261 research outputs found
Design and status of the detector block for the ISO-SWS
The Short Wave Spectrometer (SWS) is one of the two spectrometers for the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO). It consists of a pair of grating spectrometers and a Fabry-Perot interferometer. Together, the grating spectrometers cover the wavelength range 2.4 to 45 microns, at a resolution between 1000 and 2000. The Fabry-Perot interferometer, in series with one of the grating spectrometers, provides a resolution of about 20,000 at the wavelengths between 15 and 35 microns. The SWS is being built by the Space Research Organization of the Netherlands and the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Garching, Germany. The spectrometer has 52 discrete detectors, most of which are bulk detectors. In the design of the spectrometer, the main emphasis is on the sensitivity of the individual channels, rather than on the number of detectors. This was one of the main reasons to select non-destructive read-out circuits, with a separate heated-JFET pre-amplifier for each individual detector. The signals are amplified and filtered in parallel. The engineering tests on the SWS detector block have not yet been completed. The design of the detector block is described and the present problem areas are indicated
Past and present star formation in the SMC: NGC 346 and its neighborhood
In the quest of understanding how star formation occurs and propagates in the
low metallicity environment of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), we acquired
deep F555W (~V), and F814W (~I) HST/ACS images of the young and massive star
forming region NGC 346. These images and their photometric analysis provide us
with a snapshot of the star formation history of the region. We find evidence
for star formation extending from ~10 Gyr in the past until ~150 Myr in the
field of the SMC. The youngest stellar population (~3 +/- 1 Myr) is associated
with the NGC 346 cluster. It includes a rich component of low mass pre-main
sequence stars mainly concentrated in a number of sub-clusters, spatially co-
located with CO clumps previously detected by Rubio et al. (2000). Within our
analysis uncertainties, these sub-clusters appear coeval with each other. The
most massive stars appear concentrated in the central sub-clusters, indicating
possible mass segregation. A number of embedded clusters are also observed.
This finding, combined with the overall wealth of dust and gas, could imply
that star formation is still active. An intermediate age star cluster, BS90,
formed ~4.3 +/-0.1 Gyr ago, is also present in the region. Thus, this region of
the SMC has supported star formation with varying levels of intensity over much
of the cosmic time.Comment: 38 pages, 13 figures, 3 tables; AJ accepte
Exploring the volatile composition of comets C/2012 F6 (Lemmon) and C/2012 S1 (ISON) with ALMA
Comets formed in the outer and cold parts of the disk which eventually
evolved into our Solar System. Assuming that the comets have undergone no major
processing, studying their composition provides insight in the pristine
composition of the Solar Nebula. We derive production rates for a number of
volatile coma species and explore how molecular line ratios can help constrain
the uncertainties of these rates. We analyse observations obtained with the
Atacama Large Millimetre/Submillimetre Array of the volatile composition of the
comae of comets C/2012 F6 (Lemmon) and C/2012 S1 (ISON) at heliocentric
distances of ~1.45 AU and ~0.56 AU, respectively. Assuming a Haser profile with
constant outflow velocity, we model the line intensity of each transition using
a 3D radiative transfer code and derive molecular production rates and parent
scale lengths. We report the first detection of CS in comet ISON obtained with
the ALMA array and derive a parent scale length for CS of ~200 km. Due to the
high spatial resolution of ALMA, resulting in a synthesised beam with a size
slightly smaller than the derived parent scale length, we are able to
tentatively identify CS as a daughter species, i.e., a species produced in the
coma and/or sublimated from icy grains, rather than a parent species. In
addition we report the detection of several CH3OH transitions and confirm the
previously reported detections of HCN, HNC and H2CO as well as dust in the coma
of each comet, and report 3sigma upper limits for HCO+. We derive molecular
production rates relative to water of 0.2% for CS, 0.06-0.1% for HCN,
0.003-0.05% for HNC, 0.1-0.2% for H2CO and 0.5-1.0% for CH3OH, and show that
the modelling uncertainties due to unknown collision rates and kinematic
temperatures are modest and can be mitigated by available observations of
different transitions of HCN.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables. Accepted for publication in A&
Terminal velocities of luminous, early-type SMC stars
Ultraviolet spectra from the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) are
used to determine terminal velocities for 11 O and B-type giants and
supergiants in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) from the Si IV and C IV
resonance lines. Using archival data from observations with the Goddard
High-Resolution Spectrograph and the International Ultraviolet Explorer
telescope, terminal velocities are obtained for a further five B-type
supergiants. We discuss the metallicity dependence of stellar terminal
velocities, finding no evidence for a significant scaling between Galactic and
SMC metallicities for Teff < 30,000 K, consistent with the predictions of
radiation driven wind theory for supergiant stars. A comparison of the
ratio between the SMC and Galactic samples, while
consistent with the above statement, emphasizes that the uncertainties in the
distances to galactic O-stars are a serious obstacle to a detailed comparison
with theory. For the SMC sample there is considerable scatter in this ratio at
a given effective temperature, perhaps indicative of uncertainties in stellar
masses.Comment: 28 pages, 8 figures, accepted by ApJ; minor revisions prior to
acceptanc
GALEX FUV Observations of Comet C/2004 Q2 (Machholz): The Ionization Lifetime of Carbon
We present a measurement of the lifetime of ground state atomic carbon,
C(^3P), against ionization processes in interplanetary space and compare it to
the lifetime expected from the dominant physical processes likely to occur in
this medium. Our measurement is based on analysis of a far ultraviolet (FUV)
image of comet C/2004 Q2 (Machholz) recorded by the Galaxy Evolution Explorer
(GALEX) on 2005 March 1. The bright CI 1561 A and 1657 A multiplets dominate
the GALEX FUV band. We used the image to create high S/N radial profiles that
extended beyond one million km from the comet nucleus. Our measurements yielded
a total carbon lifetime of 7.1 -- 9.6 x 10^5 s (scaled to 1 AU). Which compares
favorably to calculations assuming solar photoionization, solar wind proton
change exchange and solar wind electron impact ionization are the dominant
processes occurring in this medium and that comet Machholz was embedded in the
slow solar wind. The shape of the CI profiles inside 3x10^5 km suggests that
either the CO lifetime is shorter than previously thought and/or a
shorter-lived carbon-bearing parent molecule, such as CH_4 is providing the
majority of the carbon in this region of the coma of comet Machholz.Comment: 26 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical
Journa
STIS UV spectroscopy of early B supergiants in M31
We analyze STIS spectra in the 1150-1700 Angstrom wavelength range obtained
for six early B supergiants in the neighboring galaxy M31. Because of their
likely high (nearly solar) abundance, these stars were originally chosen to be
directly comparable to their Galactic counterparts, and represent a much-needed
addition to our current sample of B-type supergiants, in our efforts to study
the dependence of the Wind Momentum-Luminosity Relationship on spectral type
and metallicity. As a first step to determine wind momenta we fit the P-Cygni
profiles of the resonance lines of N V, Si IV and C IV with standard methods,
and derive terminal velocities for all of the STIS targets. From these lines we
also derive ionic stellar wind column densities. Our results are compared with
those obtained previously in Galactic supergiants, and confirm earlier claims
of `normal' wind line intensities and terminal velocities in M31. For half of
the sample we find evidence for an enhanced maximum turbulent velocity when
compared to Galactic counterparts.Comment: 15 pages, 9 figures, 2 tables. Accepted for publication in The
Astrophysical Journa
Spatial distribution of low-energy plasma around 2 comet 67P/CG from Rosetta measurements
International audienceWe use measurements from the Rosetta plasma consortium (RPC) Langmuir probe (LAP) and mutual impedance probe (MIP) to study the spatial distribution of low-energy plasma in the near-nucleus coma of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The spatial distribution is highly structured with the highest density in the summer hemisphere and above the region connecting the two main lobes of the comet, i.e. the neck region. There is a clear correlation with the neutral density and the plasma to neutral density ratio is found to be âŒ1-2·10 â6 , at a cometocentric distance of 10 km and at 3.1 AU from the sun. A clear 6.2 h modulation of the plasma is seen as the neck is exposed twice per rotation. The electron density of the collisonless plasma within 260 km from the nucleus falls of with radial distance as âŒ1/r. The spatial structure indicates that local ionization of neutral gas is the dominant source of low-energy plasma around the comet
Stellar spectroscopy far beyond the Local Group
Multi-object spectroscopic observations of blue supergiants in NGC 3621, a
spiral galaxy at a distance of 6.7 Mpc, carried out with the ESO VLT and FORS
are presented. We demonstrate the feasibility of quantitative stellar
spectroscopy at distances approaching a ten-fold increase over previous
investigations by determining chemical composition, stellar parameters,
reddening, extinction and wind properties of one of our targets, a supergiant
of spectral type A1 Ia located in the outskirts of NGC 3621. The metallicity
(determined from iron group elements) is reduced by a factor of two relative to
the sun in qualitative agreement with results from previous abundance studies
based on H II region oxygen emission lines. Reddening and extinction are E(B-V)
= 0.12 and Av = 0.37, respectively, mostly caused by the galactic foreground.
Comparing stellar wind momentum and absolute V magnitude with galactic and M31
counterparts we confirm the potential of the wind momentum-luminosity
relationship as an alternative tool to estimate extragalactic distances.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, 1 table, accepted for publication in The
Astrophysical Journal Letter
Roles of multiple surface sites, long substrate binding clefts, and carbohydrate binding modules in the action of amylolytic enzymes on polysaccharide substrates
- âŠ