1,949 research outputs found
Mid-Infrared Imaging and Modelling of the Dust Shell around Post-AGB star HD 187885 (IRAS 19500-1709)
We present 10 and 20 micron images of IRAS 19500-1709 taken with the
mid-infrared camera, OSCIR, mounted on the Gemini North Telescope. We use a 2-D
dust radiation transport code to fit the spectral energy distribution from UV
to sub-mm wavelengths and to simulate the images.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures. To appear in "Asymmetric Planetary Nebulae III",
eds. M.Meixner, J.Kastner, N.Soker & B.Balick. 2004, ASP Conference Serie
Cometary Dust in the Debris Disks of HD 31648 and HD 163296: Two ``Baby'' beta Pics
The debris disks surrounding the pre-main sequence stars HD 31648 and HD
163296 were observed spectroscopically between 3 and 14 microns. Both possess a
silicate emission feature at 10 microns which resembles that of the star beta
Pictoris and those observed in solar system comets. The structure of the band
is consistent with a mixture of olivine and pyroxene material, plus an
underlying continuum of unspecified origin. The similarity in both size and
structure of the silicate band suggests that the material in these systems had
a processing history similar to that in our own solar system prior to the time
that the grains were incorporated into comets.Comment: 17 pages, AASTeX, 5 eps figures, accepted for publication in Ap.
The Signature of Primordial Grain Growth in the Polarized Light of the AU Mic Debris Disk
We have used the Hubble Space Telescope/ACS coronagraph to make polarization
maps of the AU Mic debris disk. The fractional linear polarization rises
monotonically from about 0.05 to 0.4 between 20 and 80 AU. The polarization is
perpendicular to the disk, indicating that the scattered light originates from
micron sized grains in an optically thin disk. Disk models, which
simultaneously fit the surface brightness and polarization, show that the inner
disk (< 40-50 AU) is depleted of micron-sized dust by a factor of more than
300, which means that the disk is collision dominated. The grains have high
maximum linear polarization and strong forward scattering. Spherical grains
composed of conventional materials cannot reproduce these optical properties. A
Mie/Maxwell-Garnett analysis implicates highly porous (91-94%) particles. In
the inner Solar System, porous particles form in cometary dust, where the
sublimation of ices leaves a "bird's nest" of refractory organic and silicate
material. In AU Mic, the grain porosity may be primordial, because the dust
"birth ring" lies beyond the ice sublimation point. The observed porosities
span the range of values implied by laboratory studies of particle coagulation
by ballistic cluster-cluster aggregation. To avoid compactification, the upper
size limit for the parent bodies is in the decimeter range, in agreement with
theoretical predictions based on collisional lifetime arguments. Consequently,
AU Mic may exhibit the signature of the primordial agglomeration process
whereby interstellar grains first assembled to form macroscopic objects.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, ApJ, in pres
UV Circular Polarisation in Star Formation Regions : The Origin of Homochirality?
Ultraviolet circularly polarised light has been suggested as the initial cause of the homochirality of organic molecules in terrestrial organisms, via enantiomeric selection of prebiotic molecules by asymmetric photolysis. We present a theoretical investigation of mechanisms by which ultraviolet circular polarisation may be produced in star formation regions. In the scenarios considered here, light scattering produces only a small percentage of net circular polarisation at any point in space, due to the forward throwing nature of the phase function in the ultraviolet. By contrast, dichroic extinction can produce a fairly high percentage of net circular polarisation (∼10%) and may therefore play a key role in producing an enantiomeric excessPeer reviewe
Discovery of shocked H2 around OH 231.8+4.2
We present K-band integral field observations of the circumstellar envelope
of the evolved star OH 231.8+4.2. Spatial and spectral information were
simultaneously acquired using the Sinfoni integral field unit, with adaptive
optics, on the Very Large Telescope. The observations reveal the discovery of
H2 emission (1) around the centre of the nebula and (2) located in clumps along
the Western side of the Northern lobe, presumably associated with the strong
shocks that stimulate the previously reported H-alpha emission at the same
location. An observed H2 1-0/2-1S(1) line ratio of 8.3+/-1.9 was calculated for
the central field, a value consistent with shock excitation.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS Letter
A Fast bipolar H2 outflow from IRAS 16342-3814: an old star reliving its youth
Some evolved stars in the pre-planetary nebula phase produce
highly-collimated molecular outflows that resemble the accretion-driven jets
and outflows from pre-main sequence stars. We show that IRAS 16342-3814 (the
Water Fountain Nebula) is such an object and present K-band integral field
spectroscopy revealing a fast (> 150 km/s) bipolar H2 outflow. The H2 emission
is shock excited and may arise in fast-moving clumps, accelerated by the
previously observed precessing jet. The total luminosity in H2 is 0.37
L which is comparable with that of accretion-powered outflows from
Class 0 protostars. We also detect CO overtone bandhead emission in the
scattered continuum, indicating hot molecular gas close to the centre, a
feature also observed in a number of protostars with active jets. It seems
likely that the jet and outflow in IRAS 16342-3814 are powered by accretion
onto a binary companion.Comment: Accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical
Societ
The evolutionary status of the semiregular variable QYSge
Repeated spectroscopic observations made with the 6m telescope of yielded new
data on the radial-velocity variability of the anomalous yellow supergiant
QYSge. The strongest and most peculiar feature in its spectrum is the complex
profile of NaI D lines, which contains a narrow and a very wide emission
components. The wide emission component can be seen to extend from -170 to +120
km/s, and at its central part it is cut by an absorption feature, which, in
turn, is split into two subcomponents by a narrow (16km/s at r=2.5) emission
peak. An analysis of all the Vr values leads us to adopt for the star a
systemic velocity of Vr=-21.1 km/s, which corresponds to the position of the
narrow emission component of NaI. The locations of emission-line features of
NaI D lines are invariable, which point to their formation in regions that are
external to the supergiant's photosphere. Differential line shifts of about
10km/s are revealed. The absorption lines in the spectrum of QYSge have a
substantial width of FWHM~45 km/s. The method of model atmospheres is used to
determine the following parameters: Teff=6250K, lg g=2.0, and microturbulence
Vt=4.5km/s. The metallicity of the star is found to be somewhat higher than the
solar one with an average overabundance of iron-peak elements of [Met/H]=+0.20.
The star is found to be slightly overabundant in carbon and nitrogen,
[C/Fe]=+0.25, [N/Fe]=+0.27. The alpha-process elements Mg, Si, and Ca are
slightly overabundant [alpha/H]=+0.12. The strong sodium excess, [Na/Fe]=+0.75,
is likely to be due to the dredge-up of the matter processed in the NeNa cycle.
Heavy elements of the s-process are underabundant relative to the Sun. On the
whole, the observed properties of QYSge do not give grounds for including this
star into the group of RCrB or RVTau-type type objects.Comment: 29 pages, 8 figures, 4 tables; accepted by Astrophys. Bulleti
Iron biogeochemistry across marine systems progress from the past decade
Based on an international workshop (Gothenburg, 14–16 May 2008), this review article aims to combine interdisciplinary knowledge from coastal and open ocean research on iron biogeochemistry. The major scientific findings of the past decade are structured into sections on natural and artificial iron fertilization, iron inputs into coastal and estuarine systems, colloidal iron and organic matter, and biological processes. Potential effects of global climate change, particularly ocean acidification, on iron biogeochemistry are discussed. The findings are synthesized into recommendations for future research areas
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