2003/12/12 by Richard Edgar, R. G. Edgar, Cathie Clarke · 4 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy and Astrophysical Research #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #Scientific Research and Discoveries #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2004.07533.x
published as Mon.Not.Roy.Astron.Soc. 349 (2004) 678 · 10 pages, 11 figures. Accepted for publication by MNRAS
arxiv created 2003/12/12 · openalex publication_date 2004/03/25 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
We apply an algorithm for radiative feedback on a dusty flow to the problem of Bondi–Hoyle accretion. This calculation is potentially relevant to the formation of massive stars in ultradense cores of stellar clusters. We find that radiative feedback is more effective than in the case of previous calculations in spherical symmetry. The Bondi–Hoyle geometry implies that material is flowing nearly tangentially when it experiences the sharp radiative impulse at the dust destruction radius, and consequently it is readily perturbed into outflowing orbits. We find that it is difficult for stellar masses to grow beyond around 10 M⊙ (for standard interstellar dust abundances). We discuss the possible implications of this result for the formation mechanism of OB stars in cluster cores. We end by proposing a series of conditions which must be fulfilled if Bondi–Hoyle accretion is to continue.