7,454 research outputs found
Radio emission from Supernova Remnants
The explosion of a supernova releases almost instantaneously about 10^51 ergs
of mechanic energy, changing irreversibly the physical and chemical properties
of large regions in the galaxies. The stellar ejecta, the nebula resulting from
the powerful shock waves, and sometimes a compact stellar remnant, constitute a
supernova remnant (SNR). They can radiate their energy across the whole
electromagnetic spectrum, but the great majority are radio sources. Almost 70
years after the first detection of radio emission coming from a SNR, great
progress has been achieved in the comprehension of their physical
characteristics and evolution. We review the present knowledge of different
aspects of radio remnants, focusing on sources of the Milky Way and the
Magellanic Clouds, where the SNRs can be spatially resolved. We present a brief
overview of theoretical background, analyze morphology and polarization
properties, and review and critical discuss different methods applied to
determine the radio spectrum and distances. The consequences of the interaction
between the SNR shocks and the surrounding medium are examined, including the
question of whether SNRs can trigger the formation of new stars. Cases of
multispectral comparison are presented. A section is devoted to reviewing
recent results of radio SNRs in the Magellanic Clouds, with particular emphasis
on the radio properties of SN 1987A, an ideal laboratory to investigate
dynamical evolution of an SNR in near real time. The review concludes with a
summary of issues on radio SNRs that deserve further study, and analyzing the
prospects for future research with the latest generation radio telescopes.Comment: Revised version. 48 pages, 15 figure
Multi-frequency Study of the LMC Supernova Remnant (SNR) B0513-692 and New SNR Candidate J051327-6911
We present a new multi-wavelength study of supernova remnant (SNR) B0513-692
in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). The remnant also has a strong, superposed,
essentially unresolved, but unrelated radio source at its north-western edge,
J051324-691049. This is identified as a likely compact HII region based on
related optical imaging and spectroscopy. We use the Australia Telescope
Compact Array (ATCA) at 4790 and 8640 MHz to determine the large scale
morphology, spectral index and polarization characteristics of B0513-692 for
the first time. We detect a strongly polarized region (49%) in the remnant's
southern edge. Interestingly we also detect a small (~40 arcsec) moderately
bright, but distinct optical, circular shell in our Halpha imagery which is
adjacent to the compact HII region and just within the borders of the NE edge
of B0513-692. We suggest this is a separate new SNR candidate based on its
apparently distinct character in terms of optical morphology in 3 imaged
emission lines and indicative SNR optical spectroscopy (including enhanced
optical [SII] emission relative to Halpha).Comment: 12 page
A scaling law for light scattering from dense and cold atomic ensembles
We calculate the differential cross section of polarized light scattering
from a cold and dense atomic ensemble. The regularities in the transformation
of the cross section when increasing the size of the atomic ensemble are
analyzed numerically. We show that for typical experimental conditions, an
approximate scaling law can be obtained. Very good agreement is found in a
comparison with experimental data on the size dependence of a dense and cold
cloud of 87$Rb atoms.Comment: Submitted to Journal of Modern Optics, Special issue on the
Proceedings of the Colloquium on the Physics of Quantum Electronic
Photometric Light Curves and Polarization of Close-in Extrasolar Giant Planets
The close-in extrasolar giant planets [CEGPs], \ltorder 0.05 AU from their
parent stars, may have a large component of optically reflected light. We
present theoretical optical photometric light curves and polarization curves
for the CEGP systems, from reflected planetary light. Different particle sizes
of three condensates are considered. In the most reflective case, the
variability is micromagnitudes, which will be easily detectable
by the upcoming satellite missions MOST, COROT, and MONS, and possibly from the
ground in the near future. The least reflective case is caused by small, highly
absorbing grains such as solid Fe, with variation of much less than one
micromagnitude. Polarization for all cases is lower than current detectability
limits. We also discuss the temperature-pressure profiles and resulting
emergent spectra of the CEGP atmospheres. We discuss the observational results
of Tau Boo b by Cameron et al. (1999) and Charbonneau et al. (1999) in context
of our model results. The predictions - the shape and magnitude of the light
curves and polarization curves - are highly dependent on the size and type of
condensates present in the planetary atmosphere.Comment: 33 pages, accepted by Ap
Far-infrared polarimetry from the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy
Multi-wavelength imaging polarimetry at far-infrared wavelengths has proven
to be an excellent tool for studying the physical properties of dust, molecular
clouds, and magnetic fields in the interstellar medium. Although these
wavelengths are only observable from airborne or space-based platforms, no
first-generation instrument for the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared
Astronomy (SOFIA) is presently designed with polarimetric capabilities. We
study several options for upgrading the High-resolution Airborne Wideband
Camera (HAWC) to a sensitive FIR polarimeter. HAWC is a 12 x 32 pixel bolometer
camera designed to cover the 53 - 215 micron spectral range in 4 colors, all at
diffraction-limited resolution (5 - 21 arcsec). Upgrade options include: (1) an
external set of optics which modulates the polarization state of the incoming
radiation before entering the cryostat window; (2) internal polarizing optics;
and (3) a replacement of the current detector array with two state-of-the-art
superconducting bolometer arrays, an upgrade of the HAWC camera as well as
polarimeter. We discuss a range of science studies which will be possible with
these upgrades including magnetic fields in star-forming regions and galaxies
and the wavelength-dependence of polarization.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figure
Large Radio Telescopes for Anomalous Microwave Emission Observations
We discuss in this paper the problem of the Anomalous Microwave Emission
(AME) in the light of ongoing or future observations to be performed with the
largest fully steerable radio telescope in the world. High angular resolution
observations of the AME will enable astronomers to drastically improve the
knowledge of the AME mechanisms as well as the interplay between the different
constituents of the interstellar medium in our galaxy. Extragalactic
observations of the AME have started as well, and high resolution is even more
important in this kind of observations. When cross-correlating with IR-dust
emission, high angular resolution is also of fundamental importance in order to
obtain unbiased results. The choice of the observational frequency is also of
key importance in continuum observation. We calculate a merit function that
accounts for the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in AME observation given the
current state-of-the-art knowledge and technology. We also include in our merit
functions the frequency dependence in the case of multifrequency observations.
We briefly mention and compare the performance of four of the largest
radiotelescopes in the world and hope the observational programs in each of
them will be as intense as possible.Comment: Review accepted for publication in Advances in Astronom
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