Molecular films associated with LDEF

The molecular films deposited on the surface of the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) originated from the paints and room-temperature-vulcanized (RTV) silicone materials intentionally used on the satellite and not from residual contaminants. The high silicone content of most of the films and the uniformity of the films indicates a homogenization process in the molecular deposition and suggests a chemically most favored composition for the final film. The deposition on interior surfaces and vents indicated multiple bounce trajectories or repeated deposition-reemission cycles. Exterior surface deposits indicated a significant return flux. Ultraviolet light exposure was required to fix the deposited film as is indicated by the distribution of the films on interior surfaces and the thickness of films at the vent locations. Thermal conditions at the time of exposure to ultraviolet light seems to be an important factor in the thickness of the deposit. Sunrise facing (ram direction) surfaces always had the thicker film. These were the coldest surfaces at the time of their exposure to ultraviolet light. The films have a layered structure suggesting cyclic deposition. As many as 34 distinct layers were seen in the films. The cyclic nature of the deposition and the chemical uniformity of the film one layer to the next suggest an early deposition of the films though there is evidence for the deposition of molecular films throughout the nearly six year exposure of the satellite. A final 'spray' of an organic material associated with water soluble salts occurred very late in the mission. This may have been the result of one of the shuttle dump activities

Quantification of contaminants associated with LDEF

The quantification of contaminants on the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) and associated hardware or tools is addressed. The purpose of this study was to provide a background data base for the evaluation of the surface of the LDEF and the effects of orbital exposure on that surface. This study necessarily discusses the change in the distribution of contaminants on the LDEF with time and environmental exposure. Much of this information may be of value for the improvement of contamination control procedures during ground based operations. The particulate data represents the results of NASA contractor monitoring as well as the results of samples collected and analyzed by the authors. The data from the tapelifts collected in the Space Shuttle Bay at Edwards Air Force Base and KSC are also presented. The amount of molecular film distributed over the surface of the LDEF is estimated based on measurements made at specific locations and extrapolated over the surface area of the LDEF. Some consideration of total amount of volatile-condensible materials available to form the resultant deposit is also presented. All assumptions underlying these estimates are presented along with the rationale for the conclusions. Each section is presented in a subsection for particles and another for molecular films

Migration and generation of contaminants from launch through recovery: LDEF case history

It is possible to recreate the contamination history of the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) through an analysis of its contaminants and selective samples that were collected from surfaces with better documented exposure histories. This data was then used to compare estimates based on monitoring methods that were selected for the purpose of tracking LDEF's exposure to contaminants. The LDEF experienced much more contamination than would have been assumed based on the monitors. Work is still in progress but much of what was learned so far is already being used in the selection of materials and in the design of systems for space. Now experiments are being prepared for flight to resolve questions created by the discoveries on the LDEF. A summary of what was learned about LDEF contaminants over the first year since recovery and deintegration is presented. Over 35 specific conclusions in 5 contamination related categories are listed

VLA OH and H I Zeeman Observations of the NGC 6334 Complex

We present OH and H I Zeeman observations of the NGC 6334 complex taken with the Very Large Array. The OH absorption profiles associated with the complex are relatively narrow (del-v_FWHM ~ 3 km s^1) and single-peaked over most of the sources. The H I absorption profiles contain several blended velocity components. One of the compact continuum sources in the complex (source A) has a bipolar morphology. The OH absorption profiles toward this source display a gradient in velocity from the northern continuum lobe to the southern continuum lobe; this velocity gradient likely indicates a bipolar outflow of molecular gas from the central regions to the northern and southern lobes. Magnetic fields of the order of 200 microG have been detected toward three discrete continuum sources in the complex. Virial estimates suggest that the detected magnetic fields in these sources are of the same order as the critical magnetic fields required to support the molecular clouds associated with the sources against gravitational collapse.Comment: 14 pages, 9 postscript figures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal (ApJ), tentatively scheduled for vol. 533, Apr. 20, 2000; also available at http://www.pa.uky.edu/~sarma/RESEARCH/aps_research.htm

Spatially-resolved Thermal Continuum Absorption against the Supernova Remnant W49B

We present sub-arcminute resolution imaging of the Galactic supernova remnant W49B at 74 MHz (25") and 327 MHz (6"), the former being the lowest frequency at which the source has been resolved. While the 327 MHz image shows a shell-like morphology similar to that seen at higher frequencies, the 74 MHz image is considerably different, with the southwest region of the remnant almost completely attenuated. The implied 74 MHz optical depth (~ 1.6) is much higher than the intrinsic absorption levels seen inside two other relatively young remnants, Cas A and the Crab Nebula, nor are natural variations in the relativistic electron energy spectra expected at such levels. The geometry of the absorption is also inconsistent with intrinsic absorption. We attribute the absorption to extrinsic free-free absorption by a intervening cloud of thermal electrons. Its presence has already been inferred from the low-frequency turnover in the integrated continuum spectrum and from the detection of radio recombination lines toward the remnant. Our observations confirm the basic conclusions of those measurements, and our observations have resolved the absorber into a complex of classical HII regions surrounded either partially or fully by low-density HII gas. We identify this low-density gas as an extended HII region envelope (EHE), whose statistical properties were inferred from low resolution meter- and centimeter-wavelength recombination line observations. Comparison of our radio images with HI and H_2CO observations show that the intervening thermal gas is likely associated with neutral and molecular material as well.Comment: 18 pages, LaTeX with AASTeX-5, 5 figures in 7 PostScript files; accepted for publication in the Ap

High Resolution Millimeter-Wave Mapping of Linearly Polarized Dust Emission: Magnetic Field Structure in Orion

We present 1.3 and 3.3 mm polarization maps of Orion-KL obtained with the BIMA array at approximately 4 arcsec resolution. Thermal emission from magnetically aligned dust grains produces the polarization. Along the Orion ``ridge'' the polarization position angle varies smoothly from about 10 degrees to 40 degrees, in agreement with previous lower resolution maps. In a small region south of the Orion ``hot core,'' however, the position angle changes by 90 degrees. This abrupt change in polarization direction is not necessarily the signpost of a twisted magnetic field. Rather, in this localized region processes other than the usual Davis-Greenstein mechanism might align the dust grains with their long axes parallel with the field, orthogonal to their normal orientation.Comment: AAS preprint:14 pages, 2 figures (3mm.eps and 1mm.eps); requires aaspp4.sty To be published in Astrophysical Journal Letter

Magnetic Field Measurement with Ground State Alignment

Observational studies of magnetic fields are crucial. We introduce a process "ground state alignment" as a new way to determine the magnetic field direction in diffuse medium. The alignment is due to anisotropic radiation impinging on the atom/ion. The consequence of the process is the polarization of spectral lines resulting from scattering and absorption from aligned atomic/ionic species with fine or hyperfine structure. The magnetic field induces precession and realign the atom/ion and therefore the polarization of the emitted or absorbed radiation reflects the direction of the magnetic field. The atoms get aligned at their low levels and, as the life-time of the atoms/ions we deal with is long, the alignment induced by anisotropic radiation is susceptible to extremely weak magnetic fields ($1{\rm G}\gtrsim B\gtrsim 10^{-15}$G). In fact, the effects of atomic/ionic alignment were studied in the laboratory decades ago, mostly in relation to the maser research. Recently, the atomic effect has been already detected in observations from circumstellar medium and this is a harbinger of future extensive magnetic field studies. A unique feature of the atomic realignment is that they can reveal the 3D orientation of magnetic field. In this article, we shall review the basic physical processes involved in atomic realignment. We shall also discuss its applications to interplanetary, circumstellar and interstellar magnetic fields. In addition, our research reveals that the polarization of the radiation arising from the transitions between fine and hyperfine states of the ground level can provide a unique diagnostics of magnetic fields in the Epoch of Reionization.Comment: 30 pages, 12 figures, chapter in Lecture Notes in Physics "Magnetic Fields in Diffuse Media". arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1203.557

Deriving global structure of the Galactic Magnetic Field from Faraday Rotation Measures of extragalactic sources

We made use of the two latest sets of Rotational Measures (RMs) of extra-galactic radio sources, namely the NRAO VLA Sky Survey otation Measures Catalogue, and a compilation by Kronberg&Newton-McGee(2011), to infer the global structure of the Galactic Magnetic Field (GMF). We have checked that these two data sets are consistent with each other. Motivated by clear patterns in the observed distribution of RMs over the sky, we considered GMF models consisting of the two components: disk (spiral or ring) and halo. The parameters of these components were determined by fitting different model field geometries to the observed RMs. We found that the model consisting of a symmetric (with respect to the Galactic plane) spiral disk and anti-symmetric halo fits the data best, and reproduces the observed distribution of RMs over the sky very well. We confirm that ring disk models are disfavored. Our results favor small pitch angles around -5 degrees and an increased vertical scale of electron distribution, in agreement with some previous studies. Based on our fits, we identify two benchmark models suitable for studies of cosmic ray propagation, including the ultra-high energies.Comment: 15 pages, 14 figures, 4 tables misprints corrected, presentation improved generally matches the published versio

New OH Zeeman measurements of magnetic field strengths in molecular clouds

We present the results of a new survey of 23 molecular clouds for the Zeeman effect in OH undertaken with the ATNF Parkes 64-m radio telescope and the NRAO Green Bank 43-m radio telescope. The Zeeman effect was clearly detected in the cloud associated with the HII region RCW 38, with a field strength of 38+/-3 micro-Gauss, and possibly detected in a cloud associated with the HII region RCW 57, with a field strength of -203+/-24 micro-Gauss. The remaining 21 measurements give formal upper limits to the magnetic field strength, with typical 1-sigma sensitivities <20 micro-Gauss. For 22 of the molecular clouds we are also able to determine thecolumn density of the gas in which we have made a sensitive search for the Zeeman effect. We combine these results with previous Zeeman studies of 29 molecular clouds, most of which were compiled by Crutcher (1999), for a comparsion of theoretical models with the data. This comparison implies that if the clouds can be modeled as initially spherical with uniform magnetic fields and densities that evolve to their final equilibrium state assuming flux-freezing then the typical cloud is magnetically supercritical, as was found by Crutcher (1999). If the clouds can be modeled as highly flattened sheets threaded by uniform perpendicular fields, then the typical cloud is approximately magnetically critical, in agreement with Shu et al. (1999), but only if the true values of the field for the non-detections are close to the 3-sigma upper limits. If instead these values are significantly lower (for example, similar to the 1-sigma limits), then the typical cloud is generally magnetically supercritical.Comment: 39 pages, 7 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap

CARMA Large Area Star Formation Survey: Project Overview with Analysis of Dense Gas Structure and Kinematics in Barnard 1

We present details of the CARMA Large Area Star Formation Survey (CLASSy), while focusing on observations of Barnard 1. CLASSy is a CARMA Key Project that spectrally imaged N2H+, HCO+, and HCN (J=1-0 transitions) across over 800 square arcminutes of the Perseus and Serpens Molecular Clouds. The observations have angular resolution near 7" and spectral resolution near 0.16 km/s. We imaged ~150 square arcminutes of Barnard 1, focusing on the main core, and the B1 Ridge and clumps to its southwest. N2H+ shows the strongest emission, with morphology similar to cool dust in the region, while HCO+ and HCN trace several molecular outflows from a collection of protostars in the main core. We identify a range of kinematic complexity, with N2H+ velocity dispersions ranging from ~0.05-0.50 km/s across the field. Simultaneous continuum mapping at 3 mm reveals six compact object detections, three of which are new detections. A new non-binary dendrogram algorithm is used to analyze dense gas structures in the N2H+ position-position-velocity (PPV) cube. The projected sizes of dendrogram-identified structures range from about 0.01-0.34 pc. Size-linewidth relations using those structures show that non-thermal line-of-sight velocity dispersion varies weakly with projected size, while rms variation in the centroid velocity rises steeply with projected size. Comparing these relations, we propose that all dense gas structures in Barnard 1 have comparable depths into the sky, around 0.1-0.2 pc; this suggests that over-dense, parsec-scale regions within molecular clouds are better described as flattened structures rather than spherical collections of gas. Science-ready PPV cubes for Barnard 1 molecular emission are available for download.Comment: Accepted to The Astrophysical Journal (ApJ), 51 pages, 27 figures (some with reduced resolution in this preprint); Project website is at http://carma.astro.umd.edu/class