621 research outputs found
Superflares on Ordinary Solar-Type Stars
Short duration flares are well known to occur on cool main-sequence stars as
well as on many types of `exotic' stars. Ordinary main-sequence stars are
usually pictured as being static on time scales of millions or billions of
years. Our sun has occasional flares involving up to ergs which
produce optical brightenings too small in amplitude to be detected in
disk-integrated brightness. However, we identify nine cases of superflares
involving to ergs on normal solar-type stars. That is,
these stars are on or near the main-sequence, are of spectral class from F8 to
G8, are single (or in very wide binaries), are not rapid rotators, and are not
exceedingly young in age. This class of stars includes many those recently
discovered to have planets as well as our own Sun, and the consequences for any
life on surrounding planets could be profound. For the case of the Sun,
historical records suggest that no superflares have occurred in the last two
millennia.Comment: 16 pages, accepted for publication in Ap
Flourescent liquid pyrene derivative-in-water mircoemulsions
A fluorescent liquid pyrene derivative with a high fluorescence quantum yield (65%) in the bulk state is reported. With this as the sole oil phase, stable luminescent oil-in-water microemulsions have been prepared. Increasing the loading of liquid pyrene swells the droplets, as detected by small-angle neutron scattering. These larger droplets have a greater proportion of pyrene excimer emission contribution in their photoluminescence spectra, which leads to a red shift in the chromaticity of the emission
High Velocity Line Emission in the NLR of NGC 4151
Narrow-band imaging of the nuclear region of NGC 4151 with the Hubble Space
Telescope is presented. The filter bandpasses isolate line emission in various
high velocity ranges in several ions. Slitless and long-slit spectra of the
region with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph also indicate the
locations of high velocity gas. These emission regions are faint and are
interspersed among the bright emission clouds seen in direct images. They have
radial velocities up to 1400 km/s relative to the nucleus, and are found in
both approach and recession on both sides of the nucleus. This contrasts
strongly with the bright emission line clouds which have been discussed
previously as showing bidirectional outflow with velocities within 400 km/s of
the nucleus. We discuss the possible connections of the high velocity material
with the radio jet and the nuclear radiation.Comment: 12 pages plus 6 figures, to be published in A
Cloud Structure and Physical Conditions in Star-forming Regions from Optical Observations. I. Data and Component Structure
We present high-resolution optical spectra (at ~0.6--1.8 km s-1) of
interstellar CN, CH, CH^+, \ion{Ca}{1}, \ion{K}{1}, and \ion{Ca}{2} absorption
toward 29 lines of sight in three star-forming regions, \rho Oph, Cep OB2, and
Cep OB3. The observations and data reduction are described. The agreement
between earlier measurements of the total equivalent widths and our results is
quite good. However, our higher resolution spectra reveal complex structure and
closely blended components in most lines of sight. The velocity component
structure of each species is obtained by analyzing the spectra of the six
species for a given sight line together. The tabulated column densities and
Doppler parameters of individual components are determined by using the method
of profile fitting. Total column densities along lines of sight are computed by
summing results from profile fitting for individual components and are compared
with column densities from the apparent optical depth method. A more detailed
analysis of these data and their implications will be presented in a companion
paper.Comment: 66 pages, 15 figures, accepted to ApJ
Photospheric and chromospheric activity in four young solar-type stars
We present a photometric and spectroscopic study of four G-K dwarfs, namely
HD 166, epsilon Eri, chi1 Ori and kappa1 Cet. In three cases, we find a clear
spatial association between photospheric and chromospheric active regions. For
chi1 Ori we do not find appreciable variations of photospheric temperature, and
chromospheric Halpha emission. We applied a spot/plage model to the observed
rotational modulation of temperature and flux to derive spot/plage parameters
and to reconstruct a rough three-dimensional map of the outer atmosphere of
kappa1 Cet, HD 166 and epsilon Eri.Comment: 12 pages, 3 tables, 9 figures. Submitted to Ap
Abundances and Physical Conditions in the Interstellar Gas toward HD 192 639
We present a study of the abundances and physical conditions in the
interstellar gas toward the heavily reddened star HD 192639 [E_(B-V) = 0.64],
based on analysis of FUSE and HST/STIS spectra covering the range from 912 to
1361 A. This work constitutes a survey of the analyses that can be performed to
study the interstellar gas when combining data from different instruments.
Low-velocity (-18 to -8 km/s) components are seen primarily for various neutral
and singly ionized species such as C I, O I, S I, Mg II, Cl I, Cl II, Mn II, Fe
II and Cu II. Numerous lines of H2 are present in the FUSE spectra, with a
kinetic temperature for the lowest rotational levels T_(01) = (90 +/- 10) K.
Analysis of the C I fine-structure excitation implies an average local density
of hydrogen n_H = (16 +/- 3) cm^-3. The average electron density, derived from
five neutral/first ion pairs under the assumption of photoionization
equilibrium, is n_e = (0.11 +/- 0.02) cm^-3. The relatively complex component
structure seen in high-resolution spectra of K I and Na I, the relatively low
average density, and the measured depletions all suggest that the line of sight
contains a number of diffuse clouds, rather than a single dense, translucent
cloud. Comparisons of the fractions of Cl in Cl I and of hydrogen in molecular
form suggest a higher molecular fraction, in the region(s) where H2 is present,
than that derived considering the average line of sight. In general, such
comparisons may allow the identification and characterization of translucent
portions of such complex lines of sight. The combined data also show
high-velocity components near -80 km/s for various species which appear to be
predominantly ionized, and may be due to a radiative shock. A brief overview of
the conditions in this gas will be given.Comment: 37 pages, accepted for publication in Ap
Spatially Resolved Observations of the Galactic Center Source, IRS 21
We present diffraction-limited 2-25 micron images obtained with the W. M.
Keck 10-m telescopes that spatially resolve the cool source, IRS 21, one of a
small group of enigmatic objects in the central parsec of our Galaxy that have
eluded classification. Modeled as a Gaussian, the azimuthally-averaged
intensity profile of IRS 21 has a half-width half-maximum (HWHM) size of
650+/-80 AU at 2.2 microns and an average HWHM size of 1600+/-200 AU at
mid-infrared wavelengths. These large apparent sizes imply an extended
distribution of dust. The mid-infrared color map indicates that IRS 21 is a
self-luminous source rather than an externally heated dust clump as originally
suggested. The spectral energy distribution has distinct near- and mid-infrared
components. A simple radiative transfer code, which simultaneously fits the
near- and mid- infrared photometry and intensity profiles, supports a model in
which the near-infrared radiation is scattered and extincted light from an
embedded central source, while the mid-infrared emission is from thermally
re-radiating silicate dust. We argue that IRS 21 (and by analogy the other
luminous sources along the Northern Arm) is a massive star experiencing rapid
mass loss and plowing through the Northern Arm, thereby generating a bow shock,
which is spatially resolved in our observations.Comment: 29 pages, 8 figures, Latex. Astrophysical Journal, accepte
UV Absorption Lines from High-Velocity Gas in the Vela Supernova Remnant: New insights from STIS Echelle Observations of HD72089
The star HD72089 is located behind the Vela supernova remnant and shows a
complex array of high and low velocity interstellar absorption features arising
from shocked clouds. A spectrum of this star was recorded over the wavelength
range 1196.4 to 1397.2 Angstroms at a resolving power lambda/Delta lambda =
110,000 and signal-to-noise ratio of 32 by STIS on the Hubble Space Telescope.
We have identified 7 narrow components of C I and have measured their relative
populations in excited fine-structure levels. Broader features at heliocentric
velocities ranging from -70 to +130 km/s are seen in C II, N I, O I, Si II, S
II and Ni II. In the high-velocity components, the unusually low abundances of
N I and O I, relative to S II and Si II, suggest that these elements may be
preferentially ionized to higher stages by radiation from hot gas immediately
behind the shock fronts.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures, Latex. Submitted for the special HST ERO issue
of the Astrophysical Journal Letter
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