HHSMT Observations of the Venusian Mesospheric Temperature, Winds, and CO abundance around the MESSENGER Flyby

We present submillimeter observations of 12CO J=3-2 and J=2-1, and 13CO J = 2-1 lines of the Venusian mesosphere and lower thermosphere with the Heinrich Hertz Submillimeter Telescope (HHSMT) taken around the second MESSENGER flyby of Venus on 5 June 2007. The observations cover a range of Venus solar elongations with different fractional disk illuminations. Preliminary results like temperature and CO abundance profiles are presented.These data are part of a coordinated observational campaign in support of the ESA Venus Express mission. Furthermore, this study attempts to contribute to cross-calibrate space- and ground-based observations, to constrain radiative transfer and retrieval algorithms for planetary atmospheres, and to a more thorough understanding of the global patters of circulation of the Venusian atmosphere.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures. Latex, uses elsart.cls (included). Higher resolution figures in original article. Planetary and Space Science, in pres

Submillimetric spectroscopic observations of volatiles in comet C/2004 Q2 (Machholz)

We aim to determine the production rates of several parent and product volatiles and the 12C/13C isotopic carbon ratio in the long-period comet C/2004 Q2 (Machholz), which is likely to originate from the Oort Cloud. The line emission from several molecules in the coma was measured with high signal-to-noise ratio in January 2005 at heliocentric distance of 1.2 AU by means of high-resolution spectroscopic observations using the Submillimeter Telescope (SMT). We have obtained production rates of several volatiles (CH3OH, HCN, H13CN, HNC, H2CO, CO and CS) by comparing the observed and simulated line-integrated intensities. Furthermore, multiline observations of the CH3OH (7-6) series allow us to estimate the rotational temperature using the rotation diagram technique. We find that the CH3OH population distribution of the levels sampled by these lines can be described by a rotational temperature of 40 \pm 3 K. Derived mixing ratios relative to hydrogen cyanide are CO/CH3OH/H2CO/CS/HNC/H13CN/HCN = 30.9/24.6/4.8/0.57/0.031/0.013/1 assuming a pointing offset of 8" due to the uncertain ephemeris at the time of the observations and the telescope pointing error. The measured relative molecular abundances in C/2004 Q2 (Machholz) are between low- to typical values of those obtained in Oort Cloud comets, suggesting that it has visited the inner solar system previously and undergone thermal processing. The HNC/HCN abundance ratio of ~3.1% is comparable to that found in other comets, accounting for the dependence on the heliocentric distance, and could possibly be explained by ion-molecule chemical processes in the low-temperature atmosphere. From a tentative H13CN detection, the measured value of 97 \pm 30 for the H12CN/H13CN isotopologue pair is consistent with a telluric value.Comment: 14 pages with 11 figures, abridged abstrac

A survey of volatile species in Oort cloud comets C/2001 Q4 (NEAT) and C/2002 T7 (LINEAR) at millimeter wavelengths

The line emission in the coma was measured in the comets C/2001 Q4 (NEAT) and C/2002 T7 (LINEAR), that were observed on five consecutive nights, 7-11 May 2004, at heliocentric distances of 1.0 and 0.7 AU, respectively, by means of high-resolution spectroscopy using the 10-m Submillimeter Telescope (SMT). We present a search for six parent- and product-volatile species (HCN, H2CO, CO, CS, CH3OH, and HNC) in both comets. Multiline observations of the CH3OH J = 5-4 series allow us to estimate the rotational temperature using the rotation diagram technique. We derive rotational temperatures of 54(9) K for C/2001 Q4 (NEAT) and 119(34) K for C/2002 T7 (LINEAR) that are roughly consistent with observations of other comets at similar distances from the Sun. The gas production rates of material are computed using a spherically symmetric molecular excitation code that includes collisions between neutrals and electrons. We find an HCN production rate of 2.96(5)e26 molec.s-1 for comet C/2001 Q4 (NEAT), corresponding to a mixing ratio with respect to H2O of 1.12(2)e-3. The mean HCN production rate during the observing period is 4.54(10)e26 molec.s-1 for comet C/2002 T7 (LINEAR), which gives a Q_HCN/Q_H2O mixing ratio of 1.51(3)e-3. With systematically lower mixing ratios in comet C/2001 Q4 (NEAT), production rate ratios of the observed species with respect to H2O lie within the typical ranges of dynamically new comets in both objects. We find a relative low abundance of CO in C/2001 Q4 (NEAT) compared to the observed range in other comets based on millimeter/submillimeter observations, and a significant upper limit on the CO production in C/2002 T7 (LINEAR) is derived. Depletion of CO suggests partial evaporation from the surface layers during previous visits to the outer Solar System and agrees with previous measurements of dynamically new comets.Comment: 20 pages, 18 figures. Minor changes to match the published versio

Searches for HCl and HF in comets 103P/Hartley 2 and C/2009 P1 (Garradd) with the Herschel space observatory

HCl and HF are expected to be the main reservoirs of fluorine and chlorine wherever hydrogen is predominantly molecular. They are found to be strongly depleted in dense molecular clouds, suggesting freeze-out onto grains in such cold environments. We can then expect that HCl and HF were also the major carriers of Cl and F in the gas and icy phases of the outer solar nebula, and were incorporated into comets. We aimed to measure the HCl and HF abundances in cometary ices as they can provide insights on the halogen chemistry in the early solar nebula. We searched for the J(1-0) lines of HCl and HF at 626 and 1232 GHz, respectively, using the HIFI instrument on board the Herschel Space Observatory. HCl was searched for in comets 103P/Hartley 2 and C/2009 P1 (Garradd), whereas observations of HF were conducted in comet C/2009 P1. In addition, observations of H$_2$O and H$_2^{18}$O lines were performed in C/2009 P1 to measure the H$_2$O production rate. Three lines of CH$_3$OH were serendipitously observed in the HCl receiver setting. HCl is not detected, whereas a marginal (3.6-$\sigma$) detection of HF is obtained. The upper limits for the HCl abundance relative to water are 0.011% and 0.022%, for 103P and C/2009 P1, respectively, showing that HCl is depleted with respect to the solar Cl/O abundance by a factor more than 6$^{+6}_{-3}$ in 103P, where the error is related to the uncertainty in the chlorine solar abundance. The marginal HF detection obtained in C/2009 P1 corresponds to an HF abundance relative to water of (1.8$\pm$0.5) $\times$ 10$^{-4}$, which is approximately consistent with a solar photospheric F/O abundance. The observed depletion of HCl suggests that HCl was not the main reservoir of chlorine in the regions of the solar nebula where these comets formed. HF was possibly the main fluorine compound in the gas phase of the outer solar nebula.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic

HIFI observations of warm gas in DR21: Shock versus radiative heating

The molecular gas in the DR21 massive star formation region is known to be affected by the strong UV field from the central star cluster and by a fast outflow creating a bright shock. The relative contribution of both heating mechanisms is the matter of a long debate. By better sampling the excitation ladder of various tracers we provide a quantitative distinction between the different heating mechanisms. HIFI observations of mid-J transitions of CO and HCO+ isotopes allow us to bridge the gap in excitation energies between observations from the ground, characterizing the cooler gas, and existing ISO LWS spectra, constraining the properties of the hot gas. Comparing the detailed line profiles allows to identify the physical structure of the different components. In spite of the known shock-excitation of H2 and the clearly visible strong outflow, we find that the emission of all lines up to > 2 THz can be explained by purely radiative heating of the material. However, the new Herschel/HIFI observations reveal two types of excitation conditions. We find hot and dense clumps close to the central cluster, probably dynamically affected by the outflow, and a more widespread distribution of cooler, but nevertheless dense, molecular clumps.Comment: Accepted for publication by A&

Remote sensing vegetation index methods to evaluate changes in greenness and evapotranspiration in riparian vegetation in response to the Minute 319 environmental pulse flow to Mexico

During the spring of 2014, 130 million&thinsp;m3 of water were released from the United States' Morelos Dam on the lower Colorado River to Mexico, allowing water to reach the Gulf of California for the first time in 13 years. Our study assessed the effects of water transfer or ecological environmental flows from one nation to another, using remote sensing. Spatial applications for water resource evaluation are important for binational, integrated water resources management and planning for the Colorado River, which includes seven basin states in the US plus two states in Mexico. Our study examined the effects of the historic binational experiment (the Minute 319 agreement) on vegetative response along the riparian corridor. We used 250&thinsp;m Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) and 30&thinsp;m Landsat 8 satellite imagery to track evapotranspiration (ET) and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). Our analysis showed an overall increase in NDVI and evapotranspiration (ET) in the year following the 2014 pulse, which reversed a decline in those metrics since the last major flood in 2000. NDVI and ET levels decreased in 2015, but were still significantly higher (P&thinsp;&lt;&thinsp;0.001) than pre-pulse (2013) levels. Preliminary findings show that the decline in 2015 persisted into 2016 and 2017. We continue to analyse results for 2018 in comparison to short-term (2013–2018) and long-term (2000–2018) trends. Our results support the conclusion that these environmental flows from the US to Mexico via the Minute 319 “pulse” had a positive, but short-lived (1 year), impact on vegetation growth in the delta.</p

An upper limit for the water outgassing rate of the main-belt comet 176P/LINEAR observed with Herschel/HIFI

176P/LINEAR is a member of the new cometary class known as main-belt comets (MBCs). It displayed cometary activity shortly during its 2005 perihelion passage that may be driven by the sublimation of sub-surface ices. We have therefore searched for emission of the H2O 110-101 ground state rotational line at 557 GHz toward 176P/LINEAR with the Heterodyne Instrument for the Far Infrared (HIFI) on board the Herschel Space Observatory on UT 8.78 August 2011, about 40 days after its most recent perihelion passage, when the object was at a heliocentric distance of 2.58 AU. No H2O line emission was detected in our observations, from which we derive sensitive 3-sigma upper limits for the water production rate and column density of < 4e25 molec/s and of < 3e10 cm^{-2}, respectively. From the peak brightness measured during the object's active period in 2005, this upper limit is lower than predicted by the relation between production rates and visual magnitudes observed for a sample of comets by Jorda et al. (2008) at this heliocentric distance. Thus, 176P/LINEAR was likely less active at the time of our observation than during its previous perihelion passage. The retrieved upper limit is lower than most values derived for the H2O production rate from the spectroscopic search for CN emission in MBCs.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures. Minor changes to match published versio

Gas morphology and energetics at the surface of PDRs: new insights with Herschel observations of NGC 7023

We investigate the physics and chemistry of the gas and dust in dense photon-dominated regions (PDRs), along with their dependence on the illuminating UV field. Using Herschel-HIFI observations, we study the gas energetics in NGC 7023 in relation to the morphology of this nebula. NGC 7023 is the prototype of a PDR illuminated by a B2V star and is one of the key targets of Herschel. Our approach consists in determining the energetics of the region by combining the information carried by the mid-IR spectrum (extinction by classical grains, emission from very small dust particles) with that of the main gas coolant lines. In this letter, we discuss more specifically the intensity and line profile of the 158 micron (1901 GHz) [CII] line measured by HIFI and provide information on the emitting gas. We show that both the [CII] emission and the mid-IR emission from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) arise from the regions located in the transition zone between atomic and molecular gas. Using the Meudon PDR code and a simple transfer model, we find good agreement between the calculated and observed [CII] intensities. HIFI observations of NGC 7023 provide the opportunity to constrain the energetics at the surface of PDRs. Future work will include analysis of the main coolant line [OI] and use of a new PDR model that includes PAH-related species.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics Letters (Herschel HIFI special issue), 5 pages, 5 figure

First results on Martian carbon monoxide from Herschel/HIFI observations

We report on the initial analysis of Herschel/HIFI carbon monoxide (CO) observations of the Martian atmosphere performed between 11 and 16 April 2010. We selected the (7-6) rotational transitions of the isotopes ^{13}CO at 771 GHz and C^{18}O at 768 GHz in order to retrieve the mean vertical profile of temperature and the mean volume mixing ratio of carbon monoxide. The derived temperature profile agrees within less than 5 K with general circulation model (GCM) predictions up to an altitude of 45 km, however, show about 12-15 K lower values at 60 km. The CO mixing ratio was determined as 980 \pm 150 ppm, in agreement with the 900 ppm derived from Herschel/SPIRE observations in November 2009.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics (special issue on HIFI first results); minor changes to match published versio

Operators on the Fréchet sequence space ces(p+), 1≤p<∞1 \leq p < \infty

[EN] The Fréchet sequence spaces ces(p+) are very different to the Fréchet sequence spaces ¿p+,1¿pp}\ell ^q$$ ℓ p + = ∩ q > p ℓ q . Math. Nachr. 147, 7–12 (1990)Pérez Carreras, P., Bonet, J.: Barrelled Locally Convex Spaces. North Holland, Amsterdam (1987)Pitt, H.R.: A note on bilinear forms. J. Lond. Math. Soc. 11, 171–174 (1936)Ricker, W.J.: A spectral mapping theorem for scalar-type spectral operators in locally convex spaces. Integral Equ. Oper. Theory 8, 276–288 (1985)Robertson, A.P., Robertson, W.: Topological Vector Spaces. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (1973)Waelbroeck, L.: Topological vector spaces and algebras. Lecture Notes in Mathematics, vol. 230. Springer, Berlin (1971