The spectral appearance of comets from 5 to 20 micrometers: A survey of the data

Based on the concept of comets as being conglomerates of rocks and ices, it is expected that they reflect these components in their emission spectra. Silicate materials (rocks) are common in many astronomical environments and show prominent features at about 10 and 18 micrometers. Carbon should be abundant, but is much more difficult to detect spectroscopically since it has no strong features (except for the hydrogenated form). Ices are present in comets, but they are difficult to detect since they are volatile enough to dissipate when the comet is bright enough to be easily observed in the IR, with present equipment. There are other materials present in comets, but the ones listed above should be the most common and thus dominate the thermal IR spectrum. Most of the IR observations made on comets between 5 and 20 micrometers are summarized. They fall into three broad categories: (1) filter photometry; (2) circular variable filter wheel spectroscopy; and (3) spectra obtained with multidetector grating spectrometers

The Ages of Elliptical Galaxies from Infrared Spectral Energy Distributions

The mean ages of early-type galaxies obtained from the analysis of optical spectra, give a mean age of 8 Gyr at z = 0, with 40% being younger than 6 Gyr. Independent age determinations are possible by using infrared spectra (5-21 microns), which we have obtained with the Infrared Spectrograph on the Spitzer Observatory. This age indicator is based on the collective mass loss rate of stars, where mass loss from AGB stars produces a silicate emission feature at 9-12 microns. This feature decreases more rapidly than the shorter wavelength continuum as a stellar population ages, providing an age indicator. From observations of 30 nearby early-type galaxies, 29 show a spectral energy distribution dominated by stars and one has significant emission from the ISM and is excluded. The infrared age indicators for the 29 galaxies show them all to be old, with a mean age of about 10 Gyr and a standard deviation of only a few Gyr. This is consistent with the ages inferred from the values of M/L_B, but is inconsistent with the ages derived from the optical line indices, which can be much younger. All of these age indicators are luminosity-weighted and should be correlated, even if multiple-age components are considered. The inconsistency indicates that there is a significant problem with either the infrared and the M/L_B ages, which agree, or with the ages inferred from the optical absorption lines.Comment: Accepted for publication in Ap

Properties of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in the Northwest Photon Dominated Region of NGC 7023. I. PAH Size, Charge, Composition, and Structure Distribution

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission in the Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph spectral map of the northwest photon dominated region (PDR) in NGC 7023 was analyzed exclusively using PAH spectra from the NASA Ames PAH IR Spectroscopic Database (www.astrochem.org/pahdb). The 5-15 micron spectrum at each pixel is fitted using a non-negative-least-squares fitting approach. The fits are of good quality, allowing decomposition of the PAH emission into four subclasses: size, charge, composition, and hydrogen adjacency (structure). Maps tracing PAH subclass distributions across the region paint a coherent astrophysical picture. Once past some 20 seconds of arc from HD 200775, the emission is dominated by the more stable, large, symmetric, compact PAH cations with smaller, neutral PAHs taking over along the lines-of-sight toward the more distant molecular cloud. The boundary between the PDR and the denser cloud material shows up as a distinct discontinuity in the breakdown maps. Noteworthy is the requirement for PANH cations to fit the bulk of the 6.2 and 11.0 micron features and the indication of PAH photo-dehydrogenation and fragmentation close to HD 200775. Decomposition of the spectral maps into "principal" subclass template spectra provides additional insight into the behavior of each subclass. However, the general applicability of this computationally more efficient approach is presently undetermined. This is the first time the spectra of individual PAHs are exclusively used to fit the 5-15 micron region and analyze the spatial behavior of the aromatic infrared bands, providing fundamental, new information about astronomical PAH subpopulations including their dependence on, and response to, changes in local conditions

A multicomponent model of the infrared emission from Comet Halley

A model based on a mixture of coated silicates and amorphous carbon grains produces a good spectral match to the available Halley data and is consistent with the compositional and morphological information derived from interplanetary dust particle studies and Halley flyby data. The dark appearance of comets may be due to carbonaceous coatings on the dominant (by mass) silicates. The lack of a 10 micrometer feature may be due to the presence of large silicate grains. The optical properties of pure materials apparently are not representative of cometary materials. The determination of the optical properties of additional silicates and carbonaceous materials would clearly be of use

Spectral imaging of the Orion Bar at 6.2 and 7.8 microns

We have obtained images of the Orion Bar region through narrow-band filters at 6.2 and 7.8 mu m to determine whether the emission observed at these wavelengths arises from C-C modes in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH's). Morphologically, the distribution of the emissions are similar, but appear different in detail. Quantitative comparisons of these band intensities with previous data at 8.4 and 11.3 mu m indicates that they are indeed consistent with emission from fluorescently excited PAH molecules

Spectral structure near the 11.3 micron emission feature

If the 11.3 micron emission feature seen in the spectra of many planetary nebulae, H II regions, and reflection nebulae is attributable to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), then additional features should be present between 11.3 and 13.0 microns. Moderate resolution spectra of NGC 7027, HD 44179, BD+30 deg 3639, and IRAS 21282+5050 are presented which show evidence for new emission features centered near 12.0 and 12.7 microns. These are consistent with an origin from PAHs and can be used to constrain the molecular structure of the family of PAHs responsible for the infrared features. There is an indication that coronene-like PAHs contribute far more to the emission from NGC 7027 than to the emission from HD 44179. The observed asymmetric profile of the 11.3 micron band in all the spectra is consistent with the slight anharmonicity expected in the C-H out-of-plane bending mode in PAHs. A series of repeating features between 10 and 11 microns in the spectrum of HD 44179 suggests a simple hydride larger than 2 atoms is present in the gas phase in this object

Are There Hidden Supernovae?

Ames Research Center and UCSC have been working on the development of a Mid IR Camera for the KAO in order to search for extra galactic supernovae. The development of the camera and its associated data reduction software have been successfully completed. Spectral Imaging of the Orion Bar at 6.2 and 7.8 microns demonstrates the derotation and data reduction software which was developed

Airborne observations of the infrared emission bands

Earlier airborne studies of the infrared bands between 5 and 8 microns have now been extended to a sample of southern sources selected from the IRAS Low Resolution Spectra (LRS) atlas. The correlation between the strongest bands at 6.2 and 7.7 microns is now based on a total sample of 40 sources and is very strong. A new emission band at 5.2 microns, previously predicted for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), is recognized in 27 sources; it too correlates with the dominant 7.7 micron band, showing that the 5.2 micron feature also belongs to the generic spectrum of PAH features at 3.3, 5.6, 6.2, 6.2, 7.7, 8.7, 11.3, and 12.7 microns. Sufficient sources are had now to define the relative strengths of most of these bands in three separate nebular environments: planetaries, H II regions, and reflection nebulae. Significant variations are detected in the generic spectra of PAHs in these different environments which are echoed by variations in the exact wavelength of the strong 7.7 micron peak. The earlier suggestion that, in planetaries, the fraction of total emission observed by IRAS that is carried by the PAH emissions is correlated with nebular gas-phase C/O ratio is supported by the addition of newly-observed southern planetaries, including the unusually carbon-rich (WC10) nebular nuclei. These (WC10) nuclei also exhibit a strong plateau of emission linking the 6.2 and 7.7 micron features

Spectral Irradiance Calibration in the Infrared. 7. 5-14 microns Spectroscopy of the Asteroids Ceres, Vesta, and Pallas

We describe our efforts to seek "closure" in our infrared absolute calibration scheme by comparing spectra of asteroids, absolutely calibrated through reference stars, with "Standard Thermal Models" and "Thermophysical Models" for these bodies. Our use of continuous 5-14 microns airborne spectra provides complete sampling of the rise to, and peak, of the infrared spectral energy distribution and constrains these models. Such models currently support the absolute calibration of ISO-PHOT at far-infrared wave- lengths (as far as 300 microns), and contribute to that of the Mid-Infrared Spectrometer on the "Infrared Telescope in Space" in the 6-12 microns region. The best match to our observed spectra of Ceres and Vesta is a, standard thermal model using a beaming factor of unity. We also report the presence of three emissivity features in Ceres which may complicate the traditional model extrapolation to the far-infrared from contemporaneous ground-based N-band photometry that is used to support calibration of, for example, ISO-PHOT. While identification of specific materials that cause these features is not made, we discuss families of minerals that may be responsible

Some 5-13 micrometer airborne observations of Comet Wilson 1986l: Preliminary results

Comet Wilson was observed from the Kuiper Airborne Observatory approximately 23.6 and 25.7 Apr. 1987, UT (approx. 3 to 5 days after perihelion) using the NASA-Ames Faint Object Grating Spectrometer. Spectrophotometric data were observed with a 21 inch aperture between 5 and 13 micrometer and with a spectral resolution of 50 to 100. Spectra of the inner coma and nucleus reveal a fairly smooth continuum with little evidence of silicate emission. The 5 to 8 micrometer color temperature of the comet was 300 + or - 15 K, approx. 15 percent higher than the equilibrium blackbody temperature. All three spectra of the nucleus show a new emission feature at approx. 12.25 micrometer approx. two channels (.22 micrometer) wide. Visual and photographic observations made during the time of these observations showed a broad faint, possible two component tail. No outburst activity was observed