8,959 research outputs found
The ionization structure of the Orion nebula: Infrared line observations and models
Observations of the (O III) 52 and 88 micron lines and the (N III) 57 micron line have been made at 6 positions and the (Ne III) 36 micron line at 4 positions in the Orion Nebula to probe its ionization structure. The measurements, made with a -40" diameter beam, were spaced every 45" in a line south from and including the Trapezium. The wavelength of the (Ne III) line was measured to be 36.013 + or - 0.004 micron. Electron densities and abundance ratios of N(++)/O(++) have been calculated and compared to other radio and optical observations. Detailed one component and two component (bar plus halo) spherical models were calculated for exciting stars with effective temperatures of 37 to 40,000K and log g = 4.0 and 4.5. Both the new infrared observations and the visible line measurements of oxygen and nitrogen require T sub eff approx less than 37,000K. However, the double ionized neon requires a model with T sub eff more than or equal to 39,000K, which is more consistent with that inferred from the radio flux or spectral type. These differences in T sub eff are not due to effects of dust on the stellar radiation field, but are probably due to inaccuracies in the assumed stellar spectrum. The observed N(++)/O(++) ratio is almost twice the N(+)/O(+) ratio. The best fit models give N/H = 8.4 x 10 to the -5 power, O/H = 4.0 x 10 to the -4 power, and Ne/H = 1.3 x 10 to the -4 power. Thus neon and nitrogen are approximately solar, but oxygen is half solar in abundance. From the infrared O(++) lines it is concluded that the ionization bar results from an increase in column depth rather than from a local density enhancement
Determination of the Telluric Water Vapor Absorption Correction for Astronomical Data Obtained from the Kuiper Airborne Observatory
The amount of telluric water vapor along the line of sight of the Kuiper Airborne Observatory telescope as obtained concommitantly on 23 flights is compared with the NASA-Ames Michelson interferometer and with the NOAA-Boulder radiometer. A strong correlation between the two determinations exists, and a method for computing the atmospheric transmission for a given radiometer reading is established
Observations of the J = 10 manifold of the pure rotational band of phosphine on Saturn
Saturn was observed in the vicinity of the J = 10 manifold of the pure rotational band of phosphine on 1984 July 10 and 12 from NASA's Kuiper Airborne Observatory with the facility far-infrared cooled grating spectrometer. On each night observations of the full disk plus rings were made at 4 to 6 discrete wavelengths which selectively sampled the manifold and the adjacent continuum. The previously reported detection of this manifold is confirmed. After subtraction of the flux due to the rings, the data are compared with disk-averaged models of Saturn. It is found that PH3 must be strongly depleted above the thermal inversion (approx. 70 mbar). The best fitting models consistent with other observational constaints indicate that PH3 is significantly depleted at even deeper atmospheric levels ( or = 500 mbar), implying an eddy diffusion coefficient for Saturn of 10 to the 4 cm sq/sec
Constraining the Temperature of Impact Melt from the Mistastin Lake Impact Structure Using Zircon Crystal Structures
Impact melt is a product of hyper-velocity impact events formed by the instantaneous melting of near-surface target rocks. Constraining the temperature of impact melt is vital to understanding its prograde heating and cooling history, which can have implications for inferring the environment of early Earth ~4.0 billion years ago when microbial life potentially arose. To date, only one datum on the initial impact melt temperature has been derived by Timms et al. These authors studied zirconia microstructures and crystallographic orientations that revealed the former presence of cubic zirconia, found in a black impact glass at the Mistastin Lake impact structure, Canada. The presence of cubic zirconia indicates a minimum temperature for the impact melt of >2370C from the dissociation temperature of zircon to cubic zirconia and liquid SiO2. With only one temperature datum, it is still difficult to constrain the entire temperature range experienced during the impact melting process; from its instantaneous formation to thermal equilibrium with the cold clasts collected along the crater floor and walls. In addition, obtaining a temperature value from only one type of impactite limits the inferred temperature range, because each impactite experiences a different cooling history. In this study, we present a preliminary investigation of 61 zircon crystals, 14 of which are similar to those studied by Timms et al., from the Mistastin Lake impact structure. To acquire a more accurate temperature profile representative of impact melt, zircon crystals were collected from different types of impactites containing impact melt, including additional samples of the black impact glass studied by Timms et al
First redshift determination of an optically/UV faint submillimeter galaxy using CO emission lines
We report the redshift of a distant, highly obscured submm galaxy (SMG),
based entirely on the detection of its CO line emission. We have used the newly
commissioned Eight-MIxer Receiver (EMIR) at the IRAM 30m telescope, with its 8
GHz of instantaneous dual-polarization bandwidth, to search the 3-mm
atmospheric window for CO emission from SMMJ14009+0252, a bright SMG detected
in the SCUBA Lens Survey. A detection of the CO(3--2) line in the 3-mm window
was confirmed via observations of CO(5--4) in the 2-mm window. Both lines
constrain the redshift of SMMJ14009+0252 to z=2.9344, with high precision (dz=2
10^{-4}). Such observations will become routine in determining redshifts in the
era of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA).Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, accepted by ApJ
A neutron scattering study of the interplay between structure and magnetism in Ba(FeCo)As
Single crystal neutron diffraction is used to investigate the magnetic and
structural phase diagram of the electron doped superconductor
Ba(FeCo)As. Heat capacity and resistivity measurements have
demonstrated that Co doping this system splits the combined antiferromagnetic
and structural transition present in BaFeAs into two distinct
transitions. For =0.025, we find that the upper transition is between the
high-temperature tetragonal and low-temperature orthorhombic structures with
( K) and the antiferromagnetic transition occurs at
K. We find that doping rapidly suppresses the
antiferromagnetism, with antiferromagnetic order disappearing at . However, there is a region of co-existence of antiferromagnetism and
superconductivity. The effect of the antiferromagnetic transition can be seen
in the temperature dependence of the structural Bragg peaks from both neutron
scattering and x-ray diffraction. We infer from this that there is strong
coupling between the antiferromagnetism and the crystal lattice
Spurious phase in a model for traffic on a bridge
We present high-precision Monte Carlo data for the phase diagram of a
two-species driven diffusive system, reminiscent of traffic across a narrow
bridge. Earlier studies reported two phases with broken symmetry; the existence
of one of these has been the subject of some debate. We show that the disputed
phase disappears for sufficiently large systems and/or sufficiently low bulk
mobility.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, JPA styl
NASA rotor system research aircraft flight-test data report: Helicopter and compound configuration
The flight test activities of the Rotor System Research Aircraft (RSRA), NASA 740, from June 30, 1981 to August 5, 1982 are reported. Tests were conducted in both the helicopter and compound configurations. Compound tests reconfirmed the Sikorsky flight envelope except that main rotor blade bending loads reached endurance at a speed about 10 knots lower than previously. Wing incidence changes were made from 0 to 10 deg
Spitzer IRS Observations of the Galactic Center: Shocked Gas in the Radio Arc Bubble
We present Spitzer IRS spectra (R ~600, 10 - 38 micron) of 38 positions in
the Galactic Center (GC), all at the same Galactic longitude and spanning
plus/minus 0.3 degrees in latitude. Our positions include the Arches Cluster,
the Arched Filaments, regions near the Quintuplet Cluster, the ``Bubble'' lying
along the same line-of-sight as the molecular cloud G0.11-0.11, and the diffuse
interstellar gas along the line-of-sight at higher Galactic latitudes. From
measurements of the [O IV], [Ne II], [Ne III], [Si II], [S III], [S IV], [Fe
II], [Fe III], and H_2 S(0), S(1), and S(2) lines we determine the gas
excitation and ionic abundance ratios. The Ne/H and S/H abundance ratios are ~
1.6 times that of the Orion Nebula. The main source of excitation is
photoionization, with the Arches Cluster ionizing the Arched Filaments and the
Quintuplet Cluster ionizing the gas nearby and at lower Galactic latitudes
including the far side of the Bubble. In addition, strong shocks ionize gas to
O^{+3} and destroy dust grains, releasing iron into the gas phase (Fe/H ~ 1.3
times 10^{-6} in the Arched Filaments and Fe/H ~ 8.8 times 10^{-6} in the
Bubble). The shock effects are particularly noticeable in the center of the
Bubble, but O is present in all positions. We suggest that the shocks
are due to the winds from the Quintuplet Cluster Wolf-Rayet stars. On the other
hand, the H_2 line ratios can be explained with multi-component models of warm
molecular gas in photodissociation regions without the need for H_2 production
in shocks.Comment: 51 pages, 17 figures To be published in the Astrophysical Journa
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