364 research outputs found
High Precision CTE-Measurement of SiC-100 for Cryogenic Space-Telescopes
We present the results of high precision measurements of the thermal
expansion of the sintered SiC, SiC-100, intended for use in cryogenic
space-telescopes, in which minimization of thermal deformation of the mirror is
critical and precise information of the thermal expansion is needed for the
telescope design. The temperature range of the measurements extends from room
temperature down to 10 K. Three samples, #1, #2, and #3 were
manufactured from blocks of SiC produced in different lots. The thermal
expansion of the samples was measured with a cryogenic dilatometer, consisting
of a laser interferometer, a cryostat, and a mechanical cooler. The typical
thermal expansion curve is presented using the 8th order polynomial of the
temperature. For the three samples, the coefficients of thermal expansion
(CTE), \bar{\alpha}_{#1}, \bar{\alpha}_{#2}, and \bar{\alpha}_{#3} were
derived for temperatures between 293 K and 10 K. The average and the dispersion
(1 rms) of these three CTEs are 0.816 and 0.002 (/K),
respectively. No significant difference was detected in the CTE of the three
samples from the different lots. Neither inhomogeneity nor anisotropy of the
CTE was observed. Based on the obtained CTE dispersion, we performed an
finite-element-method (FEM) analysis of the thermal deformation of a 3.5 m
diameter cryogenic mirror made of six SiC-100 segments. It was shown that the
present CTE measurement has a sufficient accuracy well enough for the design of
the 3.5 m cryogenic infrared telescope mission, the Space Infrared telescope
for Cosmology and Astrophysics (SPICA).Comment: in press, PASP. 21 pages, 4 figure
Large-scale mapping of the massive star-forming region RCW38 in the [CII] and PAH emission
We investigate the large-scale structure of the interstellar medium (ISM)
around the massive star cluster RCW38 in the [CII] 158 um line and polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission. We carried out [CII] line mapping of an
area of ~30'x15' for RCW~38 by a Fabry-Perot spectrometer on a 100 cm
balloon-borne telescope with an angular resolution of ~1'.5. We compared the
[CII] intensity map with the PAH and dust emission maps obtained by the AKARI
satellite. The [CII] emission shows a highly nonuniform distribution around the
cluster, exhibiting the structure widely extended to the north and the east
from the center. The [CII] intensity rapidly drops toward the southwest
direction, where a CO cloud appears to dominate. We decompose the 3-160 um
spectral energy distributions of the surrounding ISM structure into PAH as well
as warm and cool dust components with the help of 2.5-5 um spectra. We find
that the [CII] emission spatially corresponds to the PAH emission better than
to the dust emission, confirming the relative importance of PAHs for
photo-electric heating of gas in photo-dissociation regions. A naive
interpretation based on our observational results indicates that molecular
clouds associated with RCW38 are located both on the side of and behind the
cluster.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in A&
Infrared Light Curves of Mira Variable Stars from COBE DIRBE Data
We have used the COBE DIRBE database to derive near- and mid-infrared light
curves for a well-defined sample of 38 infrared-bright Mira variable stars, and
compared with optical data from the AAVSO. In general, the 3.5 micron and 4.9
micron DIRBE bandpasses provide the best S/N light curves, with S/N decreasing
with wavelength at longer wavelengths. At 25 microns, good light curves are
only available for ~10 percent of our stars, and at wavelengths >= 60 microns,
extracting high quality light curves is not possible. The amplitude of
variability is typically less in the near-infrared than in the optical, and
less in the mid-infrared than in the near-infrared, with decreasing amplitude
with increasing wavelength. On average, there are 0.20 +/- 0.01 magnitudes
variation at 1.25 microns and 0.14 +/- 0.01 magnitudes variation at 4.9 micron
for each magnitude variation in V. The observed amplitudes are consistent with
results of recent theoretical models of circumstellar dust shells around Mira
variables. For a few stars in our sample, we find clear evidence of time lags
between the optical and maxima of phase ~ 0.05 - 0.13, with no lags in the
minima. For three stars, mid-infrared maximum appears to occur slightly before
that in the near-infrared,but after optical maximum. We find three examples of
secondary maxima in the rising portions of the DIRBE light curves, all of which
have optical counterparts in the AAVSO data, supporting the hypothesis that
they are due to shocks rather than newly-formed dust layers. We find no
conclusive evidence for rapid (hours to days) variations in the infrared
brightnesses of these stars.Comment: 16 pages, Astronomical Journal, in press, to be publishe
Unidentified Infrared Emission Bands in the Diffuse Interstellar Medium
Using the Mid-Infrared Spectrometer on board the Infrared Telescope in Space
and the low-resolution grating spectrometer (PHT-S) on board the Infrared Space
Observatory, we obtained 820 mid-infrared (5 to 12 m) spectra of the
diffuse interstellar medium (DIM) in the Galactic center, W51, and Carina
Nebula regions. These spectra indicate that the emission is dominated by the
unidentified infrared (UIR) emission bands at 6.2, 7.7, 8.6, and 11.2 m.
The relative band intensities (6.2/7.7 m, 8.6/7.7 m, and 11.2/7.7
m) were derived from these spectra, and no systematic variation in these
ratios was found in our observed regions, in spite of the fact that the
incident radiation intensity differs by a factor of 1500. Comparing our results
with the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) model for the UIR band
carriers, PAHs in the DIM have no systematic variation in their size
distribution, their degree of dehydrogenation is independent of the strength of
UV radiation field, and they are mostly ionized. The latter finding is
incompatible with past theoretical studies, in which a large fraction of
neutral PAHs is predicted in this kind of environment. A plausible resolution
of this discrepancy is that the recombination coefficients for electron and
large PAH positive ion are by at least an order of magnitude less than those
adopted in past theoretical studies. Because of the very low population of
neutral state molecules, photoelectric emission from interstellar PAHs is
probably not the dominant source of heating of the diffuse interstellar gas.
The present results imply constant physical and chemical properties of the
carriers of the UIR emission bands in the DIM.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap
Large Silicon Abundance in Photodissociation Regions
We have made one-dimensional raster-scan observations of the rho Oph and
sigma Sco star-forming regions with two spectrometers (SWS and LWS) on board
the ISO. In the rho Oph region, [SiII] 35um, [OI] 63um, 146um, [CII] 158um, and
the H2 pure rotational transition lines S(0) to S(3) are detected, and the PDR
properties are derived as the radiation field scaled by the solar neighborhood
value G_0~30-500, the gas density n~250--2500 /cc, and the surface temperature
T~100-400 K. The ratio of [SiII] 35um to [OI] 146um indicates that silicon of
10--20% of the solar abundance must be in the gaseous form in the
photodissociation region (PDR), suggesting that efficient dust destruction is
undergoing even in the PDR and that part of silicon atoms may be contained in
volatile forms in dust grains. The [OI] 63um and [CII] 158um emissions are too
weak relative to [OI] 146um to be accounted for by standard PDR models. We
propose a simple model, in which overlapping PDR clouds along the line of sight
absorb the [OI] 63um and [CII] 158um emissions, and show that the proposed
model reproduces the observed line intensities fairly well. In the sigma Sco
region, we have detected 3 fine-structure lines, [OI] 63um, [NII] 122um, and
[CII] 158um, and derived that 30-80% of the [CII] emission comes from the
ionized gas. The upper limit of the [SiII] 35um is compatible with the solar
abundance relative to nitrogen and no useful constraint on the gaseous Si is
obtained for the sigma Sco region.Comment: 25 pages with 7 figures, accepted in Astrophysical Journa
Si and Fe depletion in Galactic star-forming regions observed by the Spitzer Space Telescope
We report the results of the mid-infrared spectroscopy of 14 Galactic
star-forming regions with the high-resolution modules of the Infrared
Spectrograph (IRS) on board the Spitzer Space Telescope. We detected [SiII]
35um, [FeII] 26um, and [FeIII] 23um as well as [SIII] 33um and H2 S(0) 28um
emission lines. Using the intensity of [NII] 122um or 205um and [OI] 146um or
63um reported by previous observations in four regions, we derived the ionic
abundance Si+/N+ and Fe+/N+ in the ionized gas and Si+/O0 and Fe+/O0 in the
photodissociation gas. For all the targets, we derived the ionic abundance of
Si+/S2+ and Fe2+/S2+ for the ionized gas. Based on photodissociation and HII
region models the gas-phase Si and Fe abundance are suggested to be 3-100% and
<8% of the solar abundance, respectively, for the ionized gas and 16-100% and
2-22% of the solar abundance, respectively, for the photodissociation region
gas. Since the [FeII] 26um and [FeIII] 23um emissions are weak, the high
sensitivity of the IRS enables to derive the gas-phase Fe abundance widely in
star-forming regions. The derived gas-phase Si abundance is much larger than
that in cool interstellar clouds and that of Fe. The present study indicates
that 3-100% of Si atoms and <22% of Fe atoms are included in dust grains which
are destroyed easily in HII regions, probably by the UV radiation. We discuss
possible mechanisms to account for the observed trend; mantles which are
photodesorbed by UV photons, organometallic complexes, or small grains.Comment: 43 pages with 7 figures, accepted in Astrophysical Journa
On Ultrasmall Silicate Grains in the Diffuse Interstellar Medium
The abundance of both amorphous and crystalline silicates in very small
grains is limited by the fact that the 10 micron silicate emission feature is
not detected in the diffuse ISM. On the basis of the observed IR emission
spectrum for the diffuse ISM, the observed ultraviolet extinction curve, and
the 10 micron silicate absorption profile, we obtain upper limits on the
abundances of ultrasmall (a < 15 Angstrom) amorphous and crystalline silicate
grains.
Contrary to previous work, as much as ~20% of interstellar Si could be in a <
15 Angstrom silicate grains without violating observational constraints. Not
more than ~5% of the Si can be in crystalline silicates (of any size).Comment: Submitted to ApJ Letters, 11 pages, 4 figures, Late
Multi-wavelength analysis of 18um-selected galaxies in the AKARI/IRC monitor field towards the North Ecliptic Pole
We present an initial analysis of AKARI 18um-selected galaxies using all 9
photometric bands at 2-24um available in the InfraRed Camera (IRC), in order to
demonstrate new capabilities of AKARI cosmological surveys. We detected 72
sources at 18um in an area of 50.2 arcmin^2 in the AKARI/IRC monitor field
towards the North Ecliptic Pole (NEP). From this sample, 25 galaxies with
probable redshifts z>~ 0.5 are selected with a single colour cut (N2-N3>0.1)
for a detailed SED analysis with ground-based BVRi'z'JK data. Using an SED
radiative transfer model of starbursts covering the wavelength range UV --
submm, we derive photometric redshifts from the optical-MIR SEDs of
18um-selected galaxies. From the best-fit SED models, we show that the IRC
all-band photometry is capable of tracing the steep rise in flux at the blue
side of the PAH 6.2um emission feature. This indicates that the IRC all-band
photometry is useful to constrain the redshift of infrared galaxies,
specifically for dusty galaxies with a less prominent 4000A break. Also, we
find that the flux dip between the PAH 7.7 and 11.2um emission feature is
recognizable in the observed SEDs of galaxies at z~1. By using such a colour
anomaly due to the PAH and silicate absorption features, unique samples of
ULIRGs at z~1, `silicate-break' galaxies, can be constructed from large
cosmological surveys of AKARI towards the NEP, i.e. the NEP-Deep and NEP-Wide
survey. This pilot study suggests the possibility of detecting many interesting
galaxy properties in the NEP-Deep and Wide surveys, such as a systematic
difference in SEDs between high- and low-z ULIRGs, and a large variation of the
PAH inter-band strength ratio in galaxies at high redshifts. [abridged]Comment: Accepted for publication in PASJ, AKARI special issu
Mid-Infrared Emission Features in the ISM: Feature-to-Feature Flux Ratios
Using a limited, but representative sample of sources in the ISM of our
Galaxy with published spectra from the Infrared Space Observatory, we analyze
flux ratios between the major mid-IR emission features (EFs) centered around
6.2, 7.7, 8.6 and 11.3 microns, respectively. In a flux ratio-to-flux ratio
plot of EF(6.2)/EF(7.7) as a function of EF(11.3)/EF(7.7), the sample sources
form roughly a -shaped locus which appear to trace, on an overall
basis, the hardness of a local heating radiation field. But some driving
parameters other than the radiation field may also be required for a full
interpretation of this trend. On the other hand, the flux ratio of
EF(8.6)/EF(7.7) shows little variation over the sample sources, except for two
HII regions which have much higher values for this ratio due to an ``EF(8.6\um)
anomaly,'' a phenomenon clearly associated with environments of an intense
far-UV radiation field. If further confirmed on a larger database, these trends
should provide crucial information on how the EF carriers collectively respond
to a changing environment.Comment: 16 pages, 1 figure, 1 table; accepted for publication in ApJ Letter
Dust in the bright supernova remnant N49 in the LMC
We investigate the dust associated with the supernova remnant (SNR) N49 in
the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) as observed with the Herschel Space
Observatory. N49 is unusually bright because of an interaction with a molecular
cloud along its eastern edge. We have used PACS and SPIRE to measure the far IR
flux densities of the entire SNR and of a bright region on the eastern edge of
the SNR where the SNR shock is encountering the molecular cloud. Using these
fluxes supplemented with archival data at shorter wavelengths, we estimate the
dust mass associated with N49 to be about 10 Msun. The bulk of the dust in our
simple two-component model has a temperature of 20-30 K, similar to that of
nearby molecular clouds. Unfortunately, as a result of the limited angular
resolution of Herschel at the wavelengths sampled with SPIRE, the uncertainties
are fairly large. Assuming this estimate of the dust mass associated with the
SNR is approximately correct, it is probable that most of the dust in the SNR
arises from regions where the shock speed is too low to produce significant
X-ray emission. The total amount of warm 50-60 K dust is ~0.1 or 0.4 Msun,
depending on whether the dust is modeled in terms of carbonaceous or silicate
grains. This provides a firm lower limit to the amount of shock heated dust in
N49.Comment: accepted by the Astronomy & Astrophysics Lette
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