368 research outputs found
IUE observations of the 1987 superoutburst of the dwarf nova Z Cha
Low resolution IUE observations of the dwarf nova Z Cha during superoutburst are presented. These cover most of the development of the outburst and have sufficient time resolution to probe continuum and line behavior on orbital phase. The observed modulation on this phase is very similar to that observed in the related object OY Car. The results imply the presence of a cool spot on the edge of the edge of the accretion disk, which periodically occults the brighter inner disk. Details of the line behavior suggest that the line originated in an extended wind-emitting region. In contrast to archive spectra obtained in normal outburst, the continuum is fainter and redder, indicating that the entire superoutburst disk may be geometrically thicker than during a normal outburst
Dynamical Masses for the Large Magellanic Cloud Massive Binary System [L72] LH 54-425
We present results from an optical spectroscopic investigation of the massive
binary system [L72] LH~54-425 in the LH 54 OB association in the Large
Magellanic Cloud. We revise the ephemeris of [L72] LH 54-425 and find an
orbital period of 2.247409 +/- 0.000010 days. We find spectral types of O3 V
for the primary and O5 V for the secondary. We made a combined solution of the
radial velocities and previously published V-band photometry to determine the
inclination for two system configurations, i = 52 degrees for the configuration
of the secondary star being more tidally distorted and i = 55 degrees for the
primary as the more tidally distorted star. We argue that the latter case is
more probable, and this solution yields masses and radii of M_1 = 47 +/- 2
M_Sun and R_1 = 11.4 +/- 0.1 R_Sun for the primary, and M_2 = 28 +/- 1 M_Sun
and R_2 = 8.1 +/- 0.1 R_Sun for the secondary. Our analysis places LH 54-425
amongst the most massive stars known. Based on the position of the two stars
plotted on a theoretical HR diagram, we find the age of the system to be about
1.5 Myr.Comment: 21 pages, 6 figures. Accepted in ApJ. To appear vol. 683, Aug. 10t
The role of cortical orientation in the control of the direction of ciliary beat in Paramecium.
Distribution and Kinematics of O VI in the Galactic Halo
FUSE spectra of 100 extragalactic objects are analyzed to obtain measures of
O VI absorption along paths through the Milky Way thick disk/halo. Strong O VI
absorption over the approximate velocity range from -100 to 100 km/s reveals a
widespread but highly irregular distribution of thick disk O VI, implying the
existence of substantial amounts of hot gas with T ~ 3x10^5 K in the Milky Way
halo. Large irregularities in the distribution of the absorbing gas are found
to be similar over angular scales extending from less than one to 180 degrees,
indicating a considerable amount of small and large scale structure in the gas.
The overall distribution of Galactic O VI is not well described by a
symmetrical plane-parallel layer of patchy O VI absorption. The simplest
departure from such a model that provides a reasonable fit to the observations
is a plane-parallel patchy absorbing layer with a scale height of 2.3 kpc, and
a 0.25 dex excess of O VI in the northern Galactic polar region. The O VI
absorption has a Doppler parameter b = 30 to 99 km/s, with an average value of
60 km/s . Thermal broadening alone cannot explain the large observed profile
widths. The average O VI absorption velocities toward high latitude objects
range from -46 to 82 km/s, with a sample average of 0 km/s and a standard
deviation of 21 km/s. O VI associated with the thick disk moves both toward and
away from the plane with roughly equal frequency. A combination of models
involving the radiative cooling of hot fountain gas, the cooling of supernova
bubbles in the halo, and the turbulent mixing of warm and hot halo gases is
required to explain the presence of O VI and other highly ionized atoms found
in the halo. (abbreviated)Comment: 70 pages, single-spaced, PDF format. Bound copies of this manuscript
and two accompanying articles are available upon request. Submitted to ApJ
What is the Total Deuterium Abundance in the Local Galactic Disk?
Analyses of spectra obtained with the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer
(FUSE) satellite, together with spectra from the Copernicus and IMAPS
instruments, reveal an unexplained very wide range in the observed
deuterium/hydrogen (D/H) ratios for interstellar gas in the Galactic disk
beyond the Local Bubble. We argue that spatial variations in the depletion of
deuterium onto dust grains can explain these local variations in the observed
gas-phase D/H ratios. We present a variable deuterium depletion model that
naturally explains the constant measured values of D/H inside the Local Bubble,
the wide range of gas-phase D/H ratios observed in the intermediate regime (log
N(H I} = 19.2-20.7), and the low gas-phase D/H ratios observed at larger
hydrogen column densities. We consider empirical tests of the deuterium
depletion hypothesis: (i) correlations of gas-phase D/H ratios with depletions
of the refractory metals iron and silicon, and (ii) correlation with the
molecular hydrogen rotational temperature. Both of these tests are consistent
with deuterium depletion from the gas phase in cold, not recently shocked,
regions of the ISM, and high gas-phase D/H ratios in gas that has been shocked
or otherwise heated recently. We argue that the most representative value for
the total (gas plus dust) D/H ratio within 1 kpc of the Sun is >=23.1 +/- 2.4
(1 sigma) parts per million (ppm). This ratio constrains Galactic chemical
evolution models to have a very small deuterium astration factor, the ratio of
primordial to total (D/H) ratio in the local region of the Galactic disk, which
we estimate to be f_d <= 1.19 +/-0.16 (1 sigma) or <= 1.12 +/- 0.14 (1 sigma)
depending on the adopted light element nuclear reaction rates.Comment: 19 pages, 9 figure
OVI Absorption in the Milky Way Disk, and Future Prospects for Studying Absorption at the Galaxy-IGM Interface
We present a brief summary of results from our FUSE program designed to study
OVI absorption in the disk of the Milky Way. As a full analysis of our data has
now been published, we focus on the improvements that FUSE afforded us compared
to Copernicus data published thirty years ago. We discuss FUSE's limitations in
studying OVI absorption from nearby galaxies using background QSOs, but present
FUSE spectra of two probes which indicate the absence of OVI (but the presence
of Lyman-beta) absorption 8 and 63 kpc from a foreground galaxy. Finally, we
discuss the need for a more sensitive UV spectrograph to map out the physical
conditions of baryons around galaxies.Comment: Invited review to appear in the proceedings of "Future Directions in
Ultraviolet Spectroscopy" meeting, held Oct 20-22, 2008, Annapolis, MD. To
appear as an AIP Conference Proceedin
The FUSE survey of OVI absorption in and near the Galaxy
We present FUSE observations of OVI absorption in a sample of 100
extragalactic targets and 2 distant halo stars. We describe the details of the
calibration, alignment in velocity, continuum fitting, and manner in which
contaminants were removed (Galactic H2, absorption intrinsic to the background
target and intergalactic Ly-beta lines). We searched for OVI absorption in the
velocity range -1200 to 1200 km/s. With a few exceptions, we only find OVI
between -400 and 400 km/s; the exceptions may be intergalactic OVI. We discuss
the separation of the observed OVI absorption into components associated with
the Galactic halo and components at high-velocity, which are probably located
in the neighborhood of the Galaxy. We describe the measurements of equivalent
width and column density, and we analyze the different contributions to the
errors. We conclude that low-velocity Galactic OVI absorption occurs along all
sightlines - the few non-detections only occur in noisy spectra. We further
show that high-velocity OVI is very common, having equivalent width >65 mAA in
50% of the sightlines and >30 mAA in 70% of the high-quality sightlines. The
high-velocity OVI absorption has velocities relative to the LSR of
+/-(100--330) km/s; there is no correlation between velocity and absorption
strength. We present 50 km/s wide OVI channel maps. These show evidence for the
imprint of Galactic rotation. They also highlight two known HI high-velocity
clouds (complex~C and the Magellanic Stream). The channel maps further show
that OVI at velocities <-200 km/s occurs along all sightlines in the region
l=20-150, b200 km/s occurs along all sightlines
in the region l=180-300, b>20 (abbreviated).Comment: 85 pages, 127 figures, 13 color figures, 3 tables, AASTeX preprint
format. All figures are in PNG format due to space concerns. Bound copies of
manuscript and two accompanying articles are available upon request.
submitted to ApJ
Carbon Monoxide in the Cold Debris of Supernova 1987A
We report spectroscopic and imaging observations of rotational transitions of
cold CO and SiO in the ejecta of SN1987A, the first such emission detected in a
supernova remnant. In addition to line luminosities for the CO J=1-0, 2-1, 6-5,
and 7-6 transitions, we present upper limits for all other transitions up to
J=13-12, collectively measured from the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA),
the Atacama Pathfinder EXperiment (APEX), and the Herschel Spectral and
Photometric Imaging REceiver (SPIRE). Simple models show the lines are emitted
from at least 0.01 solar masses of CO at a temperature > 14 K, confined within
at most 35% of a spherical volume expanding at ~ 2000 km/s. Moreover, we locate
the emission within 1'' of the central debris. These observations, along with a
partial observation of SiO, confirm the presence of cold molecular gas within
supernova remnants and provide insight into the physical conditions and
chemical processes in the ejecta. Furthermore, we demonstrate the powerful new
window into supernova ejecta offered by submillimeter observations.Comment: Accepted to the Astrophysical Journal Letters, 6 pages, 3 figure
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