The impact of historical post-excavation modifications on the re-examination of human mummies

Many museums and institutions have collections that include human mummies. Although some of the mummies may have been analyzed prior to or since acquisition, many have never been scientifically studied or have not been re-examined in decades. The rapid development of technology for the analysis of ancient human remains affords researchers the opportunity to gather new data about mummies that were discovered and examined decades, or even centuries, ago. The implementation of technology for the analysis of human mummies has become routine and provides substantial new information about the individuals being studied. During the re-analysis of a mummy, early post-excavation modifications, often previously unknown to current museum curators and staff, are identified and will, in some circumstances, affect the analysis and accurate interpretation of data. There are also ethical and professional guidelines that should be applied to the use of technology for the study of human remains, including mummies. Museums make the protection of all human remains a priority and any plans for research using human mummies must be carefully considered and planned. New data from any research based on mummies in museums can be, and should be, applied to both academic analysis and interpretation and public presentation. This paper reviews some of the effects of past post-excavation efforts on the re-analysis and interpretation of three Iron Age bog mummies from northern Germany and a child mummy from South America, and highlights issues for museums who are considering undertaking or permitting analysis of mummies in collections

A 200 GHz tripler using single barrier varactor

The GaAs Schottky varactor diode is the nonlinear device most commonly used for submillimeter wave harmonic generation. Output power adequate to serve as a local oscillator source for SIS tunnel junctions has been demonstrated with whisker-contacted GaAs Schottky varactor multipliers in waveguide mounts up to about 800 GHz. In this paper, we present results for a tripler to 200 GHz using a new multiplier device, the single barrier varactor (SBV). This new varactor has a potential advantages such as stronger nonlinearities or special symmetry, which make it attractive for submillimeter wave frequency multiplication. The performance of a tripler using a SBV over a output frequency range from 186 to 207 GHz has been measured in a crossed waveguide mount. The theoretical performance of the device has been calculated using large signal analysis. A comparison of theoretical and measured results and a discussion of various losses in the mount and the varactor have also been presented

Herbig-Haro flows in B335

We have observed optical (Halpha and [SII]) and near-IR (S(1) line of H2) deep fields and taken optical spectra using the 2.56m NOT, as well as a near-UV deep field (U band) using the 3.58m NTT. In addition we present new SPITZER (IRAC and MIPS) mid-IR observations. We use previous Halpha and S(1) observations taken 15 and 9 years earlier to make proper motion maps. We then investigate the shock physics by matching our spectra with planar shock models. We discover six new HH objects in B335. From proper motions we find an optically bright, roughly E-W oriented group with high space velocities (200-280 km/s) and a near-IR bright, slower group (15-75 km/s) moving to the ESE. We also find a system of at least 15 H2 knots in the western lobe. This (WNW) counterflow suggests the possibility of a binary outflow source, giving rise to two outflow axes with slightly different orientations. We find that the E-W flow is symmetrical with evidence for two outbursts. We make the first detection of [OI] 6300/63 in HH119 B and Hbeta in HH119 A and B and find their extinctions to be AV~1.4 and 4.4, respectively. HH119 A is found to expand much faster than expected from linear expansion with distance from the outflow source. Using planar shock models we find shock velocities of ~60 km/s (A) and ~35 km/s (B and C). This agrees with A being of higher excitation than B and C. In our U image we detect three of the HH objects and propose that the emission arise from the [OII] 3728 line and the blue continuum. New SPITZER observations show most of the HH objects at 4.5 micron and a E-W elongated hour-glass shaped structure at the outflow source. Even at 24 micron it is not clear whether most of the light is direct or reflected.Comment: 23 pages, 15 figures, accepted in A&

Revealing the environs of the remarkable southern hot core G327.3-0.6

We present a submm study of the massive hot core G327.3-0.6 that constrains its physical parameters and environment. The APEX telescope was used to image CO and N2H+ emission, to observe lines from other molecules toward a hot and a cold molecular core, and to measure the continuum flux density of the hot core. In the C18O J=3-2 line, two clumps were found, one associated with the HII region G327.3-0.5 and the other associated with the hot core. An additional cold clump is found 30 arcsec (0.4 pc) northeast of the hot core in bright N2H+ emission. From the the continuum data, we calculate a mass of 420 Msol and a size of 0.1 pc for the hot core. A new, more accurate position of the hot core is reported, which allows the association of the core with a bright mid-infrared source. The luminosity of the hot core is estimated to be between 5 and 15 10^4 Lsol. This study revealed several different evolutionary stages of massive star formation in the G327.3-0.6 region.Comment: APEX A&A special issue, accepte

NICEST, a near-infrared color excess method tailored for small-scale structures

Observational data and theoretical calculations show that significant small-scale substructures are present in dark molecular clouds. These inhomogeneities can provide precious hints on the physical conditions inside the clouds, but can also severely bias extinction measurements. We present NICEST, a novel method to account and correct for inhomogeneities in molecular cloud extinction studies. The method, tested against numerical simulations, removes almost completely the biases introduced by sub-pixel structures and by the contamination of foreground stars. We applied NICEST to 2MASS data of the Pipe molecular complex. The map thereby obtained shows significantly higher (up to 0.41 mag in A_K) extinction peaks than the standard NICER (Lombardi et al. 2001) map. This first application confirms that substructures in nearby molecular clouds, if not accounted for, can significantly bias extinction measurements in regions with A_K > 1 mag; the effect, moreover, is expected to increase in more distant molecular cloud, because of the poorer physical resolution achievable.Comment: 13 pages, A&A in pres

Stratospheric sounding by infrared heterodyne spectroscopy

Intensity profiles of infrared spectral lines of stratospheric constituents can be fully resolved with a heterodyne spectrometer of sufficiently high resolution. The constituents' vertical distributions can then be evaluated accurately by analytic inversion of the measured line profiles. Estimates of the detection sensitivity of a heterodyne receiver are given in terms of minimum detectable volume mixing ratios of stratospheric constituents, indicating a large number of minor constituents which can be studied. Stratospheric spectral line shapes, and the resolution required to measure them are discussed in light of calculated synthetic line profiles for some stratospheric molecules in a model atmosphere. The inversion technique for evaluation of gas concentration profiles is briefly described and applications to synthetic lines of O3, CO2, CH4 and N2O are given

The molecular clump towards the eastern border of SNR G18.8+0.3

The eastern border of the SNR G18.8+0.3, close to an HII regions complex, is a very interesting region to study the molecular gas that it is probably in contact with the SNR shock front. We observed the aforementioned region using the Atacama Submillimeter Telescope Experiment (ASTE) in the 12CO J=3-2, 13CO J=3-2, HCO+ J=4-3, and CS J=7-6 lines with an angular resolution of 22". To complement these observations, we analyzed IR, submillimeter and radio continuum archival data. In this work, we clearly show that the radio continuum "protrusion" that was early thought to belong to the SNR is an HII regions complex deeply embedded in a molecular clump. The new molecular observations reveal that this dense clump, belonging to an extended molecular cloud that surrounds the SNR southeast border, is not physically in contact with SNR G18.8+0.3, suggesting that the SNR shock front have not yet reached it or maybe they are located at different distances. We found some young stellar objects embedded in the molecular clump, suggesting that their formation should be approximately coeval with the SN explosion.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A (Sept. 7, 2012

Infrared Instrumentation and Astronomy

Contains research objectives and summary of research on five research projects.Joint Services Electronics Program (Contract DAAB07-76-C-1400)M.I.T. Sloan Fund for Basic ResearchNational Aeronautics and Space Administration (Contract NAS5-23731)National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Grant NGR 22-009-526

Neutral carbon in the Egg Nebula (AFGL 2688)

A search for sub-mm C I emission from seven stars that are surrounded by dense molecular gas shells led to the detection, in the case of the "Egg Nebula' (AFGL 2688), of an 0.9 K line implying a C I/CO value greater than 5. The material surrounding this star must be extremely carbon-rich, and it is suggested that the apparently greater extent of the C I emission region may be due to the effects of the galactic UV field on the shell's chemistry, as suggested by Huggins and Glassgold (1982)