258 research outputs found
Structure and Physical Conditions in the Huygens Region of the Orion Nebula
Hubble Space Telescope images, MUSE maps of emission lines, and an atlas of high velocity resolution emission-line spectra have been used to establish for the first time correlations of the electron temperature, electron density, radial velocity, turbulence, and orientation within the main ionization front of the nebula. From the study of the combined properties of multiple features, it is established that variations in the radial velocity are primarily caused by the photoevaporating ionization front being viewed at different angles. There is a progressive increase of the electron temperature and density with decreasing distance from the dominant ionizing star θ1 Ori C. The product of these characteristics (ne × Te) is the most relevant parameter in modelling a blister-type nebula like the Huygens region, where this quantity should vary with the surface brightness in Hα. Several lines of evidence indicate that small-scale structure and turbulence exist down to the level of our resolution of a few arcseconds. Although photoevaporative flow must contribute at some level to the well-known non-thermal broadening of the emission lines, comparison of quantitative predictions with the observed optical line widths indicates that it is not the major additive broadening component. Derivation of Te values for H+ from radio+optical and optical-only ionized hydrogen emission showed that this temperature is close to that derived from [N II] and that the transition from the well-known flat extinction curve which applies in the Huygens region to a more normal steep extinction curve occurs immediately outside of the Bright Bar feature of the nebula
Measurement and Interpretation of Deuterium-Line Emission in the Orion Nebula
We present new observations of the deuterium and hydrogen Balmer lines in the Orion Nebula. There is a real variation in the deuterium-to-hydrogen line ratios across the nebula, being greatest in the emission from the largest proplyd (Orion 244-440). We also present the results of a detailed model for the emission of these lines, the hydrogen lines being the result of photoionization and recombination while the deuterium lines are produced by fluorescent excitation of the upper energy states by the far-UV radiation from θ1 Ori C. Comparison of the observations and predictions of the line intensities shows good agreement, both in the strength of the reference lines at Hβ and also in the differences of the Balmer decrement for the two atoms. The fact that both the deuterium and hydrogen emissions arise from mechanisms that count the near-ultraviolet (deuterium) and photoionizing ultraviolet (hydrogen) photons from the dominant star means that there is little prospect of similar observations being useful for determination of D/H abundances in H II regions. Based in part on observations with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS5-26555. Based in part on observations obtained at the Kitt Peak National Observatory, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation. Some of the data presented herein were obtained at the W. M. Keck Observatory, which is operated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The Observatory was made possible by the generous financial support of the W. M. Keck Foundation
Structure and Physical Conditions in the Huygens Region of the Orion Nebula
Hubble Space Telescope images, MUSE maps of emission lines, and an atlas of high velocity resolution emission-line spectra have been used to establish for the first time correlations of the electron temperature, electron density, radial velocity, turbulence, and orientation within the main ionization front of the nebula. From the study of the combined properties of multiple features, it is established that variations in the radial velocity are primarily caused by the photoevaporating ionization front being viewed at different angles. There is a progressive increase of the electron temperature and density with decreasing distance from the dominant ionizing star θ1 Ori C. The product of these characteristics (ne × Te) is the most relevant parameter in modelling a blister-type nebula like the Huygens region, where this quantity should vary with the surface brightness in Hα. Several lines of evidence indicate that small-scale structure and turbulence exist down to the level of our resolution of a few arcseconds. Although photoevaporative flow must contribute at some level to the well-known non-thermal broadening of the emission lines, comparison of quantitative predictions with the observed optical line widths indicates that it is not the major additive broadening component. Derivation of Te values for H+ from radio+optical and optical-only ionized hydrogen emission showed that this temperature is close to that derived from [N II] and that the transition from the well-known flat extinction curve which applies in the Huygens region to a more normal steep extinction curve occurs immediately outside of the Bright Bar feature of the nebula
A Multi-Instrument Study of the Helix Nebula Knots with the \u3cem\u3eHubble Space Telescope\u3c/em\u3e
We have conducted a combined observational and theoretical investigation of the ubiquitous knots in the Helix Nebula (NGC 7293). We have constructed a combined hydrodynamic + radiation model for the ionized portion of these knots and have accurately calculated a static model for their molecular regions. Imaging observations in optical emission lines were made with the Hubble Space Telescope\u27s STIS, operating in a slitless mode, complemented by WFPC2 images in several of the same lines. The NICMOS camera was used to image the knots in H2. These observations, when combined with other studies of H2 and CO, provide a complete characterization of the knots. They possess dense molecular cores of densities about 106 cm-3 surrounded on the central star side by a zone of hot H2. The temperature of the H2-emitting layer defies explanation either through detailed calculations for radiative equilibrium or through simplistic calculations for shock excitation. Farther away from the core is the ionized zone, whose peculiar distribution of emission lines is explained by the expansion effects of material flowing through this region. The shadowed region behind the core is the source of most of the CO emission from the knot and is of the low temperature expected for a radiatively heated molecular region
Studies of NGC 6720 with Calibrated \u3cem\u3eHST\u3c/em\u3e/WFC3 Emission-line Filter Images. III. Tangential Motions using AstroDrizzle Images
We have been able to compare with astrometric precision AstroDrizzle processed images of NGC 6720 (the Ring Nebula) made using two cameras on the Hubble Space Telescope. The time difference of the observations was 12.925 yr. This large time base allowed the determination of tangential velocities of features within this classic planetary nebula. Individual features were measured in [N II] images as were the dark knots seen in silhouette against background nebular [O III] emission. An image magnification and matching technique was also used to test the accuracy of the usual assumption of homologous expansion. We found that homologous expansion does apply, but the rate of expansion is greater along the major axis of the nebula, which is intrinsically larger than the minor axis. We find that the dark knots expand more slowly than the nebular gas, that the distance to the nebula is 720 pc ±30%, and that the dynamic age of the Ring Nebula is about 4000 yr. The dynamic age is in agreement with the position of the central star on theoretical curves for stars collapsing from the peak of the asymptotic giant branch to being white dwarfs
The Abundance Discrepancy Factor and \u3cem\u3et\u3c/em\u3e\u3csup\u3e2\u3c/sup\u3e in Nebulae: Are Non-Thermal Electrons the Culprits?
We discuss recent claims that the free electrons in ionized nebulae may not have a significantly Maxwellian velocity distribution. Supra-thermal electrons, electrons with much more energy than is encountered at electron temperatures found in nebulae, may solve the t2/ADF puzzle, the observations that abundances obtained from recombination and collisionally excited lines do not agree, and that different temperature indicators give different results. These non-Maxwellian electrons can be designated by the kappa formalism. We show that the distance over which heating rates change are much longer than the distance supra-thermal electrons can travel, and that the timescale to thermalize these electrons are much shorter than the heating or cooling timescales. These estimates show that supra-thermal electrons will have disappeared into the Maxwellian velocity distribution long before they affect the collisionally-excited forbidden and recombination lines, so the electron velocity distribution will be closely thermal
Studies of NGC 6720 with Calibrated \u3cem\u3eHST\u3c/em\u3e/WFC3 Emission-line Filter Images. II. Physical Conditions
We have performed a detailed analysis of the electron temperature and density in the Ring Nebula using the calibrated Hubble Space Telescope WFC3 images described in the preceding paper. The electron temperature (Te) determined from [NII] and [O III] rises slightly and monotonically toward the central star. The observed equivalent width (EW) in the central region indicates that Te rises as high as 13,000 K. In contrast, the low EWs in the outer regions are largely due to scattered diffuse Galactic radiation by dust. The images allowed determination of unprecedented small-scale variations in Te. These variations indicate that the mean square area temperature fluctuations are significantly higher than expected from simple photoionization. The power producing these fluctuations occurs at scales of less than 3.5 × 1015 cm. This scale length provides a strong restriction on the mechanism causing the large t2 values observed
Studies of NGC 6720 with Calibrated \u3cem\u3eHST\u3c/em\u3e/WFC3 Emission-line Filter Images. I. Structure and Evolution
We have performed a detailed analysis of the Ring Nebula (NGC 6720) using Hubble Space Telescope WFC3 images and derived a new three-dimensional model. Existing high spectral resolution spectra played an important supplementary role in our modeling. It is shown that the Main Ring of the nebula is an ionization-bounded irregular non-symmetric disk with a central cavity and perpendicular extended lobes pointed almost toward the observer. The faint outer halos are determined to be fossil radiation, i.e., radiation from gas ionized in an earlier stage of the nebula when it was not ionization bounded. The narrowband WFC3 filters that isolate some of the emission lines are affected by broadening on their short wavelength side and all the filters were calibrated using ground-based spectra. The filter calibration results are presented in an appendix
Correlation of X-Ray CT Measurements to Shear Strength in Pultruded Composite Materials
Pultrusion is an emerging, economical manufacturing process for composite structures. In a pultrusion system, the composite tapes and fabrics are loaded onto a creel, and the materials are fed into a preform (or shaper), along with any fillers that may be needed. If the fiber is not yet preimpregnated with resin, it is run through a resin bath or resin is injected into the die the material is about to enter. The composite is pulled through the heated die and then cut from the system to produce either a fully or partially cured product. This handleable part is then placed in an autoclave for final cure. A number of variables go into the pultrusion process, including the type of fibers, the resin matrix material, pull rate and cure temperature. Destructive testing, such as shear testing of small sections, is the normal method for assessing the quality of the pultrusion manufacturing product. During manufacture, this cannot be performed on the actual product to be used but only on near neighbor test coupons. This can be time consuming, costly, and part of the product is destroyed
Physical Conditions in Barnard\u27s Loop, Components of the Orion-Eridanus Bubble, and Implications for the Warm Ionized Medium Component of the Interstellar Medium
We have supplemented existing spectra of Barnard\u27s Loop with high accuracy spectrophotometry of one new position. Cloudy photoionization models were calculated for a variety of ionization parameters and stellar temperatures and compared with the observations. After testing the procedure with recent observations of M43, we establish that Barnard\u27s Loop is photoionized by four candidate ionizing stars, but agreement between the models and observations is only possible if Barnard\u27s Loop is enhanced in heavy elements by about a factor of 1.4. Barnard\u27s Loop is very similar in properties to the brightest components of the Orion-Eridanus Bubble and the warm ionized medium (WIM). We are able to establish models that bound the range populated in low-ionization color-color diagrams (I([S II])/I(Hα) versus I([N II])/I(Hα)) using only a limited range of ionization parameters and stellar temperatures. Previously established variations in the relative abundance of heavy elements render uncertain the most common method of determining electron temperatures for components of the Orion-Eridanus Bubble and the WIM based only on the I([N II])/I(Hα) ratio, although we confirm that the lowest surface brightness components of the WIM are on average of higher electron temperature. The electron temperatures for a few high surface brightness WIM components determined by direct methods are comparable to those of classical bright H II regions. In contrast, the low surface brightness H II regions studied by the Wisconsin Hα Mapper are of lower temperatures than the classical bright H II regions
- …