Impacto de las estrellas de alta masa en el medio interestelar

CICHOWOLSKI SILVINA

Congreso; 64 Reunión Anual de la AAA; 2022

The interstellar medium (ISM) is composed of different gaseous components, characterized by different temperatures, densities and degrees of ionization. In turn, the gas is well mixed with the interstellar dust, which is a fundamental component of the ISM. Through stellar photons, cosmic rays, and high-energy radiation, the gas and dust rise in temperature and as they cool, through a variety of physical processes, they emit radiation in different bands of the electromagnetic spectrum. Therefore, the study of the ISM at different wavelengths is very important to analyze all its components. Massive stars, corresponding to spectral types earlier than B3, although few in number, produce irreversible changes in all the phases of the ISM. These stars are characterized by their highly energetic radiation, their strong winds and by ending their lives with an explosion due to the collapse of their cores, being decisive in the chemical and dynamic evolution of the Galaxy. In this work, I will review the various structures that are generated in the ISM as a consequence of the action of massive stars and how this interaction can generate consequences such as the formation of new stars or the transfer of gas chemically enriched from the plane to the Galactic halo.