2,383 research outputs found
Diffuse infrared emission of the galaxy: Large scale properties
The Infrared Astronomy Satellite (IRAS) survey is used to study large scale properties and the origin of the diffuse emission of the Galaxy. A careful subtraction of the zodiacal light enables longitude profiles of the galactic emission at 12, 25, 60, and 100 microns to be presented
Supersymmetric Higher Spin Theories
We revisit the higher spin extensions of the anti de Sitter algebra in four
dimensions that incorporate internal symmetries and admit representations that
contain fermions, classified long ago by Konstein and Vasiliev. We construct
the , Euclidean and Kleinian version of these algebras, as well as the
corresponding fully nonlinear Vasiliev type higher spin theories, in which the
reality conditions we impose on the master fields play a crucial role. The
supersymmetric higher spin theory in , on which we elaborate
further, is included in this class of models. A subset of Konstein-Vasiliev
algebras are the higher spin extensions of the superalgebras
for mod 4 and can be realized using
fermionic oscillators. We tensor the higher superalgebras of the latter kind
with appropriate internal symmetry groups and show that the mod 4
higher spin algebras are isomorphic to those with mod 4. We
describe the fully nonlinear higher spin theories based on these algebras as
well, and we elaborate further on the supersymmetric theory,
providing two equivalent descriptions one of which exhibits manifestly its
relation to the supersymmetric higher spin theory.Comment: 30 pages. Contribution to J. Phys. A special volume on "Higher Spin
Theories and AdS/CFT" edited by M. R. Gaberdiel and M. Vasilie
Interactions between a massless tensor field with the mixed symmetry of the Riemann tensor and a massless vector field
Consistent couplings between a massless tensor field with the mixed symmetry
of the Riemann tensor and a massless vector field are analyzed in the framework
of Lagrangian BRST cohomology. Under the assumptions on smoothness, locality,
Lorentz covariance, and Poincare invariance of the deformations, combined with
the requirement that the interacting Lagrangian is at most second-order
derivative, it is proved that there are no consistent cross-interactions
between a single massless tensor field with the mixed symmetry of the Riemann
tensor and one massless vector field.Comment: LaTeX, 24 page
Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph Detection of Molecular Hydrogen Rotational Emission towards Translucent Clouds
Using the Infrared Spectrograph on board the Spitzer Space Telescope, we have detected emission in the S(0), S(1), and S(2) pure-rotational (v = 0-0) transitions of molecular hydrogen (H_2) toward six positions in two translucent high Galactic latitude clouds, DCld 300.2–16.9 and LDN 1780. The detection of these lines raises important questions regarding the physical conditions inside low-extinction clouds that are far from ultraviolet radiation sources. The ratio between the S(2) flux and the flux from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) at 7.9 μm averages 0.007 for these six positions. This is a factor of about four higher than the same ratio measured toward the central regions of non-active Galaxies in the Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxies Survey. Thus, the environment of these translucent clouds is more efficient at producing rotationally excited H_2 per PAH-exciting photon than the disks of entire galaxies. Excitation analysis finds that the S(1) and S(2) emitting regions are warm (T ≳ 300 K), but comprise no more than 2% of the gas mass. We find that UV photons cannot be the sole source of excitation in these regions and suggest mechanical heating via shocks or turbulent dissipation as the dominant cause of the emission. The clouds are located on the outskirts of the Scorpius-Centaurus OB association and may be dissipating recent bursts of mechanical energy input from supernova explosions. We suggest that pockets of warm gas in diffuse or translucent clouds, integrated over the disks of galaxies, may represent a major source of all non-active galaxy H_2 emission
Observations and modeling of the dust emission from the H_2-bright galaxy-wide shock in Stephan's Quintet
Context. Spitzer Space Telescope observations have detected powerful mid-infrared (mid-IR) H_2 rotational line emission from the X-ray emitting large-scale shock (~15 × 35 kpc^2) associated with a galaxy collision in Stephan's Quintet (SQ). Because H_2 forms on dust grains, the presence of H_2 is physically linked to the survival of dust, and we expect some dust emission to originate in the molecular gas.
Aims. To test this interpretation, IR observations and dust modeling are used to identify and characterize the thermal dust emission from the shocked molecular gas.
Methods. The spatial distribution of the IR emission allows us to isolate the faint PAH and dust continuum emission associated with the molecular gas in the SQ shock. We model the spectral energy distribution (SED) of this emission, and fit it to Spitzer observations. The radiation field is determined with GALEX UV, HST V-band, and ground-based near-IR observations. We consider two limiting cases for the structure of the H_2 gas: it is either diffuse and penetrated by UV radiation, or fragmented into clouds that are optically thick to UV.
Results. Faint PAH and dust continuum emission are detected in the SQ shock, outside star-forming regions. The 12/24 μm flux ratio in the shock is remarkably close to that of the diffuse Galactic interstellar medium, leading to a Galactic PAH/VSG abundance ratio. However, the properties of the shock inferred from the PAH emission spectrum differ from those of the Galaxy, which may be indicative of an enhanced fraction of large and neutrals PAHs. In both models (diffuse or clumpy H_2 gas), the IR SED is consistent with the expected emission from dust associated with the warm (> 150 K) H_2 gas, heated by a UV radiation field of intensity comparable to that of the solar neighborhood. This is in agreement with GALEX UV observations that show that the intensity of the radiation field in the shock is GUV = 1.4±0.2 [Habing units].
Conclusions. The presence of PAHs and dust grains in the high-speed (~1000 km s^(-1)) galaxy collision suggests that dust survives. We propose that the dust that survived destruction was in pre-shock gas at densites higher than a few 0.1 cm^(-3), which was not shocked at velocities larger than ~200 km s^(-1). Our model assumes a Galactic dust-to-gas mass ratio and size distribution, and current data do not allow us to identify any significant deviations of the abundances and size distribution of dust grains from those of the Galaxy. Our model calculations show that far-IR Herschel observations will help in constraining the structure of the molecular gas, and the dust size distribution, and thereby to look for signatures of dust processing in the SQ shock
ISOCAM spectro-imaging of the H2 rotational lines in the supernova remnant IC443
We report spectro-imaging observations of the bright western ridge of the
supernova remnant IC 443 obtained with the ISOCAM circular variable filter
(CVF) on board the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO). This ridge corresponds to
a location where the interaction between the blast wave of the supernova and
ambient molecular gas is amongst the strongest. The CVF data show that the 5 to
14 micron spectrum is dominated by the pure rotational lines of molecular
hydrogen (v = 0--0, S(2) to S(8) transitions). At all positions along the
ridge, the H2 rotational lines are very strong with typical line fluxes of
10^{-4} to 10^{-3} erg/sec/cm2/sr. We compare the data to a new time-dependent
shock model; the rotational line fluxes in IC 443 are reproduced within factors
of 2 for evolutionary times between 1,000 and 2,000 years with a shock velocity
of 30 km/sec and a pre-shock density of 10^4 /cm3.Comment: To appear in Astronomy and Astrophysic
Aromatic emission from the ionised mane of the Horsehead nebula
We study the evolution of the Aromatic Infrared Bands (AIBs) emitters across
the illuminated edge of the Horsehead nebula and especially their survival and
properties in the HII region. We present spectral mapping observations taken
with the Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) at wavelengths 5.2-38 microns. A strong
AIB at 11.3 microns is detected in the HII region, relative to the other AIBs
at 6.2, 7.7 and 8.6 microns. The intensity of this band appears to be
correlated with the intensity of the [NeII] at 12.8 microns and of Halpha,
which shows that the emitters of the 11.3 microns band are located in the
ionised gas. The survival of PAHs in the HII region could be due to the
moderate intensity of the radiation field (G0 about 100) and the lack of
photons with energy above about 25eV. The enhancement of the intensity of the
11.3 microns band in the HII region, relative to the other AIBs can be
explained by the presence of neutral PAHs. Our observations highlight a
transition region between ionised and neutral PAHs observed with ideal
conditions in our Galaxy. A scenario where PAHs can survive in HII regions and
be significantly neutral could explain the detection of a prominent 11.3
microns band in other Spitzer observations.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in A&
BRST cohomological results on the massless tensor field with the mixed symmetry of the Riemann tensor
The basic BRST cohomological properties of a free, massless tensor field with
the mixed symmetry of the Riemann tensor are studied in detail. It is shown
that any non-trivial co-cycle from the local BRST cohomology group can be taken
to stop at antighost number three, its last component belonging to the
cohomology of the exterior longitudinal derivative and containing non-trivial
elements from the (invariant) characteristic cohomology.Comment: 39 page
Gauge fields and infinite chains of dualities
We show that the particle states of Maxwell's theory, in dimensions, can
be represented in an infinite number of ways by using different gauge fields.
Using this result we formulate the dynamics in terms of an infinite set of
duality relations which are first order in space-time derivatives. We derive a
similar result for the three form in eleven dimensions where such a possibility
was first observed in the context of E11. We also give an action formulation
for some of the gauge fields. In this paper we give a pedagogical account of
the Lorentz and gauge covariant formulation of the irreducible representations
of the Poincar\'e group, used previously in higher spin theories, as this plays
a key role in our constructions. It is clear that our results can be
generalised to any particle.Comment: 37 page
Parity violating spin-two gauge theories
Nonlinear covariant parity-violating deformations of free spin-two gauge
theory are studied in n>2 spacetime dimensions, using a linearized frame and
spin-connection formalism, for a set of massless spin-two fields. It is shown
that the only such deformations yielding field equations with a second order
quasilinear form are the novel algebra-valued types in n=3 and n=5 dimensions
already found in some recent related work concentrating on lowest order
deformations. The complete form of the deformation to all orders in n=5
dimensions is worked out here and some features of the resulting new
algebra-valued spin-two gauge theory are discussed. In particular, the internal
algebra underlying this theory on 5-dimensional Minkowski space is shown to
cause the energy for the spin-two fields to be of indefinite sign. Finally, a
Kaluza-Klein reduction to n=4 dimensions is derived, giving a parity-violating
nonlinear gauge theory of a coupled set of spin-two, spin-one, and spin-zero
massless fields.Comment: 17 page
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