156 research outputs found
Polarisation Observations of HO 620.701 GHz Maser Emission with Herschel/HIFI in Orion KL
Context. The high intensities and narrow bandwidths exhibited by some
astronomical masers make them ideal tools for studying star-forming giant
molecular clouds. The water maser transition at
620.701 GHz can only be observed from above Earth's strongly absorbing
atmosphere; its emission has recently been detected from space. Aims. We sought
to further characterize the star-forming environment of Orion KL by
investigating the linear polarisation of a source emitting a narrow 620.701 GHz
maser feature with the heterodyne spectrometer HIFI on board the Herschel Space
Observatory. Methods. High-resolution spectral datasets were collected over a
thirteen month period beginning in 2011 March, to establish not only the linear
polarisation but also the temporal variability of the source. Results. Within a
uncertainty, no polarisation was detected to an upper limit of
approximately 2%. These results are compared with coeval linear polarisation
measurements of the 22.235 GHz maser line from
the Effelsberg 100-m radio telescope, typically a much stronger maser
transition. Although strongly polarised emission is observed for one component
of the 22.235 GHz maser at 7.2 km s, a weaker component at the same
velocity as the 620.701 GHz maser at 11.7 km s is much less polarised.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&
GGD 37: An Extreme Protostellar Outflow
We present the first Spitzer-IRS spectral maps of the Herbig-Haro flow GGD 37 detected in lines of [Ne III], [O IV], [Ar III], and [Ne v]. The detection of extended [O IV] (55 eV) and some extended emission in [Ne v] (97 eV) indicates a shock temperature in excess of 100,000 K, in agreement with X-ray observations, and a shock speed in excess of 200 km s(-1). The presence of an extended photoionization or collisional ionization region indicates that GGD 37 is a highly unusual protostellar outflow.Jet Propulsion Laboratory, under NASA 1407NASA 1257184Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) 960803University of Rochester 31419-5714Astronom
Recommended from our members
Distribution ofWater Vapor in Molecular Clouds
We report the results of a large-area study of water vapor along the Orion Molecular Cloud ridge, the purpose of which was to determine the depth-dependent distribution of gas-phase water in dense molecular clouds. We find that the water vapor measured toward 77 spatial positions along the face-on Orion ridge, excluding positions surrounding the outflow associated with BN/KL and IRc2, display integrated intensities that correlate strongly with known cloud surface tracers such as CN, C2H, 13CO J = 5-4, and HCN, and less well with the volume tracer N2H+. Moreover, at total column densities corresponding to A V\u3c 15 mag, the ratio of H2O to C18O integrated intensities shows a clear rise approaching the cloud surface. We show that this behavior cannot be accounted for by either optical depth or excitation effects, but suggests that gas-phase water abundances fall at large A V. These results are important as they affect measures of the true water-vapor abundance in molecular clouds by highlighting the limitations of comparing measured water-vapor column densities with such traditional cloud tracers as 13CO or C18O. These results also support cloud models that incorporate freeze out of molecules as a critical component in determining the depth-dependent abundance of water vapor
Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite observations of comet 9P/Tempel 1 and Deep Impact
On 4 July 2005 at 5:52 UT the Deep Impact mission successfully completed its
goal to hit the nucleus of 9P/Tempel 1 with an impactor, forming a crater on
the nucleus and ejecting material into the coma of the comet. NASA's
Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite (SWAS) observed the 1(10)-1(01)
ortho-water ground-state rotational transition in comet 9P/Tempel 1 before,
during, and after the impact. No excess emission from the impact was detected
by SWAS and we derive an upper limit of 1.8e7 kg on the water ice evaporated by
the impact. However, the water production rate of the comet showed large
natural variations of more than a factor of three during the weeks before and
after the impact. Episodes of increased activity with Q(H2O)~1e28 molecule/s
alternated with periods with low outgassing (Q(H2O)<~5e27 molecule/s). We
estimate that 9P/Tempel 1 vaporized a total of N~4.5e34 water molecules (~1.3e9
kg) during June-September 2005. Our observations indicate that only a small
fraction of the nucleus of Tempel 1 appears to be covered with active areas.
Water vapor is expected to emanate predominantly from topographic features
periodically facing the Sun as the comet rotates. We calculate that appreciable
asymmetries of these features could lead to a spin-down or spin-up of the
nucleus at observable rates.Comment: 38 pages, 2 tables, 7 figures; Icarus, in pres
Water Abundance in Molecular Cloud Cores
We present Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite (SWAS) observations of the
1_{10}-1_{01} transition of ortho-water at 557 GHz toward 12 molecular cloud
cores. The water emission was detected in NGC 7538, Rho Oph A, NGC 2024, CRL
2591, W3, W3(OH), Mon R2, and W33, and was not detected in TMC-1, L134N, and
B335. We also present a small map of the water emission in S140. Observations
of the H_2^{18}O line were obtained toward S140 and NGC 7538, but no emission
was detected. The abundance of ortho-water relative to H_2 in the giant
molecular cloud cores was found to vary between 6x10^{-10} and 1x10^{-8}. Five
of the cloud cores in our sample have previous water detections; however, in
all cases the emission is thought to arise from hot cores with small angular
extents. The water abundance estimated for the hot core gas is at least 100
times larger than in the gas probed by SWAS. The most stringent upper limit on
the ortho-water abundance in dark clouds is provided in TMC-1, where the
3-sigma upper limit on the ortho-water fractional abundance is 7x10^{-8}.Comment: 5 pages, 3 Postscript figures, uses aastex.cls, emulateapj5.sty
(included), and apjfonts.sty (included
The Distribution of Water Emission in M17SW
We present a 17-point map of the M17SW cloud core in the 1_{10}-1_{01}
transition of ortho-water at 557 GHz obtained with the Submillimeter Wave
Astronomy Satellite. Water emission was detected in 11 of the 17 observed
positions. The line widths of the water emission vary between 4 and 9 km
s^{-1}, and are similar to other emission lines that arise in the M17SW core. A
direct comparison is made between the spatial extent of the water emission and
the ^{13}CO J = 5\to4 emission; the good agreement suggests that the water
emission arises in the same warm, dense gas as the ^{13}CO emission. A spectrum
of the H_2^{18}O line was also obtained at the center position of the cloud
core, but no emission was detected. We estimate that the average abundance of
ortho-water relative to H_2 within the M17 dense core is approximately
1x10^{-9}, 30 times smaller than the average for the Orion core. Toward the H
II region/molecular cloud interface in M17SW the ortho-water abundance may be
about 5 times larger than in the dense core.Comment: 4 pages, 3 Postscript figures, uses aastex.cls, emulateapj5.sty
(included), and apjfonts.sty (included
Probing ISM Structure in Trumpler 14 & Carina I Using The Stratospheric Terahertz Observatory 2
We present observations of the Trumpler 14/Carina I region carried out using
the Stratospheric Terahertz Observatory 2 (STO2). The Trumpler 14/Carina I
region is in the west part of the Carina Nebula Complex, which is one of the
most extreme star-forming regions in the Milky Way. We observed Trumpler
14/Carina I in the 158 m transition of [C\,{\sc ii}] with a spatial
resolution of 48 and a velocity resolution of 0.17 km s. The
observations cover a 0.25 by 0.28 area with central position
{\it l} = 297.34, {\it b} = -0.60. The kinematics show that
bright [C\,{\sc ii}] structures are spatially and spectrally correlated with
the surfaces of CO clouds, tracing the photodissociation region and ionization
front of each molecular cloud. Along 7 lines of sight that traverse Tr 14 into
the dark ridge to the southwest, we find that the [C\,{\sc ii}] luminosity from
the HII region is 3.7 times that from the PDR. In same los we find in the PDRs
an average ratio of 1:4.1:5.6 for the mass in atomic gas:dark-CO gas: molecular
gas traced by CO. Comparing multiple gas tracers including HI 21cm, [C\,{\sc
ii}], CO, and radio recombination lines, we find that the HII regions of the
Carina Nebula Complex are well-described as HII regions with one-side freely
expanding towards us, consistent with the champagne model of ionized gas
evolution. The dispersal of the GMC in this region is dominated by EUV
photoevaporation; the dispersal timescale is 20-30 Myr.Comment: ApJ accepte
Visible Nulling Coronagraphy Testbed Development for Exoplanet Detection
Three of the recently completed NASA Astrophysics Strategic Mission Concept (ASMC) studies addressed the feasibility of using a Visible Nulling Coronagraph (VNC) as the prime instrument for exoplanet science. The VNC approach is one of the few approaches that works with filled, segmented and sparse or diluted aperture telescope systems and thus spans the space of potential ASMC exoplanet missions. NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) has a well-established effort to develop VNC technologies and has developed an incremental sequence of VNC testbeds to advance the this approach and the technologies associated with it. Herein we report on the continued development of the vacuum Visible Nulling Coronagraph testbed (VNT). The VNT is an ultra-stable vibration isolated testbed that operates under high bandwidth closed-loop control within a vacuum chamber. It will be used to achieve an incremental sequence of three visible light nulling milestones of sequentially higher contrasts of 10(exp 8) , 10(exp 9) and 10(exp 10) at an inner working angle of 2*lambda/D and ultimately culminate in spectrally broadband (>20%) high contrast imaging. Each of the milestones, one per year, is traceable to one or more of the ASMC studies. The VNT uses a modified Mach-Zehnder nulling interferometer, modified with a modified "W" configuration to accommodate a hex-packed MEMS based deformable mirror, a coherent fiber bundle and achromatic phase shifters. Discussed will be the optical configuration laboratory results, critical technologies and the null sensing and control approach
Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite Observations of Extended Water Emission in Orion
We have used the Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite to map the
ground-state 1_{10}-1_{01} transition of ortho-water at 557 GHz in the Orion
molecular cloud. Water emission was detected in Orion over an angular extent of
about 20 arcmin, or nearly 3 pc. The water emission is relatively weak, with
line widths (3-6 km s^{-1}) and V_{LSR} velocities (9-11 km s^{-1}) consistent
with an origin in the cold gas of the molecular ridge. We find that the
ortho-water abundance relative to H_2 in the extended gas in Orion varies
between 1 and 8x10^{-8}, with an average of 3x10^{-8}. The absence of
detectable narrow-line ortho-H_2^{18}O emission is used to set a 3-sigma upper
limit on the relative ortho-water abundance of 7x10^{-8}.Comment: 4 pages, 2 Postscript figures, uses aastex.cls, emulateapj5.sty
(included), and apjfonts.sty (included
- …