3,099 research outputs found
Classifying the secondary component of the binary star W Aquilae
AIMS: The object W Aql is an asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star with a faint
companion. By determining more carefully the properties of the companion, we
hope to better constrain the properties of the AGB star. METHODS: We present
new spectral observations of the binary star W Aql at minimum and maximum
brightness and new photometric observations of W Aql at minimum brightness.
RESULTS: The composite spectrum near minimum light is predominantly from the
companion at wavelengths < 6000 . This spectrum can be
classified as F8 to G0, and the brightness of the companion is that of a dwarf
star. Therefore, it can be concluded that the companion is a main sequence
star. From this, we are able to constrain the mass of the AGB component to 1.04
- 3 and the mass of the W Aql system to 2.1 - 4.1 . Our
photometric results are broadly consistent with this classification and suggest
that the main sequence component suffers from approximately 2 mag of extinction
in the V band primarily due to the dust surrounding the AGB component.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure, research not
Odin observations of ammonia in the Sgr A +50 km/s Cloud and Circumnuclear Disk
Context. The Odin satellite is now into its sixteenth year of operation, much
surpassing its design life of two years. One of the sources which Odin has
observed in great detail is the Sgr A Complex in the centre of the Milky Way.
Aims. To study the presence of NH3 in the Galactic Centre and spiral arms.
Methods. Recently, Odin has made complementary observations of the 572 GHz NH3
line towards the Sgr A +50 km/s Cloud and Circumnuclear Disk (CND). Results.
Significant NH3 emission has been observed in both the +50 km/s Cloud and the
CND. Clear NH3 absorption has also been detected in many of the spiral arm
features along the line of sight from the Sun to the core of our Galaxy.
Conclusions. The very large velocity width (80 km/s) of the NH3 emission
associated with the shock region in the southwestern part of the CND may
suggest a formation/desorption scenario similar to that of gas-phase H2O in
shocks/outflows.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, 3 table
Near-infrared observations of water-ice in OH/IR stars
A search for the near-infrared water-ice absorption band was made in a number
of very red OH/IR stars which are known to exhibit the 10um silicate
absorption. As a by-product, accurate positions of these highly reddened
objects are obtained. We derived a dust mass loss rate for each object by
modelling the spectral energy distribution and the gas mass loss rate by
solving the equation of motion for the dust drag wind. The derived mass loss
rates show a strong correlation with the silicate optical depth as well as that
of the water-ice. The stars have a high mass loss rate (> 1.0E-4 Msun/yr) with
an average gas-to-dust mass ratio of 110. In objects which show the 3.1um
water-ice absorption, the near-IR slope is much steeper than those with no
water-ice. Comparison between our calculated mass loss rates and those derived
from OH and CO observations indicates that these stars have recently increased
their mass loss rates.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures : accepted for publication in A&
About the initial mass function and HeII emission in young starbursts
We demonstrate that it is crucial to account for the evolution of the
starburst population in order to derive reliable numbers of O stars from
integrated spectra for burst ages t > 2 - 3 Myr. In these cases the method of
Vacca & Conti (1992) and Vacca (1994) systematically underestimates the number
of O stars. Therefore the current WR/O number ratios in Wolf-Rayet (WR)
galaxies are overestimated. This questions recent claims about flat IMF slopes
(alpha ~ 1-2) in these objects. If the evolution of the burst is properly
treated we find that the observations are indeed compatible with a Salpeter
IMF, in agreement with earlier studies.
Including recent predictions from non-LTE, line blanketed model atmospheres
which account for stellar winds, we synthesize the nebular and WR HeII 4686
emission in young starbursts. For metallicities 1/5 <= Z/Z_sun <= 1 we predict
a strong nebular HeII emission due to a significant fraction of WC stars in
early WR phases of the burst. For other metallicities broad WR emission will
always dominate the HeII emission. Our predictions of the nebular HeII
intensity agree well with the observations in WR galaxies and an important
fraction of the giant HII regions where nebular HeII is detected. We propose
further observational tests of our result.Comment: ApJ Letters, accepted. 8 pages LaTeX including 3 PostScript figures,
uses AASTeX and psfig macros. PostScript file also available at
ftp://ftp.stsci.edu/outside-access/out.going/schaerer/imf.p
The 1.2 Millimeter Image of the beta Pictoris Disk
We present millimeter imaging observations in the 1200 micron continuum of
the disk around beta Pictoris. With the 25 arcsec beam, the beta Pic disk is
unresolved perpendicularly to the disk plane (< 10 arcsec), but slightly
resolved in the northeast-southwest direction (26 arcsec). Peak emission is
observed at the stellar position. A secondary maximum is found 1000 AU along
the disk plane in the southwest, which does not positionally coincide with a
similar feature reported earlier at 850 micron. Arguments are presented which
could be seen in support of the reality of these features. The observed
submm/mm emission is consistent with thermal emission from dust grains, which
are significantly larger than those generally found in the interstellar medium,
including mm-size particles, and thus more reminiscent of the dust observed in
protostellar disks. Modelling the observed scattered light in the visible and
the emission in the submm/mm provides evidence for the particles dominating the
scattering in the visible/NIR and those primarily responsible for the thermal
emission at longer wavelengths belonging to different populations.Comment: 6 pages, 3 postscript figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy
and Astrophysic
Resolving the shocked gas in HH54 with Herschel: CO line mapping at high spatial and spectral resolution
The HH54 shock is a Herbig-Haro object, located in the nearby Chamaeleon II
cloud. Observed CO line profiles are due to a complex distribution in density,
temperature, velocity, and geometry. Resolving the HH54 shock wave in the
far-infrared cooling lines of CO constrain the kinematics, morphology, and
physical conditions of the shocked region. We used the PACS and SPIRE
instruments on board the Herschel space observatory to map the full FIR
spectrum in a region covering the HH54 shock wave. Complementary Herschel-HIFI,
APEX, and Spitzer data are used in the analysis as well. The observed features
in the line profiles are reproduced using a 3D radiative transfer model of a
bow-shock, constructed with the Line Modeling Engine code (LIME). The FIR
emission is confined to the HH54 region and a coherent displacement of the
location of the emission maximum of CO with increasing J is observed. The peak
positions of the high-J CO lines are shifted upstream from the lower J CO lines
and coincide with the position of the spectral feature identified previously in
CO(10-9) profiles with HIFI. This indicates a hotter molecular component in the
upstream gas with distinct dynamics. The coherent displacement with increasing
J for CO is consistent with a scenario where IRAS12500-7658 is the exciting
source of the flow, and the 180 K bow-shock is accompanied by a hot (800 K)
molecular component located upstream from the apex of the shock and blueshifted
by -7 km s. The spatial proximity of this knot to the peaks of the
atomic fine-structure emission lines observed with Spitzer and PACS ([OI]63,
145 m) suggests that it may be associated with the dissociative shock as
the jet impacts slower moving gas in the HH54 bow-shock.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure
ISOCAM observations of the L1551 star formation region
The results of a deep mid-IR ISOCAM survey of the L1551 dark molecular cloud
are presented. The aim of this survey is a search for new YSO (Young Stellar
Object) candidates, using two broad-band filters centred at 6.7 and 14.3
micron. Although two regions close to the centre of L1551 had to be avoided due
to saturation problems, 96 sources were detected in total (76 sources at 6.7
micron and 44 sources at 14.3 micron). Using the 24 sources detected in both
filters, 14 were found to have intrinsic mid-IR excess at 14.3 micron and were
therefore classified as YSO candidates. Using additional observations in B, V,
I, J, H and K obtained from the ground, most candidates detected at these
wavelengths were confirmed to have mid-IR excess at 6.7 micron as well, and
three additional YSO candidates were found. Prior to this survey only three
YSOs were known in the observed region (avoiding L1551 IRS5/NE and HL/XZ Tau).
This survey reveals 15 new YSO candidates, although several of these are
uncertain due to their extended nature either in the mid-IR or in the
optical/near-IR observations. Two of the sources with mid-IR excess are
previously known YSOs, one is a brown dwarf MHO 5 and the other is the well
known T Tauri star HH30, consisting of an outflow and an optically thick disk
seen edge on.Comment: 14 Pages, 8 Figure
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