We present a model for the concurrent formation of globular clusters (GCs) and supermassive stars (SMSs, ≳10³ M_⊙) to address the origin of the HeCNONaMgAl abundance anomalies in GCs. GCs form in converging gas flows and accumulate low-angular momentum gas, which accretes on to protostars. This leads to an adiabatic contraction of the cluster and an increase of the stellar collision rate. A SMS can form via runaway collisions if the cluster reaches sufficiently high density before two-body relaxation halts the contraction. This condition is met if the number of stars ≳10⁶ and the gas accretion rate ≳10⁵ M_⊙ Myr⁻¹, reminiscent of GC formation in high gas-density environments, such as – but not restricted to – the early Universe. The strong SMS wind mixes with the inflowing pristine gas, such that the protostars accrete diluted hot-hydrogen burning yields of the SMS. Because of continuous rejuvenation, the amount of processed material liberated by the SMS can be an order of magnitude higher than its maximum mass. This ‘conveyor-belt’ production of hot-hydrogen burning products provides a solution to the mass budget problem that plagues other scenarios. Additionally, the liberated material is mildly enriched in helium and relatively rich in other hot-hydrogen burning products, in agreement with abundances of GCs today. Finally, we find a super-linear scaling between the amount of processed material and cluster mass, providing an explanation for the observed increase of the fraction of processed material with GC mass. We discuss open questions of this new GC enrichment scenario and propose observational tests.

Feedback from active galactic nuclei (AGN) has become a major component in simulations of galaxy evolution, in particular for massive galaxies. AGN j

Context. The annihilation of positrons in the Galaxy’s interstellar medium produces characteristic gamma-rays with a line at 511 keV. This gamma-ray emission has been observed with the spectrometer SPI on ESA’s INTEGRAL observatory, confirming a puzzling morphology with bright emission from an extended bulge-like region, while emission from the disk is faint. Most known or plausible sources of positrons are, however, believed to be distributed throughout the disk of the Milky Way.Aims. We aim to constrain characteristic spectral shapes for different spatial components in the disk and bulge using data with an exposure that has doubled since earlier reports.Methods. We exploit high-resolution gamma-ray spectroscopy with SPI on INTEGRAL based on a new instrumental background method and detailed multi-component sky model fitting.Results. We confirm the detection of the main extended components of characteristic annihilation gamma-ray signatures, altogether at 58σ significance in the 511 keV line. The total Galactic 511 keV line intensity amounts to (2.74 ± 0.25) × 10-3 ph cm-2 s-1 for our assumed model of the spatial distribution. We derive spectra for the bulge and disk, and a central source modelled as point-like and at the position of Sgr A*, and discuss spectral differences. The bulge (56σ) shows a 511 keV line intensity of (0.96 ± 0.07) × 10-3 ph cm-2 s-1 together with ortho-positronium continuum equivalent to a positronium fraction of (1.080 ± 0.029). The two-dimensional Gaussian that represents the disk emission (12σ) has an extent of 60+10 -5 degrees in longitude and a rather large latitudinal extent of 10.5+2.5 -1.5 degrees; the line intensity is (1.66 ± 0.35) × 10-3 ph cm-2 s-1 with a marginal detection of the annihilation continuum and an overall diffuse Galactic continuum of (5.85 ± 1.05) × 10-5 ph cm-2 s-1 keV-1 at 511 keV. The disk shows no flux asymmetry between positive and negative longitudes, although spectral details differ. The flux ratio between bulge and disk is (0.58 ± 0.13). The central source (5σ) has an intensity of (0.80 ± 0.19) × 10-4 ph cm-2 s-1.

We have carried out two-dimensional, axisymmetric, hydrodynamic numerical modelling of the evolution of radio galaxy lobes. The emphasis of our work is on including realistic hot-gas environments in the simulations and on establishing what properties of the resulting radio lobes are independent of the choice of environmental properties and of other features of the models such as the initial jet Mach number. The simulated jet power we use is chosen so that we expect the inner parts of the lobes to come into pressure balance with the external medium on large scales; we show that this leads to the expected departure from self-similarity and the formation of characteristic central structures in the hot external medium. The work done by the expanding radio lobes on the external hot gas is roughly equal to the energy stored in the lobes for all our simulations once the lobes are well established. We show that the external pressure at the lobe mid-point is a reasonable estimate of the internal (lobe) pressure, with only a weak dependence on the environmental parameters; on the other hand, the predicted radio emission from a source of a given physical size has a comparatively strong dependence on the environment in which the lobe resides, introducing an order of magnitude of scatter into the jet power versus radio luminosity relationship. X-ray surface brightness and temperature visualizations of our simulations bear a striking resemblance to observations of some well-studied radio galaxies.

Context. The self-enrichment scenario for globular clusters (GC) requires large amounts of residual gas after the initial formation of the first stellar generation. Recently, we found that supernovae may not be able to expel that gas, as required to explain their present-day gas-free state, and suggested that a sudden accretion onto the dark remnants at a stage when type II supernovae have ceased may plausibly lead to fast gas expulsion. Aims. Here, we explore the consequences of these results for the self-enrichment scenario via fast-rotating massive stars (FRMS).Methods. We analysed the interaction of FRMS with the intra-cluster medium (ICM), in particular where, when, and how the second generation of stars may form. From the results, we developed a timeline of the first ≈ 40 Myr of GC evolution.Results. Our previous results imply three phases during which the ICM is in a fundamentally different state, namely the wind bubble phase (lasting 3.5 to 8.8 Myr), the supernova phase (lasting 26.2 to 31.5 Myr), and the dark remnant accretion phase (lasting 0.1 to 4 Myr): (i) Quickly after the first-generation massive stars have formed, stellar wind bubbles compress the ICM into thin filaments. No stars may form in the normal way during this phase because of the high Lyman-Werner flux density. If the first-generation massive stars have equatorial ejections however, as we proposed in the FRMS scenario, accretion may resume in the shadow of the equatorial ejecta. The second-generation stars may then form due to gravitational instability in these disc, which are fed by both the FRMS ejecta and pristine gas. (ii) In the supernova phase the ICM develops strong turbulence, with characteristic velocities below the escape velocity. The gas does not accrete either onto the stars or onto the dark remnants in this phase because of the high gas velocities. The strong mass loss associated with the transformation of the FRMS into dark remnants then leads to the removal of the second-generation stars from the immediate vicinity of the dark remnants. (iii) When the supernovae have ceased, turbulence quickly decays, and the gas can once more accrete, now onto the dark remnants. As discussed previously, this may release sufficient energy to unbind the gas, and may happen fast enough so that a large fraction of less tightly bound first-generation stars are lost.Conclusions. Studying the FRMS scenario for the self-enrichment of GCs in detail reveals the important role of the physics of the ICM for our understanding of the formation and early evolution of GCs. Depending on the level of mass segregation, this sets constraints on the orbital properties of the stars, in particular high orbital eccentricities, which likely has implications on the GC formation scenario.