Engineering topics

Macgregor, K. B.

Publications and source records attributed to Macgregor, K. B..

10 records

NASA NTRS1992

On the interaction between dust and gas in late-type stellar atmospheres and winds

An assumption inherent to most models of dust-driven winds from cool, evolved stars is that the radiative and collisional drag forces acting on an individual dust grain are in balance throughout the flow. We have checked the validity of this supposition of 'complete momentum coupling' by comparing the grain motion obtained from such a model with that derived from solution of the full grain equation of motion. For physical conditions typical of the circumstellar envelopes of oxygen-rich red giants, we find that silicate grains with initial radii smaller than about 5 x 10 exp -6 cm decouple from the ambient gas near the base of the outflow. The implications of these results for models of dust-driven mass loss from late-type giants and supergiants are discussed.

Macgregor, K. B.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Stellar chromospheres, coronae, and winds

It has now been found that one or more of the phenomena of chromospheres, coronae, and winds are present in stars of every class. A review is provided of the observational and theoretical results pertaining to the thermal and dynamical structure of early- and late-type stellar atmospheres. Single stars either on the main sequence or in the postmain sequence stages of evolution are considered. In the context of a study of late-type stars, the specific case of the sun is also examined. The observational evidence for the presence of chromospheres in late-type stellar atmospheres is discussed, taking into account spectral diagnostics and line formation, an observational summary and aspects of location in the H-R diagram, and the Wilson-Bappu effect. Attention is also given to observational evidence for the presence of transition regions and coronae in late-type stellar atmospheres, chromospheric and coronal heating mechanisms, observational evidence for mass loss, and the winds and coronae of early-type stars.

Cassinelli, J. P.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Theory of winds in late-type evolved and pre-main-sequence stars

Recent observational results confirm that many of the physical processes which are known to occur in the Sun also occur among late-type stars in general. One such process is the continuous loss of mass from a star in the form of a wind. There now exists an abundance of either direct or circumstantial evidence which suggests that most (if not all) stars in the cool portion of the HR diagram possess winds. An attempt is made to assess the current state of theoretical understanding of mass loss from two distinctly different classes of late-type stars: the post-main-sequence giant/supergiant stars and the pre-main-sequence T Tauri stars. Toward this end, the observationally inferred properties of the wind associated with each of the two stellar classes under consideration are summarized and compared against the predictions of existing theoretical models. Although considerable progress has been made in attempting to identify the mechanisms responsible for mass loss from cool stars, many fundamental problems remain to be solved.

Macgregor, K. B.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Protostellar mass and angular momentum loss

Recent radio observations have indicated that appreciable, continuing mass loss is occurring from regions of star formation. The conditions under which massive protostellar objects may exhibit strong, rotationally driven winds are investigated. For plausible rotational velocities and magnetic field strengths, ejection of about 10,000 solar masses a year at speeds of 10-100 km/s can be maintained for time scales of about 0.0001 yr; these values are insensitive to the protostellar luminosity. An evolutionary scenario is sketched which suggests that protostellar clouds may be expected to be rapidly rotating and to possess substantial magnetic fields when the clouds have contracted to radii of about 10 to the 14th cm. The centrifugally driven winds proposed present an alternative to fragmentation for providing the angular momentum loss required in the phase of rapid cloud contraction.

Hartmann, L.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Stellar winds in binary X-ray systems

It is thought that accretion from a strong stellar wind by a compact object may be responsible for the X-ray emission from binary systems containing a massive early-type primary. To investigate the effect of X-ray heating and ionization on the mass transfer process in systems of this type, an idealized model is constructed for the flow of a radiation-driven wind in the presence of an X-ray source of specified luminosity, L sub x. It is noted that for low values of L sub x, X-ray photoionization gives rise to additional ions having spectral lines with wavelengths situated near the peak of the primary continuum flux distribution. As a consequence, the radiation force acting on the gas increases in relation to its value in the absence of X-rays, and the wind is accelerated to higher velocities. As L sub x is increased, the degree of ionization of the wind increases, and the magnitude of the radiation force is diminished in comparison with the case in which L sub x = 0. This reduction leads at first to a decrease in the wind velocity and ultimately (for L sub x sufficiently large) to the termination of radiatively driven mass loss.

Macgregor, K. B.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Wave-driven winds from cool stars. I - Some effects of magnetic field geometry

The wave-driven wind theory of Hartmann and MacGregor (1980) is extended to include effects due to non-radial divergence of the flow. Specifically, isothermal expansion within a flow tube whose cross-sectional area increases outward faster than the square of the radius near the stellar surface is considered. It is found that the qualitative conclusions of Hartmann and MacGregor concerning the physical properties of Alfven wave-driven winds are largely unaffected. In particular, mass fluxes of similar magnitude are obtained, and wave dissipation is still necessary to produce acceptably small terminal velocities. Increasingly divergent flow geometries generally lead to higher initial wind speeds and slightly lower terminal velocities. For some cases of extremely rapid flow tube divergence, steady supersonic wind solutions which extend to infinity with vanishing gas pressure cannot be obtained. In addition, departures from spherical symmetry can cause the relative Alfven wave amplitude delta-B/B to become approximately greater than 1 within several stellar radii of the base of the wind, suggesting that nonlinear processes may contribute to the wave dissipation required by the theory.

Hartmann, L.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Momentum and energy balance in late-type stellar winds

Observations at ultraviolet and X-ray wavelengths indicate that the classical picture of a static stellar atmosphere containing a radiative equilibrium temperature distribution is inapplicable to the majority of late type stars. Mass loss and the presence of atmospheric regions characterized by gas temperatures in excess of the stellar effective temperature appear to be almost ubiquitous throughout the HR diagram. Evidence pertaining to the thermal and dynamical structure of the outer envelopes of cool stars is summarized. These results are compared with the predictions of several theoretical models which were proposed to account for mass loss from latetype stars. Models in which the outflow is thermally radiatively, or wave driven are considered for identification of the physical processes responsible for the observed wind properties. The observed variation of both the wind, thermal and dynamical structure as one proceeds from the supergiant branch toward the main sequence in the cool portion of the HR diagram give consideration to potential mechanisms for heating and cooling the flow from low gravity stars.

Macgregor, K. B.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Momentum and energy deposition in late-type stellar atmospheres and winds

The present study calculates the response of the outer atmospheres of cool low-gravity stars to the passage of the mechanical energy fluxes of solar magnitude in the form of acoustic waves and Alfven waves. It is shown that Alfven waves are efficient in generating outflow, and can account for the order of magnitude of observed mass loss in late-type luminous stars. However, unless these magnetic waves undergo some dissipation within several stellar radii of the surface, the predicted terminal velocities of the resulting stellar winds are far too high. Alfven wave dissipation should give rise to extended warm chromospheres in low-gravity late-type stars, a prediction which can be observationally tested.

Hartmann, L.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Radiative amplification of sound waves in the winds of O and B stars

The velocity perturbation associated with an outwardly propagating sound wave in a radiation-driven stellar wind gives rise to a periodic Doppler shifting of absorption lines formed in the flow. A linearized theory applicable to optically thin waves is used to show that the resulting fluctuation in the absorption-line force can cause the wave amplitude to grow. Detailed calculations of the acceleration due to a large number of lines indicate that significant amplification can occur throughout the high-velocity portion of winds in which the dominant force-producing lines have appreciable optical depths. In the particular case of the wind of Zeta Pup (O4f), it is found that the e-folding distance for wave growth is considerably shorter than the scale lengths over which the physical properties of the flow vary. A qualitative estimate of the rate at which mechanical energy due to nonlinear waves can be dissipated suggests that this mechanism may be important in heating the supersonic portion of winds of early-type stars.

Macgregor, K. B.↗

NASA NTRS1976

Magnetic acceleration of winds from solar-type stars

The spin-down of solar type stars (F5 V to G3 V) is generally ascribed to the outflow of magnetized plasma in the form of a wind. Magnetically coupled stellar winds are thought to provide the dominant mechanism for angular momentum loss over the entire main-sequence lifetime of stars possessing hydrogen convective zones. The associated loss in rotational kinetic energy can strongly affect the energetics of winds emanating from such stars, for sufficiently high rotation rates and magnetic field strengths. In the present paper, an attempt is made to describe qualitatively how MHD plasma outflow from a rotating star adjusts itself to a broad range of stellar conditions, including fast, intermediate, and slow magnetic rotator configurations. Using the Weber and Davis (1967) model of MHD winds, it is shown that the magnetic deceleration of an MHD wind is of importance when the loss of rotational kinetic energy due to magnetic braking exceeds the energy flux due to thermal processes alone.

Belcher, J. W.↗