736 research outputs found
Excitation and Disruption of a Giant Molecular Cloud by the Supernova Remnant 3C391
Using the IRAM 30-m telescope, we observed the supernova remnant 3C 391
(G31.9+0.0) and its surroundings in the CO(2-1), HCO+(1-0), CS(2-1), CS(3-2),
and CS(5-4) lines. The ambient molecular gas at the distance (9 kpc) of the
remnant comprises a giant molecular cloud whose edge is closely parallel to a
ridge of bright non-thermal radio continuum, which evidently delineates the
blast-wave into the cloud. We found that in a small (0.6 pc) portion of the
radio shell, the molecular line profiles consist of a narrow (2 km/s)
component, plus a very wide (> 20 km/s) component. Both spectral components
peak within 20" of a previously-detected OH 1720 MHz maser. We name this source
3C 391:BML (broad molecular line); it provides a new laboratory, similar to IC
443 but on a larger scale, to study shock interactions with dense molecular
gas. The wide spectral component is relatively brighter in the
higher-excitation lines. We interpret the wide spectral component as post-shock
gas, either smoothly accelerated or partially dissociated and reformed behind
the shock. The narrow component is either the pre-shock gas or cold gas
reformed behind a fully dissociative shock. Using the 3 observed CS lines, we
measured the temperature, CS column density, and H2 volume density in a dense
clump in the parent molecular cloud as well as the wide-line and narrow-line
portions of the shocked clump. The physical conditions of the narrow-line gas
are comparable to the highest-density clumps in the giant molecular cloud,
while the wide-line gas is both warmer and denser. The mass of compressed gas
in 3C 391:BML is high enough that its self-gravity is significant, and
eventually it could form one or several stars
Adjusting insulin doses : from knowledge to decision
The aim of this study was to analyze the absence of adjustment of insulin doses in type 1 diabetic patients with poorly controlled diabetes.
Twenty-eight patients (HbA1c higher than 8.5% during the last 6 months, performing at least three capillary blood glucose determinations per day), completed a questionnaire on the degree of confidence in their own knowledge, the nature of their health beliefs, their fear of
hypoglycemia, their own appreciation on how they adjust their insulin doses (subjective score). An analysis of their diabetes logbook provided an objective score of the adjustment of doses actually performed. The results show that the subjective and objective scores
of adjustment were not significantly correlated. Further there was a significant negative correlation between the score of uncertainty on knowledge and the subjective score of adjustment of the insulin doses, but not with the objective score. There was a significant correlationbetween the score of positive health beliefs and the subjective score of adjustment of the insulin doses, but not with the objective score. No
correlation was found between the score of fear of hypoglycemia and the subjective score of adjustment of the insulin doses. Correlation with the objective score was higher, but not significant. Actually, the fear of hypoglycemia was the most frequently given reason for not
adjusting the insulin doses, when the question was asked to the patients with an open answer. This study illustrates the difference between thinking and doing. It also shows that the degree of confidence in one’s own knowledge, the health beliefs, and the fear of hypoglycemia
differently influence the perception that the patients have of their behavior, and what they really do.
© 2004 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved
Molecular and Ionic shocks in the Supernova Remnant 3C391
New observations of the supernova remnant 3C391 are in the H2 2.12 micron and
[Fe II] 1.64 micron narrow-band filters at the Palomar 200-inch telescope, and
in the 5-15 micron CVF on ISOCAM. Shocked H2 emission was detected from the
region 3C391:BML, where broad millimeter CO and CS lines had previously been
detected. A new H2 clump was confirmed to have broad CO emission, demonstrating
that the near-infrared H2 images can trace previously undetected molecular
shocks. The [Fe II] emission has a significantly different distribution, being
brightest in the bright radio bar, at the interface between the supernova
remnant and the giant molecular cloud, and following filaments in the radio
shell. The near-infrared [Fe II] and the mid-infrared 12-18 micron filter
images are the first images to reveal the radiative shell of 3C391. The
mid-infrared spectrum is dominated by bright ionic lines and H2 S(2) through
S(7). There are no aromatic hydrocarbons associated with the shocks, nor is
their any mid-infrared continuum, suggesting that macromolecules and very small
grains are destroyed. Comparing 3C391 to the better-studied IC443, both
remnants have molecular- and ionic-dominated regions; for 3C391, the
ionic-dominated region is the interface into the giant molecular cloud, showing
that the main bodies of giant molecular clouds contain significant regions with
densities 100 to 1000/cm^3 and a small filling factor with higher-density. The
molecular shocked region resolves into 16 clumps of H2 emission, with some
fainter diffuse emission but with no associated near-infrared continuum
sources. One of the clumps is coincident with a previously-detected OH 1720 MHz
maser. These clumps are interpreted as a cluster of pre-stellar, dense
molecular cores that are presently being shocked by the supernova blast wave
Multiwavelength observations of the supernova remnant G349.7+02 interacting with a molecular cloud
We present molecular-line observations at millimetre, centimetre and infrared
wavelengths of the region containing OH(1720 MHz) masers in the supernova
remnant (SNR) G349.7+0.2, using the Australia Telescope (AT) Mopra antenna, the
Swedish-ESO Submillimeter Telescope, the AT Compact Array and the UNSW Infrared
Fabry-Perot narrow-band filter installed on the Anglo-Australian Telescope.
Several molecular transitions were observed between 1.6 and 3 mm to constrain
the physical parameters of the molecular cloud interacting with the SNR and to
investigate the effects of the SNR shock on the gas chemistry. We detected
shock-excited near-infrared H2 emission towards the centre of the SNR,
revealing highly clumped molecular gas and a good correlation with published
mid-infrared images from the Spitzer Space Telescope. An excellent correlation
between the H2 clumps and OH(1720 MHz) maser positions supports the shock
excitation of the OH(1720 MHz) maser emission. Furthermore, we detected OH
absorption at 1665 and 1667 MHz which shows a good correlation with the shocked
H2 emission and the masers. We found maser emission at 1665 MHz near the
OH(1720 MHz) masers in this SNR, which is found to be associated with a GLIMPSE
source SSTGLMC G349.7294+00.1747. We also detected 1665 and 1667 MHz OH masers,
and weak 4.8 GHz H2CO absorption towards the ultracompact HII region IRAS
17147-3725 located to the southeast of the SNR. We found no 4.7- or 6-GHz
excited-state OH masers or 6-GHz CH3OH maser towards either the SNR or the HII
region.Comment: 25 pages, 13 figures, published in MNRA
Detailed compositional analysis of the heavily polluted DBZ white dwarf SDSS J073842.56+183509.06: A window on planet formation?
We present a new model atmosphere analysis of the most metal contaminated
white dwarf known, the DBZ SDSS J073842.56+183509.06. Using new high resolution
spectroscopic observations taken with Keck and Magellan, we determine precise
atmospheric parameters and measure abundances of 14 elements heavier than
helium. We also report new Spitzer mid-infrared photometric data that are used
to better constrain the properties of the debris disk orbiting this star. Our
detailed analysis, which combines data taken from 7 different observational
facilities (GALEX, Gemini, Keck, Magellan, MMT, SDSS and Spitzer) clearly
demonstrate that J0738+1835 is accreting large amounts of rocky
terrestrial-like material that has been tidally disrupted into a debris disk.
We estimate that the body responsible for the photospheric metal contamination
was at least as large Ceres, but was much drier, with less than 1% of the mass
contained in the form of water ice, indicating that it formed interior to the
snow line around its parent star. We also find a correlation between the
abundances (relative to Mg and bulk Earth) and the condensation temperature;
refractory species are clearly depleted while the more volatile elements are
possibly enhanced. This could be the signature of a body that formed in a lower
temperature environment than where Earth formed. Alternatively, we could be
witnessing the remains of a differentiated body that lost a large part of its
outer layers.Comment: 16 pages, 17 figures, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical
Journa
Shocked Molecular Gas in the Supernova Remnant HB 21
We report the discovery of the shocked molecular gas in the supernova remnant
HB 21. We derive the physical parameters of the shocked gas from CO J=1-0 and
J=2-1 line observations. We discuss the correlation of the shocked molecular
gas with the previously detected, shocked atomic gas and the associated
infrared emission.Comment: 24 pages, 10 figures, To appear in the ApJ, scheduled for the April
10, 2001 issue (v551
Infrared Spectroscopy of Molecular Supernova Remnants
We present Infrared Space Observatory spectroscopy of sites in the supernova
remnants W28, W44, and 3C391, where blast waves are impacting molecular clouds.
Atomic fine-structure lines were detected from C, N, O, Si, P, and Fe. The S(3)
and S(9) lines of H2 were detected for all three remnants. The observations
require both shocks into gas with moderate (~ 100 /cm3) and high (~10,000 /cm3)
pre-shock densities, with the moderate density shocks producing the ionic lines
and the high density shock producing the molecular lines. No single shock model
can account for all of the observed lines, even at the order of magnitude
level. We find that the principal coolants of radiative supernova shocks in
moderate-density gas are the far-infrared continuum from dust grains surviving
the shock, followed by collisionally-excited [O I] 63.2 and [Si II] 34.8 micron
lines. The principal coolant of the high-density shocks is
collisionally-excited H2 rotational and ro-vibrational line emission. We
systematically examine the ground-state fine structure of all cosmically
abundant elements, to explain the presence or lack of all atomic fine lines in
our spectra in terms of the atomic structure, interstellar abundances, and a
moderate-density, partially-ionized plasma. The [P II] line at 60.6 microns is
the first known astronomical detection. There is one bright unidentified line
in our spectra, at 74.26 microns. The presence of bright [Si II] and [Fe II]
lines requires partial destruction of the dust. The required gas-phase
abundance of Fe suggests 15-30% of the Fe-bearing grains were destroyed. The
infrared continuum brightness requires ~1 Msun of dust survives the shock,
suggesting about 1/3 of the dust mass was destroyed, in agreement with the
depletion estimate and with theoretical models for dust destruction.Comment: 40 pages; 10 figures; accepted by ApJ July 11, 200
On the Unusual Depletions toward Sk 155, or What Are the Small Magellanic Cloud Dust Grains Made of?
The dust in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), an ideal analog of primordial
galaxies at high redshifts, differs markedly from that in the Milky Way by
exhibiting a steeply rising far-ultraviolet extinction curve, an absence of the
2175 Angstrom extinction feature, and a local minimum at ~12 micron in its
infrared emission spectrum, suggesting the lack of ultrasmall carbonaceous
grains (i.e. polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon molecules) which are ubiquitously
seen in the Milky Way. While current models for the SMC dust all rely heavily
on silicates, recent observations of the SMC sightline toward Sk 155 indicated
that Si and Mg are essentially undepleted and the depletions of Fe range from
mild to severe, suggesting that metallic grains and/or iron oxides, instead of
silicates, may dominate the SMC dust. However, in this Letter we apply the
Kramers-Kronig relation to demonstrate that neither metallic grains nor iron
oxides are capable of accounting for the observed extinction; silicates remain
as an important contributor to the extinction, consistent with current models
for the SMC dust.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures; The Astrophysical Journal Letters, in pres
Exclusion of Tiny Interstellar Dust Grains from the Heliosphere
The distribution of interstellar dust grains (ISDG) observed in the Solar
System depends on the nature of the interstellar medium-solar wind interaction.
The charge of the grains couples them to the interstellar magnetic field (ISMF)
resulting in some fraction of grains being excluded from the heliosphere while
grains on the larger end of the size distribution, with gyroradii comparable to
the size of the heliosphere, penetrate the termination shock. This results in a
skewing the size distribution detected in the Solar System.
We present new calculations of grain trajectories and the resultant grain
density distribution for small ISDGs propagating through the heliosphere. We
make use of detailed heliosphere model results, using three-dimensional (3-D)
magnetohydrodynamic/kinetic models designed to match data on the shape of the
termination shock and the relative deflection of interstellar neutral H and He
flowing into the heliosphere. We find that the necessary inclination of the
ISMF relative to the inflow direction results in an asymmetry in the
distribution of the larger grains (0.1 micron) that penetrate the heliopause.
Smaller grains (0.01 micron) are completely excluded from the Solar System at
the heliopause.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in the Solar Wind 12
conference proceeding
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