6,595 research outputs found
Herschel/HIFI spectroscopy of the intermediate mass protostar NGC7129 FIRS 2
Herschel/HIFI observations of water from the intermediate mass protostar NGC 7129 FIRS 2 provide a powerful diagnostic of the physical
conditions in this star formation environment. Six spectral settings, covering four H_2^(16)O and two H_2^(18)O lines, were observed and all but one
H_2^(18)O line were detected. The four H_2
^(16)O lines discussed here share a similar morphology: a narrower, â6km s^(â1), component centered slightly
redward of the systemic velocity of NGC7129 FIRS 2 and a much broader, â25 km s^(â1) component centered blueward and likely associated
with powerful outflows. The narrower components are consistent with emission from water arising in the envelope around the intermediate
mass protostar, and the abundance of H_2O is constrained to â10^(â7) for the outer envelope. Additionally, the presence of a narrow self-absorption
component for the lowest energy lines is likely due to self-absorption from colder water in the outer envelope. The broader component, where the
H_2O/CO relative abundance is found to be â0.2, appears to be tracing the same energetic region that produces strong CO emission at high J
Development of a contra-rotating tidal current turbine and analysis of performance
A contra-rotating marine current turbine has a number of attractive features: nearzero reactive torque on the support structure, near-zero swirl in the wake, and high relative inter-rotor rotational speeds. Modified blade element modelling theory has been used to design and predict the characteristics of such a turbine, and a model turbine and test rig have been constructed. Tests in a towing tank demonstrated the feasibility of the concept. Power coefficients were high for such a small model and in excellent agreement with predictions, confirming the accuracy of the computational modelling procedures. Highfrequency blade loading data were obtained in the course of the experiments. These show the anticipated dynamic components for a contra-rotating machine. Flow visualization of the wake verified the lack of swirl behind the turbine. A larger machine is presently under construction for sea trials
Design and testing of a contra-rotating tidal current turbine
A contra-rotating marine current turbine has a number of attractive features: nearzero reactive torque on the support structure, near-zero swirl in the wake, and high relative inter-rotor rotational speeds. Modified blade element modelling theory has been used to design and predict the characteristics of such a turbine, and a model turbine and test rig have been constructed. Tests in a towing tank demonstrated the feasibility of the concept. Power coefficients were high for such a small model and in excellent agreement with predictions, confirming the accuracy of the computational modelling procedures. High-frequency blade loading data were obtained in the course of the experiments. These show the anticipated dynamic components for a contra-rotating machine. Flow visualization of the wake verified the lack of swirl behind the turbine. A larger machine is presently under construction for sea trials
The origin of organic emission in NGC 2071
Context: The physical origin behind organic emission in embedded low-mass
star formation has been fiercely debated in the last two decades. A multitude
of scenarios have been proposed, from a hot corino to PDRs on cavity walls to
shock excitation.
Aims: The aim of this paper is to determine the location and the
corresponding physical conditions of the gas responsible for organics emission
lines. The outflows around the small protocluster NGC 2071 are an ideal testbed
to differentiate between various scenarios.
Methods: Using Herschel-HIFI and the SMA, observations of CH3OH, H2CO and
CH3CN emission lines over a wide range of excitation energies were obtained.
Comparisons to a grid of radiative transfer models provide constraints on the
physical conditions. Comparison to H2O line shape is able to trace gas-phase
synthesis versus a sputtered origin.
Results: Emission of organics originates in three spots: the continuum
sources IRS 1 ('B') and IRS 3 ('A') as well as a outflow position ('F').
Densities are above 10 cm and temperatures between 100 to 200 K.
CH3OH emission observed with HIFI originates in all three regions and cannot be
associated with a single region. Very little organic emission originates
outside of these regions.
Conclusions: Although the three regions are small (<1,500 AU), gas-phase
organics likely originate from sputtering of ices due to outflow activity. The
derived high densities (>10 cm) are likely a requirement for organic
molecules to survive from being destroyed by shock products. The lack of
spatially extended emission confirms that organic molecules cannot (re)form
through gas-phase synthesis, as opposed to H2O, which shows strong line wing
emission. The lack of CH3CN emission at 'F' is evidence for a different history
of ice processing due to the absence of a protostar at that location and recent
ice mantle evaporation.Comment: 10 Pages, 8 figures, Accepted for Astronomy and Astrophysic
Colliding Winds in Low-Mass Binary Star Systems: wind interactions and implications for habitable planets
Context. In binary star systems, the winds from the two components impact
each other, leading to strong shocks and regions of enhanced density and
temperature. Potentially habitable circumbinary planets must continually be
exposed to these interactions regions.
Aims. We study, for the first time, the interactions between winds from
low-mass stars in a binary system, to show the wind conditions seen by
potentially habitable circumbinary planets.
Methods. We use the advanced 3D numerical hydrodynamic code Nurgush to model
the wind interactions of two identical winds from two solar mass stars with
circular orbits and a binary separation of 0.5 AU. As input into this model, we
use a 1D hydrodynamic simulation of the solar wind, run using the Versatile
Advection Code. We derive the locations of stable and habitable orbits in this
system to explore what wind conditions potentially habitable planets will be
exposed to during their orbits.
Results. Our wind interaction simulations result in the formation of two
strong shock waves separated by a region of enhanced density and temperature.
The wind-wind interaction region has a spiral shape due to Coriolis forces
generated by the orbital motions of the two stars. The stable and habitable
zone in this system extends from approximately 1.4 AU to 2.4 AU. (TRUNCATED)Comment: 15 pages, 11 figures, to be published in A&
Detection of solvents using a distributed fibre optic sensor
A fibre optic sensor that is capable of distributed detection of liquid solvents is presented. Sensor interrogation using optical time domain reflectometry (OTDR) provides the capability of locating solvent spills to a precision of ±2 m over a total sensor length that may extend to 20 km
Possible detection of a magnetic field in T Tauri
Medium-resolution circular spectropolarimetry of T Tauri is
presented. The star was observed twice: on November 11, 1996 and January 22,
2002. Weak circular polarization has been found in photospheric absorption
lines, indicating a mean surface longitudinal magnetic field of
G and G at the epoch of the first and second
observations respectively. While these values are near the detection limit of
our apparatus, we belive that they are real. In any case one can conclude from
our data that of T Tau does not significantly exceed 200 G, which is
much less than surface magnetic field strength of the star ( kG) found by
Guenther et al. (1999) and Johns-Krull et al. (2000). We discuss possible
reasons of this difference.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
Mid-J CO Shock Tracing Observations of Infrared Dark Clouds I
Infrared dark clouds (IRDCs) are dense, molecular structures in the
interstellar medium that can harbour sites of high-mass star formation. IRDCs
contain supersonic turbulence, which is expected to generate shocks that
locally heat pockets of gas within the clouds. We present observations of the
CO J = 8-7, 9-8, and 10-9 transitions, taken with the Herschel Space
Observatory, towards four dense, starless clumps within IRDCs (C1 in
G028.37+00.07, F1 and F2 in G034.43+0007, and G2 in G034.77-0.55). We detect
the CO J = 8-7 and 9-8 transitions towards three of the clumps (C1, F1, and F2)
at intensity levels greater than expected from photodissociation region (PDR)
models. The average ratio of the 8-7 to 9-8 lines is also found to be between
1.6 and 2.6 in the three clumps with detections, significantly smaller than
expected from PDR models. These low line ratios and large line intensities
strongly suggest that the C1, F1, and F2 clumps contain a hot gas component not
accounted for by standard PDR models. Such a hot gas component could be
generated by turbulence dissipating in low velocity shocks.Comment: 14 pages, 8 figures, 5 tables, accepted by A&A, minor updates to
match the final published versio
The hot core towards the intermediate mass protostar NGC7129 FIRS 2: Chemical similarities with Orion KL
NGC 7129 FIRS 2 (hereafter FIRS 2) is an intermediate-mass (2 to 8 Msun)
protostar located at a distance of 1250 pc. High spatial resolution
observations are required to resolve the hot core at its center. We present a
molecular survey from 218200 MHz to 221800 MHz carried out with the IRAM
Plateau de Bure Interferometer. These observations were complemented with a
long integration single-dish spectrum taken with the IRAM 30m telescope. We
used a Local Thermodynamic Equilibrium (LTE) single temperature code to model
the whole dataset. The interferometric spectrum is crowded with a total of ~300
lines from which a few dozens remain unidentified yet. The spectrum has been
modeled with a total of 20 species and their isomers, isotopologues and
deuterated compounds. Complex molecules like methyl formate (CH3OCHO), ethanol
(CH3CH2OH), glycolaldehyde (CH2OHCHO), acetone (CH3COCH3), dimethyl ether
(CH3OCH3), ethyl cyanide (CH3CH2CN) and the aGg' conformer of ethylene glycol
(aGg'-(CH2OH)_2) are among the detected species. The detection of vibrationally
excited lines of CH3CN, CH3OCHO, CH3OH, OCS, HC3N and CH3CHO proves the
existence of gas and dust at high temperatures. In fact, the gas kinetic
temperature estimated from the vibrational lines of CH3CN, ~405 K, is similar
to that measured in massive hot cores. Our data allow an extensive comparison
of the chemistry in FIRS~2 and the Orion hot core. We find a quite similar
chemistry in FIRS 2 and Orion. Most of the studied fractional molecular
abundances agree within a factor of 5. Larger differences are only found for
the deuterated compounds D2CO and CH2DOH and a few molecules (CH3CH2CN, SO2,
HNCO and CH3CHO). Since the physical conditions are similar in both hot cores,
only different initial conditions (warmer pre-collapse phase in the case of
Orion) and/or different crossing time of the gas in the hot core can explain
this behavior.Comment: 30 pages, 9 figure
A Deep Look at the Emission-Line Nebula in Abell 2597
The close correlation between cooling flows and emission-line nebulae in
clusters of galaxies has been recognized for over a decade and a half, but the
physical reason for this connection remains unclear. Here we present deep
optical spectra of the nebula in Abell 2597, one of the nearest strong
cooling-flow clusters. These spectra reveal the density, temperature, and metal
abundances of the line-emitting gas. The abundances are roughly half-solar, and
dust produces an extinction of at least a magnitude in V. The absence of [O
III] 4363 emission rules out shocks as a major ionizing mechanism, and the
weakness of He II 4686 rules out a hard ionizing source, such as an active
galactic nucleus or cooling intracluster gas. Hot stars are therefore the best
candidate for producing the ionization. However, even the hottest O stars
cannot power a nebula as hot as the one we see. Some other nonionizing source
of heat appears to contribute a comparable amount of power. We show that the
energy flux from a confining medium can become important when the ionization
level of a nebula drops to the low levels seen in cooling-flow nebulae. We
suggest that this kind of phenomenon, in which energy fluxes from the
surrounding medium augment photoelectric heating, might be the common feature
underlying the diverse group of objects classified as LINERS.Comment: 33 Latex pages, including 16 Postscript figures, to appear in 1997
September 1 Astrophysical Journa
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