4,306 research outputs found
Tangential Motions and Spectroscopy within NGC 6720, the Ring Nebula
We have combined recent Hubble Space Telescope WFPC2 images in the [O III]
5007 and [N II] 6583 lines with similar images made 9.557 years earlier to
determine the motion of the Ring Nebula within the plane of the sky. Scaled
ratio images argue for homologous expansion, that is, larger velocities scale
with increasing distance from the central star. The rather noisy pattern of
motion of individual features argues for the same conclusion and that the
silhouetted knots move at the same rate as the surrounding gas. These
tangential velocities are combined with information from a recent high
resolution radial velocity study to determine a dynamic distance, which is in
basic agreement with the distance determined from the parallax of the central
star. We have also obtained very high signal to noise ratio moderate resolution
spectra (9.4 Angstrom) along the major and minor axes of the nebula and from
this determined the electron temperatures and density in the multiple
ionization zones present. These results confirm the status of the Ring Nebula
as one of the older planetary nebulae, with a central star transitioning to the
white dwarf cooling curve. (Based on observations with the NASA/ESA Hubble
Space Telescope, obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is
operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc.,
under NASA Contract No. NAS 5-26555 and the San Pedro Martir Observatory
operated by the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico.)Comment: Astronomical Journal, in pres
A Keck High Resolution Spectroscopic Study of the Orion Nebula Proplyds
We present the results of spectroscopy of four bright proplyds in the Orion
Nebula obtained at a velocity resolution of 6 km/s. After careful isolation of
the proplyd spectra from the confusing nebular radiation, the emission line
profiles are compared with those predicted by realistic dynamic/photoionization
models of the objects. The spectral line widths show a clear correlation with
ionization potential, which is consistent with the free expansion of a
transonic, ionization-stratified, photoevaporating flow. Fitting models of such
a flow simultaneously to our spectra and HST emission line imaging provides
direct measurements of the proplyd size, ionized density and outflow velocity.
These measurements confirm that the ionization front in the proplyds is
approximately D-critical and provide the most accurate and robust estimate to
date of the proplyd mass loss rate. Values of 0.7E-6 to 1.5E-6 Msun/year are
found for our spectroscopic sample, although extrapolating our results to a
larger sample of proplyds implies that 0.4E-6 Msun/year is more typical of the
proplyds as a whole. In view of the reported limits on the masses of the
circumstellar disks within the proplyds, the length of time that they can have
been exposed to ionizing radiation should not greatly exceed 10,000 years - a
factor of 30 less than the mean age of the proplyd stars. We review the various
mechanisms that have been proposed to explain this situation, and conclude that
none can plausibly work unless the disk masses are revised upwards by a
substantial amount.Comment: 23 pages, 8 figures, uses emulateapj.sty, accepted for publication in
The Astronomical Journal (scheduled November 1999
Impurity in a Bose-Einstein condensate in a double well
We compare and contrast the mean-field and many-body properties of a
Bose-Einstein condensate trapped in a double well potential with a single
impurity atom. The mean-field solutions display a rich structure of
bifurcations as parameters such as the boson-impurity interaction strength and
the tilt between the two wells are varied. In particular, we study a pitchfork
bifurcation in the lowest mean-field stationary solution which occurs when the
boson-impurity interaction exceeds a critical magnitude. This bifurcation,
which is present for both repulsive and attractive boson-impurity interactions,
corresponds to the spontaneous formation of an imbalance in the number of
particles between the two wells. If the boson-impurity interaction is large,
the bifurcation is associated with the onset of a Schroedinger cat state in the
many-body ground state. We calculate the coherence and number fluctuations
between the two wells, and also the entanglement entropy between the bosons and
the impurity. We find that the coherence can be greatly enhanced at the
bifurcation.Comment: 19 pages, 17 figures. The second version contains minor corrections
and some better figures (thicker lines
Collective excitation frequencies and stationary states of trapped dipolar Bose-Einstein condensates in the Thomas-Fermi regime
We present a general method for obtaining the exact static solutions and
collective excitation frequencies of a trapped Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC)
with dipolar atomic interactions in the Thomas-Fermi regime. The method
incorporates analytic expressions for the dipolar potential of an arbitrary
polynomial density profile, thereby reducing the problem of handling non-local
dipolar interactions to the solution of algebraic equations.
We comprehensively map out the static solutions and excitation modes,
including non-cylindrically symmetric traps, and also the case of negative
scattering length where dipolar interactions stabilize an otherwise unstable
condensate. The dynamical stability of the excitation modes gives insight into
the onset of collapse of a dipolar BEC. We find that global collapse is
consistently mediated by an anisotropic quadrupolar collective mode, although
there are two trapping regimes in which the BEC is stable against quadrupole
fluctuations even as the ratio of the dipolar to s-wave interactions becomes
infinite. Motivated by the possibility of fragmented BEC in a dipolar Bose gas
due to the partially attractive interactions, we pay special attention to the
scissors modes, which can provide a signature of superfluidity, and identify a
long-range restoring force which is peculiar to dipolar systems. As part of the
supporting material for this paper we provide the computer program used to make
the calculations, including a graphical user interface.Comment: 23 pages, 11 figure
An optical spectroscopic H-R diagram for low-mass stars and brown dwarfs in Orion
The masses and temperatures of young low mass stars and brown dwarfs in star-
forming regions are not yet well established because of uncertainties in the
age of individual objects and the spectral type vs. temperature scale
appropriate for objects with ages of only a few Myr. Using multi-object optical
spectroscopy, 45 low-mass stars and brown dwarfs in the Trapezium Cluster in
Orion have been classified and 44 of these confirmed as bona fide cluster
members. The spectral types obtained have been converted to effective
temperatures using a temperature scale intermediate between those of dwarfs and
giants, which is suitable for young pre-main sequence objects. The objects have
been placed on an H-R diagram overlaid with theoretical isochrones. The low
mass stars and the higher mass substellar objects are found to be clustered
around the 1 Myr isochrone, while many of the lower mass substellar objects are
located well above this isochrone. An average age of 1 Myr is found for the
majority of the objects. Assuming coevality of the sources and an average age
of 1 Myr, the masses of the objects have been estimated and range from 0.018 to
0.44Msun. The spectra also allow an investigation of the surface gravity of the
objects by measurement of the sodium doublet equivalent width. With one
possible exception, all objects have low gravities, in line with young ages,
and the Na indices for the Trapezium objects lie systematically below those of
young stars and brown dwarfs in Chamaeleon, suggesting that the 820 nm Na index
may provide a sensitive means of estimating ages in young clusters.Comment: 19 pages, accepted by MNRA
Dynamical diffraction in sinusoidal potentials: uniform approximations for Mathieu functions
Eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of Mathieu's equation are found in the short
wavelength limit using a uniform approximation (method of comparison with a
`known' equation having the same classical turning point structure) applied in
Fourier space. The uniform approximation used here relies upon the fact that by
passing into Fourier space the Mathieu equation can be mapped onto the simpler
problem of a double well potential. The resulting eigenfunctions (Bloch waves),
which are uniformly valid for all angles, are then used to describe the
semiclassical scattering of waves by potentials varying sinusoidally in one
direction. In such situations, for instance in the diffraction of atoms by
gratings made of light, it is common to make the Raman-Nath approximation which
ignores the motion of the atoms inside the grating. When using the
eigenfunctions no such approximation is made so that the dynamical diffraction
regime (long interaction time) can be explored.Comment: 36 pages, 16 figures. This updated version includes important
references to existing work on uniform approximations, such as Olver's method
applied to the modified Mathieu equation. It is emphasised that the paper
presented here pertains to Fourier space uniform approximation
Large Scale Flows from Orion-South
Multiple optical outflows are known to exist in the vicinity of the active
star formation region called Orion-South (Orion-S). We have mapped the velocity
of low ionization features in the brightest part of the Orion Nebula, including
Orion-S, and imaged the entire nebula with the Hubble Space Telescope. These
new data, combined with recent high resolution radio maps of outflows from the
Orion-S region, allow us to trace the origin of the optical outflows. It is
confirmed that HH 625 arises from the blueshifted lobe of the CO outflow from
136-359 in Orion-S while it is likely that HH 507 arises from the blueshifted
lobe of the SiO outflow from the nearby source 135-356. It is likely that
redshifted lobes are deflected within the photon dominated region behind the
optical nebula. This leads to a possible identification of a new large shock to
the southwest from Orion-S as being driven by the redshifted CO outflow arising
from 137-408. The distant object HH 400 is seen to have two even further
components and these all are probably linked to either HH 203, HH 204, or HH
528. Distant shocks on the west side of the nebula may be related to HH 269.
The sources of multiple bright blueshifted Herbig-Haro objects (HH 202, HH 203,
HH 204, HH 269, HH 528) remain unidentified, in spite of earlier claimed
identifications. Some of this lack of identification may arise from the fact
that deflection in radial velocity can also produce a change in direction in
the plane of the sky. The best way to resolve this open question is through
improved tangential velocities of low ionization features arising where the
outflows first break out into the ionized nebula.Comment: Astronomical Journal, in press. Some figures are shown at reduced
resolution. A full-resolution version is available at
http://ifront.org/wiki/Orion_South_Outflows_Pape
High-resolution x-ray telescopes
High-energy astrophysics is a relatively young scientific field, made
possible by space-borne telescopes. During the half-century history of x-ray
astronomy, the sensitivity of focusing x-ray telescopes-through finer angular
resolution and increased effective area-has improved by a factor of a 100
million. This technological advance has enabled numerous exciting discoveries
and increasingly detailed study of the high-energy universe-including accreting
(stellar-mass and super-massive) black holes, accreting and isolated neutron
stars, pulsar-wind nebulae, shocked plasma in supernova remnants, and hot
thermal plasma in clusters of galaxies. As the largest structures in the
universe, galaxy clusters constitute a unique laboratory for measuring the
gravitational effects of dark matter and of dark energy. Here, we review the
history of high-resolution x-ray telescopes and highlight some of the
scientific results enabled by these telescopes. Next, we describe the planned
next-generation x-ray-astronomy facility-the International X-ray Observatory
(IXO). We conclude with an overview of a concept for the next next-generation
facility-Generation X. The scientific objectives of such a mission will require
very large areas (about 10000 m2) of highly-nested lightweight
grazing-incidence mirrors with exceptional (about 0.1-arcsecond) angular
resolution. Achieving this angular resolution with lightweight mirrors will
likely require on-orbit adjustment of alignment and figure.Comment: 19 pages, 11 figures, SPIE Conference 7803 "Adaptive X-ray Optics",
part of SPIE Optics+Photonics 2010, San Diego CA, 2010 August 2-
PPAK Integral Field Spectroscopy survey of the Orion Nebula: Data Release
We present a low-resolution spectroscopic survey of the Orion nebula which
data we release for public use. In this article, we intend to show the possible
applications of this dataset analyzing some of the main properties of the
nebula. We perform an integral field spectroscopy mosaic of an area of ~5' X 6'
centered on the Trapezium region of the nebula, including the ionization front
to the south-east. The analysis of the line fluxes and line ratios of both the
individual and integrated spectra allowed us to determine the main
characteristics of the ionization throughtout the nebula.The final dataset
comprises 8182 individual spectra, which sample each one a circular area of
\~2.7" diameter. The data can be downloaded as a single row-stacked spectra
fits file plus a position table or as an interpolated datacube with a final
sampling of 1.5"/pixel. The integrated spectrum across the field-of-view was
used to obtain the main integrated properties of the nebula, including the
electron density and temperature, the dust extinction, the Halpha integrated
flux (after correcting for dust reddening), and the main diagnostic line
ratios. The individual spectra were used to obtain line intensity maps of the
different detected lines. These maps were used to study the distribution of the
ionized hydrogen, the dust extinction, the electron density and temperature,
and the helium and oxygen abundance...Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publishing in Astronomy &
Astrophysic
- …