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Parsec-scale X-ray flows in high-mass star-forming regions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 November 2005

L. K. Townsley
Affiliation:
Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, 525 Davey Laboratory, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA email: townsley@astro.psu.edu, patb@astro.psu.edu, edf@astro.psu.edu, garmire@astro.psu.edu
P. S. Broos
Affiliation:
Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, 525 Davey Laboratory, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA email: townsley@astro.psu.edu, patb@astro.psu.edu, edf@astro.psu.edu, garmire@astro.psu.edu
E. D. Feigelson
Affiliation:
Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, 525 Davey Laboratory, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA email: townsley@astro.psu.edu, patb@astro.psu.edu, edf@astro.psu.edu, garmire@astro.psu.edu
G. P. Garmire
Affiliation:
Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, 525 Davey Laboratory, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA email: townsley@astro.psu.edu, patb@astro.psu.edu, edf@astro.psu.edu, garmire@astro.psu.edu
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Abstract

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The Chandra X-ray Observatory is providing remarkable new views of massive star-forming regions, revealing all stages in the life cycle of high-mass stars and their effects on their surroundings. We present a Chandra tour of several high-mass star-forming regions, highlighting physical processes that characterize the life of a cluster of high-mass stars, from deeply-embedded cores too young to have established an HII region to superbubbles so large that they shape our views of galaxies. Along the way we see that X-ray observations reveal hundreds of stellar sources powering great HII region complexes, suffused by both hard and soft diffuse X-ray structures caused by fast O-star winds thermalized in wind-wind collisions or by termination shocks against the surrounding media. Finally, we examine the effects of the deaths of high-mass stars that remained close to their birthplaces, exploding as supernovae within the superbubbles that these clusters created. We present new X-ray results on W51 IRS2E and 30 Doradus and we introduce new data on Trumpler 14 in Carina and the W3 HII region complexes W3 Main and W3(OH).

Type
Contributed Papers
Copyright
© 2005 International Astronomical Union