Supergiant Barocaloric Effects in Acetoxy Silicone Rubber over a Wide Temperature Range: Great Potential for Solid-state Cooling

Solid-state cooling based on caloric effects is considered a viable alternative to replace the conventional vapor-compression refrigeration systems. Regarding barocaloric materials, recent results show that elastomers are promising candidates for cooling applications around room-temperature. In the present paper, we report supergiant barocaloric effects observed in acetoxy silicone rubber - a very popular, low-cost and environmentally friendly elastomer. Huge values of adiabatic temperature change and reversible isothermal entropy change were obtained upon moderate applied pressures and relatively low strains. These huge barocaloric changes are associated both to the polymer chains rearrangements induced by confined compression and to the first-order structural transition. The results are comparable to the best barocaloric materials reported so far, opening encouraging prospects for the application of elastomers in near future solid-state cooling devices.Comment: 19 pages, 7 figures, 2 table

Fundamental Vibrational Transitions of HCl Detected in CRL 2136

We would like to understand the chemistry of dense clouds and their hot cores more quantitatively by obtaining more complete knowledge of the chemical species present in them. We have obtained high-resolution infrared absorption spectroscopy at 3-4 um toward the bright infrared source CRL 2136. The fundamental vibration-rotation band of HCl has been detected within a dense cloud for the first time. The HCl is probably located in the warm compact circumstellar envelope or disk of CRL 2136. The fractional abundance of HCl is (4.9-8.7)e-8, indicating that approximately 20 % of the elemental chlorine is in gaseous HCl. The kinetic temperature of the absorbing gas is 250 K, half the value determined from infrared spectroscopy of 13CO and water. The percentage of chlorine in HCl is approximately that expected for gas at this temperature. The reason for the difference in temperatures between the various molecular species is unknown.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, A&A in pres

Absorption Line Survey of H3+ toward the Galactic Center Sources III. Extent of the Warm and Diffuse Clouds

We present follow-up observations to those of Geballe & Oka (2010), who found high column densities of H3+ ~100 pc off of the Galactic center (GC) on the lines of sight to 2MASS J17432173-2951430 (J1743) and 2MASS J17470898-2829561 (J1747). The wavelength coverages on these sightlines have been extended in order to observe two key transitions of H3+, R(3,3)l and R(2,2)l, that constrain the temperatures and densities of the environments. The profiles of the H3+ R(3,3)l line, which is due only to gas in the GC, closely matches the differences between the H3+ R(1,1)l and CO line profiles, just as it does for previously studied sightlines in the GC. Absorption in the R(2,2)l line of H3+ is present in J1747 at velocities between -60 and +100 km/s. This is the second clear detection of this line in the interstellar medium after GCIRS 3 in the Central Cluster. The temperature of the absorbing gas in this velocity range is 350 K, significantly warmer than in the diffuse clouds in other parts of the Central Molecular Zone. This indicates that the absorbing gas is local to Sgr B molecular cloud complex. The warm and diffuse gas revealed by Oka et al. (2005) apparently extends to ~100 pc, but there is a hint that its temperature is somewhat lower in the line of sight to J1743 than elsewhere in the GC. The observation of H3+ toward J1747 is compared with the recent Herschel observation of H2O+ toward Sgr B2 and their chemical relationship and remarkably similar velocity profiles are discussed.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, 2 tables, Accepted for publication in Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japa

Search for H₃⁺ isotopologues toward CRL 2136 IRS 1

Context. Deuterated interstellar molecules frequently have abundances relative to their main isotopologues much higher than the overall elemental D-to-H ratio in the cold dense interstellar medium. H₃⁺ and its isotopologues play a key role in the deuterium fractionation; however, the abundances of these isotopologues have not been measured empirically with respect to H₃⁺ to date. Aims. Our aim was to constrain the relative abundances of H₂D⁺ and D₃⁺ in the cold outer envelope of the hot core CRL 2136 IRS 1. Methods. We carried out three observations targeting H₃⁺ and its isotopologues using the spectrographs CRIRES at the VLT, iSHELL at IRTF, and EXES on board SOFIA. In addition, the CO overtone band at 2.3 μm was observed by iSHELL to characterize the gas on the line of sight. Results. The H₃⁺ ion was detected toward CRL 2136 IRS 1 as in previous observations. Spectroscopy of lines of H₂D⁺ and D₃⁺ resulted in non-detections. The 3σ upper limits of N(H₂D⁺)/N(H₃⁺) and N(D₃⁺)/N(H₃⁺) are 0.24 and 0.13, respectively. The population diagram for CO is reproduced by two components of warm gas with the temperatures 58 and 530 K, assuming a local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) distribution of the rotational levels. Cold gas (<20 K) makes only a minor contribution to the CO molecular column toward CRL 2136 IRS 1. Conclusions. The critical conditions for deuterium fractionation in a dense cloud are low temperature and CO depletion. Given the revised cloud properties, it is no surprise that H₃⁺ isotopologues are not detected toward CRL 2136 IRS 1. The result is consistent with our current understanding of how deuterium fractionation proceeds

Constraints on core-collapse supernova progenitors from explosion site integral field spectroscopy

Observationally, supernovae (SNe) are divided into subclasses pertaining to their distinct characteristics. This diversity reflects the diversity in the progenitor stars. It is not entirely clear how different evolutionary paths leading massive stars to become a SN are governed by fundamental parameters such as progenitor initial mass and metallicity. This paper places constraints on progenitor initial mass and metallicity in distinct core-collapse SN subclasses, through a study of the parent stellar populations at the explosion sites. Integral field spectroscopy (IFS) of 83 nearby SN explosion sites with a median distance of 18 Mpc has been collected and analysed, enabling detection and spectral extraction of the parent stellar population of SN progenitors. From the parent stellar population spectrum, the initial mass and metallicity of the coeval progenitor are derived by means of comparison to simple stellar population models and strong-line methods. Additionally, near-infrared IFS was employed to characterise the star formation history at the explosion sites. No significant metallicity differences are observed among distinct SN types. The typical progenitor mass is found to be highest for SN Ic, followed by type Ib, then types IIb and II. SN IIn is the least associated with young stellar populations and thus massive progenitors. However, statistically significant differences in progenitor initial mass are observed only when comparing SNe IIn with other subclasses. Stripped-envelope SN progenitors with initial mass estimate lower than 25~$M_\odot$ are found; these are thought to be the result of binary progenitors. Confirming previous studies, these results support the notion that core-collapse SN progenitors cannot arise from single-star channel only, and both single and binary channels are at play in the production of core-collapse SNe. [ABRIDGED]Comment: 18 pages, 10 figures, accepted to A&

The Interstellar Medium of IRAS 08572+3915 NW: H3+ and Warm High Velocity CO

We confirm the first detection of the molecular ion H3+ in an extragalactic object, the highly obscured ultraluminous galaxy IRAS 08572+3915 NW. We also have detected absorption lines of the fundamental band of CO in this galaxy. The CO absorption consists of a cold component close to the systemic velocity and warm, highly blueshifted and redshifted components. The warm blueshifted component is remarkably strong and broad and extends at least to -350 km/s. Some analogies can be drawn between the H3+ and cold CO in IRAS08572+3915 NW and the same species seen toward the Galactic center. The profiles of the warm CO components are not those expected from a dusty torus of the type thought to obscure active galactic nuclei. They are probably formed close to the dust continuum surface near the buried and active nucleus and are probably associated with an unusual and energetic event there.Comment: 21 pages, 4 postscript figures, accepted by Ap