The mixing of ejecta from young stars into the interstellar medium is an important process in the interplay between star formation and galaxy evolution. A unique window into these processes is provided by the radioactive isotopes $^{ 26}$Al, traced by its $\gamma$-ray decay lines at 1.8 MeV. With a mean lifetime of $\sim$1 Myr it is a long-term tracer of nucleosynthesis for massive stars. Our population synthesis code models the ejection of $^{ 26}$Al, together with the $^{ 60}$Fe, the kinetic energy and UV radiation for a population of massive stars. We have applied the code to study the nearby Orion region and the more massive Carina region and found good agreement with observational constraints.
Categories: astro-ph.GA