681 research outputs found
A disrupted circumstellar torus inside eta Carinae's Homunculus Nebula
We present thermal infrared images of the bipolar nebula surrounding eta
Carinae at six wavelengths from 4.8 to 24.5 microns. These were obtained with
the MIRAC3 camera system at the Magellan Observatory. Our images reveal new
intricate structure in the bright core of the nebula, allowing us to
re-evaluate interpretations of morphology seen in images with lower resolution.
Complex structures in the core might not arise from a pair of overlapping rings
or a cool (110 K) and very massive dust torus, as has been suggested recently.
Instead, it seems more likely that the arcs and compact knots comprise a warm
(350 K) disrupted torus at the intersection of the larger polar lobes. Some of
the arcs appear to break out of the inner core region, and may be associated
with equatorial features seen in optical images. The torus could have been
disrupted by a post-eruption stellar wind, or by ejecta from the Great Eruption
itself if the torus existed before that event. Kinematic data are required to
rule out either possibility.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures (Fig. 1 in color); to appear in ApJ Letter
Mid-Infrared Photometry and Spectra of Three High Mass Protostellar Candidates at IRAS 18151-1208 and IRAS 20343+4129
We present arcsecond-scale mid-ir photometry (in the 10.5 micron N band and
at 24.8 microns), and low resolution spectra in the N band (R~100) of a
candidate high mass protostellar object (HMPO) in IRAS 18151-1208 and of two
HMPO candidates in IRAS 20343+4129, IRS 1 and IRS 3. In addition we present
high resolution mid-ir spectra (R~80000) of the two HMPO candidates in IRAS
20343+4129. These data are fitted with simple models to estimate the masses of
gas and dust associated with the mid-ir emitting clumps, the column densities
of overlying absorbing dust and gas, the luminosities of the HMPO candidates,
and the likely spectral type of the HMPO candidate for which [Ne II] 12.8
micron emission was detected (IRAS 20343+4129 IRS 3). We suggest that IRAS
18151-1208 is a pre-ultracompact HII region HMPO, IRAS 20343+4129 IRS 1 is an
embedded young stellar object with the luminosity of a B3 star, and IRAS
20343+4129 IRS 3 is a B2 ZAMS star that has formed an ultracompact HII region
and disrupted its natal envelope.Comment: 40 pages, 8 figures, 3 tables. Accepted for publication in
Astrophysical Journal (Part 1
YSOVAR: Mid-IR variability in the star forming region Lynds 1688
The emission from young stellar objects (YSOs) in the mid-IR is dominated by
the inner rim of their circumstellar disks. We present an IR-monitoring survey
of about 800 objects in the direction of the Lynds 1688 (L1688) star forming
region over four visibility windows spanning 1.6 years using the \emph{Spitzer}
space telescope in its warm mission phase. Among all lightcurves, 57 sources
are cluster members identified based on their spectral-energy distribution and
X-ray emission. Almost all cluster members show significant variability. The
amplitude of the variability is larger in more embedded YSOs. Ten out of 57
cluster members have periodic variations in the lightcurves with periods
typically between three and seven days, but even for those sources, significant
variability in addition to the periodic signal can be seen. No period is stable
over 1.6 years. Non-periodic lightcurves often still show a preferred timescale
of variability which is longer for more embedded sources. About half of all
sources exhibit redder colors in a fainter state. This is compatible with
time-variable absorption towards the YSO. The other half becomes bluer when
fainter. These colors can only be explained with significant changes in the
structure of the inner disk. No relation between mid-IR variability and stellar
effective temperature or X-ray spectrum is found.Comment: accepted by ApJ, 24 pages, 17 figure
Near-Infrared Spectroscopy of Molecular Filaments in the Reflection Nebula NGC 7023
We present near-infrared spectroscopy of fluorescent molecular hydrogen (H_2)
emission from molecular filaments in the reflection nebula NGC 7023. We derive
the relative column densities of H_2 rotational-vibrational states from the
measured line emission and compare these results with several model
photodissociation regions covering a range of densities, incident UV-fields,
and excitation mechanisms. Our best-fit models for one filament suggest, but do
not require, either a combination of different densities, suggesting clumps of
10^6 cm^{-3} in a 10^4 - 10^5 cm^{-3} filament, or a combination of fluorescent
excitation and thermally-excited gas, perhaps due to a shock from a bipolar
outflow. We derive densities and UV fields for these molecular filaments that
are in agreement with previous determinations.Comment: ApJ accepted, 26 pages including 5 embedded figures, uses AASTEX.
Also available at http://www-astronomy.mps.ohio-state.edu/~martini/pubs.htm
ExploreNEOs. III. Physical Characterization of 65 Potential Spacecraft Target Asteroids
Space missions to near-Earth objects (NEOs) are being planned at all major space agencies, and recently a manned mission to an NEO was announced as a NASA goal. Efforts to find and select suitable targets (plus backup targets) are severely hampered by our lack of knowledge of the physical properties of dynamically favorable NEOs. In particular, current mission scenarios tend to favor primitive low-albedo objects. For the vast majority of NEOs, the albedo is unknown. Here we report new constraints on the size and albedo of 65 NEOs with rendezvous Δv <7 km s^(–1). Our results are based on thermal-IR flux data obtained in the framework of our ongoing (2009-2011) ExploreNEOs survey using NASA's "Warm-Spitzer" space telescope. As of 2010 July 14, we have results for 293 objects in hand (including the 65 low-Δv NEOs presented here); before the end of 2011, we expect to have measured the size and albedo of ~700 NEOs (including probably ~160 low-Δv NEOs). While there are reasons to believe that primitive volatile-rich materials are universally low in albedo, the converse need not be true: the orbital evolution of some dark objects likely has caused them to lose their volatiles by coming too close to the Sun. For all our targets, we give the closest perihelion distance they are likely to have reached (using orbital integrations from Marchi et al. 2009) and corresponding upper limits on the past surface temperature. Low-Δv objects for which both albedo and thermal history may suggest a primitive composition include (162998) 2001 SK162, (68372) 2001 PM9, and (100085) 1992 UY4
Generating GHZ state in 2m-qubit spin network
We consider a pure 2m-qubit initial state to evolve under a particular
quantum me- chanical spin Hamiltonian, which can be written in terms of the
adjacency matrix of the Johnson network J(2m;m). Then, by using some techniques
such as spectral dis- tribution and stratification associated with the graphs,
employed in [1, 2], a maximally entangled GHZ state is generated between the
antipodes of the network. In fact, an explicit formula is given for the
suitable coupling strengths of the hamiltonian, so that a maximally entangled
state can be generated between antipodes of the network. By using some known
multipartite entanglement measures, the amount of the entanglement of the final
evolved state is calculated, and finally two examples of four qubit and six
qubit states are considered in details.Comment: 22 page
The Herschel Planetary Nebula Survey (HerPlaNS) I. Data Overview and Analysis Demonstration with NGC 6781
This is the first of a series of investigations into far-IR characteristics
of 11 planetary nebulae (PNs) under the Herschel Space Observatory Open Time 1
program, Herschel Planetary Nebula Survey (HerPlaNS). Using the HerPlaNS data
set, we look into the PN energetics and variations of the physical conditions
within the target nebulae. In the present work, we provide an overview of the
survey, data acquisition and processing, and resulting data products. We
perform (1) PACS/SPIRE broadband imaging to determine the spatial distribution
of the cold dust component in the target PNs and (2) PACS/SPIRE
spectral-energy-distribution (SED) and line spectroscopy to determine the
spatial distribution of the gas component in the target PNs. For the case of
NGC 6781, the broadband maps confirm the nearly pole-on barrel structure of the
amorphous carbon-richdust shell and the surrounding halo having temperatures of
26-40 K. The PACS/SPIRE multi-position spectra show spatial variations of
far-IR lines that reflect the physical stratification of the nebula. We
demonstrate that spatially-resolved far-IR line diagnostics yield the (T_e,
n_e) profiles, from which distributions of ionized, atomic, and molecular gases
can be determined. Direct comparison of the dust and gas column mass maps
constrained by the HerPlaNS data allows to construct an empirical gas-to-dust
mass ratio map, which shows a range of ratios with the median of 195+-110. The
present analysis yields estimates of the total mass of the shell to be 0.86
M_sun, consisting of 0.54 M_sun of ionized gas, 0.12 M_sun of atomic gas, 0.2
M_sun of molecular gas, and 4 x 10^-3 M_sun of dust grains. These estimates
also suggest that the central star of about 1.5 M_sun initial mass is
terminating its PN evolution onto the white dwarf cooling track.Comment: 27 pages, 16 figures, accepted for publication in A&
Young Stellar Object Variability (YSOVAR): Long Timescale Variations in the Mid-Infrared
The YSOVAR (Young Stellar Object VARiability) Spitzer Space Telescope
observing program obtained the first extensive mid-infrared (3.6 & 4.5 um)
time-series photometry of the Orion Nebula Cluster plus smaller footprints in
eleven other star-forming cores (AFGL490, NGC1333, MonR2, GGD 12-15, NGC2264,
L1688, Serpens Main, Serpens South, IRAS 20050+2720, IC1396A, and Ceph C).
There are ~29,000 unique objects with light curves in either or both IRAC
channels in the YSOVAR data set. We present the data collection and reduction
for the Spitzer and ancillary data, and define the "standard sample" on which
we calculate statistics, consisting of fast cadence data, with epochs about
twice per day for ~40d. We also define a "standard sample of members",
consisting of all the IR-selected members and X-ray selected members. We
characterize the standard sample in terms of other properties, such as spectral
energy distribution shape. We use three mechanisms to identify variables in the
fast cadence data--the Stetson index, a chi^2 fit to a flat light curve, and
significant periodicity. We also identified variables on the longest timescales
possible of ~6 years, by comparing measurements taken early in the Spitzer
mission with the mean from our YSOVAR campaign. The fraction of members in each
cluster that are variable on these longest timescales is a function of the
ratio of Class I/total members in each cluster, such that clusters with a
higher fraction of Class I objects also have a higher fraction of long-term
variables. For objects with a YSOVAR-determined period and a [3.6]-[8] color,
we find that a star with a longer period is more likely than those with shorter
periods to have an IR excess. We do not find any evidence for variability that
causes [3.6]-[4.5] excesses to appear or vanish within our data; out of members
and field objects combined, at most 0.02% may have transient IR excesses.Comment: Accepted to AJ; 38 figures, 93 page
SPITZER SAGE Observations of Large Magellanic Cloud Planetary Nebulae
We present IRAC and MIPS images and photometry of a sample of previously
known planetary nebulae (PNe) from the SAGE survey of the Large Magellanic
Cloud (LMC) performed with the Spitzer Space Telescope. Of the 233 known PNe in
the survey field, 185 objects were detected in at least two of the IRAC bands,
and 161 detected in the MIPS 24 micron images. Color-color and color-magnitude
diagrams are presented using several combinations of IRAC, MIPS, and 2MASS
magnitudes. The location of an individual PN in the color-color diagrams is
seen to depend on the relative contributions of the spectral components which
include molecular hydrogen, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), infrared
forbidden line emission from the ionized gas, warm dust continuum, and emission
directly from the central star. The sample of LMC PNe is compared to a number
of Galactic PNe and found to not significantly differ in their position in
color-color space. We also explore the potential value of IR PNe luminosity
functions (LFs) in the LMC. IRAC LFs appear to follow the same functional form
as the well-established [O III] LFs although there are several PNe with
observed IR magnitudes brighter than the cut-offs in these LFs.Comment: 18 pages, 10 figures, 3 tables, to be published in the Astronomical
Journal. Additional online data available at
http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/irac/publications
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