657 research outputs found
In-flight calibration of the Herschel-SPIRE instrument
SPIRE, the Spectral and Photometric Imaging REceiver, is the Herschel Space Observatory's submillimetre camera and spectrometer. It contains a three-band imaging photometer operating at 250, 350 and 500 μm, and an imaging Fourier-transform spectrometer (FTS) covering 194–671 μm (447-1550 GHz). In this paper we describe the initial approach taken to the absolute calibration of the SPIRE instrument using a combination of the emission from the Herschel telescope itself and the modelled continuum emission from solar system objects and other astronomical targets. We present the photometric, spectroscopic and spatial accuracy that is obtainable in data processed through the “standard” pipelines. The overall photometric accuracy at this stage of the mission is estimated as 15% for the photometer and between 15 and 50% for the spectrometer. However, there remain issues with the photometric accuracy of the spectra of low flux sources in the longest wavelength part of the SPIRE spectrometer band. The spectrometer wavelength accuracy is determined to be better than 1/10th of the line FWHM. The astrometric accuracy in SPIRE maps is found to be 2 arcsec when the latest calibration data are used. The photometric calibration of the SPIRE instrument is currently determined by a combination of uncertainties in the model spectra of the astronomical standards and the data processing methods employed for map and spectrum calibration. Improvements in processing techniques and a better understanding of the instrument performance will lead to the final calibration accuracy of SPIRE being determined only by uncertainties in the models of astronomical standards
Herschel-SPIRE-Fourier Transform Spectroscopy of the nearby spiral galaxy IC342
We present observations of the nearby spiral galaxy IC342 with the Herschel
Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receiver (SPIRE) Fourier Transform
Spectrometer. The spectral range afforded by SPIRE, 196-671 microns, allows us
to access a number of 12CO lines from J=4--3 to J=13--12 with the highest J
transitions observed for the first time. In addition we present measurements of
13CO, [CI] and [NII]. We use a radiative transfer code coupled with Bayesian
likelihood analysis to model and constrain the temperature, density and column
density of the gas. We find two 12CO components, one at 35 K and one at 400 K
with CO column densities of 6.3x10^{17} cm^{-2} and 0.4x10^{17} cm^{-2} and CO
gas masses of 1.26x10^{7} Msolar and 0.15x10^{7} Msolar, for the cold and warm
components, respectively. The inclusion of the high-J 12CO line observations,
indicate the existence of a much warmer gas component (~400 K) confirming
earlier findings from H_{2} rotational line analysis from ISO and Spitzer. The
mass of the warm gas is 10% of the cold gas, but it likely dominates the CO
luminosity. In addition, we detect strong emission from [NII] 205microns and
the {3}P_{1}->{3}P_{0} and {3}P_{2} ->{3}P_{1} [CI] lines at 370 and 608
microns, respectively. The measured 12CO line ratios can be explained by
Photon-dominated region (PDR) models although additional heating by e.g. cosmic
rays cannot be excluded. The measured [CI] line ratio together with the derived
[C] column density of 2.1x10^{17} cm^{-2} and the fact that [CI] is weaker than
CO emission in IC342 suggests that [CI] likely arises in a thin layer on the
outside of the CO emitting molecular clouds consistent with PDRs playing an
important role.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of
the Royal Astronomical Society (MNRAS
Calibration of <i>Herschel</i> SPIRE FTS observations at different spectral resolutions
The SPIRE Fourier Transform Spectrometer on-board the Herschel Space Observatory had two standard spectral resolution modes for science observations: high resolution (HR) and low resolution (LR), which could also be performed in sequence (H+LR). A comparison of the HR and LR resolution spectra taken in this sequential mode revealed a systematic discrepancy in the continuum level. Analysing the data at different stages during standard pipeline processing demonstrates that the telescope and instrument emission affect HR and H+LR observations in a systematically different way. The origin of this difference is found to lie in the variation of both the telescope and instrument response functions, while it is triggered by fast variation of the instrument temperatures. As it is not possible to trace the evolution of the response functions using housekeeping data from the instrument subsystems, the calibration cannot be corrected analytically. Therefore, an empirical correction for LR spectra has been developed, which removes the systematic noise introduced by the variation of the response functions
Modelling CO emission from Mira's wind
We have modelled the circumstellar envelope of {\it o} Ceti (Mira) using new
observational constraints. These are obtained from photospheric light scattered
in near-IR vibrational-rotational lines of circumstellar CO molecules at 4.6
micron: absolute fluxes, the radial dependence of the scattered intensity, and
two line ratios. Further observational constraints are provided by ISO
observations of far-IR emission lines from highly excited rotational states of
the ground vibrational state of CO, and radio observations of lines from
rotational levels of low excitation of CO. A code based on the Monte-Carlo
technique is used to model the circumstellar line emission.
We find that it is possible to model the radio and ISO fluxes, as well as the
highly asymmetric radio-line profiles, reasonably well with a spherically
symmetric and smooth stellar wind model. However, it is not possible to
reproduce the observed NIR line fluxes consistently with a `standard model' of
the stellar wind. This is probably due to incorrectly specified conditions of
the inner regions of the wind model, since the stellar flux needs to be larger
than what is obtained from the standard model at the point of scattering, i.e.,
the intermediate regions at approximately 100-400 stellar radii (2"-7") away
from the star. Thus, the optical depth in the vibrational-rotational lines from
the star to the point of scattering has to be decreased. This can be
accomplished in several ways. For instance, the gas close to the star (within
approximately 2") could be in such a form that light is able to pass through,
either due to the medium being clumpy or by the matter being in radial
structures (which, further out, developes into more smooth or shell-like
structures).Comment: 18 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
Herschel spectral-mapping of the Helix Nebula (NGC 7293): Extended CO photodissociation and OH+ emission
The Helix Nebula (NGC 7293) is the closest planetary nebulae. Therefore, it
is an ideal template for photochemical studies at small spatial scales in
planetary nebulae. We aim to study the spatial distribution of the atomic and
the molecular gas, and the structure of the photodissociation region along the
western rims of the Helix Nebula as seen in the submillimeter range with
Herschel. We use 5 SPIRE FTS pointing observations to make atomic and molecular
spectral maps. We analyze the molecular gas by modeling the CO rotational lines
using a non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (non-LTE) radiative transfer model.
For the first time, we have detected extended OH+ emission in a planetary
nebula. The spectra towards the Helix Nebula also show CO emission lines (from
J= 4 to 8), [NII] at 1461 GHz from ionized gas, and [CI] (2-1), which together
with the OH+ lines, trace extended CO photodissociation regions along the rims.
The estimated OH+ column density is (1-10)x1e12 cm-2. The CH+ (1-0) line was
not detected at the sensitivity of our observations. Non-LTE models of the CO
excitation were used to constrain the average gas density (n(H2)=(1-5)x1e5
cm-3) and the gas temperature (Tk= 20-40 K). The SPIRE spectral-maps suggest
that CO arises from dense and shielded clumps in the western rims of the Helix
Nebula whereas OH+ and [CI] lines trace the diffuse gas and the UV and X-ray
illuminated clumps surface where molecules reform after CO photodissociation.
[NII] traces a more diffuse ionized gas component in the interclump medium.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic
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Lunar elemental composition and ivestigations with D-CIXS x-ray mapping spectrometer on SMART-1
The D-CIXS Compact X-ray Spectrometer on ESA SMART-1 successfully launched in Sept 2003 can derive 45 km resolution images of the Moon with a spectral resolution of 185 eV, providing the first high-resolution global map of rock forming element abundances
EChOSim: The Exoplanet Characterisation Observatory software simulator
EChOSim is the end-to-end time-domain simulator of the Exoplanet
Characterisation Observatory (EChO) space mission. EChOSim has been developed
to assess the capability EChO has to detect and characterize the atmospheres of
transiting exoplanets, and through this revolutionize the knowledge we have of
the Milky Way and of our place in the Galaxy. Here we discuss the details of
the EChOSim implementation and describe the models used to represent the
instrument and to simulate the detection. Software simulators have assumed a
central role in the design of new instrumentation and in assessing the level of
systematics affecting the measurements of existing experiments. Thanks to its
high modularity, EChOSim can simulate basic aspects of several existing and
proposed spectrometers for exoplanet transits, including instruments on the
Hubble Space Telescope and Spitzer, or ground-based and balloon borne
experiments. A discussion of different uses of EChOSim is given, including
examples of simulations performed to assess the EChO mission
The dust envelope of the pre-planetary nebula IRAS19475+3119
We present the spectral energy distribution (SED) of the pre-planetary
nebula, IRAS 19475+3119 (I19475), from the optical to the far-infrared. We
identify emission features due to crystalline silicates in the ISO SWS spectra
of the star. We have fitted the SED of I19475 using a 1-D radiative transfer
code, and find that a shell with inner and outer radii of 8.8X10^{16} and
4.4X10^{17}cm, and dust temperatures ranging from about 94K to 46K provide the
best fit. The mass of this shell is greater than/equal to
1[34cm^{2}g^{-1}/kappa(100micron)][delta/200]M_Sun, where kappa(100micron) is
the 100micron dust mass absorption coefficient (per unit dust mass), and delta
is the gas-to-dust ratio. In agreement with results from optical imaging and
millimeter-wave observations of CO emission of I19475, our model fits support
an r^{-3} density law for its dust shell, with important implications for the
interaction process between the fast collimated post-AGB winds and the dense
AGB envelopes which results in the observed shapes of PPNs and PNs. We find
that the observed JCMT flux at sub-millimeter wavelengths (850micron) is a
factor ~ 2 larger than our model flux, suggesting the presence of large dust
grains in the dust shell of I19475 which are not accounted for by our adopted
standard MRN grain size distribution.Comment: 38 pages, 8 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap
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