487 research outputs found
New Results of Observations of the Only Supernova Remnant in the IC1613 Galaxy
The new results of a study of the kinematics of the supernova remnant S8 in
the IC1613 galaxy are reported. The expansion velocity of the bright optical
nebula is determined based on observations made with the 6-m telescope of the
Special Astrophysical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences using MPSF
field spectrograph and SCORPIO focal reducer operating in the scanning
Fabry--Perot interferometer mode. An analysis of 21-cm line VLA observations of
the galaxy corroborates our earlier proposed model of a SN exploding inside a
cavern surrounded by a dense shell and S8 colliding with the wall of the HI
shell.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures; accepted for publication in Astronomy Letter
The high energy gamma-ray emission expected from Tycho's supernova remnant
A nonlinear kinetic model of cosmic ray (CR) acceleration in supernova
remnants (SNRs) is used to describe the properties of Tycho's SNR. Observations
of the expansion characteristics and of the nonthermal radio and X-ray emission
spectra, assumed to be of synchrotron origin, are used to constrain the overall
dynamical evolution and the particle acceleration parameters of the system, in
addition to what is known from independent estimates of the distance and
thermal X-ray observations. It is shown that a very efficient production of
nuclear cosmic rays, leading to strong shock modification, and a large
downstream magnetic field strength B_d approx 240muG are required to reproduce
the observed synchrotron emission from radio to X-ray frequencies. This field
strength is still well within the upper bound for the effective magnetic field,
consistent with the acceleration process. The pi^0-decay gamma-ray flux turns
out to be somewhat greater than the inverse Compton (IC) flux off the Cosmic
Microwave Background at energies below 1 TeV, dominating it strongly at 10 TeV.
The predicted TeV gamma-ray flux is consistent with but close to the very low
upper limit recently obtained by HEGRA. A future detection at E_gamma ~ 10 TeV
would clearly indicate hadronic emission.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures. Accepted in Astronomy and Astrophyic
An Optical and X-ray Examination of Two Radio Supernova Remnant Candidates in 30 Doradus
The giant HII region 30 Doradus is known for its violent internal motions and
bright diffuse X-ray emission, suggesting the existence of supernova remnants
(SNRs), but no nonthermal radio emission has been detected. Recently, Lazendic
et al. compared the H-alpha/H-beta and radio/H-alpha ratios and suggested two
small radio sources to be nonthermal and thus SNR candidates; however, no
optical or X-ray counterparts were detected. We have used high-resolution
optical images and high-dispersion spectra to examine the morphological,
spectral, and kinematic properties of these two SNR candidates, and still find
no optical evidence supporting their identification as SNRs. We have also
determined the X-ray luminosities of these SNR candidates, and find them 1-3
orders of magnitude lower than those commonly seen in young SNRs. High
extinction can obscure optical and X-ray signatures of an SNR, but would
prohibit the use of a high radio/H-alpha ratio to identify nonthermal radio
emission. We suggest that the SNR candidate MCRX J053831.8-690620 is associated
with a young star forming region; while the radio emission originates from the
obscured star forming region, the observed optical emission is dominated by the
foreground. We suggest that the SNR candidate MCRX J053838.8-690730 is
associated with a dust/molecular cloud, which obscures some optical emission
but not the radio emission.Comment: 13 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in the ApJ, Nov 10,
200
Clustered Star Formation in W75 N
We present 2" to 7" resolution 3 mm continuum and CO(J=1-0) line emission and
near infrared Ks, H2, and [FeII] images toward the massive star forming region
W75 N. The CO emission uncovers a complex morphology of multiple, overlapping
outflows. A total flow mass of greater than 255 Msun extends 3 pc from
end-to-end and is being driven by at least four late to early-B protostars.
More than 10% of the molecular cloud has been accelerated to high velocities by
the molecular flows (> 5.2 km/s relative to v{LSR}) and the mechanical energy
in the outflowing gas is roughly half the gravitational binding energy of the
cloud. The W75 N cluster members represent a range of evolutionary stages, from
stars with no apparent circumstellar material to deeply embedded protostars
that are actively powering massive outflows. Nine cores of
millimeter-wavelength emission highlight the locations of embedded protostars
in W75 N. The total mass of gas & dust associated with the millimeter cores
ranges from 340 Msun to 11 Msun. The infrared reflection nebula and shocked H2
emission have multiple peaks and extensions which, again, suggests the presence
of several outflows. Diffuse H2 emission extends about 0.6 parsecs beyond the
outer boundaries of the CO emission while the [FeII] emission is only detected
close to the protostars. The infrared line emission morphology suggests that
only slow, non-dissociative J-type shocks exist throughout the pc-scale
outflows. Fast, dissociative shocks, common in jet-driven low-mass outflows,
are absent in W75 N. Thus, the energetics of the outflows from the late to
early B protostars in W75 N differ from their low-mass counterparts -- they do
not appear to be simply scaled-up versions of low-mass outflows.Comment: Astrophysical Journal, in press. 23 pages plus 10 figures (jpg
format). See http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/~dshepher/science.shtml for reprint with
full resolution figure
Supernova Remnants in the Magellanic Clouds. V. The Complex Interior Structure of the N206 SNR
The N206 supernova remnant (SNR) in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) has long
been considered a prototypical "mixed morphology" SNR. Recent observations,
however, have added a new twist to this familiar plot: an elongated,
radially-oriented radio feature seen in projection against the SNR face.
Utilizing the high resolution and sensitivity available with the Hubble Space
Telescope, Chandra, and XMM-Newton, we have obtained optical emission-line
images and spatially resolved X-ray spectral maps for this intriguing SNR. Our
findings present the SNR itself as a remnant in the mid to late stages of its
evolution. X-ray emission associated with the radio "linear feature" strongly
suggests it to be a pulsar-wind nebula (PWN). A small X-ray knot is discovered
at the outer tip of this feature. The feature's elongated morphology and the
surrounding wedge-shaped X-ray enhancement strongly suggest a bow-shock PWN
structure.Comment: 41 pages including 7 figures, accepted for publication by the
Astrophysical Journa
Submillimeter Observations of The Isolated Massive Dense Clump IRAS 20126+4104
We used the CSO 10.4 meter telescope to image the 350 micron and 450 micron
continuum and CO J=6-5 line emission of the IRAS 20126+4104 clump. The
continuum and line observations show that the clump is isolated over a 4 pc
region and has a radius of ~ 0.5 pc. Our analysis shows that the clump has a
radial density profile propto r ^{-1.2} for r <~ 0.1 pc and has propto r^{-2.3}
for r >~ 0.1 pc which suggests the inner region is infalling, while the infall
wave has not yet reached the outer region. Assuming temperature gradient of
r^{-0.35}, the power law indices become propto r ^{-0.9} for r < ~0.1 pc and
propto r^{-2.0} for r >~ 0.1 pc. Based on a map of the flux ratio of
350micron/450micron, we identify three distinct regions: a bipolar feature that
coincides with the large scale CO bipolar outflow; a cocoon-like region that
encases the bipolar feature and has a warm surface; and a cold layer outside of
the cocoon region. The complex patterns of the flux ratio map indicates that
the clump is no longer uniform in terms of temperature as well as dust
properties. The CO emission near the systemic velocity traces the dense clump
and the outer layer of the clump shows narrow line widths (< ~3 km/s). The
clump has a velocity gradient of ~ 2 km/s pc^{-1}, which we interpret as due to
rotation of the clump, as the equilibrium mass (~ 200 Msun) is comparable to
the LTE mass obtained from the CO line. Over a scale of ~ 1 pc, the clump
rotates in the opposite sense with respect to the >~ 0.03 pc disk associated
with the (proto)star. This is one of four objects in high-mass and low-mass
star forming regions for which a discrepancy between the rotation sense of the
envelope and the core has been found, suggesting that such a complex kinematics
may not be unusual in star forming regions.Comment: 34 pages, 13 figures, Accepted for publication in the Ap
Near-infrared [Fe II] emission from supernova remnants and the supernova rate of starburst galaxies
In an effort to better calibrate the supernova rate of starburst galaxies as
determined from near-IR [Fe II] features, we report on a [Fe II] 1.644 microns
line-imaging survey of a sample of 42 optically-selected SNRs in M33. A wide
range of [Fe II] luminosities are observed within our sample (from less than 6
to 695 L_sun). Our data suggest that the bright [Fe II] SNRs are entering the
radiative phase and that the density of the local ISM largely controls the
amount of [Fe II] emission. We derive the following relation between the [Fe
II] 1.644 microns line luminosity of radiative SNRs and the electronic density
of the postshock gas, n_e: L_[Fe II] (L_sun) ~ 1.1 n_e (cm^-3). We also find a
correlation in our data between L_[Fe II] and the metallicity of the
shock-heated gas, but the physical interpretation of this result remains
inconclusive, as our data also show a correlation between the metallicity and
n_e. The dramatically higher level of [Fe II] emission from SNRs in the central
regions of starburst galaxies is most likely due to their dense environments,
although metallicity effects might also be important. The typical [Fe
II]-emitting lifetime of a SNR in the central regions of starburst galaxies is
found to be of the order of 10^4 yr. On the basis of these results, we provide
a new empirical relation allowing the determination of the current supernova
rate of starburst galaxies from their integrated near-IR [Fe II] luminosity.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures; accepted for publication in MNRA
Expansion of W 3(OH)
A direct measurement of the expansion of W 3(OH) is made by comparing Very
Large Array images taken about 10 yr apart. The expansion is anisotropic with a
typical speed of 3 to 5 km/s, indicating a dynamical age of only 2300 yr. These
observations are inconsistent with either the freely expanding shell model or a
simple bow shock model. The most favored model is a slowly expanding shell-like
HII region, with either a fast rarefied flow or another less massive diffuse
ionized region moving towards the observer. There is also a rapidly evolving
source near the projected center of emission, perhaps related to the central
star.Comment: LaTeX file, 28 pages, includes 8 figures. To appear in ApJ in
December 10 (1998) issue. Also available at
http://www.submm.caltech.edu/~kawamura/w3oh_pp.p
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