48 research outputs found
Disparate MgII Absorption Statistics towards Quasars and Gamma-Ray Bursts : A Possible Explanation
We examine the recent report by Prochter et al. (2006) that gamma-ray burst
(GRB) sight lines have a much higher incidence of strong MgII absorption than
quasar sight lines. We propose that the discrepancy is due to the different
beam sizes of GRBs and quasars, and that the intervening MgII systems are
clumpy with the dense part of each cloudlet of a similar size as the quasars,
i.e. < 10^16 cm, but bigger than GRBs. We also discuss observational
predictions of our proposed model. Most notably, in some cases the intervening
MgII absorbers in GRB spectra should be seen varying, and quasars with smaller
sizes should show an increased rate of strong MgII absorbers. In fact, our
prediction of variable MgII lines in the GRB spectra has been now confirmed by
Hao et al. (2007), who observed intervening FeII and MgII lines at z=1.48 to be
strongly variable in the multi-epoch spectra of z=4.05 GRB060206.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures; substantially revised model calculation;
accepted for publication in Astrophysics & Space Science as a Lette
The Spectral Energy Distribution of Self-gravitating Interstellar Clouds I. Spheres
We derive the spectral energy distribution (SED) of dusty, isothermal, self
gravitating, stable and spherical clouds externally heated by the ambient
interstellar radiation field. For a given radiation field and dust properties,
the radiative transfer problem is determined by the pressure of the surrounding
medium and the cloud mass expressed as a fraction of the maximum stable cloud
mass above which the clouds become gravitational unstable.
To solve the radiative transfer problem a ray-tracing code is used to
accurately derive the light distribution inside the cloud. This code considers
both non isotropic scattering on dust grains and multiple scattering events.
The dust properties inside the clouds are assumed to be the same as in the
diffuse interstellar medium in our galaxy. We analyse the effect of the
pressure, the critical mass fraction, and the ISRF on the SED and present
brightness profiles in the visible, the IR/FIR and the submm/mm regime with the
focus on the scattered emission and the thermal emission from PAH-molecules and
dust grains.Comment: accepted for publication in ApJS, May 2008, v176n1 issu
Infrared emission towards SN 1987A 11 years after outburst: Measurements with ISOCAM
We present measurements of the mid-infrared (MIR) emission from SN 1987A,
made using the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) 11 years after outburst. They
are the only late epoch detections of this source in the thermal IR regime. The
position of the source, determined from an offset to an IR-emitting star,
suggests that the emission is associated with SN 1987A or its extended
supernova remnant (SNR). A predominantly circumstellar origin is however
suggested by the size and orientation of the IR-emitting region, which is
comparable with the extension of the inner ring seen with the Hubble Space
Telescope (HST). The emission is most probably from collisionally-heated
circumstellar grains embedded in shocked gas downstream of the blast wave. The
MIR extent is consistent with the hypothesis that the blast wave was
propagating into material of moderate density interior to the thick inner ring
at the epoch of the ISOCAM observations
Modelling the Pan-Spectral Energy Distribution of Starburst Galaxies: III. Emission Line Diagnostics of Ensembles of Evolving HII Regions
We build, as far as theory will permit, self consistent model HII regions
around central clusters of aging stars. These produce strong emission line
diagnostics applicable to either individual HII regions in galaxies, or to the
integrated emission line spectra of disk or starburst galaxies. The models
assume that the expansion and internal pressure of individual HII regions is
driven by the net input of mechanical energy from the central cluster, be it
through winds or supernova events. This eliminates the ionization parameter as
a free variable, replacing it with a parameter which depends on the ratio of
the cluster mass to the pressure in the surrounding interstellar medium. These
models explain why HII regions with low abundances have high excitation, and
demonstrate that at least part of the warm ionized medium is the result of
overlapping faint, old, large, and low pressure HII regions. We present line
ratios (at both optical and IR wavelengths) which provide reliable abundance
diagnostics for both single HII regions or for integrated galaxy spectra, and
we find a number that can be used to estimate the mean age of the cluster stars
exciting individual HII regions.Comment: 22 pages. 18 figures. Accepted for publication in Astrophysical
journal Supplements. Electronic tabular material is available on request to
[email protected]
Infrared emission towards 11 years after outburst: Properties of the circumstellar dust
Detailed models are presented for the late epoch mid infrared (MIR) emission
from collisionally heated grains in the shocked circumstellar gas around SN
1987A. Thermal dust emission from a region of moderate density interior to the
thick inner ring seen with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is found to be a
natural explanation for the MIR spectral energy distribution measured by
ISOCAM. The MIR-spectrum can be reproduced by a mixture of silicate-iron or
silicate-graphite grains or by a composition of pure graphite grains. A
composition of pure iron grains on the other hand can be excluded and a pure
silicate composition does not seem to be very likely. The dust-to-gas ratio in
the interaction zone is ~0.01%, an order of magnitude lower than estimates for
dust abundances in the winds of red supergiant (RSG) stars in the LMC. This low
dust abundance can be accounted for by a combination of evaporation through the
UV-flash from the supernova outburst and subsequent sputtering in the shocked
gas. For this explanation to hold, dust in the pre-supernova circumstellar
medium (CSM) would have to have been predominantly composed of grains other
than graphite, with a maximum size smaller than ~0.1 microns
Modelling the Pan-Spectral Energy Distribution of Starburst Galaxies: IV The Controlling Parameters of the Starburst SED
We combine the the stellar spectral synthesis code Starburst99, the nebular
modelling code MAPPINGSIII, and a 1-D dynamical evolution model of HII regions
around massive clusters of young stars to generate improved models of the
spectral energy distribution (SED) of starburst galaxies. We introduce a
compactness parameter, C, which characterizes the specific intensity of the
radiation field at ionization fronts in HII regions, and which controls the
shape of the far-IR dust re-emission, often referred to loosely as the dust
``temperature''. We also investigate the effect of metallicity on the overall
SED and in particular, on the strength of the PAH features. We provide
templates for the mean emission produced by the young compact HII regions, the
older (10 - 100 Myr) stars and for the wavelength-dependent attenuation
produced by a foreground screen of the dust used in our model. We demonstrate
that these components may be combined to produce a excellent fit to the
observed SEDs of star formation dominated galaxies which are often used as
templates (Arp 220 and NGC 6240). This fit extends from the Lyman Limit to
wavelengths of about one mm. The methods presented in both this paper and in
the previous papers of this series allow the extraction of the physical
parameters of the starburst region (star formation rates, star formation rate
history, mean cluster mass, metallicity, dust attenuation and pressure) from
the analysis of the pan-spectral SED.Comment: 35 pages, 21 figures, accepted for publication in ApJS full-res
available at http://www.strw.leidenuniv.nl/~brent/publications/SEDIV.pd
Modelling the spectral energy distribution of galaxies. III. Attenuation of stellar light in spiral galaxies
We present new calculations of the attenuation of stellar light from spiral
galaxies using geometries for stars and dust which can reproduce the entire
spectral energy distribution from the UV to the FIR/submm and can also account
for the surface brightness distribution in both the optical/NIR and FIR/submm.
The calculations are based on the model of Popescu et al. (2000), which
incorporates a dustless stellar bulge, a disk of old stars with associated
diffuse dust, a thin disk of young stars with associated diffuse dust, and a
clumpy dust component associated with star-forming regions in the thin disk.
The attenuations, which incorporate the effects of multiple anisotropic
scattering, are derived separately for each stellar component, and presented in
the form of easily accessible polynomial fits as a function of inclination, for
a grid in optical depth and wavelength. The wavelength range considered is
between 912 AA and 2.2 micron, sampled such that attenuation can be
conveniently calculated both for the standard optical bands and for the bands
covered by GALEX. The attenuation characteristics of the individual stellar
components show marked differences between each other. A general formula is
given for the calculation of composite attenuation, valid for any combination
of the bulge-to-disk ratio and amount of clumpiness. As an example, we show how
the optical depth derived from the variation of attenuation with inclination
depends on the bulge-to-disk ratio. Finally, a recipe is given for a
self-consistent determination of the optical depth from the Halpha/Hbeta line
ratio.Comment: accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics; 20 pages, 9
figures; for the paper with a high resolution version of Fig. 1 (12.28 Mb),
see http://edoc.mpg.de/5962
Fitting the integrated Spectral Energy Distributions of Galaxies
Fitting the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of galaxies is an almost
universally used technique that has matured significantly in the last decade.
Model predictions and fitting procedures have improved significantly over this
time, attempting to keep up with the vastly increased volume and quality of
available data. We review here the field of SED fitting, describing the
modelling of ultraviolet to infrared galaxy SEDs, the creation of
multiwavelength data sets, and the methods used to fit model SEDs to observed
galaxy data sets. We touch upon the achievements and challenges in the major
ingredients of SED fitting, with a special emphasis on describing the interplay
between the quality of the available data, the quality of the available models,
and the best fitting technique to use in order to obtain a realistic
measurement as well as realistic uncertainties. We conclude that SED fitting
can be used effectively to derive a range of physical properties of galaxies,
such as redshift, stellar masses, star formation rates, dust masses, and
metallicities, with care taken not to over-interpret the available data. Yet
there still exist many issues such as estimating the age of the oldest stars in
a galaxy, finer details ofdust properties and dust-star geometry, and the
influences of poorly understood, luminous stellar types and phases. The
challenge for the coming years will be to improve both the models and the
observational data sets to resolve these uncertainties. The present review will
be made available on an interactive, moderated web page (sedfitting.org), where
the community can access and change the text. The intention is to expand the
text and keep it up to date over the coming years.Comment: 54 pages, 26 figures, Accepted for publication in Astrophysics &
Space Scienc
A census of dense cores in the Aquila cloud complex: SPIRE/PACS observations from the <i>Herschel</i> Gould Belt survey
We present and discuss the results of the Gould Belt survey (HGBS) observations in an ~11 area of the Aquila molecular cloud complex at ~ 260 pc, imaged with the SPIRE and PACS photometric cameras in parallel mode from to . Using the multi-scale, multi-wavelength source extraction algorithm , we identify a complete sample of starless dense cores and embedded (Class 0-I) protostars in this region, and analyze their global properties and spatial distributions. We find a total of 651 starless cores, ~60% ± 10% of which are gravitationally bound prestellar cores, and they will likely form stars in the future. We also detect 58 protostellar cores. The core mass function (CMF) derived for the large population of prestellar cores is very similar in shape to the stellar initial mass function (IMF), confirming earlier findings on a much stronger statistical basis and supporting the view that there is a close physical link between the stellar IMF and the prestellar CMF. The global shift in mass scale observed between the CMF and the IMF is consistent with a typical star formation efficiency of ~40% at the level of an individual core. By comparing the numbers of starless cores in various density bins to the number of young stellar objects (YSOs), we estimate that the lifetime of prestellar cores is ~1 Myr, which is typically ~4 times longer than the core free-fall time, and that it decreases with average core density. We find a strong correlation between the spatial distribution of prestellar cores and the densest filaments observed in the Aquila complex. About 90% of the -identified prestellar cores are located above a background column density corresponding to ~ 7, and ~75% of them lie within filamentary structures with supercritical masses per unit length âł16 . These findings support a picture wherein the cores making up the peak of the CMF (and probably responsible for the base of the IMF) result primarily from the gravitational fragmentation of marginally supercritical filaments. Given that filaments appear to dominate the mass budget of dense gas at , our findings also suggest that the physics of prestellar core formation within filaments is responsible for a characteristic âefficiencyâ ~ for the star formation process in dense gas
Giant molecular filaments in the Milky Way
Throughout the Milky Way, molecular clouds typically appear filamentary, and mounting evidence indicates that this morphology plays an important role in star formation. What is not known is to what extent the dense filaments most closely associated with star formation are connected to the surrounding diffuse clouds up to arbitrarily large scales. How are these cradles of star formation linked to the Milky Wayâs spiral structure? Using archival Galactic plane survey data, we have used multiple datasets in search of large-scale, velocity-coherent filaments in the Galactic plane. In this paper, we present our methods employed to identify coherent filamentary structures first in extinction and confirmed using Galactic Ring Survey data. We present a sample of seven giant molecular filaments (GMFs) that have lengths on the order of ~100âpc, total masses of 104â105 Mâ, and exhibit velocity coherence over their full length. The GMFs we study appear to be inter-arm clouds and may be the Milky Way analogs to spurs observed in nearby spiral galaxies. We find that between 2 and 12% of the total mass (above ~1020 cm-2) is âdenseâ (above 1022 cm-2), where filaments near spiral arms in the Galactic midplane tend to have higher dense gas mass fractions than those further from the arms