750 research outputs found
Cold dust clumps in dynamically hot gas
Aims. We present clumps of dust emission from Herschel observations of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and their physical and statistical
properties. We catalog cloud features seen in the dust emission from Herschel observations of the LMC, the Magellanic type irregular galaxy
closest to the Milky Way, and compare these features with Hi catalogs from the ATCA+Parkes Hi survey.
Methods. Using an automated cloud-finding algorithm, we identify clouds and clumps of dust emission and examine the cumulative mass distribution
of the detected dust clouds. The mass of cold dust is determined from physical parameters that we derive by performing spectral energy distribution
fits to 250, 350, and 500 ÎŒm emission from SPIRE observations using dust grain size distributions for graphite/silicate in low-metallicity
extragalactic environments.
Results. The dust cloud mass spectrum follows a power law distribution with an exponent of Îł = â1.8 for clumps larger than 4 Ă 10^2 M_â and is
similar to the Hi mass distribution. This is expected from the theory of ISM structure in the vicinity of star formation
Survey of cometary CO2, CO, and particulate emissions using the Spitzer Space Telescope: Smog check for comets
We surveyed 23 comets using the Infrared Array Camera on the Spitzer Space
Telescope in wide filters centered at 3.6 and 4.5 microns. Emission in the 3.6
micron filter arises from sunlight scattered by dust grains; these images
generally have a coma near the nucleus and a tail in the antisolar direction
due to dust grains swept back by solar radiation pressure. The 4.5 micron
filter contains the same dust grains, as well as strong emission lines from CO2
and CO gas; these show distinct morphologies, in which cases we infer they are
dominated by gas. Based on the ratio of 4.5 to 3.6 micron brightness, we
classify the survey comets as CO2+CO "rich" and "poor." This classification is
correlated with previous classifications by A'Hearn based on carbon-chain
molecule abundance, in the sense that comets classified as "depleted" in
carbon-chain molecules are also "poor" in CO2+CO. The gas emission in the IRAC
4.5 micron images is characterized by a smooth morphology, typically a fan in
the sunward hemisphere with a radial profile that varies approximately as the
inverse of projected distance from the nucleus, as would apply for constant
production and free expansion. There are very significant radial and azimuthal
enhancements in many of the comets, and these are often distinct between the
gas and dust, indicating that ejection of solid material may be driven either
by H2O or CO2. Notable features in the images include the following. There is a
prominent loop of gas emission from 103P/Hartley 2, possible due to an outburst
of CO2 before the Spitzer image. Prominent, double jets are present in the
image of 88P/Howell. A prominent single jet is evident for 3 comets. Spirals
are apparent in 29P and C/2006 W3; we measure a rotation rate of 21 hr for the
latter comet. Arcs (possibly parts of a spiral) are apparent in the images of
10P/Tempel 2, and 2P/Encke.Comment: accepted for publication in Icaru
A survey of debris trails from short-period comets
We observed 34 comets using the 24 micron camera on the Spitzer Space
Telescope. Each image contains the nucleus and covers at least 10^6 km of each
comet's orbit. Debris trails due to mm-sized or larger particles were found
along the orbits of 27 comets; 4 comets had small-particle dust tails and a
viewing geometry that made debris trails impossible to distinguish; and only 3
had no debris trail despite favorable observing conditions. There are now 30
Jupiter-family comets with known debris trails, of which 22 are reported in
this paper for the first time. The detection rate is >80%, indicating that
debris trails are a generic feature of short-period comets. By comparison to
orbital calculations for particles of a range of sizes ejected over 2 yr prior
to observation, we find that particles comprising 4 debris trails are typically
mm-sized while the remainder of the debris trails require particles larger than
this. The lower-limit masses of the debris trails are typically 10^11 g, and
the median mass loss rate is 2 kg/s. The mass-loss rate in trail particles is
comparable to that inferred from OH production rates and larger than that
inferred from visible-light scattering in comae.Comment: accepted by Icarus; figures compressed for astro-p
Long-Wavelength Excesses in Two Highly Obscured High-Mass X-Ray Binaries: IGR J16318â4848 and GX 301â2
We present evidence for excess long-wavelength emission from two high-mass X-ray binaries, IGR J16318-4848 and GX 301-2, that show enormous obscuration (N_H â 10^(23)-10^(24) cm^(-2)) in their X-ray spectra. Using archival near- and mid-infrared data, we show that the spectral energy distributions of IGR J16318-4848 and GX 301-2 are substantially higher in the mid-infrared than their expected stellar emission. We successfully fit the excesses with ~1000 K blackbodies, which suggests that they are due to warm circumstellar dust that also gives rise to the X-ray absorption. However, we need further observations to constrain the detailed properties of the excesses. This discovery highlights the importance of mid-infrared observations for understanding highly obscured X-ray binaries
Migration of Interplanetary Dust
We numerically investigate the migration of dust particles with initial
orbits close to those of the numbered asteroids, observed trans-Neptunian
objects, and Comet Encke. The fraction of silicate asteroidal particles that
collided with the Earth during their lifetime varied from 1.1% for 100 micron
particles to 0.008% for 1 micron particles. Almost all asteroidal particles
with diameter d>4 microns collided with the Sun. The peaks in the migrating
asteroidal dust particles' semi-major axis distribution at the n:(n+1)
resonances with Earth and Venus and the gaps associated with the 1:1 resonances
with these planets are more pronounced for larger particles. The probability of
collisions of cometary particles with the Earth is smaller than for asteroidal
particles, and this difference is greater for larger particles.Comment: Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 15 pages, 8 Figures,
submitte
Surveying the Agents of Galaxy Evolution in the Tidally Stripped, Low Metallicity Small Magellanic Cloud (SAGE-SMC). I. Overview
The Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) provides a unique laboratory for the study of the lifecycle of dust given its low metallicity (~1/5 solar) and relative proximity (~60 kpc). This motivated the SAGE-SMC (Surveying the Agents of Galaxy Evolution in the Tidally Stripped, Low Metallicity Small Magellanic Cloud) Spitzer Legacy program with the specific goals of studying the amount and type of dust in the present interstellar medium, the sources of dust in the winds of evolved stars, and how much dust is consumed in star formation. This program mapped the full SMC (30 deg^2) including the body, wing, and tail in seven bands from 3.6 to 160 ÎŒm using IRAC and MIPS on the Spitzer Space Telescope. The data were reduced and mosaicked, and the point sources were measured using customized routines specific for large surveys. We have made the resulting mosaics and point-source catalogs available to the community. The infrared colors of the SMC are compared to those of other nearby galaxies and the 8 ÎŒm/24 ÎŒm ratio is somewhat lower than the average and the 70 ÎŒm/160 ÎŒm ratio is somewhat higher than the average. The global infrared spectral energy distribution (SED) shows that the SMC has approximately 1/3 the aromatic emission/polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon abundance of most nearby galaxies. Infrared color-magnitude diagrams are given illustrating the distribution of different asymptotic giant branch stars and the locations of young stellar objects. Finally, the average SED of H II/star formation regions is compared to the equivalent Large Magellanic Cloud average H II/star formation region SED. These preliminary results will be expanded in detail in subsequent papers
The Discovery of a Debris Disk Around the DAV White Dwarf PG 1541+651
To search for circumstellar disks around evolved stars, we targeted roughly
100 DA white dwarfs from the Palomar Green survey with the Peters Automated
Infrared Imaging Telescope (PAIRITEL). Here we report the discovery of a debris
disk around one of these targets, the pulsating white dwarf PG 1541+651 (KX
Draconis, hereafter PG1541). We detect a significant flux excess around PG1541
in the K-band. Follow-up near-infrared spectroscopic observations obtained at
the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) and photometric observations with
the warm Spitzer Space Telescope confirm the presence of a warm debris disk
within 0.13-0.36 Rsun (11-32x the stellar radius) at an inclination angle of
60deg. At Teff = 11880 K, PG1541 is almost a twin of the DAV white dwarf
G29-38, which also hosts a debris disk. All previously known dusty white dwarfs
are of the DAZ/DBZ spectral type due to accretion of metals from the disk.
High-resolution optical spectroscopy is needed to search for metal absorption
lines in PG1541 and to constrain the accretion rate from the disk. PG1541 is
only 55 pc away from the Sun and the discovery of its disk in our survey
demonstrates that our knowledge of the nearby dusty white dwarf population is
far from complete.Comment: MNRAS Letters, in pres
Validation of Data Reduction Interactive Pipeline for FORCAST on SOFIA
The Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is a heavily modified Boeing 747SP aircraft equipped with 2.5 meter reflecting telescope. Among the suite of instruments onboard is the Faint Object Infrared Camera for the SOFIA Telescope (FORCAST). FORCAST features two cameras for short (5-25 microns) and long (25-40 microns) wavelength detection. Making infrared observations in these wavelengths presents a challenge because the telescope and sky emit background radiation magnitudes brighter than the object of interest. Because of this, the raw FORCAST data must be corrected and reduced. The Data Reduction Interactive Pipeline (DRIP) was developed to process all FORCAST data using IDL procedures. Each step of the data reduction and calibration is saved for graphic interface. On all raw data, DRIP cleans bad pixels, applies droop and non-linearity correction, does background subtraction, and jailbar removal. It can optionally do image rectification and combine chop/nod groups. Our current mission, in collaboration with the Division of Planetary Sciences group, is to validate the DRIP output and ensure that the highest quality data is provided for imaging and the astronomical community
Narrow Band Chandra X-ray Analysis of Supernova Remnant 3C391
We present the narrow-band and the equivalent width (EW) images of the
thermal composite supernova remnant (SNR) 3C391 for the X-ray emission lines of
elements Mg, Si, & S using the Chandra ACIS Observational data. These EW images
reveal the spatial distribution of the emission of the metal species Mg, Si, &
S in the remnant. They have clumpy structure similar to that seen from the
broadband diffuse emission, suggesting that they are largely of interstellar
origin. We find an interesting finger-like feature protruding outside the
southwestern radio border of the remnant, which is somewhat similar to the
jet-like Si structure found in the famous SNR Cas A. This feature may possibly
be the debris of the jet of ejecta which implies an asymmetrical supernova
explosion of a massive progenitor star.Comment: 9 pages, 4 embedded figures, Chinese Journal of Astronomy and
Astrophysics (ChJAA), in pres
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