5,528 research outputs found
Dust-Gas Interaction in SNR 1987A
Multiwavelength observations of SNR 1987A show that its morphology is rapidly
changing at X-ray, radio, and optical wavelengths as the blast wave from the
explosion expands into the circumstellar equatorial ring. Infrared emission
arises from the interaction of dust grains with the hot X-ray emitting gas. We
show that the IR emission provides important complementary information on the
interaction of the SN blast wave with the circumstellar equatorial ring that
cannot be obtained at any other wavelength.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures; review talk to appear in the AIP Proceedings of
the Conference " Supernova 1987A: 20 Years after - Supernovae and Gamma-Ray
Bursters" held in Aspen Co USA, Feb 19-23, 200
New measurements of cosmic infrared background fluctuations from early epochs
Cosmic infrared background fluctuations may contain measurable contribution
from objects inaccessible to current telescopic studies, such as the first
stars and other luminous objects in the first Gyr of the Universe's evolution.
In an attempt to uncover this contribution we have analyzed the GOODS data
obtained with the Spitzer IRAC instrument, which are deeper and cover larger
scales than the Spitzer data we have previously analyzed. Here we report these
new measurements of the cosmic infrared background (CIB) fluctuations remaining
after removing cosmic sources to fainter levels than before. The remaining
anisotropies on scales > 0.5 arcmin have a significant clustering component
with a low shot-noise contribution. We show that these fluctuations cannot be
accounted for by instrumental effects, nor by the Solar system and Galactic
foreground emissions and must arise from extragalactic sources.Comment: Ap.J.Letters, in pres
The Near Infrared Background: Interplanetary Dust or Primordial Stars?
The intensity of the diffuse ~ 1 - 4 micron sky emission from which solar
system and Galactic foregrounds have been subtracted is in excess of that
expected from energy released by galaxies and stars that formed during the z <
5 redshift interval (Arendt & Dwek 2003, Matsumoto et al. 2005). The spectral
signature of this excess near-infrared background light (NIRBL) component is
almost identical to that of reflected sunlight from the interplanetary dust
cloud, and could therefore be the result of the incomplete subtraction of this
foreground emission component from the diffuse sky maps. Alternatively, this
emission component could be extragalactic. Its spectral signature is consistent
with that of redshifted continuum and recombination line emission from HII
regions formed by the first generation of very massive stars. In this paper we
analyze the implications of this spectral component for the formation rate of
these Population III stars, the redshift interval during which they formed, the
reionization of the universe and evolution of collapsed halo masses. We find
that to reproduce the intensity and spectral shape of the NIRBL requires a peak
star formation rate that is higher by about a factor of 4 to 10 compared to
those derived from hierarchical models. Furthermore, an extragalactic origin
for the NIRBL leads to physically unrealistic absorption-corrected spectra of
distant TeV blazars. All these results suggest that Pop III stars contribute
only a fraction of the NIRBL intensity with zodiacal light, star forming
galaxies, and/or non-nuclear sources giving rise to the remaining fraction.Comment: 28 pages including 7 embedded figures. Submitted to Ap
Lyman-tomography of cosmic infrared background fluctuations with Euclid: probing emissions and baryonic acoustic oscillations at z>10
The Euclid space mission, designed to probe evolution of the Dark Energy,
will map a large area of the sky at three adjacent near-IR filters, Y, J and H.
This coverage will also enable mapping source-subtracted cosmic infrared
background (CIB) fluctuations with unprecedented accuracy on sub-degree angular
scales. Here we propose methodology, using the Lyman-break tomography applied
to the Euclid-based CIB maps, to accurately isolate the history of CIB
emissions as a function of redshift from 10 < z < 20, and to identify the
baryonic acoustic oscillations (BAOs) at those epochs. To identify the BAO
signature, we would assemble individual CIB maps over conservatively large
contiguous areas of >~ 400 sq deg. The method can isolate the CIB spatial
spectrum by z to sub-percent statistical accuracy. We illustrate this with a
specific model of CIB production at high z normalized to reproduce the measured
Spitzer-based CIB fluctuation. We show that even if the latter contain only a
small component from high-z sources, the amplitude of that component can be
accurately isolated with the methodology proposed here and the BAO signatures
at z>~ 10 are recovered well from the CIB fluctuation spatial spectrum. Probing
the BAO at those redshifts will be an important test of the underlying
cosmological paradigm, and would narrow the overall uncertainties on the
evolution of cosmological parameters, including the Dark Energy. Similar
methodology is applicable to the planned WFIRST mission, where we show that a
possible fourth near-IR channel at > 2 micron would be beneficial.Comment: comments welcom
Cosmic Infrared Background Fluctuations and Zodiacal Light
We have performed a specific observational test to measure the effect that
the zodiacal light can have on measurements of the spatial fluctuations of the
near-IR background. Previous estimates of possible fluctuations caused by
zodiacal light have often been extrapolated from observations of the thermal
emission at longer wavelengths and low angular resolution, or from IRAC
observations of high latitude fields where zodiacal light is faint and not
strongly varying with time. The new observations analyzed here target the
COSMOS field, at low ecliptic latitude where the zodiacal light intensity
varies by factors of over the range of solar elongations at which the
field can be observed. We find that the white noise component of the spatial
power spectrum of the background is correlated with the modeled zodiacal light
intensity. Roughly half of the measured white noise is correlated with the
zodiacal light, but a more detailed interpretation of the white noise is
hampered by systematic uncertainties that are evident in the zodiacal light
model. At large angular scales () where excess power above the
white noise is observed, we find no correlation of the power with the modeled
intensity of the zodiacal light. This test clearly indicates that the large
scale power in the infrared background is not being caused by the zodiacal
light.Comment: 17 pp. Accepted for publication in the Ap
Interstellar and Ejecta Dust in the Cas A Supernova Remnant
Infrared continuum observations provide a means of investigating the physical
composition of the dust in the ejecta and swept up medium of the Cas A
supernova remnant. Using low resolution Spitzer IRS spectra (5-35 m), and
broad-band Herschel PACS imaging (70, 100, and 160 m), we identify
characteristic dust spectra, associated with ejecta layers that underwent
distinct nuclear burning histories. The most luminous spectrum exhibits strong
emission features at and 21 m and is closely associated with
ejecta knots with strong Ar emission lines. The dust features can be reproduced
by magnesium silicate grains with relatively low Mg to Si ratios. Another dust
spectrum is associated with ejecta having strong Ne emission lines. It has no
indication of any silicate features, and is best fit by AlO dust. A
third characteristic dust spectrum shows features that are best matched by
magnesium silicates with a relatively high Mg to Si ratio. This dust is
primarily associated with the X-ray emitting shocked ejecta, but it is also
evident in regions where shocked interstellar or circumstellar material is
expected. However, the identification of dust composition is not unique, and
each spectrum includes an additional featureless dust component of unknown
composition. Colder dust of indeterminate composition is associated with
emission from the interior of the SNR, where the reverse shock has not yet
swept up and heated the ejecta. Most of the dust mass in Cas A is associated
with this unidentified cold component, which is . The
mass of warmer dust is only .Comment: 45 pages. 21 Figures. Accepted for publication in Ap
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