290 research outputs found
Mass Flows in Cometary UCHII Regions
High spectral and spatial resolution, mid-infrared fine structure line
observations toward two ultracompact HII (UCHII) regions (G29.96 -0.02 and Mon
R2) allow us to study the structure and kinematics of cometary UCHII regions.
In our earlier study of Mon R2, we showed that highly organized mass motions
accounted for most of the velocity structure in that UCHII region. In this
work, we show that the kinematics in both Mon R2 and G29.96 are consistent with
motion along an approximately paraboloidal shell. We model the velocity
structure seen in our mapping data and test the stellar wind bow shock model
for such paraboloidal like flows. The observations and the simulation indicate
that the ram pressures of the stellar wind and ambient interstellar medium
cause the accumulated mass in the bow shock to flow along the surface of the
shock. A relaxation code reproduces the mass flow's velocity structure as
derived by the analytical solution. It further predicts that the pressure
gradient along the flow can accelerate ionized gas to a speed higher than that
of the moving star. In the original bow shock model, the star speed relative to
the ambient medium was considered to be the exit speed of ionized gas in the
shell.Comment: 34 pages, including 14 figures and 1 table, to be published in ApJ,
September 200
Water Vapor on Betelgeuse as Revealed by TEXES High-Resolution 12 Micron Spectra
The outer atmosphere of the M supergiant Betelgeuse is puzzling. Published
observations of different kinds have shed light on different aspects of the
atmosphere, but no unified picture has emerged. They have shown, for example,
evidence of a water envelope (MOLsphere) that in some studies is found to be
optically thick in the mid-infrared. In this paper, we present high-resolution,
mid-infrared spectra of Betelgeuse recorded with the TEXES spectrograph. The
spectra clearly show absorption features of water vapor and OH. We show that a
spectrum based on a spherical, hydrostatic model photosphere with T_eff = 3600
K, an effective temperature often assumed for Betelgeuse, fails to model the
observed lines. Furthermore, we show that published MOLspheres scenarios are
unable to explain our data. However, we are able to model the observed spectrum
reasonably well by adopting a cooler outer photospheric structure corresponding
to T_mod = 3250 K. The success of this model may indicate the observed
mid-infrared lines are formed in cool photospheric surface regions. Given the
uncertainties of the temperature structure and the likely presence of
inhomogeneities, we cannot rule out the possibility that our spectrum could be
mostly photospheric, albeit non-classical. Our data put new, strong constraints
on atmospheric models of Betelgeuse and we conclude that continued
investigation requires consideration of non-classical model photospheres as
well as possible effects of a MOLsphere. We show that the mid-infrared
water-vapor features have great diagnostic value for the environments of K and
M (super-) giant star atmospheres.Comment: Accepted by Ap
The TEXES Survey For H2 Emission From Protoplanetary Disks
We report the results of a search for pure rotational molecular hydrogen
emission from the circumstellar environments of young stellar objects with
disks using the Texas Echelon Cross Echelle Spectrograph (TEXES) on the NASA
Infrared Telescope Facility and the Gemini North Observatory. We searched for
mid-infrared H2 emission in the S(1), S(2), and S(4) transitions. Keck/NIRSPEC
observations of the H2 S(9) transition were included for some sources as an
additional constraint on the gas temperature. We detected H2 emission from 6 of
29 sources observed: AB Aur, DoAr 21, Elias 29, GSS 30 IRS 1, GV Tau N, and HL
Tau. Four of the six targets with detected emission are class I sources that
show evidence for surrounding material in an envelope in addition to a
circumstellar disk. In these cases, we show that accretion shock heating is a
plausible excitation mechanism. The detected emission lines are narrow (~10
km/s), centered at the stellar velocity, and spatially unresolved at scales of
0.4 arcsec, which is consistent with origin from a disk at radii 10-50 AU from
the star. In cases where we detect multiple emission lines, we derive
temperatures > 500 K from ~1 M_earth of gas. Our upper limits for the
non-detections place upper limits on the amount of H2 gas with T > 500 K of
less than a few Earth masses. Such warm gas temperatures are significantly
higher than the equilibrium dust temperatures at these radii, suggesting that
the gas is decoupled from the dust in the regions we are studying and that
processes such as UV, X-ray, and accretion heating may be important.Comment: 24 pages, 16 figures, 5 tables, ApJ accepte
Ganymede's UV Reflectance From Juno‐UVS Data
peer reviewedDuring the Juno orbit 34 Ganymede encounter, the ultraviolet spectrograph mapped UV sunlight reflected by Ganymede from a closest approach altitude of 1,044 km, allowing us to study spatial variations
in Ganymede's far ultraviolet reflectance at higher resolution than has previously been possible. We find that a characteristic signature of water ice seen around 165 nm in laboratory spectra is absent over much of
the observed area, but is detectable in the north high latitude region. We suggest that the spectral difference between the high latitudes and other icy regions, such as Tros crater, may be explained by the presence of
additional UV-absorbing contaminants such as NH3 at lower latitudes. We also note a decrease in the relative reflectance of the high latitude regions at wavelengths >190 nm, which may be the start of a previously observed ozone absorption feature
Upper atmospheres and ionospheres of planets and satellites
The upper atmospheres of the planets and their satellites are more directly
exposed to sunlight and solar wind particles than the surface or the deeper
atmospheric layers. At the altitudes where the associated energy is deposited,
the atmospheres may become ionized and are referred to as ionospheres. The
details of the photon and particle interactions with the upper atmosphere
depend strongly on whether the object has anintrinsic magnetic field that may
channel the precipitating particles into the atmosphere or drive the
atmospheric gas out to space. Important implications of these interactions
include atmospheric loss over diverse timescales, photochemistry and the
formation of aerosols, which affect the evolution, composition and remote
sensing of the planets (satellites). The upper atmosphere connects the planet
(satellite) bulk composition to the near-planet (-satellite) environment.
Understanding the relevant physics and chemistry provides insight to the past
and future conditions of these objects, which is critical for understanding
their evolution. This chapter introduces the basic concepts of upper
atmospheres and ionospheres in our solar system, and discusses aspects of their
neutral and ion composition, wind dynamics and energy budget. This knowledge is
key to putting in context the observations of upper atmospheres and haze on
exoplanets, and to devise a theory that explains exoplanet demographics.Comment: Invited Revie
A multi-targeted approach to suppress tumor-promoting inflammation
Cancers harbor significant genetic heterogeneity and patterns of relapse following many therapies are due to evolved resistance to treatment. While efforts have been made to combine targeted therapies, significant levels of toxicity have stymied efforts to effectively treat cancer with multi-drug combinations using currently approved therapeutics. We discuss the relationship between tumor-promoting inflammation and cancer as part of a larger effort to develop a broad-spectrum therapeutic approach aimed at a wide range of targets to address this heterogeneity. Specifically, macrophage migration inhibitory factor, cyclooxygenase-2, transcription factor nuclear factor-κB, tumor necrosis factor alpha, inducible nitric oxide synthase, protein kinase B, and CXC chemokines are reviewed as important antiinflammatory targets while curcumin, resveratrol, epigallocatechin gallate, genistein, lycopene, and anthocyanins are reviewed as low-cost, low toxicity means by which these targets might all be reached simultaneously. Future translational work will need to assess the resulting synergies of rationally designed antiinflammatory mixtures (employing low-toxicity constituents), and then combine this with similar approaches targeting the most important pathways across the range of cancer hallmark phenotypes
- …