2003/09/30 by Eric Keto · 2 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Accretion (finance) #Astro and Planetary Science #Astronomy #Astrophysics #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #H II region #Intermediate polar #Ion #Ionization #Opacity #Physics #Radiation pressure #Star formation #Stars #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #White dwarf #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1086/379545
published as Astrophys.J.599:1196-1206,2003; Erratum-ibid.635:1373,2005 · 36 pages 5 figures Corrected typographical errors in equations 23 and 25
openalex publication_date 2003/12/20 · arxiv created 2004/07/29 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
The formation of massive stars may take place at relatively low accretion rates over a long period of time if the accretion can continue past the onset of core hydrogen ignition. The accretion may continue despite the formation of an ionized H II region around the star if the H II region is small enough that the gravitational attraction of the star dominates the thermal pressure of the H II region. The accretion may continue despite radiation pressure acting against dust grains in the molecular gas if the momentum of the accretion flow is sufficient to push the dust grains through a narrow zone of high dust opacity at the ionization boundary and into the H II region where the dust is sublimated. This model of massive star formation by continuing accretion predicts a new class of gravitationally trapped, long-lived, hypercompact H II regions. The observational characteristics of the trapped hypercompact H II regions can be predicted for comparison with observations.