

Ryutov et al. (2003)

Shadowing Instability
e.g., Williams (1999)

Dense core/Cometary globule

e.g., Reipurth (1983); Bertoldi & McKee (1990); Lefloch & Lazareff (1994); Williams et al (2001)

In most of these scenarios, the formation timescale for L ~ 0.5 pc is a few X 105 yr

Horsehead Nebula
0.5 pc

Radiotelescopes

Measure received power W as a function of frequency. Antenna temperature TA= W/k. Doppler shift gives velocity. ~ 0.2 10'' V ~ 0.1 km/s

CO(J=10) is the primary observational

Datacubes

Can slice cube in multiple ways, take moments, etc.

Our Data from BIMA array

CO(J=1-0) Integrated Intensity

What the observations tell us (model constraints)

Observables Temperature Velocity absolute gradient dispersion line shape ... 25 km/s ... 10 km/s/pc ... 1 km/s ... complex ... 40 K Derivables Density Mass Pressure thermal turbulent ... 105 cm-3 ... 800 Msun (P/k) ... 106 K cm-3 ... 108 K cm-3

22 -2 ... 10 cm Column density

Magnetic Field ... ??

Timescales: ... 105 years

Dynamical See talk by Dmitri Ryutov in 7 ... 10 years Evaporation this session

Geometry of Eagle Nebula

Our Model
We have developed a comprehensive 2-D hydrodynamic model that includes: Energy deposition and release due to the absorption of UV radiation Recombination of hydrogen Radiative molecular cooling Magnetostatic pressure Geometry/initial conditions based Akira Mizuta's on See Eagle observations

talk in this session.

The Objective
To go from this... X, Y, VX, VY, ...to this. X, Y, VZ, F

We need to create synthetic observations by ''observing'' the model.

Interferometry and aperture synthesis primer

BIMA millimeter array

Interferometers measure the Fourier Transform of the sky brightness distribution, called the visibility function. As Earth rotates, antennas pairs trace out ellipses in the Fourier domain, sampling different spatial frequencies. Longer baselines give higher spatial resolution. Smooth component of emission ''resolved v

Example uv coverage

Steps to create synthetic observations

1) Orient model properly on sky: rotation and inclination i. 2) Taper model brightness according to field of view response function & mosaic pattern. 3) Sample with actual uv coverage of observations to create Fourier domain visibilities. 4) Add noise due to receivers and atmosphere. Note this is done in the Fourier domain. 5) Grid the visibilities and FFT back to image domain. 6) Deconvolve image with ''dirty'' beam (Airy pattern). This is the CLEAN algorithm. Tools: NEMO dynamics toolbox, MIRIAD interferometry package

1. Orient model on sky

= 39o (known)

i = 10o (educated guess for Pillar II)

2. Taper model brightness

Each box corresponds to one field of the mosaic. The field of view is a Gaussian with FWHM=100''.

3. Sample with actual uv coverage

Core is elliptical Gaussian

Dirty Beam

5. Grid and FFT

Note sidelobe response.

6. & 7. Deconvolve and restore

Voila!

Comparison

Densest region of model, n(H2) ~ 103 cm-3 , is recovered by interferometer. This is about the critical density for excitation of CO. Dense region not large enough, however. Let's zoom in for a closer look...

Closer Comparison

Put the model twice as close and reprocess. Zoom in on Pillar II. Similarity is intriguing

Successes
Basic shape reproduced Correct final densities reproduced: n(H2) = 103 105 cm-3 Correct velocity gradient reproduced: VY sini ~ 3 km/s/pc, compare with 2.2 km/s/pc in Pillar II

Caveats

No radiative transfer brightness assumed proportional to mass in pixel. Comparing 2D model to integrated 3D datacube need a full 3D or cylindrical model to examine velocity field and pillar substructure.

Summary
Our model can adequately represent much of the real input astrophysics of the Eagle. Physical properties of pillars reproduced. We have a good technique for creating realistic synthetic observations from model data. We also have ``cometary'' models ready to be subjected to the same technique. Use synthetic observations to identify best models. Use best models to design laser experiment. Models applicable to many astronomical objects. We have good data already for Eagle, Horsehead, and Pelican Hubble/NICMOS nebulae.

Advertisement
The Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-wave Astronomy (CARMA)

Merger of BIMA and OVRO mm arrays at new high site. Operational in mid-2005.

Order of magnitude improvement in imaging fidelity over existing arrays.

Testing the Rayleigh-Taylor Instability

A classic RT spike (incompressible, semi-infinite layer thickness) in free fall under pseudo-gravity g has velocity of form:

V(X) V0 = [ 2 g ( X X0 ) ]1/2

No change in g or inclination i, can match data.

Again with the Rayleigh-Taylor Instability!

Classic RT has constant density, therefore constant column density (# emitters along line of sight).

Data show large variations in H2column density (clumpiness).

The BIMA Millimeter Array

Observations at =1 and 3 mm Earth-rotation aperture synthesis Ten 6.1 meter dishes Interferometric baselines as long as 2 km Resolution of 0.2'' at 1 mm

Compact configuration for mapping large-scale structure 4 configurations like VLA Mosaicing large fields

Premier imaging millimeter-

How long will the Horsehead last?

evaporation timescale tevap= M / (dM/dt) mass loss rate due to photoionization dM/dt = 2r2 ci mpni Lyman continuum absorbed in layer comparable to cloud radius ni = (LLyC / 4B)1/2 r-1/2 d-1 ...plug in the numbers, turn crank...

tevap ~ 5 Myr

High Contrast Amateur Photo

There is a bend or "kink" in the Horsehead

Horsehead Nebula

V = 8 15 km/s

Horsehead Nebula
CO(J=1-0) Integrated Intensity

Centroid Velocity contours: 0.5 km/s

Velocity Dispersion contours: 0.15 km/s

Molecular clouds
Agglomerations of molecular material with masses 102 to 106 Msun Located primarily in galactic spiral arms Where stars form Dominated by turbulence Clumpy structure Temperatures ~ few X 10K Volume densities ~ 103 107 cm-3 Primarily H2 with traces of: CO 10 4 dust 10 2
Bell Labs

Orion GMC
10 pc

Complications

Eagle pillars appear to be in a very late stage of RT evolution, after the bubble has burst. Horsehead appears to be in early stage, but nearby star formation history unclear. Magnetic fields