38 research outputs found
Rebirth of X-ray Emission from the Born-Again Planetary Nebula A 30
The planetary nebula (PN) A30 is believed to have undergone a very late
thermal pulse resulting in the ejection of knots of hydrogen-poor material.
Using HST images we have detected the angular expansion of these knots and
derived an age of 850+280-150 yr. To investigate the spectral and spatial
properties of the soft X-ray emission detected by ROSAT, we have obtained
Chandra and XMM-Newton observations of A30. The X-ray emission from A30 can be
separated into two components: a point-source at the central star and diffuse
emission associated with the hydrogen-poor knots and the cloverleaf structure
inside the nebular shell. To help us assess the role of the current stellar
wind in powering this X-ray emission, we have determined the stellar parameters
of the central star of A 30 using a non-LTE model fit to its optical and UV
spectrum. The spatial distribution and spectral properties of the diffuse X-ray
emission is suggestive that it is generated by the post-born-again and present
fast stellar winds interacting with the hydrogen-poor ejecta of the born-again
event. This emission can be attributed to shock-heated plasma, as the
hydrogen-poor knots are ablated by the stellar winds, under which circumstances
the efficient mass-loading of the present fast stellar wind raises its density
and damps its velocity to produce the observed diffuse soft X-rays. Charge
transfer reactions between the ions of the stellar winds and material of the
born-again ejecta has also been considered as a possible mechanism for the
production of diffuse X-ray emission, and upper limits on the expected X-ray
production by this mechanism have been derived. The origin of the X-ray
emission from the central star of A 30 is puzzling: shocks in the present fast
stellar wind and photospheric emission can be ruled out, while the development
of a new, compact hot bubble confining the fast stellar wind seems implausible.Comment: 29 pages, 11 figures, 4 tables; accepted for publication by Ap
Cometary charge exchange diagnostics in UV and X‐ray
Since the initial discovery of cometary charge exchange emission, more than 20 comets have been observed with a variety of X‐ray and UV observatories. This observational sample offers a broad variety of comets, solar wind environments and observational conditions. It clearly demonstrates that solar wind charge exchange emission provides a wealth of diagnostics, which are visible as spatial, temporal, and spectral emission features. We review the possibilities and limitations of each of those in this contribution (© 2012 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/91138/1/335_ftp.pd
Solar system X‐rays from charge exchange processes
While X‐ray astronomy began in 1962 and has made fast progress since then in expanding our knowledge about where in the Universe X‐rays are generated by which processes, it took one generation before the importance of a fundamentally different process was recognized. This happened in our immediate neighborhood, when in 1996 comets were discovered as a new class of X‐ray sources, directing our attention to charge exchange reactions. Charge exchange is fundamentally different from other processes which lead to the generation of X‐rays, because the X‐rays are not produced by hot electrons, but by ions picking up electrons from cold gas. Thus it opens up a new window, making it possible to detect cool gas in X‐rays (like in comets), while all the other processes require extremely high temperatures or otherwise extreme conditions. After having been overlooked for a long time, the astrophysical importance of charge exchange for the generation of X‐rays is now receiving increased general attention. In our solar system, charge exchange induced X‐rays have now been established to originate in comets, in all the planets from Venus to Jupiter, and even in the heliosphere itself. In addition to that, evidence for this X‐ray emission mechanism has been found at various locations across the Universe. Here we summarize the current knowledge about solar system X‐rays resulting from charge exchange processes (© 2012 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/91180/1/324_ftp.pd
Revising the Local Bubble Model due to Solar Wind Charge Exchange X-ray Emission
The hot Local Bubble surrounding the solar neighborhood has been primarily
studied through observations of its soft X-ray emission. The measurements were
obtained by attributing all of the observed local soft X-rays to the bubble.
However, mounting evidence shows that the heliosphere also produces diffuse
X-rays. The source is solar wind ions that have received an electron from
another atom. The presence of this alternate explanation for locally produced
diffuse X-rays calls into question the existence and character of the Local
Bubble. This article addresses these questions. It reviews the literature on
solar wind charge exchange (SWCX) X-ray production, finding that SWCX accounts
for roughly half of the observed local 1/4 keV X-rays found at low latitudes.
This article also makes predictions for the heliospheric O VI column density
and intensity, finding them to be smaller than the observational error bars.
Evidence for the continued belief that the Local Bubble contains hot gas
includes the remaining local 1/4 keV intensity, the observed local O VI column
density, and the need to fill the local region with some sort of plasma. If the
true Local Bubble is half as bright as previously thought, then its electron
density and thermal pressure are 1/square-root(2) as great as previously
thought, and its energy requirements and emission measure are 1/2 as great as
previously thought. These adjustments can be accommodated easily, and, in fact,
bring the Local Bubble's pressure more in line with that of the adjacent
material. Suggestions for future work are made.Comment: 9 pages, refereed, accepted for publication in the proceedings of the
"From the Outer Heliosphere to the Local Bubble: Comparisons of New
Observations with Theory" conference and in Space Science Review
The Kuiper Belt and Other Debris Disks
We discuss the current knowledge of the Solar system, focusing on bodies in
the outer regions, on the information they provide concerning Solar system
formation, and on the possible relationships that may exist between our system
and the debris disks of other stars. Beyond the domains of the Terrestrial and
giant planets, the comets in the Kuiper belt and the Oort cloud preserve some
of our most pristine materials. The Kuiper belt, in particular, is a
collisional dust source and a scientific bridge to the dusty "debris disks"
observed around many nearby main-sequence stars. Study of the Solar system
provides a level of detail that we cannot discern in the distant disks while
observations of the disks may help to set the Solar system in proper context.Comment: 50 pages, 25 Figures. To appear in conference proceedings book
"Astrophysics in the Next Decade
The Science of Sungrazers, Sunskirters, and Other Near-Sun Comets
This review addresses our current understanding of comets that venture close to the Sun, and are hence exposed to much more extreme conditions than comets that are typically studied from Earth. The extreme solar heating and plasma environments that these objects encounter change many aspects of their behaviour, thus yielding valuable information on both the comets themselves that complements other data we have on primitive solar system bodies, as well as on the near-solar environment which they traverse. We propose clear definitions for these comets: We use the term near-Sun comets to encompass all objects that pass sunward of the perihelion distance of planet Mercury (0.307 AU). Sunskirters are defined as objects that pass within 33 solar radii of the Sun’s centre, equal to half of Mercury’s perihelion distance, and the commonly-used phrase sungrazers to be objects that reach perihelion within 3.45 solar radii, i.e. the fluid Roche limit. Finally, comets with orbits that intersect the solar photosphere are termed sundivers. We summarize past studies of these objects, as well as the instruments and facilities used to study them, including space-based platforms that have led to a recent revolution in the quantity and quality of relevant observations. Relevant comet populations are described, including the Kreutz, Marsden, Kracht, and Meyer groups, near-Sun asteroids, and a brief discussion of their origins. The importance of light curves and the clues they provide on cometary composition are emphasized, together with what information has been gleaned about nucleus parameters, including the sizes and masses of objects and their families, and their tensile strengths. The physical processes occurring at these objects are considered in some detail, including the disruption of nuclei, sublimation, and ionisation, and we consider the mass, momentum, and energy loss of comets in the corona and those that venture to lower altitudes. The different components of comae and tails are described, including dust, neutral and ionised gases, their chemical reactions, and their contributions to the near-Sun environment. Comet-solar wind interactions are discussed, including the use of comets as probes of solar wind and coronal conditions in their vicinities. We address the relevance of work on comets near the Sun to similar objects orbiting other stars, and conclude with a discussion of future directions for the field and the planned ground- and space-based facilities that will allow us to address those science topics
Future Exoplanet Research: Science Questions and How to Address Them
Started approximately in the late 1980s, exoplanetology has up to now
unveiled the main gross bulk characteristics of planets and planetary systems.
In the future it will benefit from more and more large telescopes and advanced
space missions. These instruments will dramatically improve their performance
in terms of photometric precision, detection speed, multipixel imaging,
high-resolution spectroscopy, allowing to go much deeper in the knowledge of
planets. Here we outline some science questions which should go beyond these
standard improvements and how to address them. Our prejudice is that one is
never too speculative: experience shows that the speculative predictions
initially not accepted by the community have been confirmed several years later
(like spectrophotometry of transits or circumbinary planets).Comment: Invited review, accepte
The geology and geophysics of Kuiper Belt object (486958) Arrokoth
The Cold Classical Kuiper Belt, a class of small bodies in undisturbed orbits beyond Neptune, are primitive objects preserving information about Solar System formation. The New Horizons spacecraft flew past one of these objects, the 36 km long contact binary (486958) Arrokoth (2014 MU69), in January 2019. Images from the flyby show that Arrokoth has no detectable rings, and no satellites (larger than 180 meters diameter) within a radius of 8000 km, and has a lightly-cratered smooth surface with complex geological features, unlike those on previously visited Solar System bodies. The density of impact craters indicates the surface dates from the formation of the Solar System. The two lobes of the contact binary have closely aligned poles and equators, constraining their accretion mechanism