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“Sequential Star Formation and Chemical Enrichment of the Early Solar System”

February 25, 2014 @ 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

UNC PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY PRELIMINARY EXAM PRESENTATION
Matthew Goodson, UNC-Chapel Hill
“Sequential Star Formation and Chemical Enrichment of the Early Solar System”
The early Solar System was enriched with short-lived radionuclides (SLRs). I will explore a scenario in which the SLRs originated from stellar nucleosynthesis in an earlier generation of nearby massive stars. Winds and radiation from O and B stars created an expanding bubble, sweeping up material and triggering subsequent star formation. When the older, massive stars exploded as supernovae, they enriched this second generation located on the bubble rim with SLRs. I will examine this scenario with hydrodynamic simulations, modeling a supernova remnant evolution and its interaction with a giant molecular cloud. To understand the role of specific physical effects in the simulation, I will implement and test each element independently. First, a sub-grid turbulence model is needed to alleviate the numerical resolution effects otherwise dominating turbulent mixing. Second, to make high-resolution simulations feasible, I will employ static mesh refinement. This necessitates the development of a multi-level self-gravity solver. Third, thermal effects (heating and radiative losses) are essential in structure formation and molecular cloud evolution. Finally, to follow the actual decay of SLRs during transit, Lagrangian tracer particles will be utilized. I will discuss my progress and plans for each sub-project.

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Date:
February 25, 2014
Time:
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

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