Behind the dust curtain: the spectacular case of GRB 160623A

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pintore, F.; Tiengo, A.; Mereghetti, S.; Vianello, G.; Salvaterra, R.; Esposito, P.; Costantini, E.; Giuliani, A.; Bosnjak, Z.

2017-12-01

We report on the X-ray dust-scattering features observed around the afterglow of the gamma-ray burst GRB 160623A. With an XMM-Newton observation carried out ∼2 d after the burst, we found evidence of at least six rings, with angular size expanding between ∼2 and 9 arcmin, as expected for X-ray scattering of the prompt gamma-ray burst (GRB) emission by dust clouds in our Galaxy. From the expansion rate of the rings, we measured the distances of the dust layers with extraordinary precision: 528.1 ± 1.2, 679.2 ± 1.9, 789.0 ± 2.8, 952 ± 5, 1539 ± 20 and 5079 ± 64 pc. A spectral analysis of the ring spectra, based on an appropriate dust-scattering model (BARE-GR-B) and the estimated burst fluence, allowed us to derive the column density of the individual dust layers, which are in the range 7 × 1020-1.5 × 1022 cm-2. The farthest dust layer (i.e. the one responsible for the smallest ring) is also the one with the lowest column density and it is possibly very extended, indicating a diffuse dust region. The properties derived for the six dust layers (distance, thickness and optical depth) are generally in good agreement with independent information on the reddening along this line of sight and on the distribution of molecular and atomic gas.

Distribution of Dust from Kuiper Belt Objects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gorkavyi, Nick N.; Ozernoy, Leonid; Taidakova, Tanya; Mather, John C.; Fisher, Richard (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

Using an efficient computational approach, we have reconstructed the structure of the dust cloud in the Solar system between 0.5 and 100 AU produced by the Kuiper belt objects. Our simulations offer a 3-D physical model of the 'kuiperoidal' dust cloud based on the distribution of 280 dust particle trajectories produced by 100 known Kuiper belt objects; the resulting 3-D grid consists of 1.9 x 10' cells containing 1.2 x 10" particle positions. The following processes that influence the dust particle dynamics are taken into account: 1) gravitational scattering on the eight planets (neglecting Pluto); 2) planetary resonances; 3) radiation pressure; and 4) the Poynting-Robertson (P-R) and solar wind drags. We find the dust distribution highly non-uniform: there is a minimum in the kuiperoidal dust between Mars and Jupiter, after which both the column and number densities of kuiperoidal dust sharply increase with heliocentric distance between 5 and 10 AU, and then form a plateau between 10 and 50 AU. Between 25 and 45 AU, there is an appreciable concentration of kuiperoidal dust in the form of a broad belt of mostly resonant particles associated with Neptune. In fact, each giant planet possesses its own circumsolar dust belt consisting of both resonant and gravitationally scattered particles. As with the cometary belts simulated in our related papers, we reveal a rich and sophisticated resonant structure of the dust belts containing families of resonant peaks and gaps. An important result is that both the column and number dust density are more or less flat between 10 and 50 AU, which might explain the surprising data obtained by Pioneers 10 & 11 and Voyager that the dust number density remains approximately distance-independent in this region. The simulated kuiperoidal dust, in addition to asteroidal and cometary dust, might represent a third possible source of the zodiacal light in the Solar system.

Infrared dust bubble CS51 and its interaction with the surrounding interstellar medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Das, Swagat R.; Tej, Anandmayee; Vig, Sarita; Liu, Hong-Li; Liu, Tie; Ishwara Chandra, C. H.; Ghosh, Swarna K.

2017-12-01

A multiwavelength investigation of the southern infrared dust bubble CS51 is presented in this paper. We probe the associated ionized, cold dust, molecular and stellar components. Radio continuum emission mapped at 610 and 1300 MHz, using the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope, India, reveals the presence of three compact emission components (A, B, and C) apart from large-scale diffuse emission within the bubble interior. Radio spectral index map shows the co-existence of thermal and non-thermal emission components. Modified blackbody fits to the thermal dust emission using Herschel Photodetector Array Camera and Spectrometer and Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receiver data is performed to generate dust temperature and column density maps. We identify five dust clumps associated with CS51 with masses and radius in the range 810-4600 M⊙ and 1.0-1.9 pc, respectively. We further construct the column density probability distribution functions of the surrounding cold dust which display the impact of ionization feedback from high-mass stars. The estimated dynamical and fragmentation time-scales indicate the possibility of collect and collapse mechanism in play at the bubble border. Molecular line emission from the Millimeter Astronomy Legacy Team 90 GHz survey is used to understand the nature of two clumps which show signatures of expansion of CS51.

Observations of circumstellar carbon monoxide and evidence for multiple ejections in red giants

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bernat, A. P.

1981-01-01

Observations of the fundamental 4.6 micron band of CO in nine red giants are presented. A common feature is multiple absorption lines which are identified as products of separate components or shells. Column densities are derived; the relative values should be free of the uncertainties inherent in determining the absolute scale. These column densities are well fitted by single excitation temperatures for each absorption component; these excitation temperatures are identified with the local kinetic temperatures. There is no correlation of CO column density with either gas or dust column density nor of the expansion velocity of the component with its distance from the star. The evidence is reviewed, and it is concluded that mass loss from red giants is most likely episodic in nature.

AIRIS Wide Area Detection System

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-07-01

herbicola, the chemical stimulant SF6, as well as the interferents kaolin clay dust, Dugway road dust, and diesel soot. In this paper we will report on...the SF6 column density of approximately 200 ppmv-m. In future work we hope to correlate this measurement with a Gaussian plume dispersion model of

Physical conditions in CaFe interstellar clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gnaciński, P.; Krogulec, M.

2008-01-01

Interstellar clouds that exhibit strong Ca I and Fe I lines are called CaFe clouds. Ionisation equilibrium equations were used to model the column densities of Ca II, Ca I, K I, Na I, Fe I and Ti II in CaFe clouds. We find that the chemical composition of CaFe clouds is solar and that there is no depletion into dust grains. CaFe clouds have high electron densities, n_e≈1 cm-3, that lead to high column densities of neutral Ca and Fe.

Physical properties of Southern infrared dark clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vasyunina, T.; Linz, H.; Henning, Th.; Stecklum, B.; Klose, S.; Nyman, L.-Å.

2009-05-01

Context: What are the mechanisms by which massive stars form? What are the initial conditions for these processes? It is commonly assumed that cold and dense Infrared Dark Clouds (IRDCs) represent the birth-sites of massive stars. Therefore, these clouds have been receiving an increasing amount of attention, and their analysis offers the opportunity to tackle the afore mentioned questions. Aims: To enlarge the sample of well-characterised IRDCs in the southern hemisphere, where ALMA will play a major role in the near future, we have developed a program to study the gas and dust of southern infrared dark clouds. The present paper attempts to characterize the continuum properties of this sample of IRDCs. Methods: We cross-correlated 1.2 mm continuum data from SIMBA bolometer array mounted on SEST telescope with Spitzer/GLIMPSE images to establish the connection between emission sources at millimeter wavelengths and the IRDCs that we observe at 8 μm in absorption against the bright PAH background. Analysing the dust emission and extinction enables us to determine the masses and column densities, which are important quantities in characterizing the initial conditions of massive star formation. We also evaluated the limitations of the emission and extinction methods. Results: The morphology of the 1.2 mm continuum emission is in all cases in close agreement with the mid-infrared extinction. The total masses of the IRDCs were found to range from 150 to 1150 M_⊙ (emission data) and from 300 to 1750 M_⊙ (extinction data). We derived peak column densities of between 0.9 and 4.6 × 1022 cm-2 (emission data) and 2.1 and 5.4 × 1022 cm-2 (extinction data). We demonstrate that the extinction method is unreliable at very high extinction values (and column densities) beyond AV values of roughly 75 mag according to the Weingartner & Draine (2001) extinction relation RV = 5.5 model B (around 200 mag when following the common Mathis (1990, ApJ, 548, 296) extinction calibration). By taking the spatial resolution effects into account and restoring the column densities derived from the dust emission to a linear resolution of 0.01 pc, peak column densities of 3-19 × 1023 cm-2 are obtained, which are much higher than typical values for low-mass cores. Conclusions: Taking into account the spatial resolution effects, the derived column densities are beyond the column density threshold of 3.0 × 1023 cm-2 required by theoretical considerations for massive star formation. We conclude that the values of column densities derived for the selected IRDC sample imply that these objects are excellent candidates for objects in the earliest stages of massive star formation.

Behind the dust curtain: the spectacular case of GRB 160623A

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pintore, F.; Tiengo, A.; Mereghetti, S.

Here, we report on the X-ray dust-scattering features observed around the afterglow of the gamma-ray burst GRB 160623A. With an XMM–Newton observation carried out ~2 d after the burst, we found evidence of at least six rings, with angular size expanding between ~2 and 9 arcmin, as expected for X-ray scattering of the prompt gamma-ray burst (GRB) emission by dust clouds in our Galaxy. From the expansion rate of the rings, we measured the distances of the dust layers with extraordinary precision: 528.1 ± 1.2, 679.2 ± 1.9, 789.0 ± 2.8, 952 ± 5, 1539 ± 20 and 5079 ±more » 64 pc. A spectral analysis of the ring spectra, based on an appropriate dust-scattering model (BARE-GR-B) and the estimated burst fluence, allowed us to derive the column density of the individual dust layers, which are in the range 7 × 10 20–1.5 × 10 22 cm –2. The farthest dust layer (i.e. the one responsible for the smallest ring) is also the one with the lowest column density and it is possibly very extended, indicating a diffuse dust region. The properties derived for the six dust layers (distance, thickness and optical depth) are generally in good agreement with independent information on the reddening along this line of sight and on the distribution of molecular and atomic gas.« less

Behind the dust curtain: the spectacular case of GRB 160623A

DOE PAGES

Pintore, F.; Tiengo, A.; Mereghetti, S.; ...

2017-08-14

Here, we report on the X-ray dust-scattering features observed around the afterglow of the gamma-ray burst GRB 160623A. With an XMM–Newton observation carried out ~2 d after the burst, we found evidence of at least six rings, with angular size expanding between ~2 and 9 arcmin, as expected for X-ray scattering of the prompt gamma-ray burst (GRB) emission by dust clouds in our Galaxy. From the expansion rate of the rings, we measured the distances of the dust layers with extraordinary precision: 528.1 ± 1.2, 679.2 ± 1.9, 789.0 ± 2.8, 952 ± 5, 1539 ± 20 and 5079 ±more » 64 pc. A spectral analysis of the ring spectra, based on an appropriate dust-scattering model (BARE-GR-B) and the estimated burst fluence, allowed us to derive the column density of the individual dust layers, which are in the range 7 × 10 20–1.5 × 10 22 cm –2. The farthest dust layer (i.e. the one responsible for the smallest ring) is also the one with the lowest column density and it is possibly very extended, indicating a diffuse dust region. The properties derived for the six dust layers (distance, thickness and optical depth) are generally in good agreement with independent information on the reddening along this line of sight and on the distribution of molecular and atomic gas.« less

Multiwavelength studies of the gas and dust disc of IRAS 04158+2805

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glauser, A. M.; Ménard, F.; Pinte, C.; Duchêne, G.; Güdel, M.; Monin, J.-L.; Padgett, D. L.

2008-07-01

We present a study of the circumstellar environment of IRAS 04158+2805 based on multi-wavelength observations and models. Images in the optical and near-infrared, a polarisation map in the optical, and mid-infrared spectra were obtained with VLT-FORS1, CFHT-IR, and Spitzer-IRS. Additionally we used an X-ray spectrum observed with Chandra. We interpret the observations in terms of a central star surrounded by an axisymmetric circumstellar disc, but without an envelope, to test the validity of this simple geometry. We estimate the structural properties of the disc and its gas and dust content. We modelled the dust disc with a 3D continuum radiative transfer code, MCFOST, based on a Monte-Carlo method that provides synthetic scattered light images and polarisation maps, as well as spectral energy distributions. We find that the disc images and spectral energy distribution narrowly constrain many of the disc model parameters, such as a total dust mass of 1.0-1.75×10-4 M_⊙ and an inclination of 62°-63°. The maximum grain size required to fit all available data is of the order of 1.6-2.8 μm although the upper end of this range is loosely constrained. The observed optical polarisation map is reproduced well by the same disc model, suggesting that the geometry we find is adequate and the optical properties are representative of the visible dust content. We compare the inferred dust column density to the gas column density derived from the X-ray spectrum and find a gas-to-dust ratio along the line of sight that is consistent with the ISM value. To our knowledge, this measurement is the first to directly compare dust and gas column densities in a protoplanetary disc. Based on observations obtained at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) which is operated by the National Research Council of Canada, the Institut National des Sciences de l'Univers of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique of France, and the University of Hawaii. Based also on data collected at ESO/VLT during observation program 68-C.0171.

Shadows and Dust: Mid-Infrared Extinction Mapping of the Initial Conditions of Massive Star and Star Cluster Formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Jonathan

We describe a research plan to develop and extend the mid-infrared (MIR) extinction mapping technique presented by Butler & Tan (2009), who studied Infrared Dark Clouds (IRDCs) using Spitzer Space Telescope Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) 8 micron images. This method has the ability to probe the detailed spatial structure of very high column density regions, i.e. the gas clouds thought to represent the initial conditions for massive star and star cluster formation. We will analyze the data Spitzer obtained at other wavelengths, i.e. the IRAC bands at 3.6, 4.5 and 5.8 microns, and the Multiband Imaging Photometer (MIPS) bands, especially at 24 microns. This will allow us to measure the dust extinction law across the MIR and search for evidence of dust grain evolution, e.g. grain growth and ice mantle formation, as a function of gas density and column density. We will also study the detailed structure of the extinction features, including individual cores that may form single stars or close binaries, especially focusing on those cores that may form massive stars. By studying independent dark cores in a given IRDC, we will be able to test if they have a common minimum observed intensity, which we will then attribute to the foreground. This is a new method that should allow us to more accurately map distant, high column density IRDCs, probing more extreme regimes of star formation. We will combine MIR extinction mapping, which works best at high column densities, with near- IR mapping based on 2MASS images of star fields, which is most useful at lower columns that probe the extended giant molecular cloud structure. This information is crucial to help understand the formation process of IRDCs, which may be the rate limiting step for global galactic star formation rates. We will use our new extinction mapping methods to analyze large samples of IRDCs and thus search the Galaxy for the most extreme examples of high column density cores and assess the global star formation efficiency in dense gas. We will estimate the ability of future NASA missions, such as JWST, to carry out MIR extinction mapping science. We will develop the results of this research into an E/PO presentation to be included in the various public outreach events organized and courses taught by the PI.

An analysis of OH excited state absorption lines in DR 21 and K3-50

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, K. N.; Doel, R. C.; Field, D.; Gray, M. D.; Walker, R. N. F.

1992-10-01

We present an analysis of the OH absorption line zones observed toward the compact H II regions DR 21 and K3-50. Using as parameters the kinetic and dust temperatures, the H2 number density and the ratio of OH-H2 number densities to the velocity gradient, the model quantitatively reproduces the absorption line data for the six main line transitions in 2 Pi3/2 J = 5/2, 7/2, and 9/2. Observed upper limits for the absorption or emission in the satellite lines of 2 Pi3/2 J = 5/2 are crucial in constraining the range of derived parameters. Physical conditions derived for DR 21 show that the kinetic temperature centers around 140 K, the H2 number density around 10 exp 7/cu cm, and that the OH column density in the excited state absorption zone lies between 1 x 10 exp 15/sq cm and 2 x 10 exp 15/sq cm. Including contributions from a J = 3/2 absorption zone, the total OH column density is more than a factor of 2 lower than estimates based upon LTE (Walmsley et al., 1986). The OH absorption zone in K3-50 tends toward higher density and displays a larger column density, while the kinetic temperature is similar. For both sources, the dust temperature is found to be significantly lower than the kinetic temperature.

X-Ray Dust Tomography: Mapping the Galaxy one X-ray Transient at a Time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heinz, Sebastian; Corrales, Lia

2018-01-01

Tomography using X-ray light echoes from dust scattering by interstellar clouds is an accurate tool to study the line-of-sight distribution of dust. It can be used to measure distances to molecular clouds and X-ray sources, it can map Galactic structure in dust, and it can be used for precision measurements of dust composition and grain size distribution. Necessary conditions for observing echoes include a suitable X-ray lightcurve and sufficient dust column density to the source. I will discuss a tool set for studying dust echoes and show results obtained for some of the brightest echoes detected to date.

Understanding star formation in molecular clouds. I. Effects of line-of-sight contamination on the column density structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schneider, N.; Ossenkopf, V.; Csengeri, T.; Klessen, R. S.; Federrath, C.; Tremblin, P.; Girichidis, P.; Bontemps, S.; André, Ph.

2015-03-01

Column-density maps of molecular clouds are one of the most important observables in the context of molecular cloud- and star-formation (SF) studies. With the Herschel satellite it is now possible to precisely determine the column density from dust emission, which is the best tracer of the bulk of material in molecular clouds. However, line-of-sight (LOS) contamination from fore- or background clouds can lead to overestimating the dust emission of molecular clouds, in particular for distant clouds. This implies values that are too high for column density and mass, which can potentially lead to an incorrect physical interpretation of the column density probability distribution function (PDF). In this paper, we use observations and simulations to demonstrate how LOS contamination affects the PDF. We apply a first-order approximation (removing a constant level) to the molecular clouds of Auriga and Maddalena (low-mass star-forming), and Carina and NGC 3603 (both high-mass SF regions). In perfect agreement with the simulations, we find that the PDFs become broader, the peak shifts to lower column densities, and the power-law tail of the PDF for higher column densities flattens after correction. All corrected PDFs have a lognormal part for low column densities with a peak at Av ~ 2 mag, a deviation point (DP) from the lognormal at Av(DP) ~ 4-5 mag, and a power-law tail for higher column densities. Assuming an equivalent spherical density distribution ρ ∝ r- α, the slopes of the power-law tails correspond to αPDF = 1.8, 1.75, and 2.5 for Auriga, Carina, and NGC 3603. These numbers agree within the uncertainties with the values of α ≈ 1.5,1.8, and 2.5 determined from the slope γ (with α = 1-γ) obtained from the radial column density profiles (N ∝ rγ). While α ~ 1.5-2 is consistent with a structure dominated by collapse (local free-fall collapse of individual cores and clumps and global collapse), the higher value of α > 2 for NGC 3603 requires a physical process that leads to additional compression (e.g., expanding ionization fronts). From the small sample of our study, we find that clouds forming only low-mass stars and those also forming high-mass stars have slightly different values for their average column density (1.8 × 1021 cm-2 vs. 3.0 × 1021 cm-2), and they display differences in the overall column density structure. Massive clouds assemble more gas in smaller cloud volumes than low-mass SF ones. However, for both cloud types, the transition of the PDF from lognormal shape into power-law tail is found at the same column density (at Av ~ 4-5 mag). Low-mass and high-mass SF clouds then have the same low column density distribution, most likely dominated by supersonic turbulence. At higher column densities, collapse and external pressure can form the power-law tail. The relative importance of the twoprocesses can vary between clouds and thus lead to the observed differences in PDF and column density structure. Appendices are available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.orgHerschel maps as FITS files are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (ftp://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/575/A79

Two-dimensional positive column structure with dust cloud: Experiment and nonlocal kinetic simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zobnin, A. V.; Usachev, A. D.; Petrov, O. F.; Fortov, V. E.; Thoma, M. H.; Fink, M. A.

2018-03-01

The influence of a dust cloud on the structure of the positive column of a direct current gas discharge in a cylindrical glass tube under milligravity conditions has been studied both experimentally and numerically. The discharge was produced in neon at 60 Pa in a glass tube with a diameter of 30 mm at a discharge current 1 mA. Spherical monodisperse melamine formaldehyde dust particles with a diameter of 6.86 μm were injected into the positive column and formed there a uniform dust cloud with a maximum diameter of 14.4 mm. The shape of the cloud and the dust particle number density were measured. The cloud was stationary in the radial direction and slowly drifted in the axial direction. It was found that in the presence of the dust cloud, the intensity of the neon spectral line with a wavelength by 585.25 nm emitted by the discharge plasma increased by 2.3 times and 2 striations appeared on the anode side of the cloud. A numerical simulation of the discharge was performed using the 2D (quasi-3D) nonlocal self-consistent kinetic model of a longitudinally inhomogeneous axially symmetric positive column [Zobnin et al., Phys. Plasmas 21, 113503 (2014)], which was supplemented by a program module performing a self-consistent calculation of dust particle charges, the plasma recombination rate on dust particles, and ion scattering on dust particles. A new approach to the calculation of particle charges and the screening radius in dense dust clouds is proposed. The results of the simulation are presented, compared with experimental data and discussed. It is demonstrated that for the best agreement between simulated and experimental data, it is necessary to take into account the reflection of electrons from the dust particle surface in order to correctly describe the recombination rate in the cloud, its radial stability, and the dust particle charges.

A Deep Herschel/PACS Observation of CO(40-39) in NGC 1068: A Search for the Molecular Torus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Janssen, A. W.; Bruderer, S.; Sturm, E.; Contursi, A.; Davies, R.; Hailey-Dunsheath, S.; Poglitsch, A.; Genzel, R.; Graciá-Carpio, J.; Lutz, D.; Tacconi, L.; Fischer, J.; González-Alfonso, E.; Sternberg, A.; Veilleux, S.; Verma, A.; Burtscher, L.

2015-10-01

Emission from high-J CO lines in galaxies has long been proposed as a tracer of X-ray dominated regions (XDRs) produced by active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Of particular interest is the question of whether the obscuring torus, which is required by AGN unification models, can be observed via high-J CO cooling lines. Here we report on the analysis of a deep Herschel/PACS observation of an extremely high-J CO transition (40-39) in the Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 1068. The line was not detected, with a derived 3σ upper limit of 2× {10}-17 {{W}} {{{m}}}-2. We apply an XDR model in order to investigate whether the upper limit constrains the properties of a molecular torus in NGC 1068. The XDR model predicts the CO spectral line energy distributions for various gas densities and illuminating X-ray fluxes. In our model, the CO(40-39) upper limit is matched by gas with densities of ˜ {10}6-{10}7 {{cm}}-3, located at 1.6-5 pc from the AGN, with column densities of at least {10}25 {{cm}}-2. At such high column densities, however, dust absorbs most of the CO(40-39) line emission at λ =65.69 μ {{m}}. Therefore, even if NGC 1068 has a molecular torus that radiates in the CO(40-39) line, the dust can attenuate the line emission to below the PACS detection limit. The upper limit is thus consistent with the existence of a molecular torus in NGC 1068. In general, we expect that the CO(40-39) is observable in only a few AGN nuclei (if at all), because of the required high gas column density, and absorption by dust.

Evolution of the dust-to-metals ratio in high-redshift galaxies probed by GRB-DLAs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wiseman, P.; Schady, P.; Bolmer, J.; Krühler, T.; Yates, R. M.; Greiner, J.; Fynbo, J. P. U.

2017-03-01

Context. Several issues regarding the nature of dust at high redshift remain unresolved: its composition, its production and growth mechanisms, and its effect on background sources. Aims: We provide a more accurate relation between dust depletion levels and dust-to-metals ratio (DTM), and to use the DTM to investigate the origin and evolution of dust in the high-redshift Universe via gamma-ray burst damped Lyman-alpha absorbers (GRB-DLAs). Methods: We use absorption-line measured metal column densities for a total of 19 GRB-DLAs, including five new GRB afterglow spectra from VLT/X-Shooter. We use the latest linear models to calculate the dust depletion strength factor in each DLA. Using these values we calculate total dust and metal column densities to determine a DTM. We explore the evolution of DTM with metallicity, and compare it to previous trends in DTM measured with different methods. Results: We find significant dust depletion in 16 of our 19 GRB-DLAs, yet 18 of the 19 have a DTM significantly lower than the Milky Way. We find that DTM is positively correlated with metallicity, which supports a dominant ISM grain-growth mode of dust formation. We find a substantial discrepancy between the dust content measured from depletion and that derived from the total V-band extinction, AV, measured by fitting the afterglow SED. We advise against using a measurement from one method to estimate that from the other until the discrepancy can be resolved. Based on observations collected at the European Southern Observatory, Paranal, Chile, Program IDs: 088.A-0051(B), 089.A-0067(B), 091.C-0934, 094.A-0134(A).

Numerical Simulations of Martian Fog Formation in the Low Latitudes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Inada, A.

2002-09-01

The formation of Martian surface fog is simulated by a one-dimensional model including the micro-physical processes of heterogeneous nucleation, condensation, and sublimation. The model includes diurnal cycle of water vapor in the 1 km surface layer which is spatially resolved. The results show that the column density of water ice in fog strongly depends on the water vapor density near the surface. If the mixing ratio of water vapor is 300 ppm near the surface, the simulations show that a thin fog layer appears with a maximum column density of 0.145 precipitable microns. If the mixing ratio is 600 ppm, the value measured by the Mars Pathfinder, the column density of water ice reaches 0.75 precipitable microns. It is also found that if the boundary layer is strongly turbulent the total amount of ice formed is small, since the ice particles are transported to the unsaturated higher atmospheric layers and sublimate there. Fog particles, which are large enough to precipitate to the lower atmosphere play a significant role in determining the altitude distribution of water vapor. It is noteworthy that the size distribution of all of the aerosols has two peaks once fog appears. This is because nucleation on large dust particles is so much faster than on the small ones, that the small dust particles are hardly coated by ice. The simulations assume an initial dust distribution with effective radius of 1.6 microns. Once fog forms this peak remains and is populated with particles with little water ice. A secondary peak is formed at about 10 microns corresponding to particles which are mostly water ice. This research was carried out under the partial support of JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowships for Research Abroad.

HP2 survey. III. The California Molecular Cloud: A sleeping giant revisited

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lada, Charles J.; Lewis, John A.; Lombardi, Marco; Alves, João

2017-10-01

We present new high resolution and dynamic range dust column density and temperature maps of the California Molecular Cloud derived from a combination of Planck and Herschel dust-emission maps, and 2MASS NIR dust-extinction maps. We used these data to determine the ratio of the 2.2 μm extinction coefficient to the 850 μm opacity and found the value to be close to that found in similar studies of the Orion B and Perseus clouds but higher than that characterizing the Orion A cloud, indicating that variations in the fundamental optical properties of dust may exist between local clouds. We show that over a wide range of extinction, the column density probability distribution function (pdf) of the cloud can be well described by a simple power law (I.e., PDFN ∝ AK -n) with an index (n = 4.0 ± 0.1) that represents a steeper decline with AK than found (n ≈ 3) in similar studies of the Orion and Perseus clouds. Using only the protostellar population of the cloud and our extinction maps we investigate the Schmidt relation, that is, the relation between the protostellar surface density, Σ∗, and extinction, AK, within the cloud. We show that Σ∗ is directly proportional to the ratio of the protostellar and cloud pdfs, I.e., PDF∗(AK)/PDFN(AK). We use the cumulative distribution of protostars to infer the functional forms for both Σ∗ and PDF∗. We find that Σ∗ is best described by two power-law functions. At extinctions AK ≲ 2.5 mag, Σ∗ ∝ AK β with β = 3.3 while at higher extinctions β = 2.5, both values steeper than those (≈2) found in other local giant molecular clouds (GMCs). We find that PDF∗ is a declining function of extinction also best described by two power-laws whose behavior mirrors that of Σ∗. Our observations suggest that variations both in the slope of the Schmidt relation and in the sizes of the protostellar populations between GMCs are largely driven by variations in the slope, n, of PDFN(AK). This confirms earlier studies suggesting that cloud structure plays a major role in setting the global star formation rates in GMCs HP2 (Herschel-Planck-2MASS) survey is a continuation of the series originally entitled "Herschel-Planck dust opacity and column density maps" (Lombardi et al. 2014, Zari et al. 2016).The reduced Herschel and Planck map and the column density and temperature maps are available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/606/A100

The ATLASGAL survey: distribution of cold dust in the Galactic plane. Combination with Planck data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Csengeri, T.; Weiss, A.; Wyrowski, F.; Menten, K. M.; Urquhart, J. S.; Leurini, S.; Schuller, F.; Beuther, H.; Bontemps, S.; Bronfman, L.; Henning, Th.; Schneider, N.

2016-01-01

Context. Sensitive ground-based submillimeter surveys, such as ATLASGAL, provide a global view on the distribution of cold dense gas in the Galactic plane at up to two-times better angular-resolution compared to recent space-based surveys with Herschel. However, a drawback of ground-based continuum observations is that they intrinsically filter emission, at angular scales larger than a fraction of the field-of-view of the array, when subtracting the sky noise in the data processing. The lost information on the distribution of diffuse emission can be, however, recovered from space-based, all-sky surveys with Planck. Aims: Here we aim to demonstrate how this information can be used to complement ground-based bolometer data and present reprocessed maps of the APEX Telescope Large Area Survey of the Galaxy (ATLASGAL) survey. Methods: We use the maps at 353 GHz from the Planck/HFI instrument, which performed a high sensitivity all-sky survey at a frequency close to that of the APEX/LABOCA array, which is centred on 345 GHz. Complementing the ground-based observations with information on larger angular scales, the resulting maps reveal the distribution of cold dust in the inner Galaxy with a larger spatial dynamic range. We visually describe the observed features and assess the global properties of dust distribution. Results: Adding information from large angular scales helps to better identify the global properties of the cold Galactic interstellar medium. To illustrate this, we provide mass estimates from the dust towards the W43 star-forming region and estimate a column density contrast of at least a factor of five between a low intensity halo and the star-forming ridge. We also show examples of elongated structures extending over angular scales of 0.5°, which we refer to as thin giant filaments. Corresponding to > 30 pc structures in projection at a distance of 3 kpc, these dust lanes are very extended and show large aspect ratios. We assess the fraction of dense gas by determining the contribution of the APEX/LABOCA maps to the combined maps, and estimate 2-5% for the dense gas fraction (corresponding to Av> 7 mag) on average in the Galactic plane. We also show probability distribution functions of the column density (N-PDF), which reveal the typically observed log-normal distribution for low column density and exhibit an excess at high column densities. As a reference for extragalactic studies, we show the line-of-sight integrated N-PDF of the inner Galaxy, and derive a contribution of this excess to the total column density of ~ 2.2%, corresponding to NH2 = 2.92 × 1022 cm-2. Taking the total flux density observed in the maps, we provide an independent estimate of the mass of molecular gas in the inner Galaxy of ~ 1 × 109 M⊙, which is consistent with previous estimates using CO emission. From the mass and dense gas fraction (fDG), we estimate a Galactic SFR of Ṁ = 1.3 M⊙ yr-1. Conclusions: Retrieving the extended emission helps to better identify massive giant filaments which are elongated and confined structures. We show that the log-normal distribution of low column density gas is ubiquitous in the inner Galaxy. While the distribution of diffuse gas is relatively homogenous in the inner Galaxy, the central molecular zone (CMZ) stands out with a higher dense gas fraction despite its low star formation efficiency.Altogether our findings explain well the observed low star formation efficiency of the Milky Way by the low fDG in the Galactic ISM. In contrast, the high fDG observed towards the CMZ, despite its low star formation activity, suggests that, in that particular region of our Galaxy, high density gas is not the bottleneck for star formation.

ALMA Reveals a Compact Starburst Around a Hidden QSO at z˜5

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gilli, R.; Norman, C. A.; Vignali, C.

2015-12-01

We present ALMA 1.3mm observations of XID403, an SMG at z=4.75 in the Chandra Deep Field South hosting a heavily obscured, Compton-thick QSO. The ALMA data show that the dust heated by star formation is distributed within ˜0.9 kpc from the nucleus (effective radius). The SFR and dust temperature obtained from the Herschel+ALMA far-IR SED, reveal a warm and compact starburst with surface density of 200 M⊙ yr-1 kpc-2. Our analysis suggest that, besides the mass, SFR and gas consumption timescale, objects like XID403 have also the right size to be the progenitors of the compact quiescent massive galaxies seen at z˜3. It is finally shown that the density of the gas co-spatial with the dust provides a substantial contribution to the absorbing column density towards the QSO as measured from the X-rays.

The energetics and mass structure of regions of star formation: S201

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thronson, H. A., Jr.; Smith, H. A.; Lada, C. J.; Glaccum, W.; Harper, D. A.; Loewenstein, R. F.; Smith, J.

1984-01-01

Theoretical predictions about dust and gas in star forming regions are tested by observing a 4 arcmin region surrounding the radio continuum source in 5201. The object was mapped in two far infrared wavelengths and found to show significant extended emission. Under the assumption that the molecular gas is heated solely via thermal coupling with the dust, the volume density was mapped in 5201. The ratios of infrared optical depth to CO column density were calculated for a number of positions in the source. Near the center of the cloud the values are found to be in good agreement with other determinations for regions with lower column density. In addition, the observations suggest significant molecular destruction in the outer parts of the object. Current models of gas heating were used to calculate a strong limit for the radius of the far infrared emitting grains, equal to or less than 0.15 micron. Grains of about this size are required by the observation of high temperature (T equal to or greater than 20 K) gas in many sources.

Large-Scale Structure of the Molecular Gas in Taurus Revealed by High Spatial Dynamic Range Spectral Line Mapping

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goldsmith, Paul F.

2008-01-01

Viewgraph topics include: optical image of Taurus; dust extinction in IR has provided a new tool for probing cloud morphology; observations of the gas can contribute critical information on gas temperature, gas column density and distribution, mass, and kinematics; the Taurus molecular cloud complex; average spectra in each mask region; mas 2 data; dealing with mask 1 data; behavior of mask 1 pixels; distribution of CO column densities; conversion to H2 column density; variable CO/H2 ratio with values much less than 10(exp -4) at low N indicated by UV results; histogram of N(H2) distribution; H2 column density distribution in Taurus; cumulative distribution of mass and area; lower CO fractional abundance in mask 0 and 1 regions greatly increases mass determined in the analysis; masses determined with variable X(CO) and including diffuse regions agrees well with the found from L(CO); distribution of young stars as a function of molecular column density; star formation efficiency; star formation rate and gas depletion; and enlarged images of some of the regions with numerous young stars. Additional slides examine the origin of the Taurus molecular cloud, evolution from HI gas, kinematics as a clue to its origin, and its relationship to star formation.

A new method for analyzing IRAS data to determine the dust temperature distribution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Xie, Taoling; Goldsmith, Paul F.; Zhou, Weimin

1991-01-01

In attempting to analyze the four-band IRAS images of interstellar dust emission, it is found that an inversion theorem recently developed by Chen (1990) enables distribution of the dust to be determined as a function of temperature and thus the total dust column density, for each line of sight. The method and its application to a hypothetical IRAS data set created by assuming a power-law dust temperature distribution, which is characteristic of the actual IRAS data for the Monoceros R2 cloud, are reported. To use the method, the wavelength dependence of the dust emissivity is assumed and a simple function is fitted to the four intensity-wavelength data points. The method is shown to be very successful at retrieving the dust temperature distribution in this case and is expected to have wide applicability to astronomical problems of this type.

The Herschel Virgo Cluster Survey. XX. Dust and gas in the foreground Galactic cirrus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bianchi, S.; Giovanardi, C.; Smith, M. W. L.; Fritz, J.; Davies, J. I.; Haynes, M. P.; Giovanelli, R.; Baes, M.; Bocchio, M.; Boissier, S.; Boquien, M.; Boselli, A.; Casasola, V.; Clark, C. J. R.; De Looze, I.; di Serego Alighieri, S.; Grossi, M.; Jones, A. P.; Hughes, T. M.; Hunt, L. K.; Madden, S.; Magrini, L.; Pappalardo, C.; Ysard, N.; Zibetti, S.

2017-01-01

We study the correlation between far-infrared/submm dust emission and atomic gas column density in order to derive the properties of the high Galactic latitude, low density, Milky Way cirrus in the foreground of the Virgo cluster of galaxies. Dust emission maps from 60 to 850 μm are obtained from observations with the Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receiver (SPIRE) and carried out within the Herschel Virgo Cluster Survey (HeViCS); these are complemented by IRAS and Planck maps. Data from the Arecibo legacy Fast ALFA Survey is used to derive atomic gas column densities for two broad velocity components: low and intermediate velocity clouds. Dust emissivities are derived for each gas component and each far-infrared/submm band. For the low velocity clouds, we measure an average emissivity ɛLVCν = (0.79 ± 0.08) × 10-20 MJy sr-1 cm2 at 250 μm. After fitting a modified blackbody to the available bands, we estimated a dust absorption cross section of τLVCν/NH I = (0.49 ± 0.13) × 10-25 cm2 H-1 at 250 μm (with dust temperature T = 20.4 ± 1.5 K and spectral index β = 1.53 ± 0.17). The results are in excellent agreement with those obtained by Planck over a much larger coverage of the high Galactic latitude cirrus (50% of the sky versus 0.2% in our work). For dust associated with intermediate velocity gas, we confirm earlier Planck results and find a higher temperature and lower emissivity and cross section. After subtracting the modeled components, we find regions at scales smaller than 20' in which the residuals deviate significantly from the average scatter, which is dominated by cosmic infrared background. These large residuals are most likely due to local variations in the cirrus dust properties or to high-latitude molecular clouds with average NH2 ≲ 1020 cm-2. We find no conclusive evidence for intracluster dust emission in Virgo. Herschel is an ESA space observatory with science instruments provided by European-led Principal Investigator consortia and with important participation from NASA.Final reduced data (FITS) are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/597/A130

C+/H2 gas in star-forming clouds and galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nordon, Raanan; Sternberg, Amiel

2016-11-01

We present analytic theory for the total column density of singly ionized carbon (C+) in the optically thick photon dominated regions (PDRs) of far-UV irradiated (star-forming) molecular clouds. We derive a simple formula for the C+ column as a function of the cloud (hydrogen) density, the far-UV field intensity, and metallicity, encompassing the wide range of galaxy conditions. When assuming the typical relation between UV and density in the cold neutral medium, the C+ column becomes a function of the metallicity alone. We verify our analysis with detailed numerical PDR models. For optically thick gas, most of the C+ column is mixed with hydrogen that is primarily molecular (H2), and this `C+/H2' gas layer accounts for almost all of the `CO-dark' molecular gas in PDRs. The C+/H2 column density is limited by dust shielding and is inversely proportional to the metallicity down to ˜0.1 solar. At lower metallicities, H2 line blocking dominates and the C+/H2 column saturates. Applying our theory to CO surveys in low-redshift spirals, we estimate the fraction of C+/H2 gas out of the total molecular gas to be typically ˜0.4. At redshifts 1 < z < 3 in massive disc galaxies the C+/H2 gas represents a very small fraction of the total molecular gas (≲ 0.16). This small fraction at high redshifts is due to the high gas surface densities when compared to local galaxies.

First detection of hydrogen in the β Pictoris gas disk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilson, P. A.; Lecavelier des Etangs, A.; Vidal-Madjar, A.; Bourrier, V.; Hébrard, G.; Kiefer, F.; Beust, H.; Ferlet, R.; Lagrange, A.-M.

2017-03-01

The young and nearby star β Pictoris (β Pic) is surrounded by a debris disk composed of dust and gas known to host a myriad evaporating exocomets, planetesimals and at least one planet. At an edge-on inclination, as seen from Earth, this system is ideal for debris disk studies providing an excellent opportunity to use absorption spectroscopy to study the planet forming environment. Using the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) we observe the most abundant element in the disk, hydrogen, through the H I Lyman α (Ly-α) line. We present a new technique to decrease the contamination of the Ly-α line by geocoronal airglow in COS spectra. This Airglow Virtual Motion (AVM) technique allows us to shift the Ly-α line of the astrophysical target away from the contaminating airglow emission revealing more of the astrophysical line profile. This new AVM technique, together with subtraction of an airglow emission map, allows us to analyse the shape of the β Pic Ly-α emission line profile and from it, calculate the column density of neutral hydrogen surrounding β Pic. The column density of hydrogen in the β Pic stable gas disk at the stellar radial velocity is measured to be log (NH/ 1 cm2) ≪ 18.5. The Ly-α emission line profile is found to be asymmetric and we propose that this is caused by H I falling in towards the star with a bulk radial velocity of 41 ± 6 km s-1 relative to β Pic and a column density of log (NH/ 1 cm2) = 18.6 ± 0.1. The high column density of hydrogen relative to the hydrogen content of CI chondrite meteorites indicates that the bulk of the hydrogen gas does not come from the dust in the disk. This column density reveals a hydrogen abundance much lower than solar, which excludes the possibility that the detected hydrogen could be a remnant of the protoplanetary disk or gas expelled by the star. We hypothesise that the hydrogen gas observed falling towards the star arises from the dissociation of water originating from evaporating exocomets.

Astronomy in Denver: Spatial distributions of dust properties via far-IR broadband map with HerPlaNS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asano, Kentaro; Ueta, Toshiya; Ladjal, Djazia; Exter, Katrina; Otsuka, Masaaki; HerPlaNS Consortium

2018-06-01

We present the results of our analyses on dust properties in all of Galactic planetary nebulae based on 5-band broadband images in the far-IR taken with the Herschel Space Observatory.By fitting surface brightness distributions of dust thermal emission at 70, 160, 250, 350 and 500 microns with a single-temperature modified black body function, we derive spatially resolved maps of the dust emissivity power-law index (beta) and dust temperature (Td), as well as the column density.We find that circumstellar dust grains in PNe occupy a specific region in the beta-Td space, which is distinct from that occupied by dust grains in the Interstellar Matter (ISM) and star forming regions (SFRs). Unlike those in the ISM and SFRs, dust grains in PNe exhibit little variation in beta while a large spread in Td, suggesting rather homogeneous dust properties.This work is part of the Herschel Planetary Nebula Survey Plus (HerPlaNS+) supported by the NASA Astrophysics Data Analysis Program.

Simultaneous UV and X-ray Spectroscopy of the Seyfert 1 Galaxy NGC 5548. I: Physical Conditions in the UV Absorbers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crenshaw, D. M.; Kraemer, S. B.; Gabel, J. R.; Kaastra, J. S.; Steenbrugge, K. C.; Brinkman, A. C.; Dunn, J. P.; George, I. M.; Liedahl, D. A.; Paerels, F. B. S.

2003-01-01

We present new UV spectra of the nucleus of the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 5548, which we obtained with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph at high spectral resolution, in conjunction with simultaneous Chandra X-ray Observatory spectra. Taking advantage of the low UV continuum and broad emission-line fluxes, we have determined that the deepest UV absorption component covers at least a portion of the inner, high-ionization narrow-line region (NLR). We find nonunity covering factors in the cores of several kinematic components, which increase the column density measurements of N V and C IV by factors of 1.2 to 1.9 over the full-covering case; however, the revised columns have only a minor effect on the parameters derived from our photoionization models. For the first time, we have simultaneous N V and C IV columns for component 1 (at -1040 km/s), and find that this component cannot be an X-ray warm absorber, contrary to our previous claim based on nonsimultaneous observations. We find that models of the absorbers based on solar abundances severely overpredict the O VI columns previously obtained with the Far Ultraviolet Spectrograph, and present arguments that this is not likely due to variability. However, models that include either enhanced nitrogen (twice solar) or dust, with strong depletion of carbon in either case, are successful in matching all of the observed ionic columns. These models result in substantially lower ionization parameters and total column densities compared to dust-free solar-abundance models, and produce little O VII or O VIII, indicating that none of the UV absorbers are X-ray warm absorbers.

Highly-ionized metals as probes of the circumburst gas in the natal regions of gamma-ray bursts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heintz, K. E.; Watson, D.; Jakobsson, P.; Fynbo, J. P. U.; Bolmer, J.; Arabsalmani, M.; Cano, Z.; Covino, S.; D'Elia, V.; Gomboc, A.; Japelj, J.; Kaper, L.; Krogager, J.-K.; Pugliese, G.; Sánchez-Ramírez, R.; Selsing, J.; Sparre, M.; Tanvir, N. R.; Thöne, C. C.; de Ugarte Postigo, A.; Vergani, S. D.

2018-06-01

We present here a survey of high-ionization absorption lines in the afterglow spectra of long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) obtained with the VLT/X-shooter spectrograph. Our main goal is to investigate the circumburst medium in the natal regions of GRBs. Our primary focus is on the N V λλ 1238,1242 line transitions, but we also discuss other high-ionization lines such as O VI, C IV and Si IV. We find no correlation between the column density of N V and the neutral gas properties such as metallicity, H I column density and dust depletion, however the relative velocity of N V, typically a blueshift with respect to the neutral gas, is found to be correlated with the column density of H I. This may be explained if the N V gas is part of an H II region hosting the GRB, where the region's expansion is confined by dense, neutral gas in the GRB's host galaxy. We find tentative evidence (at 2σ significance) that the X-ray derived column density, NH, X, may be correlated with the column density of N V, which would indicate that both measurements are sensitive to the column density of the gas located in the vicinity of the GRB. We investigate the scenario where N V (and also O VI) is produced by recombination after the corresponding atoms have been stripped entirely of their electrons by the initial prompt emission, in contrast to previous models where highly-ionized gas is produced by photoionization from the GRB afterglow.

Dust particle radial confinement in a dc glow discharge.

PubMed

Sukhinin, G I; Fedoseev, A V; Antipov, S N; Petrov, O F; Fortov, V E

2013-01-01

A self-consistent nonlocal model of the positive column of a dc glow discharge with dust particles is presented. Radial distributions of plasma parameters and the dust component in an axially homogeneous glow discharge are considered. The model is based on the solution of a nonlocal Boltzmann equation for the electron energy distribution function, drift-diffusion equations for ions, and the Poisson equation for a self-consistent electric field. The radial distribution of dust particle density in a dust cloud was fixed as a given steplike function or was chosen according to an equilibrium Boltzmann distribution. The balance of electron and ion production in argon ionization by an electron impact and their losses on the dust particle surface and on the discharge tube walls is taken into account. The interrelation of discharge plasma and the dust cloud is studied in a self-consistent way, and the radial distributions of the discharge plasma and dust particle parameters are obtained. It is shown that the influence of the dust cloud on the discharge plasma has a nonlocal behavior, e.g., density and charge distributions in the dust cloud substantially depend on the plasma parameters outside the dust cloud. As a result of a self-consistent evolution of plasma parameters to equilibrium steady-state conditions, ionization and recombination rates become equal to each other, electron and ion radial fluxes become equal to zero, and the radial component of electric field is expelled from the dust cloud.

THE PANCHROMATIC HUBBLE ANDROMEDA TREASURY. VIII. A WIDE-AREA, HIGH-RESOLUTION MAP OF DUST EXTINCTION IN M31

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dalcanton, Julianne J.; Fouesneau, Morgan; Weisz, Daniel R.

We map the distribution of dust in M31 at 25 pc resolution using stellar photometry from the Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury survey. The map is derived with a new technique that models the near-infrared color–magnitude diagram (CMD) of red giant branch (RGB) stars. The model CMDs combine an unreddened foreground of RGB stars with a reddened background population viewed through a log-normal column density distribution of dust. Fits to the model constrain the median extinction, the width of the extinction distribution, and the fraction of reddened stars in each 25 pc cell. The resulting extinction map has a factor ofmore » ≳4 times better resolution than maps of dust emission, while providing a more direct measurement of the dust column. There is superb morphological agreement between the new map and maps of the extinction inferred from dust emission by Draine et al. However, the widely used Draine and Li dust models overpredict the observed extinction by a factor of ∼2.5, suggesting that M31's true dust mass is lower and that dust grains are significantly more emissive than assumed in Draine et al. The observed factor of ∼2.5 discrepancy is consistent with similar findings in the Milky Way by the Plank Collaboration et al., but we find a more complex dependence on parameters from the Draine and Li dust models. We also show that the the discrepancy with the Draine et al. map is lowest where the current interstellar radiation field has a harder spectrum than average. We discuss possible improvements to the CMD dust mapping technique, and explore further applications in both M31 and other galaxies.« less

The albedo and scattering phase function of interstellar dust and the diffuse background at far-ultraviolet wavelengths.

PubMed

Hurwitz, M; Bowyer, S; Martin, C

1991-05-01

We have determined the scattering parameters of dust in the interstellar medium at far-ultraviolet (FUV) wavelengths (1415-1835 angstroms). Our results are based on spectra of the diffuse background taken with the Berkeley UVX spectrometer. The unique design of this instrument makes possible for the first time accurate determination of the background both at high Galactic latitude, where the signal is intrinsically faint, and at low Galactic latitude, where direct starlight has heretofore compromised measurements of the diffuse emission. Because the data are spectroscopic, the continuum can be distinguished from the atomic and molecular transition features which also contribute to the background. We find the continuum intensity to be well correlated with the Galactic neutral hydrogen column density until saturation at about 1200 photons cm-2 s-1 sr-1 angstrom-1 is reached where tau FUV approximately 1. Our measurement of the intensity where tau FUV > or = 1 is crucial to the determination of the scattering properties of the grains. We interpret the data with a detailed radiative transfer model and conclude that the FUV albedo of the grains is low (<25%) and that the grains scatter fairly isotropically. We evaluate models of dust composition and grain-size distribution and compare their predictions with these new results. We present evidence that, as the Galactic neutral hydrogen column density approaches zero, the FUV continuum background arises primarily from scattering by dust, which implies that dust may be present in virtually all view directions. A non-dust-scattering continuum component has also been identified, with an intensity (external to the foreground Galactic dust) of about 115 photons cm-2 s-1 angstrom-1. With about half this intensity accounted for by two-photon emission from Galactic ionized gas, we identify roughly 50 photons cm-2 s-1 sr-1 angstrom-1 as a true extragalactic component.

Galactic cold cores. VI. Dust opacity spectral index

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Juvela, M.; Demyk, K.; Doi, Y.; Hughes, A.; Lefèvre, C.; Marshall, D. J.; Meny, C.; Montillaud, J.; Pagani, L.; Paradis, D.; Ristorcelli, I.; Malinen, J.; Montier, L. A.; Paladini, R.; Pelkonen, V.-M.; Rivera-Ingraham, A.

2015-12-01

Context. The Galactic Cold Cores project has carried out Herschel photometric observations of 116 fields where the Planck survey has found signs of cold dust emission. The fields contain sources in different environments and different phases of star formation. Previous studies have revealed variations in their dust submillimetre opacity. Aims: The aim is to measure the value of dust opacity spectral index and to understand its variations spatially and with respect to other parameters, such as temperature, column density, and Galactic location. Methods: The dust opacity spectral index β and the dust colour temperature T are derived using Herschel and Planck data. The relation between β and T is examined for the whole sample and inside individual fields. Results: Based on IRAS and Planck data, the fields are characterised by a median colour temperature of 16.1 K and a median opacity spectral index of β = 1.84. The values are not correlated with Galactic longitude. We observe a clear T-β anti-correlation. In Herschel observations, constrained at lower resolution by Planck data, the variations follow the column density structure and βFIR can rise to ~2.2 in individual clumps. The highest values are found in starless clumps. The Planck 217 GHz band shows a systematic excess that is not restricted to cold clumps and is thus consistent with a general flattening of the dust emission spectrum at millimetre wavelengths. When fitted separately below and above 700 μm, the median spectral index values are βFIR ~ 1.91 and β(mm) ~ 1.66. Conclusions: The spectral index changes as a function of column density and wavelength. The comparison of different data sets and the examination of possible error sources show that our results are robust. However, β variations are partly masked by temperature gradients and the changes in the intrinsic grain properties may be even greater. Planck http://www.esa.int/Planck is a project of the European Space Agency - ESA - with instruments provided by two scientific consortia funded by ESA member states (in particular the lead countries: France and Italy) with contributions from NASA (USA), and telescope reflectors provided in a collaboration between ESA and a scientific consortium led and funded by Denmark.Herschel is an ESA space observatory with science instruments provided by European-led Principal Investigator consortia and with important participation from NASA.Table 3 is only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (ftp://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/584/A94Appendices are available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org

Coma dust scattering concepts applied to the Rosetta mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fink, Uwe; Rinaldi, Giovanna

2015-09-01

This paper describes basic concepts, as well as providing a framework, for the interpretation of the light scattered by the dust in a cometary coma as observed by instruments on a spacecraft such as Rosetta. It is shown that the expected optical depths are small enough that single scattering can be applied. Each of the quantities that contribute to the scattered intensity is discussed in detail. Using optical constants of the likely coma dust constituents, olivine, pyroxene and carbon, the scattering properties of the dust are calculated. For the resulting observable scattering intensities several particle size distributions are considered, a simple power law, power laws with a small particle cut off and a log-normal distributions with various parameters. Within the context of a simple outflow model, the standard definition of Afρ for a circular observing aperture is expanded to an equivalent Afρ for an annulus and specific line-of-sight observation. The resulting equivalence between the observed intensity and Afρ is used to predict observable intensities for 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko at the spacecraft encounter near 3.3 AU and near perihelion at 1.3 AU. This is done by normalizing particle production rates of various size distributions to agree with observed ground based Afρ values. Various geometries for the column densities in a cometary coma are considered. The calculations for a simple outflow model are compared with more elaborate Direct Simulation Monte Carlo Calculation (DSMC) models to define the limits of applicability of the simpler analytical approach. Thus our analytical approach can be applied to the majority of the Rosetta coma observations, particularly beyond several nuclear radii where the dust is no longer in a collisional environment, without recourse to computer intensive DSMC calculations for specific cases. In addition to a spherically symmetric 1-dimensional approach we investigate column densities for the 2-dimensional DSMC model on the day and night side of the comet. Our calculations are also applied to estimates of the dust particle densities and flux which are useful for the in-situ experiments on Rosetta.

Temperatures of dust and gas in S 140

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koumpia, E.; Harvey, P. M.; Ossenkopf, V.; van der Tak, F. F. S.; Mookerjea, B.; Fuente, A.; Kramer, C.

2015-08-01

Context. In dense parts of interstellar clouds (≥105 cm-3), dust and gas are expected to be in thermal equilibrium, being coupled via collisions. However, previous studies have shown that in the presence of intense radiation fields, the temperatures of the dust and gas may remain decoupled even at higher densities. Aims: The objective of this work is to study in detail the temperatures of dust and gas in the photon-dominated region S 140, especially around the deeply embedded infrared sources IRS 1-3 and at the ionization front. Methods: We derive the dust temperature and column density by combining Herschel-PACS continuum observations with SOFIA observations at 37 μm and SCUBA data at 450 μm. We model these observations using simple greybody fits and the DUSTY radiative transfer code. For the gas analysis we use RADEX to model the CO 1-0, CO 2-1, 13CO 1-0 and C18O 1-0 emission lines mapped with the IRAM-30 m telescope over a 4' field. Around IRS 1-3, we use HIFI observations of single-points and cuts in CO 9-8, 13CO 10-9 and C18O 9-8 to constrain the amount of warm gas, using the best fitting dust model derived with DUSTY as input to the non-local radiative transfer model RATRAN. The velocity information in the lines allows us to separate the quiescent component from outflows when deriving the gas temperature and column density. Results: We find that the gas temperature around the infrared sources varies between ~35 and ~55 K. In contrast to expectation, the gas is systematically warmer than the dust by ~5-15 K despite the high gas density. In addition we observe an increase of the gas temperature from 30-35 K in the surrounding up to 40-45 K towards the ionization front, most likely due to the UV radiation from the external star. Furthermore, detailed models of the temperature structure close to IRS 1 which take the known density gradient into account show that the gas is warmer and/or denser than what we model. Finally, modelling of the dust emission from the sub-mm peak SMM 1 constrains its luminosity to a few ×102L⊙. Conclusions: We conclude that the gas heating in the S 140 region is very efficient even at high densities. The most likely explanation is deep UV penetration from the embedded sources in a clumpy medium and/or oblique shocks. Based on Herschel observations. Herschel is an ESA space observatory with science instruments provided by European-led Principal Investigator consortia and with important participation from NASA.Final Herschel and IRAM data (cube) as FITS files are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (ftp://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/580/A68

Planck intermediate results: XXXV. Probing the role of the magnetic field in the formation of structure in molecular clouds

DOE PAGES

Ade, P. A. R.; Aghanim, N.; Alves, M. I. R.; ...

2016-02-09

Within ten nearby (d < 450 pc) Gould belt molecular clouds we evaluate in this paper statistically the relative orientation between the magnetic field projected on the plane of sky, inferred from the polarized thermal emission of Galactic dust observed by Planck at 353 GHz, and the gas column density structures, quantified by the gradient of the column density, N H. The selected regions, covering several degrees in size, are analysed at an effective angular resolution of 10' FWHM, thus sampling physical scales from 0.4 to 40 pc in the nearest cloud. The column densities in the selected regions rangemore » from N H≈ 10 21 to10 23 cm -2, and hence they correspond to the bulk of the molecular clouds. The relative orientation is evaluated pixel by pixel and analysed in bins of column density using the novel statistical tool called “histogram of relative orientations”. Throughout this study, we assume that the polarized emission observed by Planck at 353 GHz is representative of the projected morphology of the magnetic field in each region, i.e., we assume a constant dust grain alignment efficiency, independent of the local environment. Within most clouds we find that the relative orientation changes progressively with increasing N H, from mostly parallel or having no preferred orientation to mostly perpendicular. In simulations of magnetohydrodynamic turbulence in molecular clouds this trend in relative orientation is a signature of Alfvénic or sub-Alfvénic turbulence, implying that the magnetic field is significant for the gas dynamics at the scales probed by Planck. Finally, we compare the deduced magnetic field strength with estimates we obtain from other methods and discuss the implications of the Planck observations for the general picture of molecular cloud formation and evolution.« less

Spatially associated clump populations in Rosette from CO and dust maps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Veltchev, Todor V.; Ossenkopf-Okada, Volker; Stanchev, Orlin; Schneider, Nicola; Donkov, Sava; Klessen, Ralf S.

2018-04-01

Spatial association of clumps from different tracers turns out to be a valuable tool to determine the physical properties of molecular clouds. It provides a reliable estimate for the X-factors, serves to trace the density of clumps seen in column densities only, and allows one to measure the velocity dispersion of clumps identified in dust emission. We study the spatial association between clump populations, extracted by use of the GAUSSCLUMPS technique from 12CO (1-0), 13CO (1-0) line maps and Herschel dust-emission maps of the star-forming region Rosette, and analyse their physical properties. All CO clumps that overlap with another CO or dust counterpart are found to be gravitationally bound and located in the massive star-forming filaments of the molecular cloud. They obey a single mass-size relation M_cl∝ R_cl^γ with γ ≃ 3 (implying constant mean density) and display virtually no velocity-size relation. We interpret their population as low-density structures formed through compression by converging flows and still not evolved under the influence of self-gravity. The high-mass parts of their clump mass functions are fitted by a power law dN_cl/d log M_cl∝ M_cl^{Γ } and display a nearly Salpeter slope Γ ˜ -1.3. On the other hand, clumps extracted from the dust-emission map exhibit a shallower mass-size relation with γ = 2.5 and mass functions with very steep slopes Γ ˜ -2.3 even if associated with CO clumps. They trace density peaks of the associated CO clumps at scales of a few tenths of pc where no single density scaling law should be expected.

The Dust-to-Gas Ratio in the Damped Ly alpha Clouds Towards the Gravitationally Lensed QSO 0957+561

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zuo, Lin; Beaver, E. A.; Burbidge, E. Margaret; Cohen, Ross D.; Junkkarinen, Vesa T.; Lyons, R. W.

1997-01-01

We present HST/FOS spectra of the two bright images (A and B) of the gravitationally lensed QSO 0957+561 in the wavelength range 2200-3300 A. We find that the absorption system (Z(sub abs)) = 1.3911) near z(sub em) is a weak, damped Ly alpha system with strong Ly alpha absorption lines seen in both images. However, the H(I) column densities are different, with the line of sight to image A intersecting a larger column density. The continuum shapes of the two spectra differ in the sense that the flux level of image A increases more slowly toward shorter wavelengths than that of image B. We explain this as the result of differential reddening by dust grains in the damped Ly alpha absorber. A direct outcome of this explanation is a determination of the dust-to-gas ratio, k, in the damped Ly alpha system. We derive k = 0.55 + 0.18 for a simple 1/lambda extinction law and k = 0.31 + 0.10 for the Galactic extinction curve. For gravitationally lensed systems with damped Ly alpha absorbers, our method is a powerful tool for determining the values and dispersion of k, and the shapes of extinction curves, especially in the FUV and EUV regions. We compare our results with previous work.

The relationship between CO emission and visual extinction traced by dust emission in the Magellanic Clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Cheoljong; Leroy, Adam K.; Schnee, Scott; Wong, Tony; Bolatto, Alberto D.; Indebetouw, Remy; Rubio, Monica

2015-07-01

To test the theoretical understanding that finding bright CO emission depends primarily on dust shielding, we investigate the relationship between CO emission (ICO) and the amount of dust (estimated from infrared emission and expressed as `AV') across the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), the Small Magellanic Cloud, and the Milky Way. We show that at our common resolution of 10 pc scales, ICO given a fixed line of sight AV is similar across all three systems despite the difference in metallicity. We find some evidence for a secondary dependence of ICO on radiation field; in the LMC, ICO at a given AV is smaller in regions of high Tdust, perhaps because of an increased photodissociating radiation field. We suggest a simple but useful picture in which the CO-to-H2 conversion factor (XCO) depends on two separable factors: (1) the distribution of gas column densities, which maps to an extinction distribution via a dust-to-gas ratio; and (2) the dependence of ICO on AV. Assuming that the probability distribution function (PDF) of local Milky Way clouds is universal, this approach predicts a dependence of {X_CO} on Z between Z-1 and Z-2 above about a third solar metallicity. Below this metallicity, CO emerges from only the high column density parts of the cloud and so depends very sensitively on the adopted PDF and the H2/H I prescription. The PDF of low-metallicity clouds is thus of considerable interest and the uncertainty associated with even an ideal prescription for XCO at very low metallicity will be large.

A JOINT CHANDRA AND SWIFT VIEW OF THE 2015 X-RAY DUST-SCATTERING ECHO OF V404 CYGNI

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Heinz, S.; Corrales, L.; Neilsen, J.

2016-07-01

We present a combined analysis of the Chandra and Swift observations of the 2015 X-ray echo of V404 Cygni. Using a stacking analysis, we identify eight separate rings in the echo. We reconstruct the soft X-ray light curve of the 2015 June outburst using the high-resolution Chandra images and cross-correlations of the radial intensity profiles, indicating that about 70% of the outburst fluence occurred during the bright flare at the end of the outburst on MJD 57199.8. By deconvolving the intensity profiles with the reconstructed outburst light curve, we show that the rings correspond to eight separate dust concentrations withmore » precise distance determinations. We further show that the column density of the clouds varies significantly across the field of view, with the centroid of most of the clouds shifted toward the Galactic plane, relative to the position of V404 Cyg, invalidating the assumption of uniform cloud column typically made in attempts to constrain dust properties from light echoes. We present a new XSPEC spectral dust-scattering model that calculates the differential dust-scattering cross section for a range of commonly used dust distributions and compositions and use it to jointly fit the entire set of Swift echo data. We find that a standard Mathis–Rumpl–Nordsieck model provides an adequate fit to the ensemble of echo data. The fit is improved by allowing steeper dust distributions, and models with simple silicate and graphite grains are preferred over models with more complex composition.« less

EXPLORING THE ROLE OF SUB-MICRON-SIZED DUST GRAINS IN THE ATMOSPHERES OF RED L0–L6 DWARFS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hiranaka, Kay; Cruz, Kelle L.; Baldassare, Vivienne F.

We examine the hypothesis that the red near-infrared colors of some L dwarfs could be explained by a “dust haze” of small particles in their upper atmospheres. This dust haze would exist in conjunction with the clouds found in dwarfs with more typical colors. We developed a model that uses Mie theory and the Hansen particle size distributions to reproduce the extinction due to the proposed dust haze. We apply our method to 23 young L dwarfs and 23 red field L dwarfs. We constrain the properties of the dust haze including particle size distribution and column density using Markovmore » Chain Monte Carlo methods. We find that sub-micron-range silicate grains reproduce the observed reddening. Current brown dwarf atmosphere models include large-grain (1–100 μ m) dust clouds but not sub-micron dust grains. Our results provide a strong proof of concept and motivate a combination of large and small dust grains in brown dwarf atmosphere models.« less

Dust temperature distributions in star-forming condensations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Xie, Taoling; Goldsmith, Paul F.; Snell, Ronald L.; Zhou, Weimin

1993-01-01

The FIR spectra of the central IR condensations in the dense cores of molecular clouds AFGL 2591. B335, L1551, Mon R2, and Sgr B2 are reanalyzed here in terms of the distribution of dust mass as a function of temperature. FIR spectra of these objects can be characterized reasonably well by a given functional form. The general shapes of the dust temperature distributions of these objects are similar and closely resemble the theoretical computations of de Muizon and Rouan (1985) for a sample of 'hot centered' clouds with active star formation. Specifically, the model yields a 'cutoff' temperature below which essentially no dust is needed to interpret the dust emission spectra, and most of the dust mass is distributed in a broad temperature range of a few tens of degrees above the cutoff temperature. Mass, luminosity, average temperature, and column density are obtained, and it is found that the physical quantities differ considerably from source to source in a meaningful way.

Galactic interstellar abundance surveys with IUE and IRAS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Van Steenberg, M.E.

1987-01-01

This thesis is a survey of interstellar densities, abundances, and cloud structure in the Galaxy, using two NASA satellites: the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) and Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS). From IUE high-resolution spectra, the author measured equivalent widths of 18 ultraviolet resonance transitions and derived column densities for Si/sup +/, Mn/sup +/, Fe/sup +/, S/sup +/, and Zn/sup +/ toward 261 early-type stars. From the IRAS all-sky survey he also measured the infrared cirrus flux. He examined the variations of the measured parameters with spectral type, E(B-V), galactic longitude and latitude, distance from the Sun, and mean density. The hydrogen-columnmore » densities, metal-column densities, and gas-to-dust ratio are in good agreement with Copernicus surveys. The derived interstellar abundances yield mean logarithmic depletions. These depletions correlate with mean density but not with the physical density derived from Copernicus H/sub 2/ rotational states. Abundance ratios indicate a larger Fe halo abundance compared to Si, Mn, S, or Zn, which may result from selective grain processing in shocks or from Type I supernovae.« less

Structure and stability in TMC-1: Analysis of NH3 molecular line and Herschel continuum data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fehér, O.; Tóth, L. V.; Ward-Thompson, D.; Kirk, J.; Kraus, A.; Pelkonen, V.-M.; Pintér, S.; Zahorecz, S.

2016-05-01

Aims: We examined the velocity, density, and temperature structure of Taurus molecular cloud-1 (TMC-1), a filamentary cloud in a nearby quiescent star forming area, to understand its morphology and evolution. Methods: We observed high signal-to-noise (S/N), high velocity resolution NH3(1,1), and (2, 2) emission on an extended map. By fitting multiple hyperfine-split line profiles to the NH3(1, 1) spectra, we derived the velocity distribution of the line components and calculated gas parameters on several positions. Herschel SPIRE far-infrared continuum observations were reduced and used to calculate the physical parameters of the Planck Galactic Cold Clumps (PGCCs) in the region, including the two in TMC-1. The morphology of TMC-1 was investigated with several types of clustering methods in the parameter space consisting of position, velocity, and column density. Results: Our Herschel-based column density map shows a main ridge with two local maxima and a separated peak to the south-west. The H2 column densities and dust colour temperatures are in the range of 0.5-3.3 × 1022 cm-2 and 10.5-12 K, respectively. The NH3 column densities and H2 volume densities are in the range of 2.8-14.2 × 1014 cm-2 and 0.4-2.8 × 104 cm-3. Kinetic temperatures are typically very low with a minimum of 9 K at the maximum NH3 and H2 column density region. The kinetic temperature maximum was found at the protostar IRAS 04381+2540 with a value of 13.7 K. The kinetic temperatures vary similarly to the colour temperatures in spite of the fact that densities are lower than the critical density for coupling between the gas and dust phase. The k-means clustering method separated four sub-filaments in TMC-1 with masses of 32.5, 19.6, 28.9, and 45.9 M⊙ and low turbulent velocity dispersion in the range of 0.13-0.2 km s-1. Conclusions: The main ridge of TMC-1 is composed of four sub-filaments that are close to gravitational equilibrium. We label these TMC-1F1 through F4. The sub-filaments TMC-1F1, TMC-1F2, and TMC-1F4 are very elongated, dense, and cold. TMC-1F3 is a little less elongated and somewhat warmer, and probably heated by the Class I protostar, IRAS 04381+2540, which is embedded in it. TMC-1F3 is approximately 0.1 pc behind TMC1-F1. Because of its structure, TMC-1 is a good target to test filament evolution scenarios.

Simultaneous Ultraviolet and X-Ray Spectroscopy of the Seyfert 1 Galaxy NGC 5548. I. Physical Conditions in the Ultraviolet Absorbers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crenshaw, D. M.; Kraemer, S. B.; Gabel, J. R.; Kaastra, J. S.; Steenbrugge, K. C.; Brinkman, A. C.; Dunn, J. P.; George, I. M.; Liedahl, D. A.; Paerels, F. B. S.; Turner, T. J.; Yaqoob, T.

2003-09-01

We present new UV spectra of the nucleus of the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 5548, which we obtained with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph at high spectral resolution, in conjunction with simultaneous Chandra X-Ray Observatory spectra. Taking advantage of the low UV continuum and broad emission-line fluxes, we have determined that the deepest UV absorption component covers at least a portion of the inner, high-ionization narrow-line region (NLR). We find nonunity covering factors in the cores of several kinematic components, which increase the column density measurements of N V and C IV by factors of 1.2-1.9 over the full-covering case; however, the revised columns have only a minor effect on the parameters derived from our photoionization models. For the first time, we have simultaneous N V and C IV columns for component 1 (at -1040 km s-1) and find that this component cannot be an X-ray warm absorber, contrary to our previous claim based on nonsimultaneous observations. We find that models of the absorbers based on solar abundances severely overpredict the O VI columns previously obtained with the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer and present arguments that this is not likely due to variability. However, models that include either enhanced nitrogen (twice solar) or dust, with strong depletion of carbon in either case, are successful in matching all of the observed ionic columns. These models result in substantially lower ionization parameters and total column densities compared to dust-free solar-abundance models and produce little O VII or O VIII, indicating that none of the UV absorbers are X-ray warm absorbers. Based on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS5-26555. These observations are associated with proposal 9279.

Probing the Spatial Distribution of the Interstellar Dust Medium by High Angular Resolution X-ray Halos of Point Sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiang, Jingen

X-rays are absorbed and scattered by dust grains when they travel through the interstellar medium. The scattering within small angles results in an X-ray ``halo''. The halo properties are significantly affected by the energy of radiation, the optical depth of the scattering, the grain size distributions and compositions, and the spatial distribution of dust along the line of sight (LOS). Therefore analyzing the X-ray halo properties is an important tool to study the size distribution and spatial distribution of interstellar grains, which plays a central role in the astrophysical study of the interstellar medium, such as the thermodynamics and chemistry of the gas and the dynamics of star formation. With excellent angular resolution, good energy resolution and broad energy band, the Chandra ACIS is so far the best instrument for studying the X-ray halos. But the direct images of bright sources obtained with ACIS usually suffer from severe pileup which prevents us from obtaining the halos in small angles. We first improve the method proposed by Yao et al to resolve the X-ray dust scattering halos of point sources from the zeroth order data in CC-mode or the first order data in TE mode with Chandra HETG/ACIS. Using this method we re-analyze the Cygnus X-1 data observed with Chandra. Then we studied the X-ray dust scattering halos around 17 bright X-ray point sources using Chandra data. All sources were observed with the HETG/ACIS in CC-mode or TE-mode. Using the interstellar grain models of WD01 model and MRN model to fit the halo profiles, we get the hydrogen column densities and the spatial distributions of the scattering dust grains along the line of sights (LOS) to these sources. We find there is a good linear correlation not only between the scattering hydrogen column density from WD01 model and the one from MRN model, but also between N_{H} derived from spectral fits and the one derived from the grain models WD01 and MRN (except for GX 301-2 and Vela X-1): N_{H,WD01} = (0.720±0.009) × N_{H,abs} + (0.051±0.013) and N_{H, MRN} = (1.156±0.016) × N_{H,abs} + (0.062±0.024) in the units 10^{22} cm^{-2}. Then the correlation between FHI and N_{H} is obtained. Both WD01 model and MRN model fits show that the scattering dust density very close to these sources is much higher than the normal interstellar medium and we consider it is the evidence of molecular clouds around these X-ray binaries. We also find that there is the linear correlation between the effective distance through the galactic dust layer and hydrogen scattering olumn density N_{H} excluding the one in x=0.99-1.0 but the correlation does not exist between he effective distance and the N_{H} in x=0.99-1.0. It shows that the dust nearby the X-ray sources is not the dust from galactic disk. Then we estimate the structure and density of the stellar wind around the special X-ray pulsars Vela X-1 and GX 301-2. Finally we discuss the possibility of probing the three dimensional structure of the interstellar using the X-ray halos of the transient sources, probing the spatial distributions of interstellar dust medium nearby the point sources, even the structure of the stellar winds using higher angular resolution X-ray dust scattering halos and testing the model that the black hole can be formed from the direct collapse of a massive star without supernova using the statistical distribution of the dust density nearby the X-ray binaries.

Dust and Gas in Different Galactic Environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goncalves, Daniela Catarina Pinheiro

2014-01-01

This thesis encompasses the study of the mid-infrared (IR) dust properties in diffuse high latitude cirrus and in the dense environments of supernova remnants (SNRs) in the plane of our Galaxy. Unlike the well known emission properties of dust grains in the diffuse ISM in the far-IR and submillimeter, the mid-IR spectrum is still relatively unconstrained. We extend the correlation of dust emission with H I column densities to mid-IR wavelengths and look for evidence of variations in the emissivity of dust associated with local and halo gas. This is accomplished by spatially correlating the IR maps from the IRIS/IRAS survey at 12, 25, 60 and 100 μm with H I column density maps inferred from 21-cm line emission observations obtained with the GBT (at a 9' resolution). We find that IVCs (halo clouds thought to be part of the Galactic fountain) show color ratios consistent with a dust evolution scenario in which large dust grains are shattered into smaller ones (VSGs). The low 12 μm emission found suggests a reduced abundance of PAHs in IVCs. We also address the IR extragalactic emission seen in our residual maps and quantify its power spectrum behaviour. Continuing with the mid-IR theme, we conducted a comprehensive study of the morphology and energetics of SNRs in the plane of our Galaxy. We make use of the Spitzer MIPSGAL (at 24 and 70 μm) and GLIMPSE (at 8 μm) surveys to detected infrared counterparts to SNR candidates in Green's catalog. We find that a third of the sample shows IR emission and calculate the corresponding fluxes. We explore the relation between IR colors to place constraints on the different IR SNRs emission mechanisms. Aided by archival radio data, we find that most candidates detected show IR-to-radio ratios consistent with SNRs with a few exceptions displaying ratios seen in H II regions. Finally, we explore the connection between the IR and the high-energy X-ray emission of SNRs and find a good morphological association between the 24 μm emission and the X-ray features in younger remnants. The IR power is often greater.

Radio and infrared study of southern H II regions G346.056-0.021 and G346.077-0.056

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Das, S. R.; Tej, A.; Vig, S.; Liu, T.; Ghosh, S. K.; Chandra, C. H. I.

2018-04-01

Aim. We present a multiwavelength study of two southern Galactic H II regions G346.056-0.021 and G346.077-0.056 which are located at a distance of 10.9 kpc. The distribution of ionized gas, cold and warm dust, and the stellar population associated with the two H II regions are studied in detail using measurements at near-infrared, mid-infrared, far-infrared, submillimeter and radio wavelengths. Methods: The radio continuum maps at 1280 and 610 MHz were obtained using the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope to probe the ionized gas. The dust temperature, column density, and dust emissivity maps were generated using modified blackbody fits in the far-infrared wavelength range 160-500 μm. Various near- and mid-infrared color and magnitude criteria were adopted to identify candidate ionizing star(s) and the population of young stellar objects in the associated field. Results: The radio maps reveal the presence of diffuse ionized emission displaying distinct cometary morphologies. The 1280 MHz flux densities translate to zero age main sequence spectral types in the range O7.5V-O7V and O8.5V-O8V for the ionizing stars of G346.056-0.021 and G346.077-0.056, respectively. A few promising candidate ionizing star(s) are identified using near-infrared photometric data. The column density map shows the presence of a large, dense dust clump enveloping G346.077-0.056. The dust temperature map shows peaks towards the two H II regions. The submillimeter image shows the presence of two additional clumps, one being associated with G346.056-0.021. The masses of the clumps are estimated to range between 1400 and 15250 M⊙. Based on simple analytic calculations and the correlation seen between the ionized gas distribution and the local density structure, the observed cometary morphology in the radio maps is better explained invoking the champagne-flow model. GMRT data (FITS format) are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/612/A36

GEOMETRY-INDEPENDENT DETERMINATION OF RADIAL DENSITY DISTRIBUTIONS IN MOLECULAR CLOUD CORES AND OTHER ASTRONOMICAL OBJECTS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Krčo, Marko; Goldsmith, Paul F., E-mail: marko@astro.cornell.edu

2016-05-01

We present a geometry-independent method for determining the shapes of radial volume density profiles of astronomical objects whose geometries are unknown, based on a single column density map. Such profiles are often critical to understand the physics and chemistry of molecular cloud cores, in which star formation takes place. The method presented here does not assume any geometry for the object being studied, thus removing a significant source of bias. Instead, it exploits contour self-similarity in column density maps, which appears to be common in data for astronomical objects. Our method may be applied to many types of astronomical objectsmore » and observable quantities so long as they satisfy a limited set of conditions, which we describe in detail. We derive the method analytically, test it numerically, and illustrate its utility using 2MASS-derived dust extinction in molecular cloud cores. While not having made an extensive comparison of different density profiles, we find that the overall radial density distribution within molecular cloud cores is adequately described by an attenuated power law.« less

Infrared dust and millimeter-wave carbon monoxide emission in the Orion region

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bally, John; Langer, William D.; Liu, Weihong

1991-01-01

The far-infrared dust emission seen by the IRAS satellite in the Orion region is analyzed as a function of the local radiation field intensity, and the dust temperature and opacity are compared with (C-12)O and (C-13)O emission. The infrared radiation is interpreted within the framework of a single-component large grain model and a multicomponent grain model consisting of subpopulations of grains with size-dependent temperatures. A strong dependence of the 100-micron optical depth derived is found using the large grain model on the average line-of-sight dust temperature and radiation field. In the hot environment surrounding high-luminosity sources and H II regions, all dust along the line-of-sight radiates at 100 microns, and the dust-to-gas ratio, based on the 100-micron opacity and I(/C-13/O), appears to be in agreement with the standard value, about 1 percent by mass. A relationship is found between the inferred dust-to-gas ratio and the radiation field intensity responsible for heating the dust which can be used to estimate the gas column density from the dust opacity derived from the 60- and 100-micron IRAS fluxes.

Laboratory Studies on the Charging of Dust Grains in a Plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Wenjun

1993-01-01

The charging of dust grains by the surrounding plasma is studied in a dusty plasma device (DPD) (Xu, W., B. Song, R. L. Merlino, and N. D'Angelo, Rev. Sci. Instrum., 63, 5266, 1992). The dusty plasma device consists of a rotating-drum dust dispersal device used in conjunction with an existing Q-machine, to produce extended, steady state, magnetized plasma columns. The dust density in the dust chamber is controlled by the drum rotation speed. The device is capable of generating a dusty plasma in which as much as about 90% of the negative charge is attached to the dust grains of 1-10mu m size. Measurements of the dust parameter eta, the percentage of negative charge on free electrons in the dusty plasma, are presented. The dust parameter eta is found to depend on the rotational speed of the dust chamber, plasma density and the type and size of different dust. The dust parameter eta is calculated from a pair of Langmuir curves taken with and without dust under the same conditions. The operation of the dust chamber as described above has been confirmed by the agreement between the measurements of eta and the direct mechanical measurements consisting of weighing dust samples collected within the rotation dust chamber, at different rotation rates. By varying the ratio d/lambda_ {rm D} between the intergrain distance and the plasma Debye length, the effects predicted by Goertz and Ip (Goertz, C. K., and W-H. Ip, Geophys. Res. Lett., 11, 349, 1984), and subsequently reanalyzed in a more general fashion by Whipple et al. (Whipple, E. C., T. G. Northrop, and D. A. Mendis, J. Geophys. Rev., 90, 7405, 1985), as "isolated" dust grains become "closely packed" grains, have been demonstrated experimentally (Xu, W., N. D'Angelo, and R. L. Merlino, J. Geophys. Rev., 98, 7843, 1993). Similar results are presented and compared for two types of dust, kaolin and Al_2O _3, which have been studied in the experiment.

Lord of the Rings - Return of the King: Swift-XRT observations of dust scattering rings around V404 Cygni

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beardmore, A. P.; Willingale, R.; Kuulkers, E.; Altamirano, D.; Motta, S. E.; Osborne, J. P.; Page, K. L.; Sivakoff, G. R.

2016-10-01

On 2015 June 15, the black hole X-ray binary V404 Cygni went into outburst, exhibiting extreme X-ray variability which culminated in a final flare on June 26. Over the following days, the Swift-X-ray Telescope detected a series of bright rings, comprising five main components that expanded and faded with time, caused by X-rays scattered from the otherwise unobservable dust layers in the interstellar medium in the direction of the source. Simple geometrical modelling of the rings' angular evolution reveals that they have a common temporal origin, coincident with the final, brightest flare seen by INTEGRAL's JEM X-1, which reached a 3-10 keV flux of ˜25 Crab. The high quality of the data allows the dust properties and density distribution along the line of sight to the source to be estimated. Using the Rayleigh-Gans approximation for the dust scattering cross-section and a power-law distribution of grain sizes a, ∝ a-q, the average dust emission is well modelled by q = 3.90^{+0.09}_{-0.08} and maximum grain size of a_+ = 0.147^{+0.024}_{-0.004} { μ m}, though significant variations in q are seen between the rings. The recovered dust density distribution shows five peaks associated with the dense sheets responsible for the rings at distances ranging from 1.19 to 2.13 kpc, with thicknesses of ˜40-80 pc and a maximum density occurring at the location of the nearest sheet. We find a dust column density of Ndust ≈ (2.0-2.5) × 1011 cm-2, consistent with the optical extinction to the source. Comparison of the inner rings' azimuthal X-ray evolution with archival Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer mid-IR data suggests that the second most distant ring follows the general IR emission trend, which increases in brightness towards the Galactic north side of the source.

Condition for dust evacuation from the first galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fukushima, Hajime; Yajima, Hidenobu; Omukai, Kazuyuki

2018-06-01

Dust enables low-mass stars to form from low-metallicity gas by inducing fragmentation of clouds via cooling by thermal emission. Dust may, however, be evacuated from star-forming clouds due to the radiation force from massive stars. We study here the condition for dust evacuation by comparing the dust evacuation time with the time of cloud destruction due to either expansion of H II regions or supernovae. The cloud destruction time has a weak dependence on cloud radius, while the dust evacuation time is shorter for a cloud with a smaller radius. Dust evacuation, thus, occurs in compact star-forming clouds whose column density is NH ≃ 1024-1026 cm-2. The critical halo mass above which dust evacuation occurs is lower for higher formation red shift, e.g. ˜109 M⊙ at red shift z ˜ 3 and ˜107 M⊙ at z ˜ 9. In addition, the metallicity of the gas should be less than ˜10-2 Z⊙, otherwise attenuation by dust reduces the radiation force significantly. From the dust-evacuated gas, massive stars are likely to form, even with a metallicity above ˜10-5 Z⊙, the critical value for low-mass star formation due to dust cooling. This can explain the dearth of ultra-metal-poor stars with a metallicity lower than ˜10-4 Z⊙.

Spectroscopic limits to an extragalactic far-ultraviolet background.

PubMed

Martin, C; Hurwitz, M; Bowyer, S

1991-10-01

We use a spectrum of the lowest intensity diffuse far-ultraviolet background obtained from a series of observations in a number of celestial view directions to constrain the properties of the extragalactic FUV background. The mean continuum level, IEG = 280 +/- 35 photons cm-2 s-1 angstrom-1 sr-1, was obtained in a direction with very low H I column density, and this represents a firm upper limit to any extragalactic background in the 1400-1900 angstroms band. Previous work has demonstrated that the far-ultraviolet background includes (depending on a view direction) contributions from dust-scattered Galactic light, high-ionization emission lines, two-photon emission from H II, H2 fluorescence, and the integrated light of spiral galaxies. We find no evidence in the spectrum of line or continuum features that would signify additional extragalactic components. Motivated by the observation of steep BJ and U number count distributions, we have made a detailed comparison of galaxy evolution models to optical and UV data. We find that the observations are difficult to reconcile with a dominant contribution from unclustered, starburst galaxies at low redshifts. Our measurement rules out large ionizing fluxes at z = 0, but cannot strongly constrain the QSO background light, which is expected to be 0.5%-4% of IEG. We present improved limits on radiative lifetimes of massive neutrinos. We demonstrated with a simple model that IGM radiation is unlikely to make a significant contribution to IEG. Since dust scattering could produce a significant part of the continuum in this lowest intensity spectrum, we carried out a series of tests to evaluate this possibility. We find that the spectrum of a nearby target with higher NH I, when corrected for H2 fluorescence, is very similar to the spectrum obtained in the low H I view direction. This is evidence that the majority of the continuum observed at low NH I is also dust reflection, indicating either the existence of a hitherto unidentified dust component, or of a large enhancement in dust scattering efficiency in low-density gas. We also review the effects of an additional dust component on the far-infrared background and on extragalactic FUV observations. We conclude that dust reflection, combined with modest contributions from H II two-photon emission and from the integrated light of late-type galaxies, may account for virtually all of the FUV background in low H I column density directions.

VizieR Online Data Catalog: Coefficients for passband extinctions (Sale+, 2015)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sale, S. E.; Magorrian, J.

2017-11-01

We have considered how one should measure the distance and extinction to individual stars for use in constructing extinction maps of the whole Galaxy. We advocate the use of monochromatic extinctions, since, unlike bandpass measures such as AV and E(B-V), monochromatic extinctions are linear functions of the dust column density and are independent of the source SED. In particular we suggest the use of A4000, the monochromatic extinction at 4000Å because of its insensitivity to the dust grain size distribution. Files for converting from A_4000 to passband extinctions at 35 RV extinction law value and for 11 photometric systems. (2 data files).

Understanding star formation in molecular clouds. II. Signatures of gravitational collapse of IRDCs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schneider, N.; Csengeri, T.; Klessen, R. S.; Tremblin, P.; Ossenkopf, V.; Peretto, N.; Simon, R.; Bontemps, S.; Federrath, C.

2015-06-01

We analyse column density and temperature maps derived from Herschel dust continuum observations of a sample of prominent, massive infrared dark clouds (IRDCs) i.e. G11.11-0.12, G18.82-0.28, G28.37+0.07, and G28.53-0.25. We disentangle the velocity structure of the clouds using 13CO 1→0 and 12CO 3→2 data, showing that these IRDCs are the densest regions in massive giant molecular clouds (GMCs) and not isolated features. The probability distribution function (PDF) of column densities for all clouds have a power-law distribution over all (high) column densities, regardless of the evolutionary stage of the cloud: G11.11-0.12, G18.82-0.28, and G28.37+0.07 contain (proto)-stars, while G28.53-0.25 shows no signs of star formation. This is in contrast to the purely log-normal PDFs reported for near and/or mid-IR extinction maps. We only find a log-normal distribution for lower column densities, if we perform PDFs of the column density maps of the whole GMC in which the IRDCs are embedded. By comparing the PDF slope and the radial column density profile of three of our clouds, we attribute the power law to the effect of large-scale gravitational collapse and to local free-fall collapse of pre- and protostellar cores for the highest column densities. A significant impact on the cloud properties from radiative feedback is unlikely because the clouds are mostly devoid of star formation. Independent from the PDF analysis, we find infall signatures in the spectral profiles of 12CO for G28.37+0.07 and G11.11-0.12, supporting the scenario of gravitational collapse. Our results are in line with earlier interpretations that see massive IRDCs as the densest regions within GMCs, which may be the progenitors of massive stars or clusters. At least some of the IRDCs are probably the same features as ridges (high column density regions with N> 1023 cm-2 over small areas), which were defined for nearby IR-bright GMCs. Because IRDCs are only confined to the densest (gravity dominated) cloud regions, the PDF constructed from this kind of a clipped image does not represent the (turbulence dominated) low column density regime of the cloud. The column density maps (FITS files) are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (ftp://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/578/A29

Herschel observations of the Galactic H II region RCW 79

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Hong-Li; Figueira, Miguel; Zavagno, Annie; Hill, Tracey; Schneider, Nicola; Men'shchikov, Alexander; Russeil, Delphine; Motte, Frédérique; Tigé, Jérémy; Deharveng, Lise; Anderson, Loren D.; Li, Jin-Zeng; Wu, Yuefang; Yuan, Jing-Hua; Huang, Maohai

2017-06-01

Context. Triggered star formation around H II regions could be an important process. The Galactic H II region RCW 79 is a prototypical object for triggered high-mass star formation. Aims: We aim to obtain a census of the young stellar population observed at the edges of the H II region and to determine the properties of the young sources in order to characterize the star formation processes that take place at the edges of this ionized region. Methods: We take advantage of Herschel data from the surveys HOBYS, "Evolution of Interstellar Dust", and Hi-Gal to extract compact sources. We use the algorithm getsources. We complement the Herschel data with archival 2MASS, Spitzer, and WISE data to determine the physical parameters of the sources (e.g., envelope mass, dust temperature, and luminosity) by fitting the spectral energy distribution. Results: We created the dust temperature and column density maps along with the column density probability distribution function (PDF) for the entire RCW 79 region. We obtained a sample of 50 compact sources in this region, 96% of which are situated in the ionization-compressed layer of cold and dense gas that is characterized by the column density PDF with a double-peaked lognormal distribution. The 50 sources have sizes of 0.1-0.4 pc with a typical value of 0.2 pc, temperatures of 11-26 K, envelope masses of 6-760 M⊙, densities of 0.1-44 × 105 cm-3, and luminosities of 19-12 712 L⊙. The sources are classified into 16 class 0, 19 intermediate, and 15 class I objects. Their distribution follows the evolutionary tracks in the diagram of bolometric luminosity versus envelope mass (Lbol-Menv) well. A mass threshold of 140 M⊙, determined from the Lbol-Menv diagram, yields 12 candidate massive dense cores that may form high-mass stars. The core formation efficiency (CFE) for the 8 massive condensations shows an increasing trend of the CFE with density. This suggests that the denser the condensation, the higher the fraction of its mass transformation into dense cores, as previously observed in other high-mass star-forming regions. Herschel is an ESA space observatory with science instruments provided by European-led Principal Investigator consortia and with important participation from NASA.Final reduced data and maps used in the paper (FITS format) are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/602/A95

Charging of dust grains in a plasma with negative ions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Su-Hyun; Merlino, Robert L.

2006-05-01

The effect of negative ions on the charging of dust particles in a plasma is investigated experimentally. A plasma containing a very low percentage of electrons is formed in a single-ended SF6 is admitted into the vacuum system. The relatively cold (Te≈0.2eV ) readily attach to SF6 molecules to form SF6- negative ions. Calculations of the dust charge indicate that for electrons, negative ions, and positive ions of comparable temperatures, the charge (or surface potential) of the dust can be positive if the positive ion mass is smaller than the negative ion mass and if ɛ, the ratio of the electron to positive ion density, is sufficiently small. The K+ positive ions (mass 39amu) and SF6- negative ions (mass 146amu), and also utilizes a rotating cylinder to dispense dust into the plasma column. Analysis of the current-voltage characteristics of a Langmuir probe in the dusty plasma shows evidence for the reduction in the (magnitude) of the negative dust charge and the transition to positively charged dust as the relative concentration of the residual electrons is reduced. Some remarks are offered concerning experiments that could become possible in a dusty plasma with positive grains.

Cosmic-rays, gas, and dust in nearby anticentre clouds. II. Interstellar phase transitions and the dark neutral medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Remy, Q.; Grenier, I. A.; Marshall, D. J.; Casandjian, J. M.

2018-03-01

Aim. H I 21-cm and 12CO 2.6-mm line emissions trace the atomic and molecular gas phases, respectively, but they miss most of the opaque H I and diffuse H2 present in the dark neutral medium (DNM) at the transition between the H I-bright and CO-bright regions. Jointly probing H I, CO, and DNM gas, we aim to constrain the threshold of the H I-H2 transition in visual extinction, AV, and in total hydrogen column densities, NHtot. We also aim to measure gas mass fractions in the different phases and to test their relation to cloud properties. Methods: We have used dust optical depth measurements at 353 GHz, γ-ray maps at GeV energies, and H I and CO line data to trace the gas column densities and map the DNM in nearby clouds toward the Galactic anticentre and Chamaeleon regions. We have selected a subset of 15 individual clouds, from diffuse to star-forming structures, in order to study the different phases across each cloud and to probe changes from cloud to cloud. Results: The atomic fraction of the total hydrogen column density is observed to decrease in the (0.6-1) × 1021 cm-2 range in NHtot (AV ≈ 0.4 mag) because of the formation of H2 molecules. The onset of detectable CO intensities varies by only a factor of 4 from cloud to cloud, between 0.6 × 1021 cm-2 and 2.5 × 1021 cm-2 in total gas column density. We observe larger H2 column densities than linearly inferred from the CO intensities at AV > 3 mag because of the large CO optical thickness; the additional H2 mass in this regime represents on average 20% of the CO-inferred molecular mass. In the DNM envelopes, we find that the fraction of diffuse CO-dark H2 in the molecular column densities decreases with increasing AV in a cloud. For a half molecular DNM, the fraction decreases from more than 80% at 0.4 mag to less than 20% beyond 2 mag. In mass, the DNM fraction varies with the cloud properties. Clouds with low peak CO intensities exhibit large CO-dark H2 fractions in molecular mass, in particular the diffuse clouds lying at high altitude above the Galactic plane. The mass present in the DNM envelopes appears to scale with the molecular mass seen in CO as MHDNM = 62 ± 7 MH2CO0.51 ± 0.02 across two decades in mass. Conclusions: The phase transitions in these clouds show both common trends and environmental differences. These findings will help support the theoretical modelling of H2 formation and the precise tracing of H2 in the interstellar medium.

Near-UV OH Prompt Emission in the Innermost Coma of 103P/Hartley 2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

La Forgia, Fiorangela; Bodewits, Dennis; A'Hearn, Michael F.; Protopapa, Silvia; Kelley, Michael S. P.; Sunshine, Jessica; Feaga, Lori; Farnham, Tony

2017-11-01

The Deep Impact spacecraft flyby of comet 103P/Hartley 2 occurred on 2010 November 4, 1 week after perihelion with a closest approach (CA) distance of about 700 km. We used narrowband images obtained by the Medium Resolution Imager on board the spacecraft to study the gas and dust in the innermost coma. We derived an overall dust reddening of 15%/100 nm between 345 and 749 nm and identified a blue enhancement in the dust coma in the sunward direction within 5 km from the nucleus, which we interpret as a localized enrichment in water ice. OH column density maps show an anti-sunward enhancement throughout the encounter, except for the highest-resolution images, acquired at CA, where a radial jet becomes visible in the innermost coma, extending up to 12 km from the nucleus. The OH distribution in the inner coma is very different from that expected for a fragment species. Instead, it correlates well with the water vapor map derived by the HRI-IR instrument on board Deep Impact. Radial profiles of the OH column density and derived water production rates show an excess of OH emission during CA that cannot be explained with pure fluorescence. We attribute this excess to a prompt emission process where photodissociation of H2O directly produces excited OH*(A 2Σ+) radicals. Our observations provide the first direct imaging of near-UV prompt emission of OH. We therefore suggest the use of a dedicated filter centered at 318.8 nm to directly trace the water in the coma of comets.

Planck intermediate results: XXXII. The relative orientation between the magnetic field and structures traced by interstellar dust

DOE PAGES

Adam, R.; Ade, P. A. R.; Aghanim, N.; ...

2016-02-09

The role of the magnetic field in the formation of the filamentary structures observed in the interstellar medium (ISM) is a debated topic owing to the paucity of relevant observations needed to test existing models. The Planck all-sky maps of linearly polarized emission from dust at 353 GHz provide the required combination of imaging and statistics to study the correlation between the structures of the Galactic magnetic field and of interstellar matter over the whole sky, both in the diffuse ISM and in molecular clouds. The data reveal that structures, or ridges, in the intensity map have counterparts in themore » Stokes Q and/or U maps. In this paper, we focus our study on structures at intermediate and high Galactic latitudes, which cover two orders of magnitude in column density, from 10 20 to 10 22 cm -2. We measure the magnetic field orientation on the plane ofthe sky from the polarization data, and present an algorithm to estimate the orientation of the ridges from the dust intensity map. We use analytical models to account for projection effects. Comparing polarization angles on and off the structures, we estimate the mean ratio between the strengths of the turbulent and mean components of the magnetic field to be between 0.6 and 1.0, with a preferred value of 0.8. We find that the ridges are usually aligned with the magnetic field measured on the structures. This statistical trend becomes more striking for increasing polarization fraction and decreasing column density. There is no alignment for the highest column density ridges. We interpret the increase in alignment with polarization fraction as a consequence of projection effects. We present maps to show that the decrease in alignment for high column density is not due to a loss of correlation between the distribution of matter and the geometry of the magnetic field. In molecular complexes, we also observe structures perpendicular to the magnetic field, which, statistically, cannot be accounted for by projection effects. This first statistical study of the relative orientation between the matter structures and the magnetic field in the ISM points out that, at the angular scales probed by Planck, the field geometry projected on the plane of the sky is correlated with the distribution of matter. In the diffuse ISM, the structures of matter are usually aligned with the magnetic field, while perpendicular structures appear in molecular clouds. Finally, we discuss our results in the context of models and MHD simulations, which attempt to describe the respective roles of turbulence, magnetic field, and self-gravity in the formation of structures in the magnetized ISM.« less

Planck intermediate results. XXXII. The relative orientation between the magnetic field and structures traced by interstellar dust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Planck Collaboration; Adam, R.; Ade, P. A. R.; Aghanim, N.; Alves, M. I. R.; Arnaud, M.; Arzoumanian, D.; Ashdown, M.; Aumont, J.; Baccigalupi, C.; Banday, A. J.; Barreiro, R. B.; Bartolo, N.; Battaner, E.; Benabed, K.; Benoit-Lévy, A.; Bernard, J.-P.; Bersanelli, M.; Bielewicz, P.; Bonaldi, A.; Bonavera, L.; Bond, J. R.; Borrill, J.; Bouchet, F. R.; Boulanger, F.; Bracco, A.; Burigana, C.; Butler, R. C.; Calabrese, E.; Cardoso, J.-F.; Catalano, A.; Chamballu, A.; Chiang, H. C.; Christensen, P. R.; Colombi, S.; Colombo, L. P. L.; Combet, C.; Couchot, F.; Crill, B. P.; Curto, A.; Cuttaia, F.; Danese, L.; Davies, R. D.; Davis, R. J.; de Bernardis, P.; de Rosa, A.; de Zotti, G.; Delabrouille, J.; Dickinson, C.; Diego, J. M.; Dole, H.; Donzelli, S.; Doré, O.; Douspis, M.; Ducout, A.; Dupac, X.; Efstathiou, G.; Elsner, F.; Enßlin, T. A.; Eriksen, H. K.; Falgarone, E.; Ferrière, K.; Finelli, F.; Forni, O.; Frailis, M.; Fraisse, A. A.; Franceschi, E.; Frejsel, A.; Galeotta, S.; Galli, S.; Ganga, K.; Ghosh, T.; Giard, M.; Gjerløw, E.; González-Nuevo, J.; Górski, K. M.; Gregorio, A.; Gruppuso, A.; Guillet, V.; Hansen, F. K.; Hanson, D.; Harrison, D. L.; Henrot-Versillé, S.; Hernández-Monteagudo, C.; Herranz, D.; Hildebrandt, S. R.; Hivon, E.; Hobson, M.; Holmes, W. A.; Hovest, W.; Huffenberger, K. M.; Hurier, G.; Jaffe, A. H.; Jaffe, T. R.; Jones, W. C.; Juvela, M.; Keihänen, E.; Keskitalo, R.; Kisner, T. S.; Kneissl, R.; Knoche, J.; Kunz, M.; Kurki-Suonio, H.; Lagache, G.; Lamarre, J.-M.; Lasenby, A.; Lattanzi, M.; Lawrence, C. R.; Leonardi, R.; Levrier, F.; Liguori, M.; Lilje, P. B.; Linden-Vørnle, M.; López-Caniego, M.; Lubin, P. M.; Macías-Pérez, J. F.; Maffei, B.; Maino, D.; Mandolesi, N.; Maris, M.; Marshall, D. J.; Martin, P. G.; Martínez-González, E.; Masi, S.; Matarrese, S.; Mazzotta, P.; Melchiorri, A.; Mendes, L.; Mennella, A.; Migliaccio, M.; Miville-Deschênes, M.-A.; Moneti, A.; Montier, L.; Morgante, G.; Mortlock, D.; Munshi, D.; Murphy, J. A.; Naselsky, P.; Natoli, P.; Nørgaard-Nielsen, H. U.; Noviello, F.; Novikov, D.; Novikov, I.; Oppermann, N.; Oxborrow, C. A.; Pagano, L.; Pajot, F.; Paoletti, D.; Pasian, F.; Perdereau, O.; Perotto, L.; Perrotta, F.; Pettorino, V.; Piacentini, F.; Piat, M.; Plaszczynski, S.; Pointecouteau, E.; Polenta, G.; Ponthieu, N.; Popa, L.; Pratt, G. W.; Prunet, S.; Puget, J.-L.; Rachen, J. P.; Reach, W. T.; Reinecke, M.; Remazeilles, M.; Renault, C.; Ristorcelli, I.; Rocha, G.; Roudier, G.; Rubiño-Martín, J. A.; Rusholme, B.; Sandri, M.; Santos, D.; Savini, G.; Scott, D.; Soler, J. D.; Spencer, L. D.; Stolyarov, V.; Sudiwala, R.; Sunyaev, R.; Sutton, D.; Suur-Uski, A.-S.; Sygnet, J.-F.; Tauber, J. A.; Terenzi, L.; Toffolatti, L.; Tomasi, M.; Tristram, M.; Tucci, M.; Umana, G.; Valenziano, L.; Valiviita, J.; Van Tent, B.; Vielva, P.; Villa, F.; Wade, L. A.; Wandelt, B. D.; Wehus, I. K.; Wiesemeyer, H.; Yvon, D.; Zacchei, A.; Zonca, A.

2016-02-01

The role of the magnetic field in the formation of the filamentary structures observed in the interstellar medium (ISM) is a debated topic owing to the paucity of relevant observations needed to test existing models. The Planck all-sky maps of linearly polarized emission from dust at 353 GHz provide the required combination of imaging and statistics to study the correlation between the structures of the Galactic magnetic field and of interstellar matter over the whole sky, both in the diffuse ISM and in molecular clouds. The data reveal that structures, or ridges, in the intensity map have counterparts in the Stokes Q and/or U maps. We focus our study on structures at intermediate and high Galactic latitudes, which cover two orders of magnitude in column density, from 1020 to 1022 cm-2. We measure the magnetic field orientation on the plane ofthe sky from the polarization data, and present an algorithm to estimate the orientation of the ridges from the dust intensity map. We use analytical models to account for projection effects. Comparing polarization angles on and off the structures, we estimate the mean ratio between the strengths of the turbulent and mean components of the magnetic field to be between 0.6 and 1.0, with a preferred value of 0.8. We find that the ridges are usually aligned with the magnetic field measured on the structures. This statistical trend becomes more striking for increasing polarization fraction and decreasing column density. There is no alignment for the highest column density ridges. We interpret the increase in alignment with polarization fraction as a consequence of projection effects. We present maps to show that the decrease in alignment for high column density is not due to a loss of correlation between the distribution of matter and the geometry of the magnetic field. In molecular complexes, we also observe structures perpendicular to the magnetic field, which, statistically, cannot be accounted for by projection effects. This first statistical study of the relative orientation between the matter structures and the magnetic field in the ISM points out that, at the angular scales probed by Planck, the field geometry projected on the plane of the sky is correlated with the distribution of matter. In the diffuse ISM, the structures of matter are usually aligned with the magnetic field, while perpendicular structures appear in molecular clouds. We discuss our results in the context of models and MHD simulations, which attempt to describe the respective roles of turbulence, magnetic field, and self-gravity in the formation of structures in the magnetized ISM.

Planck intermediate results: XXXII. The relative orientation between the magnetic field and structures traced by interstellar dust

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Adam, R.; Ade, P. A. R.; Aghanim, N.

The role of the magnetic field in the formation of the filamentary structures observed in the interstellar medium (ISM) is a debated topic owing to the paucity of relevant observations needed to test existing models. The Planck all-sky maps of linearly polarized emission from dust at 353 GHz provide the required combination of imaging and statistics to study the correlation between the structures of the Galactic magnetic field and of interstellar matter over the whole sky, both in the diffuse ISM and in molecular clouds. The data reveal that structures, or ridges, in the intensity map have counterparts in themore » Stokes Q and/or U maps. In this paper, we focus our study on structures at intermediate and high Galactic latitudes, which cover two orders of magnitude in column density, from 10 20 to 10 22 cm -2. We measure the magnetic field orientation on the plane ofthe sky from the polarization data, and present an algorithm to estimate the orientation of the ridges from the dust intensity map. We use analytical models to account for projection effects. Comparing polarization angles on and off the structures, we estimate the mean ratio between the strengths of the turbulent and mean components of the magnetic field to be between 0.6 and 1.0, with a preferred value of 0.8. We find that the ridges are usually aligned with the magnetic field measured on the structures. This statistical trend becomes more striking for increasing polarization fraction and decreasing column density. There is no alignment for the highest column density ridges. We interpret the increase in alignment with polarization fraction as a consequence of projection effects. We present maps to show that the decrease in alignment for high column density is not due to a loss of correlation between the distribution of matter and the geometry of the magnetic field. In molecular complexes, we also observe structures perpendicular to the magnetic field, which, statistically, cannot be accounted for by projection effects. This first statistical study of the relative orientation between the matter structures and the magnetic field in the ISM points out that, at the angular scales probed by Planck, the field geometry projected on the plane of the sky is correlated with the distribution of matter. In the diffuse ISM, the structures of matter are usually aligned with the magnetic field, while perpendicular structures appear in molecular clouds. Finally, we discuss our results in the context of models and MHD simulations, which attempt to describe the respective roles of turbulence, magnetic field, and self-gravity in the formation of structures in the magnetized ISM.« less

Physical conditions in molecular clouds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Evans, Neal J., II

1989-01-01

Recent developments have complicated the picture of the physical conditions in molecular clouds. The discoveries of widespread emission from high-J lines of CD and 12-micron IRAS emission have revealed the presence of considerably hotter gas and dust near the surfaces of molecular clouds. These components can complicate interpretation of the bulk of the cloud gas. Commonly assumed relations between column density or mean density and cloud size are called into question by conflicting results and by consideration of selection effects. Analysis of density and density structure through molecular excitation has shown that very high densities exist in star formation regions, but unresolved structure and possible chemical effects complicate the interpretation. High resolution far-IR and submillimeter observations offer a complementary approach and are beginning to test theoretical predictions of density gradients in clouds.

The dense gas mass fraction of molecular clouds in the Milky Way

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Battisti, Andrew J.; Heyer, Mark H., E-mail: abattist@astro.umass.edu, E-mail: heyer@astro.umass.edu

2014-01-10

The mass fraction of dense gas within giant molecular clouds (GMCs) of the Milky Way is investigated using {sup 13}CO data from the Five College Radio Astronomy Observatory Galactic Plane Surveys and the Bolocam Galactic Plane Survey (BGPS) of 1.1 mm dust continuum emission. A sample of 860 compact dust sources are selected from the BGPS catalog and kinematically linked to 344 clouds of extended (>3') {sup 13}CO J = 1-0 emission. Gas masses are tabulated for the full dust source and subregions within the dust sources with mass surface densities greater than 200 M {sub ☉} pc{sup –2}, whichmore » are assumed to be regions of enhanced volume density. Masses of the parent GMCs are calculated assuming optically thin {sup 13}CO J = 1-0 emission and local thermodynamic equilibrium conditions. The mean fractional mass of dust sources to host GMC mass is 0.11{sub −0.06}{sup +0.12}. The high column density subregions comprise 0.07{sub −0.05}{sup +0.13} of the mass of the cloud. Owing to our assumptions, these values are upper limits to the true mass fractions. The fractional mass of dense gas is independent of GMC mass and gas surface density. The low dense gas mass fraction suggests that the formation of dense structures within GMCs is the primary bottleneck for star formation. The distribution of velocity differences between the dense gas and the low density material along the line of sight is also examined. We find a strong, centrally peaked distribution centered on zero velocity displacement. This distribution of velocity differences is modeled with radially converging flows toward the dense gas position that are randomly oriented with respect to the observed line of sight. These models constrain the infall velocities to be 2-4 km s{sup –1} for various flow configurations.« less

Analytic H I-to-H2 Photodissociation Transition Profiles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bialy, Shmuel; Sternberg, Amiel

2016-05-01

We present a simple analytic procedure for generating atomic (H I) to molecular ({{{H}}}2) density profiles for optically thick hydrogen gas clouds illuminated by far-ultraviolet radiation fields. Our procedure is based on the analytic theory for the structure of one-dimensional H I/{{{H}}}2 photon-dominated regions, presented by Sternberg et al. Depth-dependent atomic and molecular density fractions may be computed for arbitrary gas density, far-ultraviolet field intensity, and the metallicity-dependent H2 formation rate coefficient, and dust absorption cross section in the Lyman-Werner photodissociation band. We use our procedure to generate a set of {{H}} {{I}}{-}{to}{-}{{{H}}}2 transition profiles for a wide range of conditions, from the weak- to strong-field limits, and from super-solar down to low metallicities. We show that if presented as functions of dust optical depth, the {{H}} {{I}} and {{{H}}}2 density profiles depend primarily on the Sternberg “α G parameter” (dimensionless) that determines the dust optical depth associated with the total photodissociated {{H}} {{I}} column. We derive a universal analytic formula for the {{H}} {{I}}{-}{to}{-}{{{H}}}2 transition points as a function of just α G. Our formula will be useful for interpreting emission-line observations of H I/{{{H}}}2 interfaces, for estimating star formation thresholds, and for sub-grid components in hydrodynamics simulations.

Dynamical Timescale of Pre-collapse Evolution Inferred from Chemical Distribution in the Taurus Molecular Cloud-1 (TMC-1) Filament

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Choi, Yunhee; Lee, Jeong-Eun; Bourke, Tyler L.

We present observations and analyses of the low-mass star-forming region, Taurus Molecular Cloud-1 (TMC-1). CS ( J = 2–1)/N{sub 2}H{sup +} ( J = 1–0) and C{sup 17}O ( J = 2–1)/C{sup 18}O ( J = 2–1) were observed with the Five College Radio Astronomy Observatory and the Seoul Radio Astronomy Observatory, respectively. In addition, Spitzer infrared data and 1.2 mm continuum data observed with Max-Planck Millimetre Bolometer are used. We also perform chemical modeling to investigate the relative molecular distributions of the TMC-1 filament. Based on Spitzer observations, there is no young stellar object along the TMC-1 filament, while five Classmore » II and one Class I young stellar objects are identified outside the filament. The comparison between column densities calculated from dust continuum and C{sup 17}O 2–1 line emission shows that CO is depleted much more significantly in the ammonia peak than in the cyanopolyyne peak, while the column densities calculated from the dust continuum are similar at the two peaks. N{sub 2}H{sup +} is not depleted much in either peak. According to our chemical calculation, the differential chemical distribution in the two peaks can be explained by different timescales required to reach the same density, i.e., by different dynamical processes.« less

ATLASGAL-selected massive clumps in the inner Galaxy. III. Dust continuum characterization of an evolutionary sample

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

König, C.; Urquhart, J. S.; Csengeri, T.; Leurini, S.; Wyrowski, F.; Giannetti, A.; Wienen, M.; Pillai, T.; Kauffmann, J.; Menten, K. M.; Schuller, F.

2017-03-01

Context. Massive-star formation and the processes involved are still poorly understood. The ATLASGAL survey provides an ideal basis for detailed studies of large numbers of massive-star forming clumps covering the whole range of evolutionary stages. The ATLASGAL Top100 is a sample of clumps selected by their infrared and radio properties to be representative for the whole range of evolutionary stages. Aims: The ATLASGAL Top100 sources are the focus of a number of detailed follow-up studies that will be presented in a series of papers. In the present work we use the dust continuum emission to constrain the physical properties of this sample and identify trends as a function of source evolution. Methods: We determine flux densities from mid-infrared to submillimeter wavelength (8-870 μm) images and use these values to fit their spectral energy distributions and determine their dust temperature and flux. Combining these with recent distances from the literature including maser parallax measurements we determine clump masses, luminosities and column densities. Results: We define four distinct source classes from the available continuum data and arrange these into an evolutionary sequence. This begins with sources found to be dark at 70 μm, followed by 24 μm weak sources with an embedded 70 μm source, continues through mid-infrared bright sources and ends with infrared bright sources associated with radio emission (I.e., H II regions). We find trends for increasing temperature, luminosity, and column density with the proposed evolution sequence, confirming that this sample is representative of different evolutionary stages of massive star formation. Our sources span temperatures from approximately 11 to 41 K, with bolometric luminosities in the range 57 L⊙-3.8 × 106L⊙. The highest masses reach 4.3 × 104M⊙ and peak column densities up to 1.1 × 1024 cm-1, and therefore have the potential to form the most massive O-type stars. We show that at least 93 sources (85%) of this sample have the ability to form massive stars and that most are gravitationally unstable and hence likely to be collapsing. Conclusions: The highest column density ATLASGAL sources cover the whole range of evolutionary stages from the youngest to the most evolved high-mass-star forming clumps. Study of these clumps provides a unique starting point for more in-depth research on massive-star formation in four distinct evolutionary stages whose well defined physical parameters afford more detailed studies. As most of the sample is closer than 5 kpc, these sources are also ideal for follow-up observations with high spatial resolution. Full Table 1, including fluxes, is only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/599/A139

Mapping the Extinction Curve in 3D: Structure on Kiloparsec Scales

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schlafly, E. F.; Peek, J. E. G.; Finkbeiner, D. P.

Near-infrared spectroscopy from APOGEE and wide-field optical photometry from Pan-STARRS1 have recently made precise measurements of the shape of the extinction curve possible for tens of thousands of stars, parameterized by R ( V ). These measurements revealed structures in R ( V ) with large angular scales, which are challenging to explain in existing dust paradigms. In this work, we combine three-dimensional maps of dust column density with R ( V ) measurements to constrain the three-dimensional distribution of R ( V ) in the Milky Way. We find that the variations in R ( V ) are correlatedmore » on kiloparsec scales. In particular, most of the dust within one kiloparsec in the outer Galaxy, including many local molecular clouds (Orion, Taurus, Perseus, California, and Cepheus), has a significantly lower R ( V ) than more distant dust in the Milky Way. These results provide new input to models of dust evolution and processing, and complicate the application of locally derived extinction curves to more distant regions of the Milky Way and to other galaxies.« less

Planck intermediate results. XX. Comparison of polarized thermal emission from Galactic dust with simulations of MHD turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Planck Collaboration; Ade, P. A. R.; Aghanim, N.; Alina, D.; Alves, M. I. R.; Aniano, G.; Armitage-Caplan, C.; Arnaud, M.; Arzoumanian, D.; Ashdown, M.; Atrio-Barandela, F.; Aumont, J.; Baccigalupi, C.; Banday, A. J.; Barreiro, R. B.; Battaner, E.; Benabed, K.; Benoit-Lévy, A.; Bernard, J.-P.; Bersanelli, M.; Bielewicz, P.; Bond, J. R.; Borrill, J.; Bouchet, F. R.; Boulanger, F.; Bracco, A.; Burigana, C.; Cardoso, J.-F.; Catalano, A.; Chamballu, A.; Chiang, H. C.; Christensen, P. R.; Colombi, S.; Colombo, L. P. L.; Combet, C.; Couchot, F.; Coulais, A.; Crill, B. P.; Curto, A.; Cuttaia, F.; Danese, L.; Davies, R. D.; Davis, R. J.; de Bernardis, P.; de Rosa, A.; de Zotti, G.; Delabrouille, J.; Dickinson, C.; Diego, J. M.; Donzelli, S.; Doré, O.; Douspis, M.; Dupac, X.; Efstathiou, G.; Enßlin, T. A.; Eriksen, H. K.; Falgarone, E.; Fanciullo, L.; Ferrière, K.; Finelli, F.; Forni, O.; Frailis, M.; Fraisse, A. A.; Franceschi, E.; Galeotta, S.; Ganga, K.; Ghosh, T.; Giard, M.; Giraud-Héraud, Y.; González-Nuevo, J.; Górski, K. M.; Gregorio, A.; Gruppuso, A.; Guillet, V.; Hansen, F. K.; Harrison, D. L.; Helou, G.; Hernández-Monteagudo, C.; Hildebrandt, S. R.; Hivon, E.; Hobson, M.; Holmes, W. A.; Hornstrup, A.; Huffenberger, K. M.; Jaffe, A. H.; Jaffe, T. R.; Jones, W. C.; Juvela, M.; Keihänen, E.; Keskitalo, R.; Kisner, T. S.; Kneissl, R.; Knoche, J.; Kunz, M.; Kurki-Suonio, H.; Lagache, G.; Lamarre, J.-M.; Lasenby, A.; Lawrence, C. R.; Leonardi, R.; Levrier, F.; Liguori, M.; Lilje, P. B.; Linden-Vørnle, M.; López-Caniego, M.; Lubin, P. M.; Macías-Pérez, J. F.; Maino, D.; Mandolesi, N.; Maris, M.; Marshall, D. J.; Martin, P. G.; Martínez-González, E.; Masi, S.; Matarrese, S.; Mazzotta, P.; Melchiorri, A.; Mendes, L.; Mennella, A.; Migliaccio, M.; Miville-Deschênes, M.-A.; Moneti, A.; Montier, L.; Morgante, G.; Mortlock, D.; Munshi, D.; Murphy, J. A.; Naselsky, P.; Nati, F.; Natoli, P.; Netterfield, C. B.; Noviello, F.; Novikov, D.; Novikov, I.; Oxborrow, C. A.; Pagano, L.; Pajot, F.; Paoletti, D.; Pasian, F.; Pelkonen, V.-M.; Perdereau, O.; Perotto, L.; Perrotta, F.; Piacentini, F.; Piat, M.; Pietrobon, D.; Plaszczynski, S.; Pointecouteau, E.; Polenta, G.; Popa, L.; Pratt, G. W.; Prunet, S.; Puget, J.-L.; Rachen, J. P.; Reinecke, M.; Remazeilles, M.; Renault, C.; Ricciardi, S.; Riller, T.; Ristorcelli, I.; Rocha, G.; Rosset, C.; Roudier, G.; Rusholme, B.; Sandri, M.; Scott, D.; Soler, J. D.; Spencer, L. D.; Stolyarov, V.; Stompor, R.; Sudiwala, R.; Sutton, D.; Suur-Uski, A.-S.; Sygnet, J.-F.; Tauber, J. A.; Terenzi, L.; Toffolatti, L.; Tomasi, M.; Tristram, M.; Tucci, M.; Umana, G.; Valenziano, L.; Valiviita, J.; Van Tent, B.; Vielva, P.; Villa, F.; Wade, L. A.; Wandelt, B. D.; Zonca, A.

2015-04-01

Polarized emission observed by Planck HFI at 353 GHz towards a sample of nearby fields is presented, focusing on the statistics of polarization fractions p and angles ψ. The polarization fractions and column densities in these nearby fields are representative of the range of values obtained over the whole sky. We find that: (i) the largest polarization fractions are reached in the most diffuse fields; (ii) the maximum polarization fraction pmax decreases with column density NH in the more opaque fields with NH> 1021 cm-2; and (iii) the polarization fraction along a given line of sight is correlated with the local spatial coherence of the polarization angle. These observations are compared to polarized emission maps computed in simulations of anisotropic magnetohydrodynamical turbulence in which we assume a uniform intrinsic polarization fraction of the dust grains. We find that an estimate of this parameter may be recovered from the maximum polarization fraction pmax in diffuse regions where the magnetic field is ordered on large scales and perpendicular to the line of sight. This emphasizes the impact of anisotropies of the magnetic field on the emerging polarization signal. The decrease of the maximum polarization fraction with column density in nearby molecular clouds is well reproduced in the simulations, indicating that it is essentially due to the turbulent structure of the magnetic field: an accumulation of variously polarized structures along the line of sight leads to such an anti-correlation. In the simulations, polarization fractions are also found to anti-correlate with the angle dispersion function 𝒮. However, the dispersion of the polarization angle for a given polarization fraction is found to be larger in the simulations than in the observations, suggesting a shortcoming in the physical content of these numerical models. In summary, we find that the turbulent structure of the magnetic field is able to reproduce the main statistical properties of the dust polarization as observed in a variety of nearby clouds, dense cores excluded, and that the large-scale field orientation with respect to the line of sight plays a major role in the quantitative analysis of these statistical properties. Appendices are available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org

Stellar Contrails in Quasi-stellar Objects: The Origin of Broad Absorption Lines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scoville, Nick; Norman, Colin

1995-10-01

Active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and quasars often exhibit infrared excesses at λ = 2-10 microns attributable to thermal dust emission. In this paper we propose that this hot dust is supplied by circumstellar mass loss from evolved stars in the nuclear star cluster. The physics of the mass-loss dust, specifically the evaporation temperature, is a critical parameter in determining the accretion rate of mass-loss material onto the central AGN. For standard interstellar dust grains with an evaporation temperature of 1800 K the dust is destroyed inside a radius of 1 pc from a central luminosity source of 5 × 10 Lsun. The mass-loss material inside 1 pc will therefore have a lower radiation pressure efficiency and accrete inward. Outside this critical radius, dust may survive, and the mass loss is accelerated outward owing to the high radiation pressure efficiency of the dust mixed with the gas. The outflowing material will consist of discrete trails of debris shed by the individual mass-loss stars, and we suggest that these trails produce the broad absorption lines (BALs) seen in 5%-10% of QSOs. The model accounts naturally for the maximum outflow velocities seen in the BALs (˜30,000 km s-1 and varying as L¼) since this maximum terminal velocity occurs for matter originating at the inner edge of the radiative equilibrium dust survival zone. Although the radiation pressure acts on the dust, individual grains will be highly charged (Z ˜ 103+), and the grains are therefore strongly coupled to the gas through the ambient magnetic fields. Numerical hydrodynamic calculations were done to follow the evolution of mass-loss material. As the orbiting debris is driven outward by radiation pressure, the trail forms a spiral with initially high pitch angle (˜85°). The trails are compressed into thin ribbons in the radial direction initially by the radiation pressure gradients due to absorption within the trail. After reaching > 104 km s-1 radial velocity, the compression can be maintained by ram pressure due to an ambient gas of modest density (˜102 cm-3). Each of the stellar contrails will have mean column density ˜1019-1021 cm-2, volume density ˜108-109 cm-3, and thickness 1011-1012 cm along the line of sight to the AGN corresponding to parameters deduced from observations of the BAL clouds. Assuming minimal expansion perpendicular to the line of sight at the speed of sound, the width of the trails is 1015-1016 cm, or 102-103 times the line-of-sight depth. Since the UV-emitting accretion disk probably has a radius of about 2 × 1016 cm, a single trail will only partially cover the continuum, but for the column densities quoted above the observed absorption lines (e.g., C IV) will be optically thick with τ > 10. Since the contrails are nearly radial just after leaving the star when the maximum outward acceleration occurs, a large range of velocities (˜4000 km s-1) will be seen in absorption of the QSO light from each trail, and only a few disk-crossing trails are needed to account for the full width of broad absorption line troughs.

CHANGE OF MAGNETIC FIELD-GAS ALIGNMENT AT THE GRAVITY-DRIVEN ALFVÉNIC TRANSITION IN MOLECULAR CLOUDS: IMPLICATIONS FOR DUST POLARIZATION OBSERVATIONS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, Che-Yu; King, Patrick K.; Li, Zhi-Yun

Diffuse striations in molecular clouds are preferentially aligned with local magnetic fields, whereas dense filaments tend to be perpendicular to them. When and why this transition occurs remain uncertain. To explore the physics behind this transition, we compute the histogram of relative orientation (HRO) between the density gradient and the magnetic field in three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations of prestellar core formation in shock-compressed regions within giant molecular clouds. We find that, in the magnetically dominated (sub-Alfvénic) post-shock region, the gas structure is preferentially aligned with the local magnetic field. For overdense sub-regions with super-Alfvénic gas, their elongation becomes preferentially perpendicularmore » to the local magnetic field. The transition occurs when self-gravitating gas gains enough kinetic energy from the gravitational acceleration to overcome the magnetic support against the cross-field contraction, which results in a power-law increase of the field strength with density. Similar results can be drawn from HROs in projected two-dimensional maps with integrated column densities and synthetic polarized dust emission. We quantitatively analyze our simulated polarization properties, and interpret the reduced polarization fraction at high column densities as the result of increased distortion of magnetic field directions in trans- or super-Alfvénic gas. Furthermore, we introduce measures of the inclination and tangledness of the magnetic field along the line of sight as the controlling factors of the polarization fraction. Observations of the polarization fraction and angle dispersion can therefore be utilized in studying local magnetic field morphology in star-forming regions.« less

Near-UV OH Prompt Emission in the Innermost Coma of 103P/Hartley 2

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

La Forgia, Fiorangela; Bodewits, Dennis; A’Hearn, Michael F.

The Deep Impact spacecraft flyby of comet 103P/Hartley 2 occurred on 2010 November 4, 1 week after perihelion with a closest approach (CA) distance of about 700 km. We used narrowband images obtained by the Medium Resolution Imager on board the spacecraft to study the gas and dust in the innermost coma. We derived an overall dust reddening of 15%/100 nm between 345 and 749 nm and identified a blue enhancement in the dust coma in the sunward direction within 5 km from the nucleus, which we interpret as a localized enrichment in water ice. OH column density maps show an anti-sunwardmore » enhancement throughout the encounter, except for the highest-resolution images, acquired at CA, where a radial jet becomes visible in the innermost coma, extending up to 12 km from the nucleus. The OH distribution in the inner coma is very different from that expected for a fragment species. Instead, it correlates well with the water vapor map derived by the HRI-IR instrument on board Deep Impact . Radial profiles of the OH column density and derived water production rates show an excess of OH emission during CA that cannot be explained with pure fluorescence. We attribute this excess to a prompt emission process where photodissociation of H{sub 2}O directly produces excited OH*( A {sup 2}Σ{sup +}) radicals. Our observations provide the first direct imaging of near-UV prompt emission of OH. We therefore suggest the use of a dedicated filter centered at 318.8 nm to directly trace the water in the coma of comets.« less

The Mid-Infrared Extinction Law in the Ophiuchus, Perseus, and Serpens Molecular Clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chapman, Nicholas L.; Mundy, Lee G.; Lai, Shih-Ping; Evans, Neal J., II

2009-01-01

We compute the mid-IR extinction law from 3.6 to 24 μm in three molecular clouds—Ophiuchus, Perseus, and Serpens—by combining data from the "Cores to Disks" Spitzer Legacy Science program with deep JHKs imaging. Using a new technique, we are able to calculate the line-of-sight (LOS) extinction law toward each background star in our fields. With these LOS measurements, we create, for the first time, maps of the χ2 deviation of the data from two extinction law models. Because our χ2 maps have the same spatial resolution as our extinction maps, we can directly observe the changing extinction law as a function of the total column density. In the Spitzer Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) bands, 3.6-8 μm, we see evidence for grain growth. Below A_{K_s} = 0.5, our extinction law is well fitted by the Weingartner and Draine RV = 3.1 diffuse interstellar-medium dust model. As the extinction increases, our law gradually flattens, and for A_{K_s} \\ge 1, the data are more consistent with the Weingartner and Draine RV = 5.5 model that uses larger maximum dust grain sizes. At 24 μm, our extinction law is 2-4 times higher than the values predicted by theoretical dust models, but is more consistent with the observational results of Flaherty et al. Finally, from our χ2 maps we identify a region in Perseus where the IRAC extinction law is anomalously high considering its column density. A steeper near-IR extinction law than the one we have assumed may partially explain the IRAC extinction law in this region.

Heavy X-ray obscuration in the most luminous galaxies discovered by WISE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vito, F.; Brandt, W. N.; Stern, D.; Assef, R. J.; Chen, C.-T. J.; Brightman, M.; Comastri, A.; Eisenhardt, P.; Garmire, G. P.; Hickox, R.; Lansbury, G.; Tsai, C.-W.; Walton, D. J.; Wu, J. W.

2018-03-01

Hot dust-obscured galaxies (DOGs) are hyperluminous (L8-1000 μm > 1013 L⊙) infrared galaxies with extremely high (up to hundreds of K) dust temperatures. The sources powering both their extremely high luminosities and dust temperatures are thought to be deeply buried and rapidly accreting supermassive black holes (SMBHs). Hot DOGs could therefore represent a key evolutionary phase in which the SMBH growth peaks. X-ray observations can be used to study their obscuration levels and luminosities. In this work, we present the X-ray properties of the 20 most luminous (Lbol ≳ 1014 L⊙) known hot DOGs at z = 2-4.6. Five of them are covered by long-exposure (10-70 ks) Chandra and XMM-Newton observations, with three being X-ray detected, and we study their individual properties. One of these sources (W0116-0505) is a Compton-thick candidate, with column density NH = (1.0-1.5) × 1024 cm-2 derived from X-ray spectral fitting. The remaining 15 hot DOGs have been targeted by a Chandra snapshot (3.1 ks) survey. None of these 15 are individually detected; therefore, we applied a stacking analysis to investigate their average emission. From hardness ratio analysis, we constrained the average obscuring column density and intrinsic luminosity to be log NH (cm-2) > 23.5 and LX ≳ 1044 erg s-1, which are consistent with results for individually detected sources. We also investigated the LX-L6 μm and LX-Lbol relations, finding hints that hot DOGs are typically X-ray weaker than expected, although larger samples of luminous obscured quasi-stellar objects are needed to derive solid conclusions.

Extended Dust Emission from Nearby Evolved Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dharmawardena, Thavisha E.; Kemper, Francisca; Scicluna, Peter; Wouterloot, Jan G. A.; Trejo, Alfonso; Srinivasan, Sundar; Cami, Jan; Zijlstra, Albert; Marshall, Jonathan P.

2018-06-01

We present JCMT SCUBA-2 450{μ m} and 850{μ m} observations of 14 Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars (9 O-rich, 4 C-rich and 1 S-type) and one Red Supergiant (RSG) in the Solar Neighbourhood. We combine these observations with Herschel/PACS observations at 70{μ m} and 160{μ m} and obtain azimuthally-averaged surface-brightness profiles and their PSF subtracted residuals. The extent of the SCUBA-2 850 {μ m} emission ranges from 0.01 to 0.16 pc with an average of ˜40% of the total flux being emitted from the extended component. By fitting a modified black-body to the four-point SED at each point along the radial profile we derive the temperature (T), spectral index of dust emissivity (β) and dust column density (Σ) as a function of radius. For all the sources, the density profile deviates significantly from what is expected for a constant mass-loss rate, showing that all the sources have undergone variations in mass-loss during this evolutionary phase. In combination with results from CO line emission, we determined the dust-to-gas mass ratio for all the sources in our sample. We find that, when sources are grouped according to their chemistry, the resulting average dust-to-gas ratios are consistent with the respective canonical values. However we see a range of values with significant scatter which indicate the importance of including spatial information when deriving these numbers.

Far-infrared image restoration analysis of the protostellar cluster in S140

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lester, D. F.; Harvey, P. M.; Joy, M.; Ellis, H. B., Jr.

1986-01-01

Image restoration techniques are applied to one-dimensional scans at 50 and 100 microns of the protostellar cluster in S140. These measurements resolve the surrounding nebula clearly, and Fourier methods are used to match the effective beam profiles at these wavelengths. This allows the radial distribution of temperature and dust column density to be derived at a diffraction limited spatial resolution of 23 arcsec (0.1 pc). Evidence for heating of the S140 molecular cloud by a nearby ionization front is established, and the dissociation of molecules inside the ionization front is spatially well correlated with the heating of the dust. The far-infrared spectral distribution of the three near-infrared sources within 10 arcsesc of the cluster center is presented.

ALMA reveals a warm and compact starburst around a heavily obscured supermassive black hole at z = 4.75

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gilli, R.; Norman, C.; Vignali, C.; Vanzella, E.; Calura, F.; Pozzi, F.; Massardi, M.; Mignano, A.; Casasola, V.; Daddi, E.; Elbaz, D.; Dickinson, M.; Iwasawa, K.; Maiolino, R.; Brusa, M.; Vito, F.; Fritz, J.; Feltre, A.; Cresci, G.; Mignoli, M.; Comastri, A.; Zamorani, G.

2014-02-01

We report ALMA Cycle 0 observations at 1.3 mm of LESS J033229.4-275619 (XID403), an ultraluminous infrared galaxy at z = 4.75 in the Chandra Deep Field South hosting a Compton-thick QSO. The source is not resolved in our data at a resolution of ~0.75 arcsec, placing an upper-limit of 2.5 kpc to the half-light radius of the continuum emission from heated-dust. After deconvolving for the beam size, however, we found a ~3σ indication of an intrinsic source size of 0.27 ± 0.08 arcsec (Gaussian FWHM), which would correspond to rhalf ~ 0.9 ± 0.3 kpc. We build the far-infrared SED of XID403 by combining datapoints from both ALMA and Herschel and fit it with a modified blackbody spectrum. For the first time, we measure the dust temperature Td = 58.5 ± 5.3 K in this system, which is comparable to what has been observed in other high-z submillimeter galaxies. The measured star formation rate is SFR = 1020 ± 150 M⊙ yr-1, in agreement with previous estimates at lower S/N. Based on the measured SFR and source size, we constrain the SFR surface density to be ΣSFR > 26M⊙ yr-1 kpc-2 (~200M⊙ yr-1 kpc-2 for rhalf ~ 0.9 kpc). The compactness of this starburst is comparable to what has been observed in other local and high-z starburst galaxies. If the gas mass measured from previous [CII] and CO(2-1) observations at low resolution is confined within the same dust region, assuming rhalf ~ 0.9 ± 0.3 kpc, this would produce a column density of NH ~ 0.3-1.1 × 1024 cm-2 towards the central SMBH, similar to the column density of ≈1.4 × 1024 cm-2 measured from the X-rays. Then, in principle, if both gas and dust were confined on sub-kpc scales, this would be sufficient to produce the observed X-ray column density without any need of a pc-scale absorber (e.g. the torus postulated by Unified Models). We speculate that the high compactness of star formation, together with the presence of a powerful AGN, likely produce an outflowing wind. This would be consistent with the ~350 km s-1 velocity shift observed between the Lyα emission and the submm lines ([CII], CO(2-1), [NII]) and with the highly-ionized Fe emission line at ~6.9 keV rest-frame tentatively observed in the X-ray spectrum. Finally, our observations show that, besides the mass, star formation rate and gas depletion timescale, XID403 has also the right size to be one of the progenitors of the compact quiescent massive galaxies seen at z ~ 3.

The nonlocal electron kinetics for a low-pressure glow discharge dusty plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liang, Yonggan; Wang, Ying; Li, Hui; Tian, Ruihuan; Yuan, Chengxun; Kudryavtsev, A. A.; Rabadanov, K. M.; Wu, Jian; Zhou, Zhongxiang; Tian, Hao

2018-05-01

The nonlocal electron kinetic model based on the Boltzmann equation is developed in low-pressure argon glow discharge dusty plasmas. The additional electron-dust elastic and inelastic collision processes are considered when solving the kinetic equation numerically. The orbital motion limited theory and collision enhanced collection approximation are employed to calculate the dust surface potential. The electron energy distribution function (EEDF), effective electron temperature Teff, and dust surface potential are investigated under different plasma and dust conditions by solving the Boltzmann and the dust charging current balance equations self-consistently. A comparison of the calculation results obtained from nonlocal and local kinetic models is made. It is shown that the appearance of dust particles leads to a deviation of the EEDF from its original profile for both nonlocal and local kinetic models. With the increase in dust density and size, the effective electron temperature and dust surface potential decrease due to the high-energy electron loss on the dust surface. Meanwhile, the nonlocal and local results differ much from each other under the same calculation condition. It is concluded that, for low-pressure (PR ≤ 1 cm*Torr) glow discharge dusty plasmas, the existence of dust particles will amplify the difference of local and nonlocal EEDFs, which makes the local kinetic model more improper to determine the main parameters of the positive column. The nonlocal kinetic model should be used for the calculation of the EEDFs and dusty plasma parameters.

Galactic cold cores. IV. Cold submillimetre sources: catalogue and statistical analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Montillaud, J.; Juvela, M.; Rivera-Ingraham, A.; Malinen, J.; Pelkonen, V.-M.; Ristorcelli, I.; Montier, L.; Marshall, D. J.; Marton, G.; Pagani, L.; Toth, L. V.; Zahorecz, S.; Ysard, N.; McGehee, P.; Paladini, R.; Falgarone, E.; Bernard, J.-P.; Motte, F.; Zavagno, A.; Doi, Y.

2015-12-01

Context. For the project Galactic cold cores, Herschel photometric observations were carried out as a follow-up of cold regions of interstellar clouds previously identified with the Planck satellite. The aim of the project is to derive the physical properties of the population of cold sources and to study its connection to ongoing and future star formation. Aims: We build a catalogue of cold sources within the clouds in 116 fields observed with the Herschel PACS and SPIRE instruments. We wish to determine the general physical characteristics of the cold sources and to examine the correlations with their host cloud properties. Methods: From Herschel data, we computed colour temperature and column density maps of the fields. We estimated the distance to the target clouds and provide both uncertainties and reliability flags for the distances. The getsources multiwavelength source extraction algorithm was employed to build a catalogue of several thousand cold sources. Mid-infrared data were used, along with colour and position criteria, to separate starless and protostellar sources. We also propose another classification method based on submillimetre temperature profiles. We analysed the statistical distributions of the physical properties of the source samples. Results: We provide a catalogue of ~4000 cold sources within or near star forming clouds, most of which are located either in nearby molecular complexes (≲1 kpc) or in star forming regions of the nearby galactic arms (~2 kpc). About 70% of the sources have a size compatible with an individual core, and 35% of those sources are likely to be gravitationally bound. Significant statistical differences in physical properties are found between starless and protostellar sources, in column density versus dust temperature, mass versus size, and mass versus dust temperature diagrams. The core mass functions are very similar to those previously reported for other regions. On statistical grounds we find that gravitationally bound sources have higher background column densities (median Nbg(H2) ~ 5 × 1021 cm-2) than unbound sources (median Nbg(H2) ~ 3 × 1021 cm-2). These values of Nbg(H2) are higher for higher dust temperatures of the external layers of the parent cloud. However, only in a few cases do we find clear Nbg(H2) thresholds for the presence of cores. The dust temperatures of cloud external layers show clear variations with galactic location, as may the source temperatures. Conclusions: Our data support a more complex view of star formation than in the simple idea of a column density threshold. They show a clear influence of the surrounding UV-visible radiation on how cores distribute in their host clouds with possible variations on the Galactic scale. Planck (http://www.esa.int/Planck) is a project of the European Space Agency - ESA - with instruments provided by two scientific consortia funded by ESA member states (in particular the lead countries: France and Italy) with contributions from NASA (USA), and telescope reflectors provided in a collaboration between ESA and a scientific consortium led and funded by Denmark.Herschel is an ESA space observatory with science instruments provided by European-led Principal Investigator consortia and with important participation from NASA.Full Table B.1 is only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (ftp://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/584/A92

Galactic cold cores. IX. Column density structures and radiative-transfer modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Juvela, M.; Malinen, J.; Montillaud, J.; Pelkonen, V.-M.; Ristorcelli, I.; Tóth, L. V.

2018-06-01

Context. The Galactic Cold Cores (GCC) project has made Herschel photometric observations of interstellar clouds where Planck detected compact sources of cold dust emission. The fields are in different environments and stages of star formation. Aims: Our aim is to characterise the structure of the clumps and their parent clouds, and to study the connections between the environment and the formation of gravitationally bound objects. We also examine the accuracy to which the structure of dense clumps can be determined from sub-millimetre data. Methods: We use standard statistical methods to characterise the GCC fields. Individual clumps are extracted using column density thresholding. Based on sub-millimetre measurements, we construct a three-dimensional radiative transfer (RT) model for each field. These are used to estimate the relative radiation field intensities, to probe the clump stability, and to examine the uncertainty of column density estimates. We examine the structural parameters of the clumps, including their radial column density profiles. Results: In the GCC fields, the structure noise follows the relations previously established at larger scales and in lower-density clouds. The fractal dimension has no significant dependence on column density and the values DP = 1.25 ± 0.07 are only slightly lower than in typical molecular clouds. The column density probability density functions (PDFs) exhibit large variations, for example, in the case of externally compressed clouds. At scales r > 0.1 pc, the radial column density distributions of the clouds follow an average relation of N r-1. In spite of a great variety of clump morphologies (and a typical aspect ratio of 1.5), clumps tend to follow a similar N r-1 relation below r 0.1 pc. RT calculations indicate only factor 2.5 variation in the local radiation field intensity. The fraction of gravitationally bound clumps increases significantly in regions with AV > 5 mag but most bound objects appear to be pressure-confined. Conclusions: The host clouds of the cold clumps in the GCC sample have statistical properties similar to general molecular clouds. The gravitational stability, peak column density, and clump orientation are connected to the cloud background while most other statistical clump properties (e.g. DP and radial profiles) are insensitive to the environment. The study of clump morphology should be continued with a comparison with numerical simulations. Planck (http://www.esa.int/Planck) is a project of the European Space Agency (ESA) with instruments provided by two scientific consortia funded by ESA member states (in particular the lead countries: France and Italy) with contributions from NASA (USA), and telescope reflectors provided in a collaboration between ESA and a scientific consortium led and funded by Denmark.Herschel is an ESA space observatory with science instruments provided by European-led Principal Investigator consortia and with important participation from NASA.

The Orion Fingers: H2 Temperatures and Excitation in an Explosive Outflow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Youngblood, Allison; France, Kevin; Ginsburg, Adam; Hoadley, Keri; Bally, John

2018-04-01

We measure H2 temperatures and column densities across the Orion Becklin-Neugebauer/Kleinmann-Low (BN/KL) explosive outflow from a set of 13 near-infrared (IR) H2 rovibrational emission lines observed with the TripleSpec spectrograph on Apache Point Observatory’s 3.5 m telescope. We find that most of the region is well characterized by a single temperature (∼2000–2500 K), which may be influenced by the limited range of upper-energy levels (6000–20,000 K) probed by our data set. The H2 column density maps indicate that warm H2 comprises 10‑5–10‑3 of the total H2 column density near the center of the outflow. Combining column density measurements for co-spatial H2 and CO at T = 2500 K, we measure a CO/H2 fractional abundance of 2 × 10‑3 and discuss possible reasons why this value is in excess of the canonical 10‑4 value, including dust attenuation, incorrect assumptions on co-spatiality of the H2 and CO emission, and chemical processing in an extreme environment. We model the radiative transfer of H2 in this region with ultraviolet (UV) pumping models to look for signatures of H2 fluorescence from H I Lyα pumping. Dissociative (J-type) shocks and nebular emission from the foreground Orion H II region are considered as possible Lyα sources. From our radiative transfer models, we predict that signatures of Lyα pumping should be detectable in near-IR line ratios given a sufficiently strong source, but such a source is not present in the BN/KL outflow. The data are consistent with shocks as the H2 heating source.

The Nature of the Torus in the Heavily Obscured AGN Markarian 3: an X-Ray Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Guainazzi, M.; Risaliti, G.; Awaki, H.; Arevalo, P.; Bauer, F. E.; Bianchi, S.; Boggs, S.E; Brandt, W. N.; Brightman, M.; Christensen, F. E.;

Molecular clouds in galaxies with different Z - Fragmentation of diffuse clouds driven by opacity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Franco, Jose; Cox, Donald P.

1986-01-01

Molecular clouds are formed from diffuse interstellar clouds when the external ultraviolet radiation field is prevented from penetrating into the cloud. The opacity is provided mainly by dust grains and the required column density to the cloud center is larger than about 5 x 10 to the 20th (solar Z/Z)/sq cm. This high-opacity criterion could have a significant impact on the radial trends observed in spiral galaxies, and on the distinctions between spiral and dwarf irregular galaxies.

Earliest phases of star formation (EPoS). Dust temperature distributions in isolated starless cores

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lippok, N.; Launhardt, R.; Henning, Th.; Balog, Z.; Beuther, H.; Kainulainen, J.; Krause, O.; Linz, H.; Nielbock, M.; Ragan, S. E.; Robitaille, T. P.; Sadavoy, S. I.; Schmiedeke, A.

2016-07-01

Context. Stars form by the gravitational collapse of cold and dense molecular cloud cores. Constraining the temperature and density structure of such cores is fundamental for understanding the initial conditions of star formation. We use Herschel observations of the thermal far-infrared (FIR) dust emission from nearby and isolated molecular cloud cores and combine them with ground-based submillimeter continuum data to derive observational constraints on their temperature and density structure. Aims: The aim of this study is to verify the validity of a ray-tracing inversion technique developed to derive the dust temperature and density structure of nearby and isolated starless cores directly from the dust emission maps and to test if the resulting temperature and density profiles are consistent with physical models. Methods: We have developed a ray-tracing inversion technique that can be used to derive the temperature and density structure of starless cores directly from the observed dust emission maps without the need to make assumptions about the physical conditions. Using this ray-tracing inversion technique, we derive the dust temperature and density structure of six isolated starless molecular cloud cores from dust emission maps in the wavelengths range 100 μm-1.2 mm. We then employ self-consistent radiative transfer modeling to the density profiles derived with the ray-tracing inversion method. In this model, the interstellar radiation field (ISRF) is the only heating source. The local strength of the ISRF as well as the total extinction provided by the outer envelope are treated as semi-free parameters which we scale within defined limits. The best-fit values of both parameters are derived by comparing the self-consistently calculated temperature profiles with those derived by the ray-tracing method. Results: We confirm earlier results and show that all starless cores are significantly colder inside than outside, with central core temperatures in the range 7.5-11.9 K and envelope temperatures that are 2.4 - 9.6 K higher. The core temperatures show a strong negative correlation with peak column density which suggests that the thermal structure of the cores is dominated by external heating from the ISRF and shielding by dusty envelopes. We find that temperature profiles derived with the ray-tracing inversion method can be well-reproduced with self-consistent radiative transfer models if the cores have geometry that is not too complex and good data coverage with spatially resolved maps at five or more wavelengths in range between 100 μm and 1.2 mm. We also confirm results from earlier studies that found that the usually adopted canonical value of the total strength of the ISRF in the solar neighbourhood is incompatible with the most widely used dust opacity models for dense cores. However, with the data available for this study, we cannot uniquely resolve the degeneracy between dust opacity law and strength of the ISRF. Final T maps (FITS format) are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/592/A61

Pathologies of van Stockum dust/Tipler's time machine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lindsay, David S.

2016-09-01

We study the internal solution, and external vacuum solution for radial cutoff, of "van Stockum dust", an infinitely long rotating pressureless dust column; its density increases with radius. This interesting but poorly explored spacetime turns out to have a number of exotic properties, especially in the external vacuum region. These solutions have been known for decades, but it seems that they have never been investigated in detail. In this paper we analyze them and describe their peculiar properties. There are three regimes of radial cutoff that are of interest: (1) If the dust column is thick enough that closed timelike loops (CTLs or "time machines") exist inside the column, then the radius of the entire "universe" is finite, and in fact does not extend much beyond the edge of the matter, even though the metric's radial parameter is unbounded. This interesting finite proper radius seems to have been missed by earlier investigators. Other exotic properties of the external vacuum in this regime: CTLs exist in cylindrical shells, alternating with shells having no circular CTLs; there are infinitely many such shells, getting closer and closer together as one gets farther from the rotation axis. Also, a separate set of infinitely many cylindrical shells exists, having what might be termed "extreme frame-dragging", within which motion is possible only in one direction; they alternate with "normal" shells allowing motion in either direction. Gravitational attraction and tides increase with distance from the matter column, and diverge at the "edge of the universe". In addition, though the radius of the universe is finite, its circumference is infinite; and its boundary is a circle, not a cylinder (the z-axis has shrunk to nothing at the edge). (2) For smaller radial cutoff, but still large enough to produce CTLs, the radius of the universe is infinite; but there are still infinitely many cylindrical shells of CTLs alternating with non-CTL shells. However, the innermost shell begins substantially outside the dust, making this solution even stranger—you have to back away from the matter to find a CTL! And, regardless of how far away you are, there are still infinitely many CTL shells beyond you, the closest only a finite distance away. (3) For radial cutoff too close to produce CTLs, the external solution is more benign; nearby it perhaps approximates that of a finite rotating rod. But "planes" of constant z approach each other at large radii, so that any two enclose a shape somewhat like two pie-pans facing each other and glued together at their edges.

Aliphatic Hydrocarbon Content of Interstellar Dust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Günay, B.; Schmidt, T. W.; Burton, M. G.; Afşar, M.; Krechkivska, O.; Nauta, K.; Kable, S. H.; Rawal, A.

2018-06-01

There is considerable uncertainty as to the amount of carbon incorporated in interstellar dust. The aliphatic component of the carbonaceous dust is of particular interest because it produces a significant 3.4 μm absorption feature when viewed against a background radiation source. The optical depth of the 3.4 μm absorption feature is related to the number of aliphatic carbon C-H bonds along the line of sight. It is possible to estimate the column density of carbon locked up in the aliphatic hydrocarbon component of interstellar dust from quantitative analysis of the 3.4 μm interstellar absorption feature providing that the absorption coefficient of aliphatic hydrocarbons incorporated in the interstellar dust is known. We report laboratory analogues of interstellar dust by experimentally mimicking interstellar/circumstellar conditions. The resultant spectra of these dust analogues closely match those from astronomical observations. Measurements of the absorption coefficient of aliphatic hydrocarbons incorporated in the analogues were carried out by a procedure combining FTIR and 13C NMR spectroscopies. The absorption coefficients obtained for both interstellar analogues were found to be in close agreement (4.76(8) × 10-18 cm group-1 and 4.69(14) × 10-18 cm group-1), less than half those obtained in studies using small aliphatic molecules. The results thus obtained permit direct calibration of the astronomical observations, providing rigorous estimates of the amount of aliphatic carbon in the interstellar medium.

Constraints on the OH-to-H Abundance Ratio in Infrared-bright Galaxies Derived from the Strength of the OH 35 μm Absorption Feature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stone, Myra; Veilleux, Sylvain; González-Alfonso, Eduardo; Spoon, Henrik; Sturm, Eckhard

2018-02-01

We analyze Spitzer/InfraRed Spectrograph (IRS) observations of the OH 35 μm feature in 15 nearby (z ≲ 0.06) (ultra-)luminous infrared galaxies (U/LIRGs). All objects exhibit OH 35 μm purely in absorption, as expected. The small optical depth of this transition makes the strength of this feature a good indicator of the true OH column density. The measured OH 35 μm equivalent widths imply an average OH column density and a 1-σ standard deviation to the mean of {N}{OH}=1.31+/- 0.22× {10}17 cm‑2. This number is then compared with the hydrogen column density for a typical optical depth at 35 μm of ∼0.5 and gas-to-dust ratio of 125 to derive an OH-to-H abundance ratio of {X}{OH}=1.01+/- 0.15× {10}-6. This abundance ratio is formally a lower limit. It is consistent with the values generally assumed in the literature. The OH 35 μm line profiles predicted from published radiative transfer models constrained by observations of OH 65, 79, 84, and 119 μm in 5 objects (Mrk 231, Mrk 273, IRAS F05189-2524, IRAS F08572+3915, and IRAS F20551-4250) are also found to be consistent with the IRS OH 35 μm spectra.

Deuterated methanol map towards L1544

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chacón-Tanarro, A.; Caselli, P.; Bizzocchi, L.; Pineda, J. E.; Spezzano, S.; Giuliano, B. M.; Lattanzi, V.; Punanova, A.

Pre-stellar cores are self-gravitating starless dense cores with clear signs of contraction and chemical evolution (Crapsi et al. 2005), considered to represent the initial conditions in the process of star formation (Caselli & Ceccarelli 2012). Theoretical studies predict that CO is one of the precursors of complex organic molecules (COMs) during this cold and dense phase (Tielens et al. 1982; Watanabe et al. 2002). Moreover, when CO starts to deplete onto dust grains (at densities of a few 104 cm-3), the formation of deuterated species is enhanced, as CO accelerates the destruction of important precursors of deuterated molecules (Dalgarno & Lepp 1984). Here, we present the CH_2DOH/CH_3OH column density map toward the pre-stellar core L1544 (Chacón-Tanarro et al., in prep.), taken with the IRAM 30 m antenna. The results are compared with the C17O (1-0) distribution across L1544. As methanol is formed on dust grains via hydrogenation of frozen-out CO, this work allows us to measure the deuteration on surfaces and compared it with gas phase deuteration, as well as CO freeze-out and dust properties. This is important to shed light on the basic chemical processes just before the formation of a stellar system.

2MASS wide-field extinction maps. V. Corona Australis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alves, João; Lombardi, Marco; Lada, Charles J.

2014-05-01

We present a near-infrared extinction map of a large region (~870 deg2) covering the isolated Corona Australis complex of molecular clouds. We reach a 1-σ error of 0.02 mag in the K-band extinction with a resolution of 3 arcmin over the entire map. We find that the Corona Australis cloud is about three times as large as revealed by previous CO and dust emission surveys. The cloud consists of a 45 pc long complex of filamentary structure from the well known star forming Western-end (the head, N ≥ 1023 cm-2) to the diffuse Eastern-end (the tail, N ≤ 1021 cm-2). Remarkably, about two thirds of the complex both in size and mass lie beneath AV ~ 1 mag. We find that the probability density function (PDF) of the cloud cannot be described by a single log-normal function. Similar to prior studies, we found a significant excess at high column densities, but a log-normal + power-law tail fit does not work well at low column densities. We show that at low column densities near the peak of the observed PDF, both the amplitude and shape of the PDF are dominated by noise in the extinction measurements making it impractical to derive the intrinsic cloud PDF below AK < 0.15 mag. Above AK ~ 0.15 mag, essentially the molecular component of the cloud, the PDF appears to be best described by a power-law with index -3, but could also described as the tail of a broad and relatively low amplitude, log-normal PDF that peaks at very low column densities. FITS files of the extinction maps are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (ftp://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/565/A18

INTERACTIONS OF THE INFRARED BUBBLE N4 WITH ITS SURROUNDINGS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liu, Hong-Li; Li, Jin-Zeng; Yuan, Jing-Hua

The physical mechanisms that induce the transformation of a certain mass of gas in new stars are far from being well understood. Infrared bubbles associated with H ii regions have been considered to be good samples for investigating triggered star formation. In this paper we report on the investigation of the dust properties of the infrared bubble N4 around the H ii region G11.898+0.747, analyzing its interaction with its surroundings and star formation histories therein, with the aim of determining the possibility of star formation triggered by the expansion of the bubble. Using Herschel PACS and SPIRE images with a widemore » wavelength coverage, we reveal the dust properties over the entire bubble. Meanwhile, we are able to identify six dust clumps surrounding the bubble, with a mean size of 0.50 pc, temperature of about 22 K, mean column density of 1.7 × 10{sup 22} cm{sup −2}, mean volume density of about 4.4 × 10{sup 4} cm{sup −3}, and a mean mass of 320 M{sub ⊙}. In addition, from PAH emission seen at 8 μm, free–free emission detected at 20 cm, and a probability density function in special regions, we could identify clear signatures of the influence of the H ii region on the surroundings. There are hints of star formation, though further investigation is required to demonstrate that N4 is the triggering source.« less

Ionization compression impact on dense gas distribution and star formation. Probability density functions around H II regions as seen by Herschel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tremblin, P.; Schneider, N.; Minier, V.; Didelon, P.; Hill, T.; Anderson, L. D.; Motte, F.; Zavagno, A.; André, Ph.; Arzoumanian, D.; Audit, E.; Benedettini, M.; Bontemps, S.; Csengeri, T.; Di Francesco, J.; Giannini, T.; Hennemann, M.; Nguyen Luong, Q.; Marston, A. P.; Peretto, N.; Rivera-Ingraham, A.; Russeil, D.; Rygl, K. L. J.; Spinoglio, L.; White, G. J.

2014-04-01

Aims: Ionization feedback should impact the probability distribution function (PDF) of the column density of cold dust around the ionized gas. We aim to quantify this effect and discuss its potential link to the core and initial mass function (CMF/IMF). Methods: We used Herschel column density maps of several regions observed within the HOBYS key program in a systematic way: M 16, the Rosette and Vela C molecular clouds, and the RCW 120 H ii region. We computed the PDFs in concentric disks around the main ionizing sources, determined their properties, and discuss the effect of ionization pressure on the distribution of the column density. Results: We fitted the column density PDFs of all clouds with two lognormal distributions, since they present a "double-peak" or an enlarged shape in the PDF. Our interpretation is that the lowest part of the column density distribution describes the turbulent molecular gas, while the second peak corresponds to a compression zone induced by the expansion of the ionized gas into the turbulent molecular cloud. Such a double peak is not visible for all clouds associated with ionization fronts, but it depends on the relative importance of ionization pressure and turbulent ram pressure. A power-law tail is present for higher column densities, which are generally ascribed to the effect of gravity. The condensations at the edge of the ionized gas have a steep compressed radial profile, sometimes recognizable in the flattening of the power-law tail. This could lead to an unambiguous criterion that is able to disentangle triggered star formation from pre-existing star formation. Conclusions: In the context of the gravo-turbulent scenario for the origin of the CMF/IMF, the double-peaked or enlarged shape of the PDF may affect the formation of objects at both the low-mass and the high-mass ends of the CMF/IMF. In particular, a broader PDF is required by the gravo-turbulent scenario to fit the IMF properly with a reasonable initial Mach number for the molecular cloud. Since other physical processes (e.g., the equation of state and the variations among the core properties) have already been said to broaden the PDF, the relative importance of the different effects remains an open question. Herschel is an ESA space observatory with science instruments provided by European-led Principal Investigator consortia and with important participation from NASA.

A multiwavelength observation and investigation of six infrared dark clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Chuan-Peng; Yuan, Jing-Hua; Li, Guang-Xing; Zhou, Jian-Jun; Wang, Jun-Jie

2017-02-01

Context. Infrared dark clouds (IRDCs) are ubiquitous in the Milky Way, yet they play a crucial role in breeding newly-formed stars. Aims: With the aim of further understanding the dynamics, chemistry, and evolution of IRDCs, we carried out multiwavelength observations on a small sample. Methods: We performed new observations with the IRAM 30 m and CSO 10.4 m telescopes, with tracers HCO+, HCN, N2H+, C18O, DCO+, SiO, and DCN toward six IRDCs G031.97+00.07, G033.69-00.01, G034.43+00.24, G035.39-00.33, G038.95-00.47, and G053.11+00.05. Results: We investigated 44 cores including 37 cores reported in previous work and seven newly-identified cores. Toward the dense cores, we detected 6 DCO+, and 5 DCN lines. Using pixel-by-pixel spectral energy distribution (SED) fits of the Herschel 70 to 500 μm, we obtained dust temperature and column density distributions of the IRDCs. We found that N2H+ emission has a strong correlation with the dust temperature and column density distributions, while C18O showed the weakest correlation. It is suggested that N2H+ is indeed a good tracer in very dense conditions, but C18O is an unreliable one, as it has a relatively low critical density and is vulnerable to freezing-out onto the surface of cold dust grains. The dynamics within IRDCs are active, with infall, outflow, and collapse; the spectra are abundant especially in deuterium species. Conclusions: We observe many blueshifted and redshifted profiles, respectively, with HCO+ and C18O toward the same core. This case can be well explained by model "envelope expansion with core collapse (EECC)". The final datacubes (HCO+, HCN, N2H+, C18O) are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/598/A76

Fourier-space combination of Planck and Herschel images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abreu-Vicente, J.; Stutz, A.; Henning, Th.; Keto, E.; Ballesteros-Paredes, J.; Robitaille, T.

2017-08-01

Context. Herschel has revolutionized our ability to measure column densities (NH) and temperatures (T) of molecular clouds thanks to its far infrared multiwavelength coverage. However, the lack of a well defined background intensity level in the Herschel data limits the accuracy of the NH and T maps. Aims: We aim to provide a method that corrects the missing Herschel background intensity levels using the Planck model for foreground Galactic thermal dust emission. For the Herschel/PACS data, both the constant-offset as well as the spatial dependence of the missing background must be addressed. For the Herschel/SPIRE data, the constant-offset correction has already been applied to the archival data so we are primarily concerned with the spatial dependence, which is most important at 250 μm. Methods: We present a Fourier method that combines the publicly available Planck model on large angular scales with the Herschel images on smaller angular scales. Results: We have applied our method to two regions spanning a range of Galactic environments: Perseus and the Galactic plane region around l = 11deg (HiGal-11). We post-processed the combined dust continuum emission images to generate column density and temperature maps. We compared these to previously adopted constant-offset corrections. We find significant differences (≳20%) over significant ( 15%) areas of the maps, at low column densities (NH ≲ 1022 cm-2) and relatively high temperatures (T ≳ 20 K). We have also applied our method to synthetic observations of a simulated molecular cloud to validate our method. Conclusions: Our method successfully corrects the Herschel images, including both the constant-offset intensity level and the scale-dependent background variations measured by Planck. Our method improves the previous constant-offset corrections, which did not account for variations in the background emission levels. The image FITS files used in this paper are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/604/A65

Seeing Through the Clouds: AGN Geometry with the Swift BAT Sample

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glikman, Eilat; Urry, M.; Schawinski, K.; Koss, M. J.; Winter, L. M.; Elitzur, M.; Wilkin, W. H.

2011-01-01

We investigate the intrinsic structure of the clouds surrounding AGN which give rise to their X-ray and optical emission properties. Using a complete sample of Swift BAT AGN selected in hard X-rays (14-195 keV), which is unbiased with respect to obscuration and extinction, we compute the reddening in the broad line region along the line of sight to the nucleus of each source using Balmer decrement from the ratio of the broad components of H-alpha/H-beta. We compare reddening from dust in the broad line clouds to the hydrogen column density (NH) obtained from their X-ray spectra. The distribution of the gas-to-dust ratios over many lines of sight allow us to test models of AGN structure and probe the immediate environment of the accreting supermassive black holes.

The Green Bank Ammonia Survey: Observations of Hierarchical Dense Gas Structures in Cepheus-L1251

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keown, Jared; Di Francesco, James; Kirk, Helen; Friesen, Rachel K.; Pineda, Jaime E.; Rosolowsky, Erik; Ginsburg, Adam; Offner, Stella S. R.; Caselli, Paola; Alves, Felipe; Chacón-Tanarro, Ana; Punanova, Anna; Redaelli, Elena; Seo, Young Min; Matzner, Christopher D.; Chun-Yuan Chen, Michael; Goodman, Alyssa A.; Chen, How-Huan; Shirley, Yancy; Singh, Ayushi; Arce, Hector G.; Martin, Peter; Myers, Philip C.

2017-11-01

We use Green Bank Ammonia Survey observations of NH3 (1, 1) and (2, 2) emission with 32″ FWHM resolution from a ˜10 pc2 portion of the Cepheus-L1251 molecular cloud to identify hierarchical dense gas structures. Our dendrogram analysis of the NH3 data results in 22 top-level structures, which reside within 13 lower-level parent structures. The structures are compact (0.01 {pc}≲ {R}{eff}≲ 0.1 {pc}) and are spatially correlated with the highest H2 column density portions of the cloud. We also compare the ammonia data to a catalog of dense cores identified by higher-resolution (18.″2 FWHM) Herschel Space Observatory observations of dust continuum emission from Cepheus-L1251. Maps of kinetic gas temperature, velocity dispersion, and NH3 column density, derived from detailed modeling of the NH3 data, are used to investigate the stability and chemistry of the ammonia-identified and Herschel-identified structures. We show that the dust and dense gas in the structures have similar temperatures, with median T dust and T K measurements of 11.7 ± 1.1 K and 10.3 ± 2.0 K, respectively. Based on a virial analysis, we find that the ammonia-identified structures are gravitationally dominated, yet may be in or near a state of virial equilibrium. Meanwhile, the majority of the Herschel-identified dense cores appear to be not bound by their own gravity and instead confined by external pressure. CCS (20 - 10) and HC5N (9-8) emission from the region reveal broader line widths and centroid velocity offsets when compared to the NH3 (1, 1) emission in some cases, likely due to these carbon-based molecules tracing the turbulent outer layers of the dense cores.

Airborne Sunphotometry of African Dust and Marine Boundary Layer Aerosols in PRIDE

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Livingston, John M.; Redemann, Jens; Russell, Philip; Schmid, Beat; Reid, Jeff; Pilewskie, Peter; Hipskind, R. Stephen (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

The Puerto Rico Dust Experiment (PRIDE) was conducted during summer 2000 to study the radiative, microphysical and transport properties of Saharan dust in the Caribbean region. During PRIDE, NASA Ames Research Center's six-channel airborne autotracking sunphotometer (AATS-6) was operated aboard a Piper Navajo airplane based at Roosevelt Roads Naval Station on the northeast coast of Puerto Rico. AATS-6 measurements were taken during 21 science flights off the coast of Puerto Rico in the western Caribbean. Data were acquired within and above the Marine Boundary Layer (MBL) and the Saharan Aerosol Layer (SAL) up to 5.5 km altitude tinder a wide range of dust loadings. Aerosol optical depth (AOD) spectra and columnar water vapor (CWV) values have been calculated from the AATS-6 measurements by using sunphotometer calibration data obtained at Mauna Loa Observatory (3A kin ASL) before (May) and after (October) PRIDE. Mid-visible AOD values measured near the surface during PRIDE ranged from 0.07 on the cleanest day to 0.55 on the most turbid day. Values measured above the MBL were as high as 0.35; values above the SAL were as low as 0.01. The fraction of total column AOD due to Saharan dust cannot be determined precisely from AATS-6 AOD data alone due to the uncertainty in the extent of vertical mixing of the dust down through the MBL. However, analyses of ground-based and airborne in-situ aerosol sampling measurements and ground-based aerosol lidar backscatter data should yield accurate characterization of the vertical mixing that will enable calculation of the Saharan dust AOD component from the sunphotometer data. Examples will be presented showing measured AATS-6 AOD spectra, calculated aerosol extinction and water vapor density vertical profiles, and aerosol size distributions retrieved by inversion of the AOD spectra. Near sea-surface AOD spectra acquired by AATS-6 during horizontal flight legs at 30 m ASL are available for validation of AOD derived from coincident satellite sensor (TOMS, MODIS, MISR) measurements. AATS-6 AOD data acquired during numerous aircraft ascents and descents through the MBL and the SAL should permit atmospheric column closure analyses with respect to aerosol optical depth, extinction, and size distribution by comparison with coincident aircraft-based in-situ particle size distribution measurements and ground-based (Cabras Island, Puerto Rico) micropulse lidar aerosol backscatter measurements. The aerosol information derived from the column closure analyses can be used subsequently to calculate radiative flux changes, which can then be compared with coincident spectral flux measurements taken from aboard the aircraft with a solar spectral flux radiometer.

SWIFT ULTRAVIOLET OBSERVATIONS OF SUPERNOVA 2014J IN M82: LARGE EXTINCTION FROM INTERSTELLAR DUST

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brown, Peter J.; Smitka, Michael T.; Wang, Lifan

We present optical and ultraviolet (UV) photometry and spectra of the very nearby and highly reddened supernova (SN) 2014J in M82 obtained with the Swift Ultra-Violet/Optical Telescope (UVOT). Comparison of the UVOT grism spectra of SN 2014J with Hubble Space Telescope observations of SN2011fe or UVOT grism spectra of SN 2012fr are consistent with an extinction law with a low value of R{sub V} ∼1.4. The high reddening causes the detected photon distribution in the broadband UV filters to have a much longer effective wavelength than for an unreddened SN. The light curve evolution is consistent with this shift andmore » does not show a flattening due to photons being scattered back into the line of sight (LOS). The light curve shapes and color evolution are inconsistent with a contribution scattered into the LOS by circumstellar dust. We conclude that most or all of the high reddening must come from interstellar dust. We show that even for a single dust composition, there is not a unique reddening law caused by circumstellar scattering. Rather, when considering scattering from a time-variable source, we confirm earlier studies that the reddening law is a function of the dust geometry, column density, and epoch. We also show how an assumed geometry of dust as a foreground sheet in mixed stellar/dust systems will lead to a higher inferred R{sub V}. Rather than assuming the dust around SNe is peculiar, SNe may be useful probes of the interstellar reddening laws in other galaxies.« less

High-mass Starless Clumps in the Inner Galactic Plane: The Sample and Dust Properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Jinghua; Wu, Yuefang; Ellingsen, Simon P.; Evans, Neal J., II; Henkel, Christian; Wang, Ke; Liu, Hong-Li; Liu, Tie; Li, Jin-Zeng; Zavagno, Annie

2017-07-01

We report a sample of 463 high-mass starless clump (HMSC) candidates within -60^\\circ < l< 60^\\circ and -1^\\circ < b< 1^\\circ . This sample has been singled out from 10,861 ATLASGAL clumps. None of these sources are associated with any known star-forming activities collected in SIMBAD and young stellar objects identified using color-based criteria. We also make sure that the HMSC candidates have neither point sources at 24 and 70 μm nor strong extended emission at 24 μm. Most of the identified HMSCs are infrared dark, and some are even dark at 70 μm. Their distribution shows crowding in Galactic spiral arms and toward the Galactic center and some well-known star-forming complexes. Many HMSCs are associated with large-scale filaments. Some basic parameters were attained from column density and dust temperature maps constructed via fitting far-infrared and submillimeter continuum data to modified blackbodies. The HMSC candidates have sizes, masses, and densities similar to clumps associated with Class II methanol masers and H II regions, suggesting that they will evolve into star-forming clumps. More than 90% of the HMSC candidates have densities above some proposed thresholds for forming high-mass stars. With dust temperatures and luminosity-to-mass ratios significantly lower than that for star-forming sources, the HMSC candidates are externally heated and genuinely at very early stages of high-mass star formation. Twenty sources with equivalent radii {r}{eq}< 0.15 pc and mass surface densities {{Σ }}> 0.08 g cm-2 could be possible high-mass starless cores. Further investigations toward these HMSCs would undoubtedly shed light on comprehensively understanding the birth of high-mass stars.

A survey of carbon monoxide emission in dark clouds. [cosmic dust

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dickman, R. L.

1975-01-01

Results are reported of a CO and (C-13)O survey of 68 dark clouds from the Lynds catalog. CO was detected in 63 of the 64 sources in which it was searched for, and the (C-13)O line was seen in 52 of 55 clouds. There is a rather narrow distribution of CO peak line radiation temperatures about a mean of 6 K; this may reflect the presence of a roughly uniform kinetic temperature of 9.5 K in the sources. Despite the probably subthermal excitation temperature of the (C-13)O transition observed, derived (C-13)O column densities are most likely good to within a factor of 2. Typical CO column densities for the clouds surveyed are 5 x 10 to the 17-th power per sq cm, assuming a terrestrial carbon isotope ratio. All 68 clouds have previously been studied by Dieter in 6-cm H2CO absorption; a comparison of line widths shows the (C-13)O lines to generally be wider than their formaldehyde counterparts. Possible explanations of this fact in terms of internal cloud motions are discussed.

Modelling dust polarization observations of molecular clouds through MHD simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

King, Patrick K.; Fissel, Laura M.; Chen, Che-Yu; Li, Zhi-Yun

2018-03-01

The BLASTPol observations of Vela C have provided the most detailed characterization of the polarization fraction p and dispersion in polarization angles S for a molecular cloud. We compare the observed distributions of p and S with those obtained in synthetic observations of simulations of molecular clouds, assuming homogeneous grain alignment. We find that the orientation of the mean magnetic field relative to the observer has a significant effect on the p and S distributions. These distributions for Vela C are most consistent with synthetic observations where the mean magnetic field is close to the line of sight. Our results point to apparent magnetic disorder in the Vela C molecular cloud, although it can be due to either an inclination effect (i.e. observing close to the mean field direction) or significant field tangling from strong turbulence/low magnetization. The joint correlations of p with column density and of S with column density for the synthetic observations generally agree poorly with the Vela C joint correlations, suggesting that understanding these correlations requires a more sophisticated treatment of grain alignment physics.

The outer atmosphere of the carbon star TX Piscium

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eriksson, K.; Gustafsson, B.; Johnson, H. R.; Querci, F.; Querci, M.

1986-01-01

A high-resolution LWP IUE spectrum of the bright N-type carbon star TX Psc demonstrates that the Mg II h and k emission profiles are strongly affected by absorption from Mg II, Mn I, probably Fe I, and possibly from molecules. The indication that the absorbing matter has a column density of not less than 10 to the 20th H atoms or molecules per sq cm is consistent with absorption in a slowly expanding envelope. The integrated Mg II line flux is found to be much greater than in 1981, and the radio CO (J = 1 - 0) line from the circumstellar shell is detected. Results for a column density of not larger than 10 to the 22nd H2 molecules/sq cm, and a radial velocity close to that of the star, are in agreement with those obtained from UV data. Some dust emission from carbon grains is suggested by the far infrared flux distribution, and a mass-loss rate estimation for the star of 10 to the -6th to 10 to the -8th solar masses is obtained.

Spitzer Space Telescope IRS Spectral Mapping of Photoionized Columns in M16 and the Carina HII Regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cotera, Angela; Simpson, J. P.; Sellgren, K.; Stolovy, S. R.

2013-01-01

Photoevaporated columns of dust and gas - also called elephant trunks, pillars or fingers - are found in the periphery of many H II regions. They have been observed within the Galaxy, the SMC and the LMC. These features are thought to be sites of current star formation, but the question remains whether the columns persist because stars formed in the denser regions prior to interactions with the UV radiation and stellar winds of nearby massive stars, or because of core collapse resulting from these interactions. We have obtained Spitzer IRS spectral maps of three columns within M 16 and three columns within the Carina nebula, to test our understanding of the impact on these transitory features of differing stellar populations and initial conditions. We use the wealth of molecular, atomic and PAH emission lines located within the spectral range of the high resolution IRS modes (9.9-37.2 micron) to determine the excitation state, dust and gas temperatures, and probe the shock characteristics within the columns as a function of location. Using the IRS spectral mapping mode, in conjunction with the CUBISM tool and the CLOUDY H II region model code, we have constructed detailed maps of the accessible emission lines and derived parameters for each column. Mapping the distribution of the physical states of the dust and gas in these columns is enhancing our understanding of the competing processes within these dynamic objects. The data presented here represent the only IRS spectral maps of photoionized pillars.

Time-Dependent Photodissociation Regions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hollenbach, David; Natta, Antonella

1995-01-01

We present theoretical models of the time-dependent thermal and chemical structure of molecular gas suddenly exposed to far-ultraviolet (FUV) (6 eV less than hv less than 13.6 eV) radiation fields and the consequent time- dependent infrared emission of the gas. We focus on the response of molecular hydrogen for cloud densities ranging from n = 10(exp 3) to 10(exp 6)/cu cm and FUV fluxes G(sub 0) = 10(exp 3)-10(exp 6) times the local FUV interstellar flux. For G(sub 0)/n greater than 10(exp -2) cu cm, the emergent H(sub 2) vibrational line intensities are initially larger than the final equilibrium values. The H(sub 2) lines are excited by FUV fluorescence and by collisional excitation in warm gas. Most of the H(sub 2) intensity is generated at a characteristic hydrogen column density of N approximately 10(exp 21)/sq cm, which corresponds to an FUV optical depth of unity caused by dust opacity. The time dependence of the H(sub 2) intensities arises because the initial abundances of H(sub 2) at these depths is much higher than the equilibrium values, so that H(sub 2) initially competes more effectively with dust in absorbing FUV photons. Considerable column densities of warm (T approximately 1000) K H(sub 2) gas can be produced by the FUV pumping of H(sub 2) vibrational levels followed by collisional de-excitation, which transfers the energy to heat. In dense (n greater than or approximately 10(exp 5)/cu cm) gas exposed to high (G(sub 0) greater than or approximately 10(exp 4)) fluxes, this warm gas produces a 2-1 S(1)/1-0 S(l) H(sub 2) line ratio of approximately 0.1, which mimics the ratio found in shocked gas. In lower density regions, the FUV pumping produces a pure-fluorescent ratio of approximately 0.5. We also present calculations of the time dependence of the atomic hydrogen column densities and of the intensities of 0 I 6300 A, S II 6730 A, Fe II 1.64 microns, and rotational OH and H20 emission. Potential applications include star-forming regions, clouds near active galactic nuclei, and planetary nebulae. We apply our models to five planetary nebulae and conclude that only BD +30deg3639 shows evidence of enhanced H(sub 2) emission due to (high) nonequilibrium H(sub 2) abundances.

Meteorological Predictions in Support of the Mars Science Laboratory Entry, Descent and Landing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rothchild, A.; Rafkin, S. C.; Pielke, R. A., Sr.

2010-12-01

The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) entry, descent, and landing (EDL) system employs a standard parachute strategy followed by a new sky crane concept where the rover is lowered to the ground via a tether from a hovering entry vehicle. As with previous missions, EDL system performance is sensitive to atmospheric conditions. While some observations characterizing the mean, large-scale atmospheric temperature and density data are available, there is effectively no information on the atmospheric conditions and variability at the scale that directly affects the spacecraft. In order to evaluate EDL system performance and to assess landing hazards and risk, it is necessary to simulate the atmosphere with a model that provides data at the appropriate spatial and temporal scales. Models also permit the study of the impact of the highly variable atmospheric dust loading on temperature, density and winds. There are four potential MSL landing sites: Mawrth Valle (22.3 N, 16.5W) , Gale Crater (5.4S, 137.7E), Holden Crater (26.1S, 34W), and Eberswalde Crater (24S, 33W). The final selection of the landing site will balance potential science return against landing and operational risk. Atmospheric modeling studies conducted with the Mars Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (MRAMS) is an integral part of the selection process. At each of the landing sites, a variety of simulations are conducted. The first type of simulations provide baseline predictions under nominal atmospheric dust loading conditions within the landing site window of ~Ls 150-170. The second type of simulation explores situations with moderate and high global atmospheric dust loading. The final type of simulation investigates the impact of local dust disturbances at the landing site. Mean and perturbation fields from each type of simulation at each of the potential landing sites are presented in comparison with the engineering performance limitations for the MSL EDL system. Within the lowest scale height, winds are strongly influenced by the local and regional topography and are highly variable in both space and time. Convective activity in the afternoon produces deep vertical circulations anchored primarily to topography. Aloft, winds become increasingly dominated by the large-scale circulation, but with gravity wave perturbations forced by both topography and boundary layer convective activity. The mean density field is tied directly to the level of dust loading; higher dust results in decreased densities and overall warming of the atmospheric column. In local and regional dust storm scenarios, winds are found to be enhanced, particularly in regions of active dust lifting. Local reductions in density are also pronounced. At present, the predicted mean and perturbation fields from all the simulations appear to fall within the engineering requirements, but not always comfortably so. This is in contrast to proposed landing sites for the Mars Exploration Rover mission, where the atmospheric environment presented unacceptable risk. Ongoing work is underway to confirm that atmospheric conditions will permit safe EDL operations with a tolerable level of risk.

An Analysis of Dust Halo and Extinction Toward X Persei

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Valencic, Lynne A.; Smith, Randall K.

2007-01-01

Interstellar dust grain models are not sufficiently constrained by UV extinction curves to be able to distinguish between them. By testing grain models in the X-ray regime and applying elemental abundance constraints, we show to what extent the models can reproduce the observables in these regimes, and if they are capable of doing so while respecting the abundance limits. We tested the MRN and WD grain models. The fits to the X-ray data do not allow us to distinguish between MRN and WD; both models provide reasonable fits, but cannot do so while respecting the elemental abundance constraints. The situation in the UV regime is similar. Both MRN and WD underestimate the hydrogen column density NH. The model of ZDA provides promising results, as it finds NH much closer to the UV-measured value; further testing of this model is called for.

Excited Ejecta in Light of Sight from Eta Car

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vieira, G.; Gull, T. R.; Danks, A.

2003-01-01

In the NUV spectrum of Eta Car, we have resolved many narrow absorption lines of neutral and singly-ionized elements with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph. We report for the first time the detection of interstellar vanadium in absorption, and many highly-excited absorption lines of Fe, Cr, Ti, Ni, Co, Mn, and Mg. These elements, normally tied up in dust grains in the ISM, are located within wall of the Homunculus within 20,000 A.U. of Eta Car. Stellar radiation and stellar wind are interacting with the wall. Dust is likely being modified and/or destroyed. Previous Homunculus studies have demonstrated that nitrogen is overabundant and that carbon and oxygen emission lines are weak, or non-existent. Are the large column densities of these heavy elements due to abundance effects, excitation mechanisms, or modified grains? We may gain insight as Eta Car goes through its spectroscopic minimum in the summer of 2003.

Studying Lyman-alpha escape and reionization in Green Pea galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Huan; Malhotra, Sangeeta; Rhoads, James E.; Gronke, Max; Leitherer, Claus; Wofford, Aida; Dijkstra, Mark

2017-01-01

Green Pea galaxies are low-redshift galaxies with extreme [OIII]5007 emission line. We built the first statistical sample of Green Peas observed by HST/COS and used them as analogs of high-z Lyman-alpha emitters to study Ly-alpha escape and Ly-alpha sizes. Using the HST/COS 2D spectra, we found that Ly-alpha sizes of Green Peas are larger than the UV continuum sizes. We found many correlations between Ly-alpha escape fraction and galactic properties -- dust extinction, Ly-alpha kinematic features, [OIII]/[OII] ratio, and gas outflow velocities. We fit an empirical relation to predict Ly-alpha escape fraction from dust extinction and Ly-alpha red-peak velocity. In the JWST era, we can use this relation to derive the IGM HI column density along the line of sight of each high-z Ly-alpha emitter and probe the reionization process.

The close environments of accreting massive black holes are shaped by radiative feedback.

PubMed

Ricci, Claudio; Trakhtenbrot, Benny; Koss, Michael J; Ueda, Yoshihiro; Schawinski, Kevin; Oh, Kyuseok; Lamperti, Isabella; Mushotzky, Richard; Treister, Ezequiel; Ho, Luis C; Weigel, Anna; Bauer, Franz E; Paltani, Stephane; Fabian, Andrew C; Xie, Yanxia; Gehrels, Neil

2017-09-27

The majority of the accreting supermassive black holes in the Universe are obscured by large columns of gas and dust. The location and evolution of this obscuring material have been the subject of intense research in the past decades, and are still debated. A decrease in the covering factor of the circumnuclear material with increasing accretion rates has been found by studies across the electromagnetic spectrum. The origin of this trend may be driven by the increase in the inner radius of the obscuring material with incident luminosity, which arises from the sublimation of dust; by the gravitational potential of the black hole; by radiative feedback; or by the interplay between outflows and inflows. However, the lack of a large, unbiased and complete sample of accreting black holes, with reliable information on gas column density, luminosity and mass, has left the main physical mechanism that regulates obscuration unclear. Here we report a systematic multi-wavelength survey of hard-X-ray-selected black holes that reveals that radiative feedback on dusty gas is the main physical mechanism that regulates the distribution of the circumnuclear material. Our results imply that the bulk of the obscuring dust and gas is located within a few to tens of parsecs of the accreting supermassive black hole (within the sphere of influence of the black hole), and that it can be swept away even at low radiative output rates. The main physical driver of the differences between obscured and unobscured accreting black holes is therefore their mass-normalized accretion rate.

The close environments of accreting massive black holes are shaped by radiative feedback

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ricci, Claudio; Trakhtenbrot, Benny; Koss, Michael J.; Ueda, Yoshihiro; Schawinski, Kevin; Oh, Kyuseok; Lamperti, Isabella; Mushotzky, Richard; Treister, Ezequiel; Ho, Luis C.; Weigel, Anna; Bauer, Franz E.; Paltani, Stephane; Fabian, Andrew C.; Xie, Yanxia; Gehrels, Neil

2017-09-01

The majority of the accreting supermassive black holes in the Universe are obscured by large columns of gas and dust. The location and evolution of this obscuring material have been the subject of intense research in the past decades, and are still debated. A decrease in the covering factor of the circumnuclear material with increasing accretion rates has been found by studies across the electromagnetic spectrum. The origin of this trend may be driven by the increase in the inner radius of the obscuring material with incident luminosity, which arises from the sublimation of dust; by the gravitational potential of the black hole; by radiative feedback; or by the interplay between outflows and inflows. However, the lack of a large, unbiased and complete sample of accreting black holes, with reliable information on gas column density, luminosity and mass, has left the main physical mechanism that regulates obscuration unclear. Here we report a systematic multi-wavelength survey of hard-X-ray-selected black holes that reveals that radiative feedback on dusty gas is the main physical mechanism that regulates the distribution of the circumnuclear material. Our results imply that the bulk of the obscuring dust and gas is located within a few to tens of parsecs of the accreting supermassive black hole (within the sphere of influence of the black hole), and that it can be swept away even at low radiative output rates. The main physical driver of the differences between obscured and unobscured accreting black holes is therefore their mass-normalized accretion rate.

The Vertical Dust Profile over Gale Crater

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guzewich, S.; Newman, C. E.; Smith, M. D.; Moores, J.; Smith, C. L.; Moore, C.; Richardson, M. I.; Kass, D. M.; Kleinboehl, A.; Martin-Torres, F. J.; Zorzano, M. P.; Battalio, J. M.

2017-12-01

Regular joint observations of the atmosphere over Gale Crater from the orbiting Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter/Mars Climate Sounder (MCS) and Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover allow us to create a coarse, but complete, vertical profile of dust mixing ratio from the surface to the upper atmosphere. We split the atmospheric column into three regions: the planetary boundary layer (PBL) within Gale Crater that is directly sampled by MSL (typically extending from the surface to 2-6 km in height), the region of atmosphere sampled by MCS profiles (typically 25-80 km above the surface), and the region of atmosphere between these two layers. Using atmospheric optical depth measurements from the Rover Environmental Monitoring System (REMS) ultraviolet photodiodes (in conjunction with MSL Mast Camera solar imaging), line-of-sight opacity measurements with the MSL Navigation Cameras (NavCam), and an estimate of the PBL depth from the MarsWRF general circulation model, we can directly calculate the dust mixing ratio within the Gale Crater PBL and then solve for the dust mixing ratio in the middle layer above Gale Crater but below the atmosphere sampled by MCS. Each atmospheric layer has a unique seasonal cycle of dust opacity, with Gale Crater's PBL reaching a maximum in dust mixing ratio near Ls = 270° and a minimum near Ls = 90°. The layer above Gale Crater, however, has a seasonal cycle that closely follows the global opacity cycle and reaches a maximum near Ls = 240° and exhibits a local minimum (associated with the "solsticial pauses") near Ls = 270°. Knowing the complete vertical profile also allows us to determine the frequency of high-altitude dust layers above Gale, and whether such layers truly exhibit the maximum dust mixing ratio within the entire vertical column. We find that 20% of MCS profiles contain an "absolute" high-altitude dust layer, i.e., one in which the dust mixing ratio within the high-altitude dust layer is the maximum dust mixing ratio in the vertical column of atmosphere over Gale Crater.

13CO Survey of Northern Intermediate-Mass Star-Forming Regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lundquist, Michael J.; Kobulnicky, H. A.; Kerton, C. R.

2014-01-01

We conducted a survey of 13CO with the OSO 20-m telescope toward 68 intermediate-mass star-forming regions (IM SFRs) visible in the northern hemisphere. These regions have mostly been excluded from previous CO surveys and were selected from IRAS colors that specify cool dust and large PAH contribution. These regions are known to host stars up to, but not exceeding, about 8 solar masses. We detect 13CO in 57 of the 68 IM SFRs down to a typical RMS of ~50 mK. We present kinematic distances, minimum column densities, and minimum masses for these IM SFRs.

Evolution of column density distributions within Orion A⋆

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stutz, A. M.; Kainulainen, J.

2015-05-01

We compare the structure of star-forming molecular clouds in different regions of Orion A to determine how the column density probability distribution function (N-PDF) varies with environmental conditions such as the fraction of young protostars. A correlation between the N-PDF slope and Class 0 protostar fraction has been previously observed in a low-mass star-formation region (Perseus); here we test whether a similar correlation is observed in a high-mass star-forming region. We used Herschel PACS and SPIRE cold dust emission observations to derive a column density map of Orion A. We used the Herschel Orion Protostar Survey catalog to accurately identify and classify the Orion A young stellar object content, including the cold and relatively short-lived Class 0 protostars (with a lifetime of ~0.14 Myr). We divided Orion A into eight independent regions of 0.25 square degrees (13.5 pc2); in each region we fit the N-PDF distribution with a power law, and we measured the fraction of Class 0 protostars. We used a maximum-likelihood method to measure the N-PDF power-law index without binning the column density data. We find that the Class 0 fraction is higher in regions with flatter column density distributions. We tested the effects of incompleteness, extinction-driven misclassification of Class 0 sources, resolution, and adopted pixel-scales. We show that these effects cannot account for the observed trend. Our observations demonstrate an association between the slope of the power-law N-PDF and the Class 0 fractions within Orion A. Various interpretations are discussed, including timescales based on the Class 0 protostar fraction assuming a constant star-formation rate. The observed relation suggests that the N-PDF can be related to an evolutionary state of the gas. If universal, such a relation permits evaluating the evolutionary state from the N-PDF power-law index at much greater distances than those accessible with protostar counts. Appendices are available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.orgThe N(H) map as a FITS file is only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (ftp://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/577/L6

CO-dark molecular gas at high redshift: very large H2 content and high pressure in a low-metallicity damped Lyman alpha system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balashev, S. A.; Noterdaeme, P.; Rahmani, H.; Klimenko, V. V.; Ledoux, C.; Petitjean, P.; Srianand, R.; Ivanchik, A. V.; Varshalovich, D. A.

2017-09-01

We present a detailed analysis of an H2-rich, extremely strong intervening damped Ly α absorption system (DLA) at zabs = 2.786 towards the quasar J 0843+0221, observed with the Ultraviolet and Visual Echelle Spectrograph on the Very Large Telescope. The total column density of molecular (resp. atomic) hydrogen is log N(H2) = 21.21 ± 0.02 (resp. log N(H I) = 21.82 ± 0.11), making it to be the first case in quasar absorption line studies with H2 column density as high as what is seen in 13CO-selected clouds in the Milky Way. We find that this system has one of the lowest metallicity detected among H2-bearing DLAs, with [Zn/H] = -1.52^{+0.08}_{-0.10}. This can be the reason for the marked differences compared to systems with similar H2 column densities in the local Universe: (I) the kinetic temperature, T ˜ 120 K, derived from the J = 0, 1 H2 rotational levels is at least twice higher than expected; (II) there is little dust extinction with AV < 0.1; (III) no CO molecules are detected, putting a constraint on the XCO factor XCO > 2 × 1023 cm-2/(km s-1 K), in the very low metallicity gas. Low CO and high H2 contents indicate that this system represents 'CO-dark/faint' gas. We investigate the physical conditions in the H2-bearing gas using the fine-structure levels of C I, C II, Si II and the rotational levels of HD and H2. We find the number density to be about n ˜ 260-380 cm-3, implying a high thermal pressure of 3-5 × 104 cm-3 K. We further identify a trend of increasing pressure with increasing total hydrogen column density. This independently supports the suggestion that extremely strong DLAs (with log N(H) ˜22) probe high-z galaxies at low impact parameters.

Influence of the long-range transport of dust over central Himalayan region - study using MERRA-2 and GLDAS Ver.2.1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, A.; Singh, N.; A.

2017-12-01

To elucidate upon the effect of dust loading on the central Himalayan glaciers and snow cover, a study is carried out over the geographical boundary between 28-34° N and 78-98° E, for the period 2011-2015. Only spring and summer seasons are investigated, as the long range transport over the region are usually more prominent during these seasons. To ascertain the dust sources, data obtained from the level-2 of Cloud-Aerosol LiDAR and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) ver. 4.10, Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) trajectory model, Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications-2 (MERRA-2) ver. 5.12.4 are utilized. The snow depth and snow fall data are taken from MERRA-2, while, for the surface Albedo, data from Global land data assimilation system (GLDAS) ver. 2.1 Noah land surface model L4 is used. ERA-Interim wind products are also used to understand the prevailing wind pattern over the site during the period of study. To show the impact of aerosols on glaciated surface and the snow fall, a regression analysis is performed between these parameters and the dust column mass density for the period of 1980-2016 using MERRA-2 reanalysis data.

The Complex Soft X-ray Spectral Structure of MCG-6-30-15 and Mrk 766

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kahn, S. M.; Sako, M.; Behar, E.; Paerels, F.; Kinkhabwala, A.; Branduardi-Raymont, G.; Page, M. J.; Kaastra, J. S.; Brinkman, A. C.; den Herder, J. S.; Liedahl, D. A.

The interpretation of the soft X-ray spectra of the Seyfert 1 galaxies, MCG-6-30-15 and Mrk 766, has remained controversial since high resolution data were first obtained with the grating instruments on Chandra and XMM-Newton, roughly one year ago. In an initial paper, Branduardi-Raymont et al. (2001), we argued that the RGS spectra of these two sources are inconsistent with simple warm absorber models, as has been invoked for Seyfert 1s in the past, but instead suggest the additional presence of relativistically broadened disk line features associated with the Lyα transitions of carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen. This conclusion was subsequently questioned by Lee et al. (2001), who contended that the Chandra HETG spectrum of MCG-6-30-15 is indeed well-described by the conventional warm absorber model, if one allows for the presence of dust in the warm absorbing medium. Here we reexamine the original RGS spectra in light of the Lee et al. (2001) criticisms. We first show that the explicit model presented by Lee et al. (2001) for MCG-6-30-15 is incompatible with the RGS data on this source, even if we allow both the continuum parameters and all of the absorbing column densities to be free parameters. That model over-predicts the ion{O}{VII} absorption line equivalent widths, and yields significant systematic residuals to the fits, especially at longer wavelengths, beyond the band covered by the HETG. We next show that the column densities of the oxygen ions (ion{O}{IV} through ion{O}{VIII}) are very well-constrained by the absorption line structure in the RGS data, and that, contrary to the assertion by Lee et al. (2001), the derived values are much too low to provide any significant contribution (either from line or continuum absorption) to the observed discrete jump in the spectra near 17.5 Å. Further, we show that the RGS spectra are also incompatible with the dust model presented by Lee et al. (2001). Specifically, the derived upper limit on the neutral oxygen column density is nearly a factor of 35 lower than predicted by their model if the dust is in the form of simple iron oxides. If dust is indeed present in the warm absorber, it would have to be essentially in the form of pure iron to be compatible with the soft X-ray spectrum. In contrast, a model that includes the presence of relativistically broadened CNO Lyα lines, provides an excellent description of the data, correctly accounting for all of the discrete warm absorber lines plus the overall continuum shape for both sources. We suggest that these emission lines are produced via recombination in a photoionized layer on the surface of an irradiated accretion disk. The derived equivalent widths are roughly compatible with what we expect for this layer if one takes proper account of the modification to the disk structure due to the irradiation, and of continuum and line opacity in the ionized surface layer.

Multiple origins for the DLA at zabs = 0.313 toward PKS 1127-145 indicated by a complex dust depletion pattern of Ca, Ti, and Mn

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guber, C. R.; Richter, P.; Wendt, M.

2018-01-01

Aims: We aim to investigate the dust depletion properties of optically thick gas in and around galaxies and its origin we study in detail the dust depletion patterns of Ti, Mn, and Ca in the multi-component damped Lymanα (DLA) absorber at zabs = 0.313 toward the quasar PKS 1127-145. Methods: We performed a detailed spectral analysis of the absorption profiles of Ca II, Mn II, Ti II, and Na I associated with the DLA toward PKS 1127-145, based on optical high-resolution data obtained with the UVES instrument at the Very Large Telescope. We obtained column densities and Doppler-parameters for the ions listed above and determine their gas-phase abundances, from which we conclude on their dust depletion properties. We compared the Ca and Ti depletion properties of this DLA with that of other DLAs. Results: One of the six analyzed absorption components (component 3) shows a striking underabundance of Ti and Mn in the gas-phase, indicating the effect of dust depletion for these elements and a locally enhanced dust-to-gas ratio. In this DLA and in other similar absorbers, the Mn II abundance follows that of Ti II very closely, implying that both ions are equally sensitive to the dust depletion effects. Conclusions: Our analysis indicates that the DLA toward PKS 1127-145 has multiple origins. With its narrow line width and its strong dust depletion, component 3 points toward the presence of a neutral gas disk from a faint LSB galaxy in front of PKS 1127-145, while the other, more diffuse and dust-poor, absorption components possibly are related to tidal gas features from the interaction between the various, optically confirmed galaxy-group members. In general, the Mn/Ca II ratio in sub-DLAs and DLAs possibly serves as an important indicator to discriminate between dust-rich and dust-poor in neutral gas in and around galaxies.

Scattered, extinguished, emitted: Three views of the dust in Perseus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Foster, Jonathan Bruce

Dust in star-forming regions is both a blessing and a curse. By shrouding young stars it inhibits our study of their birth, yet without dust we would have an impoverished view of the structure of the molecular cloud before it collapses to form a protostar--the initial conditions of the problem of star formation. Though less than 1% of the mass of a molecular cloud, dust is a reliable tracer of the invisible H 2 which makes up the vast majority of the material. Other molecules can trace the H 2 distribution, and are useful in the appropriate regime, but all are confounded by the complications of chemistry, excitation conditions, and depletion, processes which have little effect on dust. Interpreting observations of dust is not entirely straightforward. We do not have a comprehensive theory of dust which explains the size distribution and mineralogical composition of dust in the diverse environments where it is present, from the diffuse ISM to the proto-planetary disks around young stars. Lacking such a theory, it is surprising that models of dust are nonetheless able to reproduce many of the observational constraints imposed upon them. Among these constraints are direct capture of dust grains, spectral features, extinction of background light, scattering, and thermal emission. In this thesis I (1) describe a method to use scattered ambient galactic light to map dense cores with unprecedented high resolution; (2) extend near-infrared extinction mapping by incorporating background galaxies; (3) demonstrate a relation between column density and changes in the extinction law, which is evidence of grain growth; (4) report on a study using NH 3 temperatures to more precisely interpret a thermal emission map at 1.1-mm; and (5) apply all these different techniques to a single starless region in order to compare them and learn something both about dust and the initial conditions of star formation.

A gas density drop in the inner 6 AU of the transition disk around the Herbig Ae star HD 139614 . Further evidence for a giant planet inside the disk?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carmona, A.; Thi, W. F.; Kamp, I.; Baruteau, C.; Matter, A.; van den Ancker, M.; Pinte, C.; Kóspál, A.; Audard, M.; Liebhart, A.; Sicilia-Aguilar, A.; Pinilla, P.; Regály, Zs.; Güdel, M.; Henning, Th.; Cieza, L. A.; Baldovin-Saavedra, C.; Meeus, G.; Eiroa, C.

2017-02-01

Context. Quantifying the gas surface density inside the dust cavities and gaps of transition disks is important to establish their origin. Aims: We seek to constrain the surface density of warm gas in the inner disk of HD 139614, an accreting 9 Myr Herbig Ae star with a (pre-)transition disk exhibiting a dust gap from 2.3 ± 0.1 to 5.3 ± 0.3 AU. Methods: We observed HD 139614 with ESO/VLT CRIRES and obtained high-resolution (R 90 000) spectra of CO ro-vibrational emission at 4.7 μm. We derived constraints on the disk's structure by modeling the CO isotopolog line-profiles, the spectroastrometric signal, and the rotational diagrams using grids of flat Keplerian disk models. Results: We detected υ = 1 → 0 12CO, 2→1 12CO, 1→0 13CO, 1→0 C18O, and 1→0 C17O ro-vibrational lines. Lines are consistent with disk emission and thermal excitation. 12CO υ = 1 → 0 lines have an average width of 14 km s-1, Tgas of 450 K and an emitting region from 1 to 15 AU. 13CO and C18O lines are on average 70 and 100 K colder, 1 and 4 km s-1 narrower than 12CO υ = 1 → 0, and are dominated by emission at R ≥ 6 AU. The 12CO υ = 1 → 0 composite line-profile indicates that if there is a gap devoid of gas it must have a width narrower than 2 AU. We find that a drop in the gas surface density (δgas) at R < 5-6 AU is required to be able to simultaneously reproduce the line-profiles and rotational diagrams of the three CO isotopologs. Models without a gas density drop generate 13CO and C18O emission lines that are too broad and warm. The value of δgas can range from 10-2 to 10-4 depending on the gas-to-dust ratio of the outer disk. We find that the gas surface density profile at 1 < R < 6 AU is flat or increases with radius. We derive a gas column density at 1 < R < 6 AU of NH = 3 × 1019-1021 cm-2 (7 × 10-5-2.4 × 10-3 g cm-2) assuming NCO = 10-4NH. We find a 5σ upper limit on the CO column density NCO at R ≤ 1 AU of 5 × 1015 cm-2 (NH ≤ 5 × 1019 cm-2). Conclusions: The dust gap in the disk of HD 139614 has molecular gas. The distribution and amount of gas at R ≤ 6 AU in HD 139614 is very different from that of a primordial disk. The gas surface density in the disk at R ≤ 1 AU and at 1 < R < 6 AU is significantly lower than the surface density that would be expected from the accretion rate of HD 139614 (10-8 M⊙ yr-1) assuming a standard viscous α-disk model. The gas density drop, the non-negative density gradient in the gas inside 6 AU, and the absence of a wide (>2 AU) gas gap, suggest the presence of an embedded <2 MJ planet at around 4 AU. Based on CRIRES observations collected at the VLTI and VLT (European Southern Observatory, Paranal, Chile) with program 091.C-0671(B).

The ratio of N(C18O) and AV in Chamaeleon I and III-B. Using 2MASS and SEST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kainulainen, J.; Lehtinen, K.; Harju, J.

2006-02-01

We investigate the relationship between the C18O column density and the visual extinction in Chamaeleon I and in a part of the Chamaeleon III molecular cloud. The C18O column densities, N(C18O), are calculated from J=1{-}0 rotational line data observed with the SEST telescope. The visual extinctions, A_V, are derived using {JHK} photometry from the 2MASS survey and the NICER color excess technique. In contrast with the previous results of Hayakawa et al. (2001, PASJ, 53, 1109), we find that the average N(C18O)/AV ratios are similar in Cha I and Cha III, and lie close to values derived for other clouds, i.e. N(C18O) ≈ 2 × 1014 cm-2 ( AV - 2 ). We find, however, clear deviations from this average relationship towards individual clumps. Larger than average N(C18O)/AV ratios can be found in clumps associated with the active star forming region in the northern part of Cha I. On the other hand, some regions in the relatively quiescent southern part of Cha I show smaller than average N(C18O)/AV ratios and also very shallow proportionality between N(C18O) and A_V. The shallow proportionality suggests that C18O is heavily depleted in these regions. As the degree of depletion is proportional to the gas density, these regions probably contain very dense, cold cores, which do not stand out in CO mappings. A comparison with the dust temperature map derived from the ISO data shows that the most prominent of the potentially depleted cores indeed coincides with a dust temperature minimum. It seems therefore feasible to use N(C18O) and AV data together for identifying cold, dense cores in large scale mappings.

Method and apparatus for measuring surface density of explosive and inert dust in stratified layers

DOEpatents

Sapko, Michael J.; Perlee, Henry E.

1988-01-01

A method for determining the surface density of coal dust on top of rock dust or rock dust on top of coal dust is disclosed which comprises directing a light source at either a coal or rock dust layer overlaying a substratum of the other, detecting the amount of light reflected from the deposit, generating a signal from the reflected light which is converted into a normalized output (V), and calculating the surface density from the normalized output. The surface density S.sub.c of coal dust on top of rock dust is calculated according to the equation: S.sub.c =1/-a.sub.c ln(V) wherein a.sub.c is a constant for the coal dust particles, and the surface density S.sub.r of rock dust on top of coal dust is determined by the equation: ##EQU1## wherein a.sub.r is a constant based on the properties of the rock dust particles. An apparatus is also disclosed for carrying out the method of the present invention.

The Mars Climate Database (MCD version 5.3)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Millour, Ehouarn; Forget, Francois; Spiga, Aymeric; Vals, Margaux; Zakharov, Vladimir; Navarro, Thomas; Montabone, Luca; Lefevre, Franck; Montmessin, Franck; Chaufray, Jean-Yves; Lopez-Valverde, Miguel; Gonzalez-Galindo, Francisco; Lewis, Stephen; Read, Peter; Desjean, Marie-Christine; MCD/GCM Development Team

2017-04-01

Our Global Circulation Model (GCM) simulates the atmospheric environment of Mars. It is developped at LMD (Laboratoire de Meteorologie Dynamique, Paris, France) in close collaboration with several teams in Europe (LATMOS, France, University of Oxford, The Open University, the Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia), and with the support of ESA (European Space Agency) and CNES (French Space Agency). GCM outputs are compiled to build a Mars Climate Database, a freely available tool useful for the scientific and engineering communities. The Mars Climate Database (MCD) has over the years been distributed to more than 300 teams around the world. The latest series of reference simulations have been compiled in a new version (v5.3) of the MCD, released in the first half of 2017. To summarize, MCD v5.3 provides: - Climatologies over a series of synthetic dust scenarios: standard (climatology) year, cold (ie: low dust), warm (ie: dusty atmosphere) and dust storm, all topped by various cases of Extreme UV solar inputs (low, mean or maximum). These scenarios have been derived from home-made, instrument-derived (TES, THEMIS, MCS, MERs), dust climatology of the last 8 Martian years. The MCD also provides simulation outputs (MY24-31) representative of these actual years. - Mean values and statistics of main meteorological variables (atmospheric temperature, density, pressure and winds), as well as surface pressure and temperature, CO2 ice cover, thermal and solar radiative fluxes, dust column opacity and mixing ratio, [H20] vapor and ice columns, concentrations of many species: [CO], [O2], [O], [N2], [H2], [O3], ... - A high resolution mode which combines high resolution (32 pixel/degree) MOLA topography records and Viking Lander 1 pressure records with raw lower resolution GCM results to yield, within the restriction of the procedure, high resolution values of atmospheric variables. - The possibility to reconstruct realistic conditions by combining the provided climatology with additional large scale and small scale perturbations schemes. At EGU, we will report on the latest improvements in the Mars Climate Database, with comparisons with available measurements from orbit (e.g.: TES, MCS) and landers (Viking, Phoenix, MSL).

Absorption and scattering by interstellar dust in the silicon K-edge of GX 5-1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeegers, S. T.; Costantini, E.; de Vries, C. P.; Tielens, A. G. G. M.; Chihara, H.; de Groot, F.; Mutschke, H.; Waters, L. B. F. M.; Zeidler, S.

2017-03-01

Context. We study the absorption and scattering of X-ray radiation by interstellar dust particles, which allows us to access the physical and chemical properties of dust. The interstellar dust composition is not well understood, especially on the densest sight lines of the Galactic plane. X-rays provide a powerful tool in this study. Aims: We present newly acquired laboratory measurements of silicate compounds taken at the Soleil synchrotron facility in Paris using the Lucia beamline. The dust absorption profiles resulting from this campaign were used in this pilot study to model the absorption by interstellar dust along the line of sight of the low-mass X-ray binary GX 5-1. Methods: The measured laboratory cross-sections were adapted for astrophysical data analysis and the resulting extinction profiles of the Si K-edge were implemented in the SPEX spectral fitting program. We derive the properties of the interstellar dust along the line of sight by fitting the Si K-edge seen in absorption in the spectrum of GX 5-1. Results: We measured the hydrogen column density towards GX 5-1 to be 3.40 ± 0.1 × 1022 cm-2. The best fit of the silicon edge in the spectrum of GX 5-1 is obtained by a mixture of olivine and pyroxene. In this study, our modeling is limited to Si absorption by silicates with different Mg:Fe ratios. We obtained an abundance of silicon in dust of 4.0 ± 0.3 × 10-5 per H atom and a lower limit for total abundance, considering both gas and dust of >4.4 × 10-5 per H atom, which leads to a gas to dust ratio of >0.22. Furthermore, an enhanced scattering feature in the Si K-edge may suggest the presence of large particles along the line of sight.

Visibility of Active Galactic Nuclei in the Illustris Simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hutchinson-Smith, Tenley; Kelley, Luke; Moreno, Jorge; Hernquist, Lars; Illustris Collaboration

2018-01-01

Active galactic nuclei (AGN) are the very bright, luminous regions surrounding supermassive black holes (SMBH) located at the centers of galaxies. Supermassive black holes are the source of AGN feedback, which occurs once the SMBH reaches a certain critical mass. Almost all large galaxies contain a SMBH, but SMBH binaries are extremely rare. Finding these binary systems are important because it can be a source of gravitational waves if the two SMBH collide. In order to study supermassive black holes, astronomers will often rely on the AGN’s light in order to locate them, but this can be difficult due to the extinction of light caused by the dust and gas surrounding the AGN. My research project focuses on determining the fraction of light we can observe from galactic centers using the Illustris simulation, one of the most advanced cosmological simulations of the universe which was created using a hydrodynamic code and consists of a moving mesh. Measuring the fraction of light observable from galactic centers will help us know what fraction of the time we can observe dual and binary AGN in different galaxies, which would also imply a binary SMBH system. In order to find how much light is being blocked or scattered by the gas and dust surrounding the AGN, we calculated the density of the gas and dust along the lines of sight. I present results including the density of gas along different lines of sight and how it correlates with the image of the galaxy. Future steps include taking an average of the column densities for all the galaxies in Illustris and studying them as a function of galaxy type (before merger, during merger, and post-merger), which will give us information on how this can also affect the AGN luminosity.

The Vertical Dust Profile Over Gale Crater, Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guzewich, Scott D.; Newman, C. E.; Smith, M. D.; Moores, J. E.; Smith, C. L.; Moore, C.; Richardson, M. I.; Kass, D.; Kleinböhl, A.; Mischna, M.; Martín-Torres, F. J.; Zorzano-Mier, M.-P.; Battalio, M.

2017-12-01

We create a vertically coarse, but complete, profile of dust mixing ratio from the surface to the upper atmosphere over Gale Crater, Mars, using the frequent joint atmospheric observations of the orbiting Mars Climate Sounder (MCS) and the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover. Using these data and an estimate of planetary boundary layer (PBL) depth from the MarsWRF general circulation model, we divide the vertical column into three regions. The first region is the Gale Crater PBL, the second is the MCS-sampled region, and the third is between these first two. We solve for a well-mixed dust mixing ratio within this third (middle) layer of atmosphere to complete the profile. We identify a unique seasonal cycle of dust within each atmospheric layer. Within the Gale PBL, dust mixing ratio maximizes near southern hemisphere summer solstice (Ls = 270°) and minimizes near winter solstice (Ls = 90-100°) with a smooth sinusoidal transition between them. However, the layer above Gale Crater and below the MCS-sampled region more closely follows the global opacity cycle and has a maximum in opacity near Ls = 240° and exhibits a local minimum (associated with the "solsticial pause" in dust storm activity) near Ls = 270°. With knowledge of the complete vertical dust profile, we can also assess the frequency of high-altitude dust layers over Gale. We determine that 36% of MCS profiles near Gale Crater contain an "absolute" high-altitude dust layer wherein the dust mixing ratio is the maximum in the entire vertical column.

IRS Spectral Maps of Photoevaporative Columns in M16, Carina, and the Galactic Center

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cotera, Angela; Healy, Kevin; Hester, Jeff; Sellgren, Kris; Simpson, Janet; Stolovy, Susan

2008-03-01

Photoevaporated columns of dust and gas - also called elephant trunks, pillars or fingers - are found in the periphery of H II regions, and have been observed within the Galaxy, the SMC and the LMC. These features are sites of current star formation, but the question remains whether the columns persist because stars formed in the denser regions prior to interactions with the UV radiation and stellar winds of nearby massive stars, or because of core collapse resulting from these interactions. Mapping the distribution of the physical states of the dust and gas in these columns is a necessary step towards understanding the possible star formation mechanisms within these dynamic objects. We propose to obtain IRS spectral maps of columns within M 16, the Carina nebula, and the Galactic center (GC) to understand the effects on these pillars from different stellar populations and initial conditions, and to better understand star formation in the GC. Within the spectral range of the high resolution IRS modes (9.9-37.2 micron) there are a wealth of molecular, atomic and PAH emission lines that will enable us to determine the excitation state, dust and gas temperatures, and probe the shock characteristics within the columns. Using the IRS spectral mapping mode, in conjunction with the CUBISM tool and the CLOUDY H II region model code, we will be able to construct detailed maps of the accessible emission lines and derived parameters for each column. IRS mapping of elephant trunks has not been done to date, yet provides a wealth of information unobtainable for the foreseeable future once Cycle 5 is completed.

The X-ray monitoring of the long-period colliding wind binaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sugawara, Y.; Maeda, Y.; Tsuboi, Y.

2017-10-01

We present the first results from XMM-Newton and Swift observations of two long-period colliding wind binaries WR19 and WR125 around periastron passages. Mass-loss is one of the most important and uncertain parameters in the evolution of a massive star. The X-ray spectrum off the colliding wind binary is the best measure of conditions in the hot postshock gas. By monitoring the changing of the X-ray luminosity and column density along with the orbital phases, we derive the mass-loss rates of these stars. It is known that WR19 (WC5+O9; P=10.1 yr) and WR125 (WC7+O9; P> 24.3 yr) are the dust-making binaries. Each periastron is expected to come in 2016-2017. Since 2016, we carry out on-going monitoring campaigns of WR19 and WR125 with XMM-Newton and Swift. On these observations, the X-rays from WR19 and WR125 were detected for the first time. In the case of WR19, as periastron approached, the column density increased, which indicates that the emission from the wind-wind collision plasma was absorbed by the dense Wolf-Rayet wind.

WHAT IS THE SHELL AROUND R CORONAE BOREALIS?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Montiel, Edward J.; Clayton, Geoffrey C.; Marcello, Dominic C.

2015-07-15

The hydrogen-deficient, carbon-rich R Coronae Borealis (RCB) stars are known for being prolific producers of dust which causes their large iconic declines in brightness. Several RCB stars, including R Coronae Borealis (R CrB), itself, have large extended dust shells seen in the far-infrared. The origin of these shells is uncertain but they may give us clues to the evolution of the RCB stars. The shells could form in three possible ways. (1) They are fossil Planetary Nebula (PN) shells, which would exist if RCB stars are the result of a final, helium-shell flash, (2) they are material left over frommore » a white-dwarf (WD) merger event which formed the RCB stars, or (3) they are material lost from the star during the RCB phase. Arecibo 21 cm observations establish an upper limit on the column density of H I in the R CrB shell implying a maximum shell mass of ≲0.3 M{sub ☉}. A low-mass fossil PN shell is still a possible source of the shell although it may not contain enough dust. The mass of gas lost during a WD merger event will not condense enough dust to produce the observed shell, assuming a reasonable gas-to-dust ratio. The third scenario where the shell around R CrB has been produced during the star’s RCB phase seems most likely to produce the observed mass of dust and the observed size of the shell. But this means that R CrB has been in its RCB phase for ∼10{sup 4} years.« less

Multi-epoch monitoring of the AA Tauri-like star V 354 Mon. Indications for a low gas-to-dust ratio in the inner disk warp

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schneider, P. C.; Manara, C. F.; Facchini, S.; Günther, H. M.; Herczeg, G. J.; Fedele, D.; Teixeira, P. S.

2018-06-01

Disk warps around classical T Tauri stars (CTTSs) can periodically obscure the central star for some viewing geometries. For these so- called AA Tau-like variables, the obscuring material is located in the inner disk and absorption spectroscopy allows one to characterize its dust and gas content. Since the observed emission from CTTSs consists of several components (photospheric, accretion, jet, and disk emission), which can all vary with time, it is generally challenging to disentangling disk features from emission variability. Multi- epoch, flux-calibrated, broadband spectra provide us with the necessary information to cleanly separate absorption from emission variability. We applied this method to three epochs of VLT/X-shooter spectra of the CTTS V 354 Mon (CSI Mon-660) located in NGC 2264 and find that: (a) the accretion emission remains virtually unchanged between the three epochs; (b) the broadband flux evolution is best described by disk material obscuring part of the star, and (c) the Na and K gas absorption lines show only a minor increase in equivalent width during phases of high dust extinction. The limits on the absorbing gas column densities indicate a low gas-to-dust ratio in the inner disk, less than a tenth of the ISM value. We speculate that the evolutionary state of V 354 Mon, rather old with a low accretion rate, is responsible for the dust excess through an evolution toward a dust dominated disk or through the fragmentation of larger bodies that drifted inward from larger radii in a still gas dominated disk.

Inner Disk Structure and Transport Mechanisms in the Transitional Disk around T Cha

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, Alexander

2017-08-01

To better understand how Earth-like planets form around low-mass stars, we propose to study the UV (HST), X-ray (XMM), and optical (LCOGT) variability of the young star T Cha. This variability is caused by obscuration of the star by clumpy material in the rim of its inner disk. Changing sight lines through the disk allow measurement of the temperature and column density of both molecular and atomic gas and the physical properties of the dust grains in the well-mixed inner disk, as well as determining the gas-to-dust ratio. The gas-to-dust ratio affects planetesimal growth and disk stability but is difficult to measure in local regions of disks. Three 5 orbit visits, separated by 3-7 days, are required for use of analysis techniques comprising both differential pair-method comparison of spectra with differing A_v (particularly important for determining the dust extinction curve, A_lambda, where removal of the foreground extinction requires multiple epochs) and detailed spectral fitting of gas absorption features at each epoch. The inner disk of T Cha is particularly interesting, because T Cha has a transitional disk with a large gap at 0.2-15 AU in the dust disk and allows study of the gas and dust structure in the terrestrial planet formation zone during this important rapid phase of protoplanetary disk evolution. Characterizing the high energy (UV/X-ray) radiation field is also essential for in-depth studies of the disk in other spectral regions. Results from these observations will have wide relevance to the modeling and understanding of protoplanetary disk structure and evolution, and the complex gas and dust physics and chemistry in disk surface layers.

Interstellar detection of the intersystem line Si II lambda 2335 toward zeta Ophiuchi

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cardelli, Jason A.; Sofia, Ulysses J.; Savage, Blair D.; Keenan, Francis P.; Dufton, Philip L.

1994-01-01

We report on the detection of the weak intersystem transistion of Si II lambda 2335 A in the sight line toward zeta Oph using the Ech-B mode (3.5 km/s resolution) of the Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph. The high-quality spectrum is characterized by an empirically measured signal-to-noise of 450, in excellent agreement with that expected from photon-statistics. The measured equivalent width of the Si II line is W(sub lambda) = 0.48 +/- 0.12 mA. Using the new experimental f-value of Calamai, Smith, and Bergeson, we find a Si II column density of 2.34 (+/- 0.58) x 10(exp 15) atoms/sq cm and (Si/H)(sub zeta Oph) = 1.78 (+/- 0.44) x 10(exp -6) for the principal absorbing component(s) at v(sub sun) approx. = -15 km/s. Analysis of the Si II lambda 1808 absorption over the same velocity range using the new experimental f-value of Bergeson & Lawler yields a column density (corrected for saturation) that is consistent within the weak line errors and confirms the relative accuracies of these new f-values. Furthermore, these results indicate that accurate abundances can now be derived for Si II, particularly from the weak Si II lambda 2335 A since it is free of saturation effects. For the zeta Oph v(sub sun) approx. = -15 km/s component(s), we find that greater than 95% of the available cosmic abundance (i.e. the 1989 meteoritic abundances of Anders & Grevesse) of Mg, Fe, and Si is 'missing' from the gas phase and is presumably locked up in the dust. These elements are present in the dust grains in ratios of Fe/Si approximately equals 0.9 and Mg/Si approximately equals 1.1, consistent with the ratio of their cosmic abundances. These ratios are in sharp contrast to more diffuse clouds like those seen toward the high-latitude halo star HD 93521 where in the dust Fe/Si approximately equals 1.8 and Mg/Si approximately equals 2.1.

The M 16 molecular complex under the influence of NGC 6611. Herschel's perspective of the heating effect on the Eagle Nebula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hill, T.; Motte, F.; Didelon, P.; White, G. J.; Marston, A. P.; Nguyên Luong, Q.; Bontemps, S.; André, Ph.; Schneider, N.; Hennemann, M.; Sauvage, M.; Di Francesco, J.; Minier, V.; Anderson, L. D.; Bernard, J. P.; Elia, D.; Griffin, M. J.; Li, J. Z.; Peretto, N.; Pezzuto, S.; Polychroni, D.; Roussel, H.; Rygl, K. L. J.; Schisano, E.; Sousbie, T.; Testi, L.; Thompson, D. Ward; Zavagno, A.

2012-06-01

We present Herschel images from the HOBYS key program of the Eagle Nebula (M 16) in the far-infrared and sub-millimetre, using the PACS and SPIRE cameras at 70 μm, 160 μm, 250 μm, 350 μm, 500 μm. M 16, home to the Pillars of Creation, is largely under the influence of the nearby NGC 6611 high-mass star cluster. The Herschel images reveal a clear dust temperature gradient running away from the centre of the cavity carved by the OB cluster. We investigate the heating effect of NGC 6611 on the entire M 16 star-forming complex seen by Herschel including the diffuse cloud environment and the dense filamentary structures identified in this region. In addition, we interpret the three-dimensional geometry of M 16 with respect to the nebula, its surrounding environment, and the NGC 6611 cavity. The dust temperature and column density maps reveal a prominent eastern filament running north-south and away from the high-mass star-forming central region and the NGC 6611 cluster, as well as a northern filament which extends around and away from the cluster. The dust temperature in each of these filaments decreases with increasing distance from the NGC 6611 cluster, indicating a heating penetration depth of ~10 pc in each direction in 3-6 × 1022 cm-2 column density filaments. We show that in high-mass star-forming regions OB clusters impact the temperature of future star-forming sites, modifying the initialconditions for collapse and effecting the evolutionary criteria of protostars developed from spectral energy distributions. Possible scenarios for the origin of the morphology seen in this region are discussed, including a western equivalent to the eastern filament, which was destroyed by the creation of the OB cluster and its subsequent winds and radiation. Herschel is a ESA space observatory with science instruments provided by European-led Principal Investigator consortia and with important participation from NASA.Appendices are available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org

Peering Through the Dust. II. XMM-Newton Observations of Two Additional FIRST-2MASS Red Quasars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glikman, Eilat; LaMassa, Stephanie; Piconcelli, Enrico; Urry, Meg; Lacy, Mark

2017-10-01

We obtained XMM-Newton observations of two highly luminous dust-reddened quasars, F2M1113+1244 and F2M1656+3821, that appear to be in the early, transitional phase predicted by merger-driven models of quasar/galaxy co-evolution. These sources have been well studied at optical through mid-infrared wavelengths and are growing relatively rapidly, with Eddington ratios > 30 % . Their black hole masses are relatively small compared to their host galaxies, placing them below the {M}{BH}{--}{L}{bulge} relation. We find that for both sources, an absorbed power-law model with 1%-3% of the intrinsic continuum scattered or leaked back into the line of sight best fits their X-ray spectra. We measure the absorbing column density (N H ) and constrain the dust-to-gas ratios in these systems, finding that they lie well below the Galactic value. This, combined with the presence of broad emission lines in their optical and near-infrared spectra, suggests that the dust absorption occurs far from the nucleus and in the host galaxy, while the X-rays are mostly absorbed in the nuclear, dust-free region within the sublimation radius. We also compare the quasars’ absorption-corrected, rest-frame X-ray luminosities (2-10 keV) to their rest-frame infrared luminosities (6 μm) and find that red quasars, similar to other populations of luminous obscured quasars, are either underluminous in X-rays or overluminous in the infrared.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ade, P. A. R.; Aghanim, N.; Aniano, G.

The nearby Chamaeleon clouds have been observed in γ rays by the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) and in thermal dust emission by Planck and IRAS. Cosmic rays and large dust grains, if smoothly mixed with gas, can jointly serve with the H i and 12CO radio data to (i) map the hydrogen column densities, N H, in the different gas phases, in particular at the dark neutral medium (DNM) transition between the H i-bright and CO-bright media; (ii) constrain the CO-to-H 2 conversion factor, X CO; and (iii) probe the dust properties per gas nucleon in each phase andmore » map their spatial variations across the clouds. We have separated clouds at local, intermediate, and Galactic velocities in H i and 12CO line emission to model in parallel the γ-ray intensity recorded between 0.4 and 100 GeV; the dust optical depth at 353 GHz, τ 353; the thermal radiance of the large grains; and an estimate of the dust extinction, A VQ, empirically corrected for the starlight intensity. Furthermore, the dust and γ-ray models have been coupled to account for the DNM gas. The consistent γ-ray emissivity spectra recorded in the different phases confirm that the GeV–TeV cosmic rays probed by the LAT uniformly permeate all gas phases up to the 12CO cores. The dust and cosmic rays both reveal large amounts of DNM gas, with comparable spatial distributions and twice as much mass as in the CO-bright clouds. We give constraints on the H i-DNM-CO transitions for five separate clouds. CO-dark H 2 dominates the molecular columns up to AV ≃ 0.9 and its mass often exceeds the one-third of the molecular mass expected by theory. The corrected A VQ extinction largely provides the best fit to the total gas traced by the γ rays. Nevertheless, we find evidence for a marked rise in A VQ/N H with increasing N H and molecular fraction, and with decreasing dust temperature. The rise in τ 353/NH is even steeper. Here, we observe variations of lesser amplitude and orderliness for the specific power of the grains, except for a coherent decline by half in the CO cores. This combined information suggests grain evolution. We also provide average values for the dust properties per gas nucleon in the different phases. The γ rays and dust radiance yield consistent X CO estimates near 0.7 × 10 20 cm -2 K -1 km -1 s. The A VQ and τ 353 tracers yield biased values because of the large rise in grain opacity in the CO clouds. These results clarify a recurrent disparity in the γ-ray versus dust calibration of X CO, but they confirm the factor of 2 difference found between the X CO estimates in nearby clouds and in the neighbouring spiral arms.« less

External supply of oxygen to the atmospheres of the giant planets.

PubMed

Feuchtgruber, H; Lellouch, E; de Graauw, T; Bézard, B; Encrenaz, T; Griffin, M

1997-09-11

The atmospheres of the giant planets are reducing, being mainly composed of hydrogen, helium and methane. But the rings and icy satellites that surround these planets, together with the flux of interplanetary dust, could act as important sources of oxygen, which would be delivered to the atmospheres mainly in the form of water ice or silicate dust. Here we report the detection, by infrared spectroscopy, of gaseous H2O in the upper atmospheres of Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. The implied H2O column densities are 1.5 x 10(15), 9 x 10(13) and 3 x 10(14) molecules cm(-2) respectively. CO2 in comparable amounts was also detected in the atmospheres of Saturn and Neptune. These observations can be accounted for by external fluxes of 10(5)-10(7) H2O molecules cm(-2) s(-1) and subsequent chemical processing in the atmospheres. The presence of gaseous water and infalling dust will affect the photochemistry, energy budget and ionospheric properties of these atmospheres. Moreover, our findings may help to constrain the injection rate and possible activity of distant icy objects in the Solar System.

Extinction Mapping and Dust-to-Gas Ratios of Nearby Galaxies using LEGUS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kahre, Lauren; Walterbos, Rene; Kim, Hwihyun; Thilker, David; Lee, Janice; LEGUS Team

2018-01-01

Dust is commonly used as a tracer for cold dense gas, either through IR and NIR emission maps or through extinction mapping, and dust abundance and gas metallicity are critical constraints for chemical and galaxy evolution models. Extinction mapping has been used to trace dust column densities in the Milky Way, the Magellanic Clouds, and M31. The maps for M31 use IR and NIR photometry of red giant branch stars, which is more difficult to obtain for more distant galaxies. Work by Kahre et al. (in prep) uses the extinctions derived for individual massive stars using the isochrone-matching method described by Kim et al. (2012) to generate extinction maps for these more distant galaxies.Isochrones of massive stars lie in the same location on a color-color diagram with little dependence on metallicity and luminosity class, so the extinction can be directly derived from the observed photometry. We generate extinction maps using photometry of massive stars from the Hubble Space Telescope for several of the nearly 50 galaxies observed by the Legacy Extragalactic Ultraviolet Survey (LEGUS). The derived extinction maps will allow us to correct ground-based and HST Halpha maps for extinction, and will be used to constrain changes in the dust-to-gas ratio across the galaxy sample and in different star formation, metallicity and morphological environments. Previous studies have found links between galaxy metallicity and the dust-to-gas mass ratio. We present a study of LEGUS galaxies spanning a range of distances, metallicities, and galaxy morphologies, expanding on our previous study of metal-poor dwarfs Holmberg I and II and giant spirals NGC 6503 and NGC 628. We see clear evidence for changes in the dust-to-gas mass ratio with changing metallicity. We also examine changes in the dust-to-gas mass ratio with galactocentric radius. Ultimately, we will provide constraints on the dust-to-gas mass ratio across a wide range of galaxy environments.

Mixing of Dust and NH3 Observed Globally over Anthropogenic Dust Sources

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ginoux, P.; Clarisse, L.; Clerbaux, C.; Coheur, P.-F.; Dubovik, O.; Hsu, N. C.; Van Damme, M.

2012-01-01

The global distribution of dust column burden derived from MODIS Deep Blue aerosol products is compared to NH3 column burden retrieved from IASI infrared spectra. We found similarities in their spatial distributions, in particular their hot spots are often collocated over croplands and to a lesser extent pastures. Globally, we found 22% of dust burden collocated with NH3, with only 1% difference between land-use databases. This confirms the importance of anthropogenic dust from agriculture. Regionally, the Indian subcontinent has the highest amount of dust mixed with NH3 (26 %), mostly over cropland and during the pre-monsoon season. North Africa represents 50% of total dust burden but accounts for only 4% of mixed dust, which is found over croplands and pastures in Sahel and the coastal region of the Mediterranean. In order to evaluate the radiative effect of this mixing on dust optical properties, we derive the mass extinction efficiency for various mixtures of dust and NH3, using AERONET sunphotometers data. We found that for dusty days the coarse mode mass extinction efficiency decreases from 0.62 to 0.48 square meters per gram as NH3 burden increases from 0 to 40 milligrams per square meter. The fine mode extinction efficiency, ranging from 4 to 16 square mters per gram, does not appear to depend on NH3 concentration or relative humidity but rather on mineralogical composition and mixing with other aerosols. Our results imply that a significant amount of dust is already mixed with ammonium salt before its long range transport. This in turn will affect dust lifetime, and its interactions with radiation and cloud properties

PROPERTIES OF DUST GRAINS PROBED WITH EXTINCTION CURVES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nozawa, Takaya; Fukugita, Masataka

Modern data of the extinction curve from the ultraviolet to the near-infrared are revisited to study properties of dust grains in the Milky Way (MW) and the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). We confirm that the graphite-silicate mixture of grains yields the observed extinction curve with the simple power-law distribution of the grain size but with a cutoff at some maximal size: the parameters are tightly constrained to be q = 3.5 {+-} 0.2 for the size distribution a {sup -q} and the maximum radius a{sub max} = 0.24 {+-} 0.05 {mu}m, for both MW and SMC. The abundance of grains,more » and hence the elemental abundance, is constrained from the reddening versus hydrogen column density, E(B - V)/N{sub H}. If we take the solar elemental abundance as the standard for the MW, >56% of carbon should be in graphite dust, while it is <40% in the SMC using its available abundance estimate. This disparity and the relative abundance of C to Si explain the difference of the two curves. We find that 50%-60% of carbon may not necessarily be in graphite but in the amorphous or glassy phase. Iron may also be in the metallic phase or up to {approx}80% in magnetite rather than in silicates, so that the Mg/Fe ratio in astronomical olivine is arbitrary. With these substitutions, the parameters of the grain size remain unchanged. The mass density of dust grains relative to hydrogen is {rho}{sub dust}/{rho}{sub H}= 1 / (120{sup +10}{sub -16}) for the MW and 1 / (760{sup +70}{sub -90}) for the SMC under the elemental abundance constraints. We underline the importance of the wavelength dependence of the extinction curve in the near-infrared in constructing the dust model: if A{sub {lambda}}{proportional_to}{lambda}{sup -{gamma}} with {gamma} {approx_equal} 1.6, the power-law grain-size model fails, whereas it works if {gamma} {approx_equal} 1.8-2.0.« less

A dust and water disk in AFGL 2591

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van der Tak, Floris; Walmsley, Malcolm; Herpin, Fabrice; Ceccarelli, Cecilia

High-mass stars may form by disk accretion like low-mass stars, but observational evidence for massive circumstellar disks remains sparse even after intense searches. We present Plateau de Bure observations of dust continuum and H218O line emission at 1.3 mm wavelength which show a rotating disk around the nearby (d=1 kpc) high-mass (L = 2 × 104 Lsol) protostar AFGL 2591. The 205 GHz map shows three sources. Comparison with OVRO 86 GHz images in- dicates that the strongest source is due to dust, while the other two are dominated by ionized gas. The dust source is compact (? ≍ 800 AU) and somewhat elongated (axis ratio ≍ 0.8). Its flux density indicates a mass of ≍ 0.8 Msol which is ≍ 5% of the mass of the central star. The dust opacity index β ≍ 1, suggesting grain growth. These observations suggest a disk at an inclination of ≍ 32◦ (almost face-on), but spectral line data are needed to test this idea. H218O line emission is only detected toward the dust source. The size and shape of the emission are very similar to that of the continuum. All of the single-dish line flux is recovered, so that there is probably little extended flux missing. Radiative transfer models indicate a H2O abundance of ~10-4, similar to the H2O ice abundance measured in the mid-infrared. The origin of the H2O thus seems to be evaporation of grain mantles. The position of the H218O emission peak shows a systematic shift with velocity. Such a gradient could arise in a bipolar outflow, but the high column densities (N(H2O) ~ 3 × 1019 cm-2; N(H2) ~ 2 × 1024 cm-2) argue against this. Moreover, the velocity gradient is not oriented East-West like the large-scale outflow from AFGL 2591. Thus the H218O velocity gradient probably traces a rotating disk. The magnitude of the velocity gradient is consistent with Keplerian rotation around the central star. In the near future, we plan to use more extended array configurations to resolve the velocity field.

In-flight calibration of mesospheric rocket plasma probes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Havnes, Ove; University Studies Svalbard; Hartquist, Thomas W.

Many effects and factors can influence the efficiency of a rocket plasma probe. These include payload charging, solar illumination, rocket payload orientation and rotation, and dust impact induced secondary charge production. As a consequence, considerable uncertainties can arise in the determination of the effective cross sections of plasma probes and measured electron and ion densities. We present a new method for calibrating mesospheric rocket plasma probes and obtaining reliable measurements of plasma densities. This method can be used if a payload also carries a probe for measuring the dust charge density. It is based on that a dust probe's effectivemore » cross section for measuring the charged component of dust normally is nearly equal to its geometric cross section, and it involves the comparison of variations in the dust charge density measured with the dust detector to the corresponding current variations measured with the electron and/or ion probes. In cases in which the dust charge density is significantly smaller than the electron density, the relation between plasma and dust charge density variations can be simplified and used to infer the effective cross sections of the plasma probes. We illustrate the utility of the method by analysing the data from a specific rocket flight of a payload containing both dust and electron probes.« less

In-flight calibration of mesospheric rocket plasma probes.

PubMed

Havnes, Ove; Hartquist, Thomas W; Kassa, Meseret; Morfill, Gregor E

2011-07-01

Many effects and factors can influence the efficiency of a rocket plasma probe. These include payload charging, solar illumination, rocket payload orientation and rotation, and dust impact induced secondary charge production. As a consequence, considerable uncertainties can arise in the determination of the effective cross sections of plasma probes and measured electron and ion densities. We present a new method for calibrating mesospheric rocket plasma probes and obtaining reliable measurements of plasma densities. This method can be used if a payload also carries a probe for measuring the dust charge density. It is based on that a dust probe's effective cross section for measuring the charged component of dust normally is nearly equal to its geometric cross section, and it involves the comparison of variations in the dust charge density measured with the dust detector to the corresponding current variations measured with the electron and/or ion probes. In cases in which the dust charge density is significantly smaller than the electron density, the relation between plasma and dust charge density variations can be simplified and used to infer the effective cross sections of the plasma probes. We illustrate the utility of the method by analysing the data from a specific rocket flight of a payload containing both dust and electron probes.

HYSPLIT SMOKE/DUST GRAPHICS

Science.gov Websites

HYSPLIT SMOKE/DUST Forecasts 03 06 09 12 15 18 21 24 27 30 33 36 39 42 45 48 Select speed: normal 28 29 30 31 Select Cycle: 06Z 12Z Select Field: Smoke Fine Particulate matter (ug/m3) Dust Fine Particulate matter (ug/m3) Select vertical level: Surface Column Average Get map NAQFC NCEP Home NOAA Home

EFFECTS OF DUST FEEDBACK ON VORTICES IN PROTOPLANETARY DISKS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fu, Wen; Liang, Edison; Li, Hui

2014-11-10

We carried out two-dimensional, high-resolution simulations to study the effect of dust feedback on the evolution of vortices induced by massive planets in protoplanetary disks. Various initial dust to gas disk surface density ratios (0.001-0.01) and dust particle sizes (Stokes number 4 × 10{sup –4}-0.16) are considered. We found that while dust particles migrate inward, vortices are very effective at collecting them. When dust density becomes comparable to gas density within the vortex, a dynamical instability is excited and it alters the coherent vorticity pattern and destroys the vortex. This dust feedback effect is stronger with a higher initial dust/gasmore » density ratio and larger dust grain. Consequently, we found that the disk vortex lifetime can be reduced up to a factor of 10. We discuss the implications of our findings on the survivability of vortices in protoplanetary disks and planet formation.« less

Ultraviolet gas absorption and dust extinction toward M8

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boggs, Don; Bohm-Vitense, Erika

1990-01-01

Interstellar absorption lines are analyzed using high-resolution IUE spectra of 11 stars in the young cluster NGC 6530 located in the M8 region. High-velocity clouds at -35 km/s and -60 km/s are seen toward all cluster stars. The components arise in gases that are part of large interstellar bubbles centered on the cluster and driven by stellar winds of the most luminous members. Absorption lines of species of different ionization states are separated in velocity. The velocity stratification is best explained as a 'champagne' flow of ionized gas away from the cluster. The C IV/Si IV ratios toward the hotter cluster members are consistent with simple photoionization models if the gas-phase C/Si ratio is increased by preferential accretion onto dust grains. High ion column densities in the central cluster decline with distance from W93, suggesting that radiation from a hot source near W93 has photoionized gas in the central cluster.

Characterizing the structure of an unusually cold high latitude cloud

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Veneziani, Marcella; Paladini, Roberta; Noriega-Crespo, Alberto; Carey, Sean; Tibbs, Christopher; Flagey, Nicolas; Piacentini, Francesco

2012-10-01

Recently the BOOMERanG 2003 experiment, with an angular resolution of 10', has detected an unusually cold cloud (T = 9 K) located at high Galactic latitudes and with an area of 0.25 deg^2. The low temperature of this object has been confirmed by a follow-up in the with Herschel which measured T = 15.3 in the range 100-500micron and with a resolution 20 times higher than BOOMERanG. Despite the cold temperature of the cloud, the measured extinction (Av=0.15 mag) seems to indicate a fairly low amount of shielding material which could justify the dust cooling. Surprisingly, while the dust content in the cloud is well constrained by a substantial amount of data, no - or very little information - is available for its gas counterpart. Therefore, we request 5hrs of 21-cm spectral line observations with the Parkes telescopes. The observations will allow us to accurately estimate the cloud HI column density, as well as to derive information about its kinematics.

Quasar Absorption Studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mushotzky, Richard (Technical Monitor); Elvis, Martin

2004-01-01

The aim of the proposal is to investigate the absorption properties of a sample of inter-mediate redshift quasars. The main goals of the project are: Measure the redshift and the column density of the X-ray absorbers; test the correlation between absorption and redshift suggested by ROSAT and ASCA data; constrain the absorber ionization status and metallicity; constrain the absorber dust content and composition through the comparison between the amount of X-ray absorption and optical dust extinction. Unanticipated low energy cut-offs where discovered in ROSAT spectra of quasars and confirmed by ASCA, BeppoSAX and Chandra. In most cases it was not possible to constrain adequately the redshift of the absorber from the X-ray data alone. Two possibilities remain open: a) absorption at the quasar redshift; and b) intervening absorption. The evidences in favour of intrinsic absorption are all indirect. Sensitive XMM observations can discriminate between these different scenarios. If the absorption is at the quasar redshift we can study whether the quasar environment evolves with the Cosmic time.

Absence of a detectable lunar nanodust exosphere during a search with LRO's LAMP UV imaging spectrograph

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grava, C.; Stubbs, T. J.; Glenar, D. A.; Retherford, K. D.; Kaufmann, D. E.

2017-05-01

The Lyman-Alpha Mapping Project (LAMP) UV spectrograph on board the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) performed a campaign to observe the Moon's nanodust exosphere, evidence for which was provided by the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) Ultraviolet and Visible Spectrometer (UVS) during the 2014 Quadrantid meteoroid stream. These LADEE/UVS observations were consistent with a nanodust exosphere modulated by meteoroid impacts. LRO performed off-nadir maneuvers around the peak of the 2016 Quadrantids, in order to reproduce, as closely as possible, the active meteoroid environment and observing geometry of LADEE/UVS. We analyzed LAMP spectra to search for sunlight backscattering from nanodust. No brightness enhancement attributable to dust, of any size, was observed. We determine an upper limit for dust column concentration of 105 cm-2 for grains of radius 25 nm, and an upper limit for dust column mass of 10-11 g cm-2, nearly independent of grain size for radii <100 nm.

A simulation of Asian dust events observed from 20 to 29 December 2009 in Korea by using ADAM2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Soon-Ung; Choe, Anna; Park, Moon-Soo

2013-01-01

The Asian dust Aerosol Model 2 (ADAM2) with the MM5 meteorological model has been employed to study long-range transport process of Asian dust and to estimate dust emission, deposition (wet and dry) and concentration over the Asian dust source region and the downwind regions for dust events observed in Korea during the period of 20-29 December 2009, which is one of the dust events chosen by the 3rd Meeting of Working Group for Joint Research on Dust Sand Storm among Mongolia, China, Japan and Korea to study intensively for the development of an early warning system in Asia. It is found that the model simulates quite well the starting and ending times of dust events and the peak dust concentrations with their occurrence times both in the source region and downwind regions. The dust emission in the dust source region is found to be associated with a developing synoptic weather system accompanied with strong surface winds over the source region that usually travels east to southeastward across the source region and then turns to move northeastward toward the north western Pacific Ocean. The dust emitted in the source region is found to be split into two parts: one is transported southeastward to the East China Sea in front of the surface high pressure system and experiencing enhanced deposition due to the sinking motion induced by the southeastward traveling the surface high pressure system whereas, the other moves northeastward toward the surface low pressure system and then lifted upward to form a upper-level high dust concentration layer that results in a favorable condition for the long-range transport of dust. It is also found that the maximum ten-day total dust emission of about 23 t km-2 occurs in the domain Northwestern China (NWC). However, the maximum ten-day total dust deposition of 21 t km-2 with the maximum mean surface concentration of 555 μg m-3 and the column integrated mean concentration of 2.9 g m-2 occurs in the domain Central-northern China (CNC). The column-integrated PM10 concentration is found to increase toward northeastward especially in the domain North northeastern China (NNEC) due to the upper-level transported high PM10 concentration. The ten-day total dust deposition, mean surface PM10 and column integrated PM10 concentrations in the downwind domains are found to decrease away from the source region from 2.44 t km-2, 112 μg m-3 and 1.68 g m-2, respectively in the domain YES to 0.06 t km-2, 2.1 μg m-3 and 0.4 g m-2, respectively in the domain Northwestern Pacific 1 (NWP1). Much of the total dust deposition is largely contributed by wet deposition in the far downwind region of the seas while that is contributed by dry deposition in the source region.

Impact of dust and smoke mixing on column-integrated aerosol properties from observations during a severe wildfire episode over Valencia (Spain).

PubMed

Gómez-Amo, J L; Estellés, V; Marcos, C; Segura, S; Esteve, A R; Pedrós, R; Utrillas, M P; Martínez-Lozano, J A

2017-12-01

The most destructive wildfire experienced in Spain since 2004 occurred close to Valencia in summer 2012. A total of 48.500ha were affected by two wildfires, which were mostly active during 29-30 June. The fresh smoke plume was detected at the Burjassot measurement station simultaneously to a severe dust episode. We propose an empirical method to evaluate the dust and smoke mixing and its impact on the microphysical and optical properties. For this, we combine direct-sun measurements with a Cimel CE-318 sun-photometer with an inversion methodology, and the Mie theory to derive the column-integrated size distribution, single scattering albedo (SSA) and asymmetry parameter (g). The mixing of dust and smoke greatly increased the aerosol load and modified the background aerosol properties. Mineral dust increased the aerosol optical depth (AOD) up to 1, while the smoke plume caused an extreme AOD peak of 8. The size distribution of the mixture was bimodal, with a fine and coarse modes dominated by the smoke particles and mineral dust, respectively. The SSA and g for the dust-smoke mixture show a marked sensitivity on the smoke mixing-ratio, mainly at longer wavelengths. Mineral dust and smoke share a similar SSA at 440nm (~0.90), but with opposite spectral dependency. A small dust contribution to the total AOD substantially affects the SSA of the mixture, and also SSA at 1020nm increases from 0.87 to 0.95. This leads to a different spectral behaviour of SSA that changes from positive (smoke plume) to negative (dust), depending on the dust and smoke mixing-ratio. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Planck intermediate results: XXVIII. Interstellar gas and dust in the Chamaeleon clouds as seen by Fermi LAT and Planck $$\\star$$

DOE PAGES

Ade, P. A. R.; Aghanim, N.; Aniano, G.; ...

2015-09-30

The nearby Chamaeleon clouds have been observed in γ rays by the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) and in thermal dust emission by Planck and IRAS. Cosmic rays and large dust grains, if smoothly mixed with gas, can jointly serve with the H i and 12CO radio data to (i) map the hydrogen column densities, N H, in the different gas phases, in particular at the dark neutral medium (DNM) transition between the H i-bright and CO-bright media; (ii) constrain the CO-to-H 2 conversion factor, X CO; and (iii) probe the dust properties per gas nucleon in each phase andmore » map their spatial variations across the clouds. We have separated clouds at local, intermediate, and Galactic velocities in H i and 12CO line emission to model in parallel the γ-ray intensity recorded between 0.4 and 100 GeV; the dust optical depth at 353 GHz, τ 353; the thermal radiance of the large grains; and an estimate of the dust extinction, A VQ, empirically corrected for the starlight intensity. Furthermore, the dust and γ-ray models have been coupled to account for the DNM gas. The consistent γ-ray emissivity spectra recorded in the different phases confirm that the GeV–TeV cosmic rays probed by the LAT uniformly permeate all gas phases up to the 12CO cores. The dust and cosmic rays both reveal large amounts of DNM gas, with comparable spatial distributions and twice as much mass as in the CO-bright clouds. We give constraints on the H i-DNM-CO transitions for five separate clouds. CO-dark H 2 dominates the molecular columns up to AV ≃ 0.9 and its mass often exceeds the one-third of the molecular mass expected by theory. The corrected A VQ extinction largely provides the best fit to the total gas traced by the γ rays. Nevertheless, we find evidence for a marked rise in A VQ/N H with increasing N H and molecular fraction, and with decreasing dust temperature. The rise in τ 353/NH is even steeper. Here, we observe variations of lesser amplitude and orderliness for the specific power of the grains, except for a coherent decline by half in the CO cores. This combined information suggests grain evolution. We also provide average values for the dust properties per gas nucleon in the different phases. The γ rays and dust radiance yield consistent X CO estimates near 0.7 × 10 20 cm -2 K -1 km -1 s. The A VQ and τ 353 tracers yield biased values because of the large rise in grain opacity in the CO clouds. These results clarify a recurrent disparity in the γ-ray versus dust calibration of X CO, but they confirm the factor of 2 difference found between the X CO estimates in nearby clouds and in the neighbouring spiral arms.« less

On the relation of optical obscuration and X-ray absorption in Seyfert galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burtscher, L.; Davies, R. I.; Graciá-Carpio, J.; Koss, M. J.; Lin, M.-Y.; Lutz, D.; Nandra, P.; Netzer, H.; Orban de Xivry, G.; Ricci, C.; Rosario, D. J.; Veilleux, S.; Contursi, A.; Genzel, R.; Schnorr-Müller, A.; Sternberg, A.; Sturm, E.; Tacconi, L. J.

2016-02-01

The optical classification of a Seyfert galaxy and whether it is considered X-ray absorbed are often used interchangeably. There are many borderline cases, however, and also numerous examples where the optical and X-ray classifications appear to be in disagreement. In this article we revisit the relation between optical obscuration and X-ray absorption in active galactic nuclei (AGNs). We make use of our "dust colour" method to derive the optical obscuration AV, and consistently estimated X-ray absorbing columns using 0.3-150 keV spectral energy distributions. We also take into account the variable nature of the neutral gas column NH and derive the Seyfert subclasses of all our objects in a consistent way. We show in a sample of 25 local, hard-X-ray detected Seyfert galaxies (log LX/ (erg / s) ≈ 41.5-43.5) that there can actually be a good agreement between optical and X-ray classification. If Seyfert types 1.8 and 1.9 are considered unobscured, the threshold between X-ray unabsorbed and absorbed should be chosen at a column NH = 1022.3 cm-2 to be consistent with the optical classification. We find that NH is related to AV and that the NH/AV ratio is approximately Galactic or higher in all sources, as indicated previously. However, in several objects we also see that deviations from the Galactic ratio are only due to a variable X-ray column, showing that (1) deviations from the Galactic NH/AV can be simply explained by dust-free neutral gas within the broad-line region in some sources; that (2) the dust properties in AGNs can be similar to Galactic dust and that (3) the dust colour method is a robust way to estimate the optical extinction towards the sublimation radius in all but the most obscured AGNs.

Gas and dust in the star-forming region ρ Oph A. The dust opacity exponent β and the gas-to-dust mass ratio g2d

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liseau, R.; Larsson, B.; Lunttila, T.; Olberg, M.; Rydbeck, G.; Bergman, P.; Justtanont, K.; Olofsson, G.; de Vries, B. L.

2015-06-01

Aims: We aim at determining the spatial distribution of the gas and dust in star-forming regions and address their relative abundances in quantitative terms. We also examine the dust opacity exponent β for spatial and/or temporal variations. Methods: Using mapping observations of the very dense ρ Oph A core, we examined standard 1D and non-standard 3D methods to analyse data of far-infrared and submillimetre (submm) continuum radiation. The resulting dust surface density distribution can be compared to that of the gas. The latter was derived from the analysis of accompanying molecular line emission, observed with Herschel from space and with APEX from the ground. As a gas tracer we used N2H+, which is believed to be much less sensitive to freeze-out than CO and its isotopologues. Radiative transfer modelling of the N2H+ (J = 3-2) and (J = 6-5) lines with their hyperfine structure explicitly taken into account provides solutions for the spatial distribution of the column density N(H2), hence the surface density distribution of the gas. Results: The gas-to-dust mass ratio is varying across the map, with very low values in the central regions around the core SM 1. The global average, = 88, is not far from the canonical value of 100, however. In ρ Oph A, the exponent β of the power-law description for the dust opacity exhibits a clear dependence on time, with high values of 2 for the envelope-dominated emission in starless Class -1 sources to low values close to 0 for the disk-dominated emission in Class III objects. β assumes intermediate values for evolutionary classes in between. Conclusions: Since β is primarily controlled by grain size, grain growth mostly occurs in circumstellar disks. The spatial segregation of gas and dust, seen in projection toward the core centre, probably implies that, like C18O, also N2H+ is frozen onto the grains. Based on observations with APEX, which is a 12 m diameter submillimetre telescope at 5100 m altitude on Llano Chajnantor in Chile. The telescope is operated by Onsala Space Observatory, Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie (MPIfR), and European Southern Observatory (ESO).And also based on observations with Herschel which is an ESA space observatory with science instruments provided by European-led Principal Investigator consortia and with important participation from NASA.FITS files containing the data of Figs. 2, 11, 12, and 16-18 are available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (ftp://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/578/A131

HYSPLIT SMOKE/DUST GRAPHICS

Science.gov Websites

HYSPLIT SMOKE/DUST Forecasts 03 06 09 12 15 18 21 24 27 30 33 36 39 42 45 48 Select speed: normal 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Select Cycle: 06Z Select Field: Smoke Fine Particulate matter (ug/m3) Dust Fine Particulate matter (ug/m3) Select vertical level: Surface Column Average Get map

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Adam, R.; Ade, P. A. R.; Aghanim, N.

The polarized thermal emission from diffuse Galactic dust is the main foreground present in measurements of the polarization of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) at frequencies above 100 GHz. In this study we exploit the uniqueness of the Planck HFI polarization data from 100 to 353 GHz to measure the polarized dust angular power spectra C ℓ EE and C ℓ BB over the multipole range 40 ℓ ∝ ℓ α, with exponents α EE,BB = -2.42 ± 0.02. The amplitudes of the polarization power spectra vary with the average brightness in a way similar to the intensity power spectra.more » The frequency dependence of the dust polarization spectra is consistent with modified blackbody emission with β d = 1.59 and T d = 19.6 K down to the lowest Planck HFI frequencies. We find a systematic difference between the amplitudes of the Galactic B- and E-modes, C ℓ BB/C ℓ EE = 0.5. We verify that these general properties are preserved towards high Galactic latitudes with low dust column densities. We show that even in the faintest dust-emitting regions there are no “clean” windows in the sky where primordial CMB B-mode polarization measurements could be made without subtraction of foreground emission. Finally, we investigate the level of dust polarization in the specific field recently targeted by the BICEP2 experiment. Extrapolation of the Planck 353 GHz data to 150 GHz gives a dust power D ℓ BB ≡ ℓ(ℓ+1)C ℓ BB/(2π) of 1.32 × 10 -2 μK CMB 2 over the multipole range of the primordial recombination bump (40 -2 μK CMB 2 and there is an additional uncertainty (+0.28, -0.24) × 10 -2 μK CMB 2 from the extrapolation. Finally, this level is the same magnitude as reported by BICEP2 over this ℓ range, which highlights the need for assessment of the polarized dust signal even in the cleanest windows of the sky.« less

Cement kiln dust (CKD)-filter sand permeable reactive barrier for the removal of Cu(II) and Zn(II) from simulated acidic groundwater.

PubMed

Sulaymon, Abbas H; Faisal, Ayad A H; Khaliefa, Qusey M

2015-10-30

The hydraulic conductivity and breakthrough curves of copper and zinc contaminants were measured in a set of continuous column experiments for 99 days using cement kiln dust (CKD)-filter sand as the permeable reactive barrier. The results of these experiments proved that the weight ratios of the cement kiln dust-filter sand (10:90 and 20:80) are adequate in preventing the loss of reactivity and hydraulic conductivity and, in turn, avoiding reduction in the groundwater flow. These results reveal a decrease in the hydraulic conductivity, which can be attributed to an accumulation of most of the quantity of the contaminant masses in the first sections of the column bed. Breakthrough curves for the description of the temporal contaminant transport within the barrier were found to be more representative by the Belter-Cussler-Hu and Yan models based on the coefficient of determination and Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency. The longevity of the barrier was simulated for the field scale, based on the laboratory column tests and the values verified that cement kiln dust can be effectively used in the future, as the reactive material in permeable reactive barrier technology. These results signify that the longevity of the barrier is directly proportional to its thickness and inversely to the percentage of the CKD used. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

On the metallicity dependence of crystalline silicates in oxygen-rich asymptotic giant branch stars and red supergiants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, O. C.; Kemper, F.; Sargent, B. A.; McDonald, I.; Gielen, C.; Woods, Paul M.; Sloan, G. C.; Boyer, M. L.; Zijlstra, A. A.; Clayton, G. C.; Kraemer, K. E.; Srinivasan, S.; Ruffle, P. M. E.

2012-12-01

We investigate the occurrence of crystalline silicates in oxygen-rich evolved stars across a range of metallicities and mass-loss rates. It has been suggested that the crystalline silicate feature strength increases with increasing mass-loss rate, implying a correlation between lattice structure and wind density. To test this, we analyse Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph and Infrared Space Observatory Short Wavelength Spectrometer spectra of 217 oxygen-rich asymptotic giant branch and 98 red supergiants in the Milky Way, the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, and Galactic globular clusters. These encompass a range of spectral morphologies from the spectrally rich which exhibit a wealth of crystalline and amorphous silicate features to 'naked' (dust-free) stars. We combine spectroscopic and photometric observations with the GRAMS grid of radiative transfer models to derive (dust) mass-loss rates and temperature. We then measure the strength of the crystalline silicate bands at 23, 28 and 33 μm. We detect crystalline silicates in stars with dust mass-loss rates which span over 3 dex, down to rates of ˜10-9 M⊙ yr-1. Detections of crystalline silicates are more prevalent in higher mass-loss rate objects, though the highest mass-loss rate objects do not show the 23-μm feature, possibly due to the low temperature of the forsterite grains or it may indicate that the 23-μm band is going into absorption due to high column density. Furthermore, we detect a change in the crystalline silicate mineralogy with metallicity, with enstatite seen increasingly at low metallicity.

On the Origin of the High Column Density Turnover in the HI Column Density Distribution

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Erkal, Denis; Gnedin, Nickolay Y.; Kravtsov, Andrey V.

We study the high column density regime of the HI column density distribution function and argue that there are two distinct features: a turnover at NHI ~ 10^21 cm^-2 which is present at both z=0 and z ~ 3, and a lack of systems above NHI ~ 10^22 cm^-2 at z=0. Using observations of the column density distribution, we argue that the HI-H2 transition does not cause the turnover at NHI ~ 10^21 cm^-2, but can plausibly explain the turnover at NHI > 10^22 cm^-2. We compute the HI column density distribution of individual galaxies in the THINGS sample andmore » show that the turnover column density depends only weakly on metallicity. Furthermore, we show that the column density distribution of galaxies, corrected for inclination, is insensitive to the resolution of the HI map or to averaging in radial shells. Our results indicate that the similarity of HI column density distributions at z=3 and z=0 is due to the similarity of the maximum HI surface densities of high-z and low-z disks, set presumably by universal processes that shape properties of the gaseous disks of galaxies. Using fully cosmological simulations, we explore other candidate physical mechanisms that could produce a turnover in the column density distribution. We show that while turbulence within GMCs cannot affect the DLA column density distribution, stellar feedback can affect it significantly if the feedback is sufficiently effective in removing gas from the central 2-3 kpc of high-redshift galaxies. Finally, we argue that it is meaningful to compare column densities averaged over ~ kpc scales with those estimated from quasar spectra which probe sub-pc scales due to the steep power spectrum of HI column density fluctuations observed in nearby galaxies.« less

Clear Sky Column Closure Studies of Urban-Marine and Mineral-Dust Aerosols Using Aircraft, Ship, Satellite and Ground-Based Measurements in ACE-2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schmid, Beat; Russell, Philip B.; Livingston, John M.; Gasso, Santiago; Hegg, Dean A.; Collins, Donald R.; Flagan, Richard C.; Seinfeld, John H.; Oestroem, Elisabeth; Noone, Kevin J.;

Structure of massive star forming clumps from the Red MSX Source Survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Figura, Charles C.; Urquhart, J. S.; Morgan, L.

2014-01-01

We present ammonia (1,1) and (2,2) emission maps of 61 high-mass star forming regions drawn from the Red MSX Source (RMS) Survey and observed with the Green Bank Telescope's K-Band Focal Plane Array. We use these observations to investigate the spatial distribution of the environmental conditions associated with this sample of embedded massive young stellar objects (MYSOs). Ammonia is an excellent high-density tracer of star-forming regions as its hyperfine structure allows relatively simple characterisation of the molecular environment. These maps are used to measure the column density, kinetic gas temperature distributions and velocity structure across these regions. We compare the distribution of these properties to that of the associated dust and mid-infrared emission traced by the ATLASGAL 870 micron emission maps and the Spitzer GLIMPSE IRAC images. We present a summary of these results and highlight some of more interesting finds.

A Far-ultraviolet Fluorescent Molecular Hydrogen Emission Map of the Milky Way Galaxy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jo, Young-Soo; Min, Kyoung-Wook; Seon, Kwang-Il

We present the far-ultraviolet (FUV) fluorescent molecular hydrogen (H{sub 2}) emission map of the Milky Way Galaxy obtained with FIMS/SPEAR covering ∼76% of the sky. The extinction-corrected intensity of the fluorescent H{sub 2} emission has a strong linear correlation with the well-known tracers of the cold interstellar medium (ISM), including color excess E(B–V) , neutral hydrogen column density N (H i), and H α emission. The all-sky H{sub 2} column density map was also obtained using a simple photodissociation region model and interstellar radiation fields derived from UV star catalogs. We estimated the fraction of H{sub 2} ( f {submore » H2}) and the gas-to-dust ratio (GDR) of the diffuse ISM. The f {sub H2} gradually increases from <1% at optically thin regions where E(B–V) < 0.1 to ∼50% for E(B–V)  = 3. The estimated GDR is ∼5.1 × 10{sup 21} atoms cm{sup −2} mag{sup −1}, in agreement with the standard value of 5.8 × 10{sup 21} atoms cm{sup −2} mag{sup −1}.« less

H I-to-H2 Transition Layers in the Star-forming Region W43

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bialy, Shmuel; Bihr, Simon; Beuther, Henrik; Henning, Thomas; Sternberg, Amiel

2017-02-01

The process of atomic-to-molecular (H I-to-H2) gas conversion is fundamental for molecular-cloud formation and star formation. 21 cm observations of the star-forming region W43 revealed extremely high H I column densities, of 120-180 {M}⊙ {{pc}}-2, a factor of 10-20 larger than predicted by H I-to-H2 transition theories. We analyze the observed H I with a theoretical model of the H I-to-H2 transition, and show that the discrepancy between theory and observation cannot be explained by the intense radiation in W43, nor be explained by variations of the assumed volume density or H2 formation rate coefficient. We show that the large observed H I columns are naturally explained by several (9-22) H I-to-H2 transition layers, superimposed along the sightlines of W43. We discuss other possible interpretations such as a non-steady-state scenario and inefficient dust absorption. The case of W43 suggests that H I thresholds reported in extragalactic observations are probably not associated with a single H I-to-H2 transition, but are rather a result of several transition layers (clouds) along the sightlines, beam-diluted with diffuse intercloud gas.

Investigating the interstellar dust through the Fe K-edge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rogantini, D.; Costantini, E.; Zeegers, S. T.; de Vries, C. P.; Bras, W.; de Groot, F.; Mutschke, H.; Waters, L. B. F. M.

2018-01-01

Context. The chemical and physical properties of interstellar dust in the densest regions of the Galaxy are still not well understood. X-rays provide a powerful probe since they can penetrate gas and dust over a wide range of column densities (up to 1024 cm-2). The interaction (scattering and absorption) with the medium imprints spectral signatures that reflect the individual atoms which constitute the gas, molecule, or solid. Aims: In this work we investigate the ability of high resolution X-ray spectroscopy to probe the properties of cosmic grains containing iron. Although iron is heavily depleted into interstellar dust, the nature of the Fe-bearing grains is still largely uncertain. Methods: In our analysis we use iron K-edge synchrotron data of minerals likely present in the ISM dust taken at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility. We explore the prospects of determining the chemical composition and the size of astrophysical dust in the Galactic centre and in molecular clouds with future X-ray missions. The energy resolution and the effective area of the present X-ray telescopes are not sufficient to detect and study the Fe K-edge, even for bright X-ray sources. Results: From the analysis of the extinction cross sections of our dust models implemented in the spectral fitting program SPEX, the Fe K-edge is promising for investigating both the chemistry and the size distribution of the interstellar dust. We find that the chemical composition regulates the X-ray absorption fine structures in the post edge region, whereas the scattering feature in the pre-edge is sensitive to the mean grain size. Finally, we note that the Fe K-edge is insensitive to other dust properties, such as the porosity and the geometry of the dust. The absorption, scattering, and extinction cross sections of the compounds are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/609/A22

The Binary Central Star of the Planetary Nebula A35

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herald, J. E.; Bianchi, L.

2002-11-01

Using new Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) observations in conjunction with Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) and International Ultraviolet Explorer archive data, we have modeled both components of the binary central star of the planetary nebula A35. The white dwarf (the ionizing star) was modeled using the non-LTE, plane-parallel code TLUSTY. We find its parameters to be Teff=80+/-3 kK, logg=7.70+0.13-0.18 cm s-2, and [He/H]=-4+/-1 and C, N, O, Si, and Fe to be underabundant by 2 orders of magnitude with respect to their solar values. This confirms its classification as a DAO white dwarf, and using the Hipparcos distance D=163 pc, we derive a radius of RWD~=1.65×10-2 Rsolar and a mass of M~=0.5 Msolar. The modeling of the far-ultraviolet spectra also constrains the extinction value; EB-V=0.04+/-0.01. Furthermore, the FUSE and STIS data allow us to measure the molecular hydrogen (H2) and neutral hydrogen (H I) column densities along the sight line, the majority of which we believe is associated with the circumstellar material. The FUSE spectrum is best fitted with a two-component model for H2, consisting of a cool component (T=200 K) with logN(H2,cool)=19.6+0.1-0.2 cm-2 and a hot component (T~=1250 K) with logN(H2,hot)=17.4+0.3-0.4 cm-2. The H I column density is logN(HI)=20.9+/-0.1 cm-2. Assuming a typical gas/dust ratio for the interstellar medium, our value of EB-V implies that logN(HI)=20.8 cm-2 of this is circumstellar. Our low extinction value and the measured column densities imply that there is essentially no dust in the nebula. Assuming that the neutral and molecular hydrogen is contained in a sphere of comparable dimensions to the ionized shell, we derive the combined mass of the circumstellar H I and H2 to be ~2.7 Msolar. Other geometries, such as a shell surrounding the ionized region, can be excluded. The mass of the ionized hydrogen is <~1% that of the neutral material. From comparison with evolutionary calculations, we estimate the progenitor mass to be ~3.2 Msolar. Based on observations made with the NASA-CNES-CSA Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer. FUSE is operated for NASA by Johns Hopkins University under NASA contract NAS5-32985.

The Latest Mars Climate Database (MCD v5.1)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Millour, Ehouarn; Forget, Francois; Spiga, Aymeric; Navarro, Thomas; Madeleine, Jean-Baptiste; Pottier, Alizée; Montabone, Luca; Kerber, Laura; Lefèvre, Franck; Montmessin, Franck; Chaufray, Jean-Yves; López-Valverde, Miguel; González-Galindo, Francisco; Lewis, Stephen; Read, Peter; Huot, Jean-Paul; Desjean, Marie-Christine; the MCD/GCM development Team

2014-05-01

For many years, several teams around the world have developed GCMs (General Circulation Model or Global Climate Model) to simulate the environment on Mars. The GCM developed at the Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique in collaboration with several teams in Europe (LATMOS, France, University of Oxford, The Open University, the Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia), and with the support of ESA and CNES is currently used for many applications. Its outputs have also regularly been compiled to build a Mars Climate Database, a freely available tool useful for the scientific and engineering communities. The Mars Climate Database (MCD) has over the years been distributed to more than 150 teams around the world. Following the recent improvements inthe GCM, a new series of reference simulations have been run and compiled into a new version (version5.1) of the Mars Climate Database, released in the first half of 2014. To summarize, MCD v5.1 provides: - Climatologies over a series of dust scenarios: standard year, cold (ie: low dust), warm (ie: dusty atmosphere) and dust storm, all topped by various cases of Extreme UV solar inputs (low, mean or maximum). These scenarios differ from those of previous versions of the MCD (version 4.x) as they have been derived from home-made, instrument-derived (TES, THEMIS, MCS, MERs), dust climatology of the last 8 Martian years. - Mean values and statistics of main meteorological variables (atmospheric temperature, density, pressure and winds), as well as surface pressure and temperature, CO2 ice cover, thermal and solar radiative fluxes, dust column opacity and mixing ratio, [H20] vapor and ice columns, concentrations of many species: [CO], [O2], [O], [N2], [H2], [O3], ... - A high resolution mode which combines high resolution (32 pixel/degree) MOLA topography records and Viking Lander 1 pressure records with raw lower resolution GCM results to yield, within the restriction of the procedure, high resolution values of atmospheric variables. - The possibility to reconstruct realistic conditions by combining the provided climatology with additional large scale and small scale perturbations schemes. At EGU, we will report on the latest improvements in the Mars Climate Database, with comparisons with available measurements from orbit (e.g.: TES, MCS) or landers (Viking, Phoenix, MSL).

The early summertime Saharan heat low: sensitivity of the radiation budget and atmospheric heating to water vapour and dust aerosol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alamirew, Netsanet K.; Todd, Martin C.; Ryder, Claire L.; Marsham, John H.; Wang, Yi

2018-01-01

The Saharan heat low (SHL) is a key component of the west African climate system and an important driver of the west African monsoon across a range of timescales of variability. The physical mechanisms driving the variability in the SHL remain uncertain, although water vapour has been implicated as of primary importance. Here, we quantify the independent effects of variability in dust and water vapour on the radiation budget and atmospheric heating of the region using a radiative transfer model configured with observational input data from the Fennec field campaign at the location of Bordj Badji Mokhtar (BBM) in southern Algeria (21.4° N, 0.9° E), close to the SHL core for June 2011. Overall, we find dust aerosol and water vapour to be of similar importance in driving variability in the top-of-atmosphere (TOA) radiation budget and therefore the column-integrated heating over the SHL (˜ 7 W m-2 per standard deviation of dust aerosol optical depth - AOD). As such, we infer that SHL intensity is likely to be similarly enhanced by the effects of dust and water vapour surge events. However, the details of the processes differ. Dust generates substantial radiative cooling at the surface (˜ 11 W m-2 per standard deviation of dust AOD), presumably leading to reduced sensible heat flux in the boundary layer, which is more than compensated by direct radiative heating from shortwave (SW) absorption by dust in the dusty boundary layer. In contrast, water vapour invokes a radiative warming at the surface of ˜ 6 W m-2 per standard deviation of column-integrated water vapour in kg m-2. Net effects involve a pronounced net atmospheric radiative convergence with heating rates on average of 0.5 K day-1 and up to 6 K day-1 during synoptic/mesoscale dust events from monsoon surges and convective cold-pool outflows (haboobs). On this basis, we make inferences on the processes driving variability in the SHL associated with radiative and advective heating/cooling. Depending on the synoptic context over the region, processes driving variability involve both independent effects of water vapour and dust and compensating events in which dust and water vapour are co-varying. Forecast models typically have biases of up to 2 kg m-2 in column-integrated water vapour (equivalent to a change in 2.6 W m-2 TOA net flux) and typically lack variability in dust and thus are expected to poorly represent these couplings. An improved representation of dust and water vapour and quantification of associated radiative impact in models is thus imperative to further understand the SHL and related climate processes.

First images of a possible CO(+)-tail of comet P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 observed against the dust coma background

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jockers, Klaus; Bonev, T.; Ivanova, Violeta; Rauer, H.

1992-01-01

Comet P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 was observed with the 2m-Ritchey-Cretien Telescope of the Bulgarian National Observatory, Rozhen, Bulgaria, using the CCD-camera and focal reducer of the Max-Planck-Institute for Aeronomy. Images were taken in a red continuum window and in the 2-0 A(exp 2)Pi - X(exp 2)Sigma(+) band of CO(+) located in the blue part of the spectrum. The red images reveal an extended dust coma. From a comparison of the red and blue images a dust reddening of 13.2 percent per 1000 A is derived. At 642 nm the magnitude of the comet with a square diaphragm of 4.5 arcsec is 16.6. The blue images, taken in the CO(+) band, show a significantly different brightness distribution which is interpreted as presence of a CO(+) coma and tail superimposed on the continuum. A column density of several 10(exp 10) CO(+) molecules cm(exp -2) is derived. The tail thickness of 10(exp 5) km is unexpectedly small. We estimate the CO(+) production rate to about 6 x 10(exp 26) CO(+) particles s(exp -1). This value does not support the idea that the outbursts of this comet are caused by crystallization of amorphous water ice.

Influence of population density on the concentration and speciation of metals in the soil and street dust from urban areas.

PubMed

Acosta, J A; Gabarrón, M; Faz, A; Martínez-Martínez, S; Zornoza, R; Arocena, J M

2015-09-01

Street dust and soil from high, medium and low populated cities and natural area were analysed for selected physical-chemical properties, total and chemical speciation of Zn, Pb, Cu, Cr, Cd, Co, Ni to understand the influence of human activities on metal accumulation and mobility in the environment. The pH, salinity, carbonates and organic carbon contents were similar between soil and dust from the same city. Population density increases dust/soil salinity but has no influence on metals concentrations in soils. Increases in metal concentrations with population density were observed in dusts. Cu, Zn, Pb, Cr can be mobilized more easily from dust compared to the soil. In addition, population density increase the percentage of Pb and Zn associated to reducible and carbonate phase in the dust. The behaviour of metals except Cd in soil is mainly affected by physico-chemical properties, while total metal influenced the speciation except Cr and Ni in dusts. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Spirit Captures Two Dust Devils On the Move

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

[figure removed for brevity, see original site] Figure 1 Annotated

At the Gusev site recently, skies have been very dusty, and on its 421st sol (March 10, 2005) NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit spied two dust devils in action. This is an image from the rover's navigation camera.

Views of the Gusev landing region from orbit show many dark streaks across the landscape -- tracks where dust devils have removed surface dust to show relatively darker soil below -- but this is the first time Spirit has photographed an active dust devil.

Scientists are considering several causes of these small phenomena. Dust devils often occur when the Sun heats the surface of Mars. Warmed soil and rocks heat the layer of atmosphere closest to the surface, and the warm air rises in a whirling motion, stirring dust up from the surface like a miniature tornado. Another possibility is that a flow structure might develop over craters as wind speeds increase. As winds pick up, turbulence eddies and rotating columns of air form. As these columns grow in diameter they become taller and gain rotational speed. Eventually they become self-sustaining and the wind blows them down range.

One sol before this image was taken, power output from Spirit's solar panels went up by about 50 percent when the amount of dust on the panels decreased. Was this a coincidence, or did a helpful dust devil pass over Spirit and lift off some of the dust?

By comparing the separate images from the rover's different cameras, team members estimate that the dust devils moved about 500 meters (1,640 feet) in the 155 seconds between the navigation camera and hazard-avoidance camera frames; that equates to about 3 meters per second (7 miles per hour). The dust devils appear to be about 1,100 meters (almost three-quarters of a mile) from the rover.

Dust Devils Seen by Spirit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

[figure removed for brevity, see original site] Figure 1 Annotated

At the Gusev site recently, skies have been very dusty, and on its 421st sol (March 10, 2005) NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit spied two dust devils in action. This pair of images is from the rover's rear hazard-avoidance camera. Views of the Gusev landing region from orbit show many dark streaks across the landscape -- tracks where dust devils have removed surface dust to show relatively darker soil below -- but this is the first time Spirit has photographed an active dust devil.

Scientists are considering several causes of these small phenomena. Dust devils often occur when the Sun heats the surface of Mars. Warmed soil and rocks heat the layer of atmosphere closest to the surface, and the warm air rises in a whirling motion, stirring dust up from the surface like a miniature tornado. Another possibility is that a flow structure might develop over craters as wind speeds increase. As winds pick up, turbulence eddies and rotating columns of air form. As these columns grow in diameter they become taller and gain rotational speed. Eventually they become self-sustaining and the wind blows them down range.

One sol before this image was taken, power output from Spirit's solar panels went up by about 50 percent when the amount of dust on the panels decreased. Was this a coincidence, or did a helpful dust devil pass over Spirit and lift off some of the dust?

By comparing the separate images from the rover's different cameras, team members estimate that the dust devils moved about 500 meters (1,640 feet) in the 155 seconds between the navigation camera and hazard-avoidance camera frames; that equates to about 3 meters per second (7 miles per hour). The dust devils appear to be about 1,100 meters (almost three-quarters of a mile) from the rover.

Single fiber lignin distributions based on the density gradient column method

Treesearch

Brian Boyer; Alan W. Rudie

2007-01-01

The density gradient column method was used to determine the effects of uniform and non-uniform pulping processes on variation in individual fiber lignin concentrations of the resulting pulps. A density gradient column uses solvents of different densities and a mixing process to produce a column of liquid with a smooth transition from higher density at the bottom to...

Physical properties of five grain dust types.

PubMed Central

Parnell, C B; Jones, D D; Rutherford, R D; Goforth, K J

1986-01-01

Physical properties of grain dust derived from five grain types (soybean, rice, corn, wheat, and sorghum) were measured and reported. The grain dusts were obtained from dust collection systems of terminal grain handling facilities and were assumed to be representative of grain dust generated during the handling process. The physical properties reported were as follows: particle size distributions and surface area measurements using a Coulter Counter Model TAII; percent dust fractions less than 100 micron of whole dust; bulk density; particle density; and ash content. PMID:3709482

Child-Langmuir flow in a planar diode filled with charged dust impurities

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tang Xiaoyan; Institut fuer Theoretische Physik IV, Fakultaet fuer Physik und Astronomie, Ruhr-Universitaet Bochum, D-44870 Bochum; Shukla, Padma Kant

The Child-Langmuir (CL) flow in a planar diode in the presence of stationary charged dust particles is studied. The limiting electron current density and other diode properties, such as the electrostatic potential, the electron flow speed, and the electron number density, are calculated analytically. A comparison of the results with the case without dust impurities reveals that the diode parameters mentioned above decrease with the increase of the dust charge density. Furthermore, it is found that the classical scaling of D{sup -2} (the gap spacing D) for the CL current density remains exactly valid, while the scaling of V{sup 3/2}more » (the applied gap voltage V) can be a good approximation for low applied gap voltage and for low dust charge density.« less

Feasibility of retrieving dust properties and total column water vapor from solar spectra measured using a lander camera on Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manago, Naohiro; Noguchi, Katsuyuki; Hashimoto, George L.; Senshu, Hiroki; Otobe, Naohito; Suzuki, Makoto; Kuze, Hiroaki

2017-12-01

Dust and water vapor are important constituents in the Martian atmosphere, exerting significant influence on the heat balance of the atmosphere and surface. We have developed a method to retrieve optical and physical properties of Martian dust from spectral intensities of direct and scattered solar radiation to be measured using a multi-wavelength environmental camera onboard a Mars lander. Martian dust is assumed to be composed of silicate-like substrate and hematite-like inclusion, having spheroidal shape with a monomodal gamma size distribution. Error analysis based on simulated data reveals that appropriate combinations of three bands centered at 450, 550, and 675 nm wavelengths and 4 scattering angles of 3°, 10°, 50°, and 120° lead to good retrieval of four dust parameters, namely, aerosol optical depth, effective radius and variance of size distribution, and volume mixing ratio of hematite. Retrieval error increases when some of the observational parameters such as color ratio or aureole are omitted from the retrieval. Also, the capability of retrieving total column water vapor is examined through observations of direct and scattered solar radiation intensities at 925, 935, and 972 nm. The simulation and error analysis presented here will be useful for designing an environmental camera that can elucidate the dust and water vapor properties in a future Mars lander mission.

Determination of the mass function of extra-galactic GMCs via NIR color maps. Testing the method in a disk-like geometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kainulainen, J.; Juvela, M.; Alves, J.

2007-06-01

The giant molecular clouds (GMCs) of external galaxies can be mapped with sub-arcsecond resolution using multiband observations in the near-infrared. However, the interpretation of the observed reddening and attenuation of light, and their transformation into physical quantities, is greatly hampered by the effects arising from the unknown geometry and the scattering of light by dust particles. We examine the relation between the observed near-infrared reddening and the column density of the dust clouds. In this paper we particularly assess the feasibility of deriving the mass function of GMCs from near-infrared color excess data. We perform Monte Carlo radiative transfer simulations with 3D models of stellar radiation and clumpy dust distributions. We include the scattered light in the models and calculate near-infrared color maps from the simulated data. The color maps are compared with the true line-of-sight density distributions of the models. We extract clumps from the color maps and compare the observed mass function to the true mass function. For the physical configuration chosen in this study, essentially a face-on geometry, the observed mass function is a non-trivial function of the true mass function with a large number of parameters affecting its exact form. The dynamical range of the observed mass function is confined to 103.5dots 105.5 M_⊙ regardless of the dynamical range of the true mass function. The color maps are more sensitive in detecting the high-mass end of the mass function, and on average the masses of clouds are underestimated by a factor of ˜ 10 depending on the parameters describing the dust distribution. A significant fraction of clouds is expected to remain undetected at all masses. The simulations show that the cloud mass function derived from JHK color excess data using simple foreground screening geometry cannot be regarded as a one-to-one tracer of the underlying mass function.

Dust Devils Whip by Spirit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2007-01-01

On sol 1120 (February 26, 2007), the navigation camera aboard NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit captured one of the best dust devils it's seen in its three-plus year mission. The series of navigation camera images were put together to make a dust devil movie.

The dust devil column is clearly defined and is clearly bent in the down wind direction. Near the end of the movie, the base of the dust devil becomes much wider. The atmospheric science team thinks that this is because the dust devil encountered some sand and therefore produced a 'saltation skirt,' an apron of material that is thrown out of the dust devil because it is too large to be carried up into suspension.

Also near the end of the movie the dust devil seems to move faster across the surface. This is because Spirit began taking pictures less frequently, and not because the dust devil sped up.

Fragmentation of protostars dust shells at the Hayashi stage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdulmyanov, T. R.

2017-09-01

The aim of this study is to determine the density variations of a protostars dust shells at the Hayashi stage. The simplified model of the density wave perturbations are obtained on the base hydrodynamic equations. According to this model, the fragmentation of dust shells may occur at the stage of slow compression of protostar. Using the solution of the wave equation, the 3-D profiles of the density of the dust shell are defined.

Seasonal Variations in Dust Loading within Gale Crater, Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, Casey; Moores, John; Smith, Christina L.; MSL Science Team

2016-10-01

The Mars Science Laboratory rover Curiosity has been exploring Gale Crater for more than two martian years. Such tenure allows seasonal variability of the weather record for the current era to be studied with aid from Mast Cameras (Mastcam), Navigation Cameras (Navcam) and Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS). Dust is a key component in the Martian atmosphere which helps drive atmospheric circulation. As such, these three instruments are integral in the characterization of the dust-loading environment both within and above the crater. This study uses Navcam imagery and a digital terrain model provided from HRSC on Mars Express to derive geographical line-of-sight extinction (LOS-Ext) coefficients, a quantity that assesses dust loading local to the air within the crater and which reveals differences in dust loading along different lines of sight.We report two martian years worth of LOS-Ext at Gale Crater, covering Ls 210° in Mars year (MY) 31 to Ls 210° in MY33. All seasons have been observed twice with the only significant exception being a gap in data between Ls 270° - 315° in MY31 (early southern summer). Visibility conditions within the crater range from a few tens of km in spring and summer to over 100 km peaking around the winter solstice. The LOS-Ext record is also compared to the column extinction record derived from the Mastcam Tau observations. The first year shows a convergence of the two values around Ls 270° in MY31 and similar values around Ls 350° in MY31 and Ls 135° in MY32. Otherwise, during the first year of observation, the LOS-Ext has lower values than the Mastcam column extinction indicating two non-interacting atmospheric layers. In the second year, not only are similar values observed more frequently, the LOS-Ext coefficients have a global peak and overtake Mastcam column extinction during Ls 270° - 315° in MY32, which correspond to the missing timeframe from the previous year. As this season is prone to high wind speeds, this may be an indication of enhanced suspension of fine grain regolith occurring, coincidentally, at the tail end of a regional dust storm, causing LOS-Ext to be larger than column extinction.

Seeds of Life in Space (SOLIS). III. Zooming Into the Methanol Peak of the Prestellar Core L1544

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Punanova, Anna; Caselli, Paola; Feng, Siyi; Chacón-Tanarro, Ana; Ceccarelli, Cecilia; Neri, Roberto; Fontani, Francesco; Jiménez-Serra, Izaskun; Vastel, Charlotte; Bizzocchi, Luca; Pon, Andy; Vasyunin, Anton I.; Spezzano, Silvia; Hily-Blant, Pierre; Testi, Leonardo; Viti, Serena; Yamamoto, Satoshi; Alves, Felipe; Bachiller, Rafael; Balucani, Nadia; Bianchi, Eleonora; Bottinelli, Sandrine; Caux, Emmanuel; Choudhury, Rumpa; Codella, Claudio; Dulieu, François; Favre, Cécile; Holdship, Jonathan; Jaber Al-Edhari, Ali; Kahane, Claudine; Laas, Jake; LeFloch, Bertrand; López-Sepulcre, Ana; Ospina-Zamudio, Juan; Oya, Yoko; Pineda, Jaime E.; Podio, Linda; Quenard, Davide; Rimola, Albert; Sakai, Nami; Sims, Ian R.; Taquet, Vianney; Theulé, Patrice; Ugliengo, Piero

2018-03-01

Toward the prestellar core L1544, the methanol (CH3OH) emission forms an asymmetric ring around the core center, where CH3OH is mostly in solid form, with a clear peak at 4000 au to the northeast of the dust continuum peak. As part of the NOEMA Large Project SOLIS (Seeds of Life in Space), the CH3OH peak has been spatially resolved to study its kinematics and physical structure and to investigate the cause behind the local enhancement. We find that methanol emission is distributed in a ridge parallel to the main axis of the dense core. The centroid velocity increases by about 0.2 km s‑1 and the velocity dispersion increases from subsonic to transonic toward the central zone of the core, where the velocity field also shows complex structure. This could be an indication of gentle accretion of material onto the core or the interaction of two filaments, producing a slow shock. We measure the rotational temperature and show that methanol is in local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) only close to the dust peak, where it is significantly depleted. The CH3OH column density, N tot(CH3OH), profile has been derived with non-LTE radiative transfer modeling and compared with chemical models of a static core. The measured N tot(CH3OH) profile is consistent with model predictions, but the total column densities are one order of magnitude lower than those predicted by models, suggesting that the efficiency of reactive desorption or atomic hydrogen tunneling adopted in the model may be overestimated; or that an evolutionary model is needed to better reproduce methanol abundance. This work is based on observations carried out under project number L15AA with the IRAM NOEMA Interferometer and on observations carried out with the IRAM 30 m telescope. IRAM is supported by INSU/CNRS (France), MPG (Germany), and IGN (Spain).

Planck intermediate results: XXX. The angular power spectrum of polarized dust emission at intermediate and high Galactic latitudes

DOE PAGES

Adam, R.; Ade, P. A. R.; Aghanim, N.; ...

2016-02-09

The polarized thermal emission from diffuse Galactic dust is the main foreground present in measurements of the polarization of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) at frequencies above 100 GHz. In this study we exploit the uniqueness of the Planck HFI polarization data from 100 to 353 GHz to measure the polarized dust angular power spectra C ℓ EE and C ℓ BB over the multipole range 40 ℓ ∝ ℓ α, with exponents α EE,BB = -2.42 ± 0.02. The amplitudes of the polarization power spectra vary with the average brightness in a way similar to the intensity power spectra.more » The frequency dependence of the dust polarization spectra is consistent with modified blackbody emission with β d = 1.59 and T d = 19.6 K down to the lowest Planck HFI frequencies. We find a systematic difference between the amplitudes of the Galactic B- and E-modes, C ℓ BB/C ℓ EE = 0.5. We verify that these general properties are preserved towards high Galactic latitudes with low dust column densities. We show that even in the faintest dust-emitting regions there are no “clean” windows in the sky where primordial CMB B-mode polarization measurements could be made without subtraction of foreground emission. Finally, we investigate the level of dust polarization in the specific field recently targeted by the BICEP2 experiment. Extrapolation of the Planck 353 GHz data to 150 GHz gives a dust power D ℓ BB ≡ ℓ(ℓ+1)C ℓ BB/(2π) of 1.32 × 10 -2 μK CMB 2 over the multipole range of the primordial recombination bump (40 -2 μK CMB 2 and there is an additional uncertainty (+0.28, -0.24) × 10 -2 μK CMB 2 from the extrapolation. Finally, this level is the same magnitude as reported by BICEP2 over this ℓ range, which highlights the need for assessment of the polarized dust signal even in the cleanest windows of the sky.« less

A Dust Devil Making a Streak and Climbing a Crater Wall

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-318, 8 August 2002 [figure removed for brevity, see original site] One of the key elements of the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) Extended Mission is to look for and monitor changes taking place on the planet over the course of a second--and, eventually, a third--martian year. MGS is now well into its second Mars year, which will draw to a close in December 2002. Among the changes the MOC has observed are streaks believed to be caused by the passage of dust devils. Thousands of MOC images show these streaks, dozens show that they change over time, but far fewer images have actually captured a dust devil in the act of creating a streak. At the center right of this image (above left) is a dust devil that, on May 21, 2002, was seen climbing the wall of a crater at 4.1oS, 9.5oW. This crater (above right) is in western Terra Meridiani. The dust devil was moving toward the northeast (upper right), leaving behind a dark trail where a thin coating of surficial dust was removed or disrupted as the dust devil advanced. Dust devils most commonly form after noon on days when the martian air is still (that is, when there isn't even a faint breeze). On such days, the ground is better able to heat up the air immediately above the surface. As the warmed near-surface air begins to rise, it also begins to spin, creating a vortex. The spinning column then moves across the surface and picks up loose dust (if any is present). The dust makes the vortex visible and gives it a tornado-like appearance. The dust devil in this image has a very short, dark shadow cast to the right of the bright column; this shadow is short because the sun was nearly overhead.

Tracing Water Vapor and Ice During Dust Growth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krijt, Sebastiaan; Ciesla, Fred J.; Bergin, Edwin A.

2016-12-01

The processes that govern the evolution of dust and water (in the form of vapor or ice) in protoplanetary disks are intimately connected. We have developed a model that simulates dust coagulation, dust dynamics (settling, turbulent mixing), vapor diffusion, and condensation/sublimation of volatiles onto grains in a vertical column of a protoplanetary disk. We employ the model to study how dust growth and dynamics influence the vertical distribution of water vapor and water ice in the region just outside the radial snowline. Our main finding is that coagulation (boosted by the enhanced stickiness of icy grains) and the ensuing vertical settling of solids results in water vapor being depleted, but not totally removed, from the region above the snowline on a timescale commensurate with the vertical turbulent mixing timescale. Depending on the strength of the turbulence and the temperature, the depletion can reach factors of up to ˜50 in the disk atmosphere. In our isothermal column, this vapor depletion results in the vertical snowline moving closer to the midplane (by up to 2 gas scale heights) and the gas-phase {{C}}/{{O}} ratio above the vertical snowline increasing. Our findings illustrate the importance of dynamical effects and the need for understanding coevolutionary dynamics of gas and solids in planet-forming environments.

Impact of Saharan dust events on radionuclide levels in Monaco air and in the water column of the northwest Mediterranean Sea.

PubMed

Pham, Mai Khanh; Chamizo, Elena; Mas Balbuena, José Luis; Miquel, Juan-Carlos; Martín, Jacobo; Osvath, Iolanda; Povinec, Pavel P

2017-01-01

Characterization of atmospheric aerosols collected in Monaco (2004-2008) and in sediment traps at 200 m and 1000 m water depths at the DYFAMED (Dynamics of Atmospheric Fluxes in the Mediterranean Sea) station (2004) was carried out to improve our understanding of the impact of Saharan dust on ground-level air and on the water column. Activity concentrations of natural ( 210 Pb, 210 Po, uranium and radium isotopes) and anthropogenic ( 137 Cs, 239 Pu, 240 Pu, and 239+240 Pu) radionuclides and their isotopic ratios confirmed a Saharan impact on the investigated samples. In association with a large particulate matter deposition event in Monaco on 20 February 2004, the 137 Cs (∼40 Bq kg -1 ) and 239+240 Pu (∼1 Bq kg -1 ) activities were almost a factor of two higher than other Saharan deposition dust events. This single-day particle flux represented 72% of the annual atmospheric deposition in Monaco. The annual deposition of Saharan dust on the sea was 232-407 mBq m -2 for 137 Cs and 6.8-9.8 mBq m -2 for 239+240 Pu and contributed significantly (28-37% for 137 Cs and 34-45% for 239+240 Pu) to the total annual atmospheric input to the northwest Mediterranean Sea. The 137 Cs/ 239+240 Pu activity ratios in dust samples collected during different Saharan dust events confirmed their global fallout origin or mixing with local re-suspended soil particles. In the sediment trap samples the 137 Cs activity varied by a factor of two, while the 239+240 Pu activity was constant, confirming the different behaviors of Cs (dissolved) and Pu (particle reactive) in the water column. The 137 Cs and 239+240 Pu activities of sinking particles during the period of the highest mass flux collected in 20 February 2004 at the 200 m and 1000 m water depths represented about 10% and 15%, respectively, of annual deposition from Saharan dust events. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of nonthermal distribution of electrons and polarity of net dust-charge number density on nonplanar dust-ion-acoustic solitary waves.

PubMed

Mamun, A A; Shukla, P K

2009-09-01

Effects of the nonthermal distribution of electrons as well as the polarity of the net dust-charge number density on nonplanar (viz. cylindrical and spherical) dust-ion-acoustic solitary waves (DIASWs) are investigated by employing the reductive perturbation method. It is found that the basic features of the DIASWs are significantly modified by the effects of nonthermal electron distribution, polarity of net dust-charge number density, and nonplanar geometry. The implications of our results in some space and laboratory dusty plasma environments are briefly discussed.

Atomic Oxygen Abundance in Molecular Clouds: Absorption Toward Sagittarius B2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lis, D. C.; Keene, Jocelyn; Phillips, T. G.; Schilke, P.; Werner, M. W.; Zmuidzinas, J.

2001-01-01

We have obtained high-resolution (approximately 35 km/s) spectra toward the molecular cloud Sgr B2 at 63 micrometers, the wavelength of the ground-state fine-structure line of atomic oxygen (O(I)), using the ISO-LWS instrument. Four separate velocity components are seen in the deconvolved spectrum, in absorption against the dust continuum emission of Sgr B2. Three of these components, corresponding to foreground clouds, are used to study the O(I) content of the cool molecular gas along the line of sight. In principle, the atomic oxygen that produces a particular velocity component could exist in any, or all, of three physically distinct regions: inside a dense molecular cloud, in the UV illuminated surface layer (PDR) of a cloud, and in an atomic (H(I)) gas halo. For each of the three foreground clouds, we estimate, and subtract from the observed O(I) column density, the oxygen content of the H(I) halo gas, by scaling from a published high-resolution 21 cm spectrum. We find that the remaining O(I) column density is correlated with the observed (13)CO column density. From the slope of this correlation, an average [O(I)]/[(13)CO] ratio of 270 +/- 120 (3-sigma) is derived, which corresponds to [O(I)]/[(13)CO] = 9 for a CO to (13)CO abundance ratio of 30. Assuming a (13)CO abundance of 1x10(exp -6) with respect to H nuclei, we derive an atomic oxygen abundance of 2.7x10(exp -4) in the dense gas phase, corresponding to a 15% oxygen depletion compared to the diffuse ISM in our Galactic neighborhood. The presence of multiple, spectrally resolved velocity components in the Sgr B2 absorption spectrum allows, for the first time, a direct determination of the PDR contribution to the O(I) column density. The PDR regions should contain O(I) but not (13)CO, and would thus be expected to produce an offset in the O(I)-(13)CO correlation. Our data do not show such an offset, suggesting that within our beam O(I) is spatially coexistent with the molecular gas, as traced by (13)CO. This may be a result of the inhomogeneous nature of the clouds.

Electron density modification in ionospheric E layer by inserting fine dust particles

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Misra, Shikha, E-mail: shikhamish@gmail.com; Mishra, S. K.

2015-02-15

In this paper, we have developed the kinetics of E-region ionospheric plasma comprising of fine dust grains and shown that the electron density in E-layer can purposely be reduced/enhanced up to desired level by inserting fine dust particles of appropriate physical/material properties; this may certainly be promising for preferred rf-signal processing through these layers. The analytical formulation is based on average charge theory and includes the number and energy balance of the plasma constituents along with charge balance over dust particles. The effect of varying number density, work function, and photo-efficiency of dust particles on ionospheric plasma density at differentmore » altitude in E-layer has been critically examined and presented graphically.« less

Generation of multiple toroidal dust vortices by a non-monotonic density gradient in a direct current glow discharge plasma

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kaur, Manjit, E-mail: manjit@ipr.res.in; Bose, Sayak; Chattopadhyay, P. K.

2015-09-15

Observation of two well-separated dust vortices in an unmagnetized parallel plate DC glow discharge plasma is reported in this paper. A non-monotonic radial density profile, achieved by an especially designed cathode structure using a concentric metallic disk and ring of different radii, is observed to produce double dust tori between cathode and anode. PIV analysis of the still images of the double tori shows oppositely rotating dust structures between the central disk and the ring. Langmuir probe measurements of background plasma shows a non-uniform plasma density profile between the disk and the ring. Location and sense of rotation of themore » dust vortices coincides with the location and direction of the radial gradient in the ion drag force caused by the radial density gradient. The experimentally observed dust vorticity matches well with the calculated one using hydrodynamic formulations with shear in ion drag dominating over the dust charge gradient. These results corroborate that a radial gradient in the ion drag force directed towards cathode is the principal cause of dust rotation.« less

Physical and chemical properties of Red MSX Sources in the southern sky: H II regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Naiping; Wang, Jun-Jie; Li, Nan

2015-01-01

We have studied the physical and chemical properties of 18 southern Red Midcourse Space Experiment Sources (RMSs), using archival data taken from the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX) Telescope Large Area Survey of the Galaxy, the Australia Telescope Compact Array, and the Millimeter Astronomy Legacy Team Survey at 90 GHz. Most of our sources have simple cometary/unresolved radio emissions at 4.8 and/or 8.6GHz. The large number of Lyman continuum fluxes (NL) indicates they are probably massive O- or early B-type star formation regions. Archival IRAS infrared data are used to estimate the dust temperature, which is about 30 K of our sources. Then, the H2 column densities and the volume-averaged H2 number densities are estimated using the 870 μm dust emissions. Large-scale infall and ionized accretions may be occurring in G345.4881+00.3148. We also attempt to characterize the chemical properties of these RMSs through molecular line (N2H+ (1-0) and HCO+ (1-0)) observations. Most of the detected N2H+ and HCO+ emissions match well with the dust emission, implying a close link to their chemical evolution in the RMSs. We found that the abundance of N2H+ is one order of magnitude lower than that in other surveys of infrared dark clouds, and a positive correlation between the abundances of N2H+ and HCO+. The fractional abundance of N2H+ with respect to H2 seems to decrease as a function of NL. These observed trends could be interpreted as an indication of enhanced destruction of N2H+, either by CO or through dissociative recombination with electrons produced by central UV photons.

Multi-phase Turbulence Density Power Spectra in the Perseus Molecular Cloud

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pingel, N. M.; Lee, Min-Young; Burkhart, Blakesley; Stanimirović, Snežana

2018-04-01

We derive two-dimensional spatial power spectra of four distinct interstellar medium tracers, H I, 12CO(J = 1–0), 13CO(J = 1–0), and dust, in the Perseus molecular cloud, covering linear scales ranging from ∼0.1 pc to ∼90 pc. Among the four tracers, we find the steepest slopes of ‑3.23 ± 0.05 and ‑3.22 ± 0.05 for the uncorrected and opacity-corrected H I column density images. This result suggests that the H I in and around Perseus traces a non-gravitating, transonic medium on average, with a negligible effect from opacity. On the other hand, we measure the shallowest slope of ‑2.72 ± 0.12 for the 2MASS dust extinction data and interpret this as the signature of a self-gravitating, supersonic medium. Possible variations in the dust-to-gas ratio likely do not alter our conclusion. Finally, we derive slopes of ‑3.08 ± 0.08 and ‑2.88 ± 0.07 for the 12CO(1–0) and 13CO(1–0) integrated intensity images. Based on theoretical predictions for an optically thick medium, we interpret these slopes of roughly ‑3 as implying that both CO lines are susceptible to the opacity effect. While simple tests for the impact of CO formation and depletion indicate that the measured slopes of 12CO(1–0) and 13CO(1–0) are not likely affected by these chemical effects, our results generally suggest that chemically more complex and/or fully optically thick media may not be a reliable observational tracer for characterizing turbulence.

Turbulent AGN tori .

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schartmann, M.; Meisenheimer, K.; Klahr, H.; Camenzind, M.; Wolf, S.; Henning, Th.

Recently, the MID-infrared Interferometric instrument (MIDI) at the VLTI has shown that dust tori in the two nearby Seyfert galaxies NGC 1068 and the Circinus galaxy are geometrically thick and can be well described by a thin, warm central disk, surrounded by a colder and fluffy torus component. By carrying out hydrodynamical simulations with the help of the TRAMP code \\citep{schartmann_Klahr_99}, we follow the evolution of a young nuclear star cluster in terms of discrete mass-loss and energy injection from stellar processes. This naturally leads to a filamentary large scale torus component, where cold gas is able to flow radially inwards. The filaments open out into a dense and very turbulent disk structure. In a post-processing step, we calculate observable quantities like spectral energy distributions or images with the help of the 3D radiative transfer code MC3D \\citep{schartmann_Wolf_03}. Good agreement is found in comparisons with data due to the existence of almost dust-free lines of sight through the large scale component and the large column densities caused by the dense disk.

The phase function and density of the dust observed at comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fulle, Marco; Bertini, I.; Della Corte, V.; Güttler, C.; Ivanovski, S.; La Forgia, F.; Lasue, J.; Levasseur-Regourd, A. C.; Marzari, F.; Moreno, F.; Mottola, S.; Naletto, G.; Palumbo, P.; Rinaldi, G.; Rotundi, A.; Sierks, H.; Barbieri, C.; Lamy, P. L.; Rodrigo, R.; Koschny, D.; Rickman, H.; Barucci, M. A.; Bertaux, J.-L.; Bodewits, D.; Cremonese, G.; Da Deppo, V.; Davidsson, B.; Debei, S.; De Cecco, M.; Deller, J.; Fornasier, S.; Groussin, O.; Gutiérrez, P. J.; Hviid, H. S.; Ip, W. H.; Jorda, L.; Keller, H. U.; Knollenberg, J.; Kramm, J. R.; Kührt, E.; Küppers, M.; Lara, M. L.; Lazzarin, M.; López-Moreno, J. J.; Shi, X.; Thomas, N.; Tubiana, C.

2018-05-01

The OSIRIS camera onboard Rosetta measured the phase function of both the coma dust and the nucleus. The two functions have a very different slope versus the phase angle. Here, we show that the nucleus phase function should be adopted to convert the brightness to the size of dust particles larger than 2.5 mm only. This makes the dust bursts observed close to Rosetta by OSIRIS, occurring about every hour, consistent with the fragmentation on impact with Rosetta of parent particles, whose flux agrees with the dust flux observed by GIADA. OSIRIS also measured the antisunward acceleration of the fragments, thus providing the first direct measurement of the solar radiation force acting on the dust fragments and thus of their bulk density, excluding any measurable rocket effect by the ice sublimation from the dust. The obtained particle density distribution has a peak matching the bulk density of most COSIMA particles, and represents a subset of the density distribution measured by GIADA. This implies a bias in the elemental abundances measured by COSIMA, which thus are consistent with the 67P dust mass fractions inferred by GIADA, i.e. (38 ± 8) {per cent} of hydrocarbons versus the (62 ± 8) {per cent} of sulphides and silicates.

Characterization of Dust Properties during ACE-Asia and PRIDE: A Column Satellite-Surface Perspective

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lau, William K. M. (Technical Monitor); Tsay, Si-Chee; Hsu, N. Christina; Herman, Jay R.; Ji, Q. Jack

2002-01-01

Many recent field experiments are designed to study the compelling variability in spatial and temporal scale of both pollution-derived and naturally occurring aerosols, which often exist in high concentration over particular pathways around the globe. For example, the ACE-Asia (Aerosol Characterization Experiment-Asia) was conducted from March-May 2001 in the vicinity of the Taklimakan and Gobi deserts, East Coast of China, Yellow Sea, Korea, and Japan, along the pathway of Kosa (severe events that blanket East Asia with yellow desert dust, peaked in the Spring season). The PRIDE (Puerto RIco Dust Experiment, July 2000) was designed to measure the properties of Saharan dust transported across the Atlantic Ocean to the Caribbean. Dust particles typically originate in desert areas far from polluted urban regions. During transport, dust layers can interact with anthropogenic sulfate and soot aerosols from heavily polluted urban areas. Added to the complex effects of clouds and natural marine aerosols, dust particles reaching the marine environment can have drastically different properties than those from the source. Thus, understanding the unique temporal and spatial variations of dust aerosols is of special importance in regional-to-global climate issues such as radiative forcing, the hydrological cycle, and primary biological productivity in the ocean. During ACE-Asia and PRIDE we had measured aerosol physical/optical/radiative properties, column precipitable water amount, and surface reflectivity over homogeneous areas from ground-based remote sensing. The inclusion of flux measurements permits the determination of aerosol radiative flux in addition to measurements of loading and optical depth. At the time of the Terra/MODIS, SeaWiFS, TOMS and other satellite overpasses, these ground-based observations can provide valuable data to compare with satellite retrievals over land. We will present the results and discuss their implications in regional climatic effects.

Tracing geogenic and anthropogenic sources in urban dusts: Insights from lead isotopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Del Rio-Salas, R.; Ruiz, J.; De la O-Villanueva, M.; Valencia-Moreno, M.; Moreno-Rodríguez, V.; Gómez-Alvarez, A.; Grijalva, T.; Mendivil, H.; Paz-Moreno, F.; Meza-Figueroa, D.

2012-12-01

Tracing the source of metals in the environment is critical to understanding their pollution level and fate. Geologic materials are an important source of airborne particulate matter, but the contribution of contaminated soil to concentrations of Pb in airborne dust is not yet widely documented. To examine the potential significance of this mechanism, surface soil samples were collected, as well as wind-transported dust trapped at 1 and 2 m height at seven different locations including residential, industrial, high-traffic and rural sites. Samples of dust deposited on roofs from 24 schools were also obtained and analyzed for Pb isotope ratios. Spatial distribution of Pb of airborne and sedimented dust suggests a process dominated by re-suspension/sedimentation, which was controlled by erosion, traffic and topography of the urban area. Anthropogenic lead input in the city grades outward the urban zone toward geogenic values. Our results shows that Pb-isotopic signatures of leaded gasoline are imprinted in dust sedimented on roofs. Considering that leaded-gasoline has not been in use in Mexico since two decades ago, this signature shows not only a Pb-legacy in soil, but also a re-suspension process affecting air column below 3 m in height. The combination of the 207Pb/206Pb data of the surrounding rocks and urban dust, reveal three well-defined zones with remarkable anthropogenic influence, which correspond to the oldest urban sectors. This work highlights the importance of spatial characterization of metals in particles suspended below a height of 3 m of the airborne column, a fact that should be considered to identify exposure paths to humans and the potential risks. Lead isotope signatures allowed the identification of geogenic and anthropogenic emission sources for dust, a matter that deserves consideration in the efforts to control airborne metal emissions.

Using Ice and Dust Lines to Constrain the Surface Densities of Protoplanetary Disks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Powell, Diana; Murray-Clay, Ruth; Schlichting, Hilke E.

2017-05-01

We present a novel method for determining the surface density of protoplanetary disks through consideration of disk “dust lines,” which indicate the observed disk radial scale at different observational wavelengths. This method relies on the assumption that the processes of particle growth and drift control the radial scale of the disk at late stages of disk evolution such that the lifetime of the disk is equal to both the drift timescale and growth timescale of the maximum particle size at a given dust line. We provide an initial proof of concept of our model through an application to the disk TW Hya and are able to estimate the disk dust-to-gas ratio, CO abundance, and accretion rate in addition to the total disk surface density. We find that our derived surface density profile and dust-to-gas ratio are consistent with the lower limits found through measurements of HD gas. The CO ice line also depends on surface density through grain adsorption rates and drift and we find that our theoretical CO ice line estimates have clear observational analogues. We further apply our model to a large parameter space of theoretical disks and find three observational diagnostics that may be used to test its validity. First, we predict that the dust lines of disks other than TW Hya will be consistent with the normalized CO surface density profile shape for those disks. Second, surface density profiles that we derive from disk ice lines should match those derived from disk dust lines. Finally, we predict that disk dust and ice lines will scale oppositely, as a function of surface density, across a large sample of disks.

X-ray obscured AGN in the GOODS-N

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Georgantopoulos, I.; Akylas, A.; Rovilos, E.; Xilouris, M.

2010-07-01

We explore the X-ray properties of the Dust Obscured Galaxies (DOGs) i.e. sources with f24μ/fR>1000. This population has been proposed to contain a significan fraction of Compton-thick sources at high redshift. In particular we study the X-ray spectra of the 14 DOGS detected in the CDFN 2Ms exposure. Their stacked spectrum is fla with Γ = 1+/-0.1 very similar to the stacked spectrum of the undetected DOGs (Γ = 0.8+/-0.2). However, many of our X-ray detected DOGs present only moderate absorption with column densities 1022

VELOCITY-RESOLVED [C ii] EMISSION AND [C ii]/FIR MAPPING ALONG ORION WITH HERSCHEL *,**

PubMed Central

Goicoechea, Javier R.; Teyssier, D.; Etxaluze, M.; Goldsmith, P.F.; Ossenkopf, V.; Gerin, M.; Bergin, E.A.; Black, J.H.; Cernicharo, J.; Cuadrado, S.; Encrenaz, P.; Falgarone, E.; Fuente, A.; Hacar, A.; Lis, D.C.; Marcelino, N.; Melnick, G.J.; Müller, H.S.P.; Persson, C.; Pety, J.; Röllig, M.; Schilke, P.; Simon, R.; Snell, R.L.; Stutzki, J.

2015-01-01

We present the first ~7.5′×11.5′ velocity-resolved (~0.2 km s−1) map of the [C ii] 158 μm line toward the Orion molecular cloud 1 (OMC 1) taken with the Herschel/HIFI instrument. In combination with far-infrared (FIR) photometric images and velocity-resolved maps of the H41α hydrogen recombination and CO J=2-1 lines, this data set provides an unprecedented view of the intricate small-scale kinematics of the ionized/PDR/molecular gas interfaces and of the radiative feedback from massive stars. The main contribution to the [C ii] luminosity (~85 %) is from the extended, FUV-illuminated face of the cloud (G0>500, nH>5×103 cm−3) and from dense PDRs (G≳104, nH≳105 cm−3) at the interface between OMC 1 and the H ii region surrounding the Trapezium cluster. Around ~15 % of the [C ii] emission arises from a different gas component without CO counterpart. The [C ii] excitation, PDR gas turbulence, line opacity (from [13C ii]) and role of the geometry of the illuminating stars with respect to the cloud are investigated. We construct maps of the L[C ii]/LFIR and LFIR/MGas ratios and show that L[C ii]/LFIR decreases from the extended cloud component (~10−2–10−3) to the more opaque star-forming cores (~10−3–10−4). The lowest values are reminiscent of the “[C ii] deficit” seen in local ultra-luminous IR galaxies hosting vigorous star formation. Spatial correlation analysis shows that the decreasing L[C ii]/LFIR ratio correlates better with the column density of dust through the molecular cloud than with LFIR/MGas. We conclude that the [C ii] emitting column relative to the total dust column along each line of sight is responsible for the observed L[C ii]/LFIR variations through the cloud. PMID:26568638

Properties of Cold HI Emission Clouds in the Inner-Galaxy ALFA Survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hughes, James Marcus; Gibson, Steven J.; Noriega-Crespo, Alberto; Newton, Jonathan; Koo, Bon-Chul; Douglas, Kevin A.; Peek, Joshua Eli Goldston; Park, Geumsook; Kang, Ji-hyun; Korpela, Eric J.; Heiles, Carl E.; Dame, Thomas M.

2017-01-01

Star formation, a critical process within galaxies, occurs in the coldest, densest interstellar clouds, whose gas and dust content are observed primarily at radio and infrared wavelengths. The formation of molecular hydrogen (H2) from neutral atomic hydrogen (HI) is an essential early step in the condensation of these clouds from the ambient interstellar medium, but it is not yet completely understood, e.g., what is the predominant trigger? Even more troubling, the abundance of H2 may be severely underestimated by standard tracers like CO, implying significant "dark" H2, and the quantity of HI may also be in error if opacity effects are neglected. We have developed an automated method to account for both HI and H2 in cold, diffuse clouds traced by narrow-line HI 21-cm emission in the Arecibo Inner-Galaxy ALFA (I-GALFA) survey. Our algorithm fits narrow (2-5 km/s), isolated HI line profiles to determine their spin temperature, optical depth, and true column density. We then estimate the "visible" H2 column in the same clouds with CfA and Planck CO data and the total gas column from dust emission measured by Planck, IRAS, and other surveys. Together, these provide constraints on the dark H2 abundance, which we examine in relation to other cloud properties and stages of development. Our aim is to build a database of H2-forming regions with significant dark gas to aid future analyses of coalescing interstellar clouds. We acknowledge support from NSF, NASA, Western Kentucky University, and Williams College. I-GALFA is a GALFA-HI survey observed with the 7-beam ALFA receiver on the 305-meter William E. Gordon Telescope. The Arecibo Observatory is a U.S. National Science Foundation facility operated under sequential cooperative agreements with Cornell University and SRI International, the latter in alliance with the Ana G. Mendez-Universidad Metropolitana and the Universities Space Research Association.

Glow and Dust in Plasma Boundaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Land, Victor; Douglass, Angela; Qiao, Ke; Zhang, Zhuanhao; Matthews, Lorin S.; Hyde, Truell

2013-04-01

The sheath region is probed in different complex plasma experiments using dust particles in addition to measurement of the optical emission originating from the plasma. The local maximum in optical emission coincides with the breaking of quasi-neutrality at the sheath boundary as indicated by the vertical force profile reconstructed from dust particle trajectories, as well as by the local onset of dust density waves in high density dust clouds suspended in a dielectric box.

Warm H2O and OH Disk Emission in V1331 Cyg

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doppmann, Greg W.; Najita, Joan R.; Carr, John S.; Graham, James R.

2011-09-01

We present high-resolution (R = 24, 000) L-band spectra of the young intermediate-mass star V1331 Cyg obtained with NIRSPEC on the Keck II telescope. The spectra show strong, rich emission from water and OH that likely arises from the warm surface region of the circumstellar disk. We explore the use of the new BT2 water line list in fitting the spectra, and we find that it does a much better job than the well-known HITRAN water line list in the observed wavelength range and for the warm temperatures probed by our data. By comparing the observed spectra with synthetic disk emission models, we find that the water and OH emission lines have similar widths (FWHM ~= 18 km s-1). If the line widths are set by disk rotation, the OH and water emission lines probe a similar range of disk radii in this source. The water and OH emission are consistent with thermal emission for both components at a temperature ~1500 K. The column densities of the emitting water and OH are large, ~1021 cm-2 and ~1020 cm-2, respectively. Such a high column density of water is more than adequate to shield the disk midplane from external UV irradiation in the event of complete dust settling out of the disk atmosphere, enabling chemical synthesis to continue in the midplane despite a harsh external UV environment. The large OH-to-water ratio is similar to expectations for UV irradiated disks, although the large OH column density is less easily accounted for. Data presented herein were obtained at the W. M. Keck Observatory from telescope time allocated to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration through the agency's scientific partnership with the California Institute of Technology and the University of California. The Observatory was made possible by the generous financial support of the W. M. Keck Foundation.

Calibration of impact ionization cosmic dust detectors: first tests to investigate how the dust density influences the signal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jasmin Sterken, Veerle; Moragas-Klostermeyer, Georg; Hillier, Jon; Fielding, Lee; Lovett, Joseph; Armes, Steven; Fechler, Nina; Srama, Ralf; Bugiel, Sebastian; Hornung, Klaus

2016-10-01

Impact ionization experiments have been performed since more than 40 years for calibrating cosmic dust detectors. A linear Van de Graaff dust accelerator was used to accelerate the cosmic dust analogues of submicron to micron-size to speeds up to 80 km s^-1. Different materials have been used for calibration: iron, carbon, metal-coated minerals and most recently, minerals coated with conductive polymers. While different materials with different densities have been used for instrument calibration, a comparative analysis of dust impacts of equal material but different density is necessary: porous or aggregate-like particles are increasingly found to be present in the solar system: e.g. dust from comet 67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko [Fulle et al 2015], aggregate particles from the plumes of Enceladus [Gao et al 2016], and low-density interstellar dust [Westphal 2014 et al, Sterken et al 2015]. These recalibrations are relevant for measuring the size distributions of interplanetary and interstellar dust and thus mass budgets like the gas-to-dust mass ratio in the local interstellar cloud.We report about the calibrations that have been performed at the Heidelberg dust accelerator facility for investigating the influence of particle density on the impact ionization charge. We used the Cassini Cosmic Dust Analyzer for the target, and compared hollow versus compact silica particles in our study as a first attempt to investigate experimentally the influence of dust density on the signals obtained. Also, preliminary tests with carbon aerogel were performed, and (unsuccessful) attempts to accelerate silica aerogel. In this talk we explain the motivation of the study, the experiment set-up, the preparation of — and the materials used, the results and plans and recommendations for future tests.Fulle, M. et al 2015, The Astrophysical Journal Letters, Volume 802, Issue 1, article id. L12, 5 pp. (2015)Gao, P. et al 2016, Icarus, Volume 264, p. 227-238Westphal, A. et al 2014, Science, Volume 345, Issue 6198, pp. 786-791 (2014)Sterken, V.J. et al 2015, The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 812, Issue 2, article id. 141, 24 pp. (2015)

Large eddy simulation of dust-uplift by haboob density currents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Q.

2017-12-01

Cold pool outflows have been shown from both observations and convection-permitting models to be a dominant source of dust uplift ("haboobs") in the summertime Sahel and Sahara, and to cause dust uplift over deserts across the world. In this paper large eddy model (LEM) simulations, which resolve the turbulence within the cold-pools much better than previous studies of haboobs which have used convection-permitting models, are used to investigate the winds that cause dust uplift in cold pools, and the resultant dust uplift and transport. Dust uplift largely occurs in the head of the density current, consistent with the few existing observations. In the modeled density current dust is largely restricted to the lowest coldest and well mixed layer of the cold pool outflow (below around 400 m), except above the head of the cold pool where some dust reaches 2.5 km. This rapid transport to high altitude will contribute to long atmospheric lifetimes of large dust particles from haboobs. Decreasing the model horizontal grid-spacing from 1.0 km to 100 m resolves more turbulence, locally increasing winds, increasing mixing and reducing the propagation speed of the density current. Total accumulated dust uplift is approximately twice as large in 1.0 km runs compared with 100 m runs, suggesting that for studying haboobs in convection-permitting runs the representation of turbulence and mixing is significant. Simulations with surface sensible heat fluxes representative of those from a desert region in daytime show that increasing surface fluxes slow the density current due to increased mixing, but increase dust uplift rates, due to increased downward transport of momentum to the surface.

Characteristics of the Dust-Plasma Interaction Near Enceladus' South Pole

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shafiq, Muhammad; Wahlund, J.-E.; Morooka, M. W; Kurth, W. S.; Farrell, W. M.

2010-01-01

We present RPWS Langmuir probe data from the third Enceladus flyby (E3) showing (he presence of dusty plasma near Enceladus' South Pole. There is a sharp rise in both the electron and ion number densities when the spacecraft traverses through Enceladus plume. The ion density near Enceladus is found to increase abruptly from about 10(exp 2) cm (exp -3) before the closest approach to 10(exp 5) cm (exp -3) just 30 s after the closest approach, an amount two orders of magnitude higher than the electron density. Assuming that the inconsistency between the electron and ion number densities is due to the presence of dust particles that are collecting the missing electron charges, we present dusty plasma characteristics down to sub-micron particle sizes. By assuming a differential dust number density for a range in dust sizes and by making use of Langmuir probe data, the dust densities for certain lower limits in dust size distribution were estimated. In order to achieve the dust densities of micrometer and larger sized grains comparable to the ones reported in the literature. we show that the power law size distribution must hold down to at least 0.03 micron such that the total differential number density is dominated by the smallest sub-micron sized grains. The total dust number density in Enceladus' plume is of the order of l0(exp 2) cm(exp -3) reducing to 1 cm(exp -3) in the E- ring. The dust density for micrometer and larger sized grains is estimated to be about 10(exp -4) cm(exp -3) in the plume while it is about 10(exp -6) - 10(exp -7) cm(exp -3) in the E-ring. Dust charge for micron sized grains is estimated to be about eight thousand electron charges reducing to below one hundred electron charges for 0.03 micron sized grains. The effective dusty plasma Debye length is estimated and compared with intergrain distance as well as the electron Debye length. The maximum dust charging time of 1.4 h is found for 0.03 11mmicron sized grains just 1 min before the closest approach. The charging time decreases substantially in the plume where it is only a fraction of a second for 1 micron sized grains, 1 s for 0.l micron sized grains and about 10 s for 0.03 micron sized grains.

The Earliest Phases of Star Formation (EPoS): a Herschel key project. The thermal structure of low-mass molecular cloud cores

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Launhardt, R.; Stutz, A. M.; Schmiedeke, A.; Henning, Th.; Krause, O.; Balog, Z.; Beuther, H.; Birkmann, S.; Hennemann, M.; Kainulainen, J.; Khanzadyan, T.; Linz, H.; Lippok, N.; Nielbock, M.; Pitann, J.; Ragan, S.; Risacher, C.; Schmalzl, M.; Shirley, Y. L.; Stecklum, B.; Steinacker, J.; Tackenberg, J.

2013-03-01

Context. The temperature and density structure of molecular cloud cores are the most important physical quantities that determine the course of the protostellar collapse and the properties of the stars they form. Nevertheless, density profiles often rely either on the simplifying assumption of isothermality or on observationally poorly constrained model temperature profiles. The instruments of the Herschel satellite provide us for the first time with both the spectral coverage and the spatial resolution that is needed to directly measure the dust temperature structure of nearby molecular cloud cores. Aims: With the aim of better constraining the initial physical conditions in molecular cloud cores at the onset of protostellar collapse, in particular of measuring their temperature structure, we initiated the guaranteed time key project (GTKP) "The Earliest Phases of Star Formation" (EPoS) with the Herschel satellite. This paper gives an overview of the low-mass sources in the EPoS project, the Herschel and complementary ground-based observations, our analysis method, and the initial results of the survey. Methods: We study the thermal dust emission of 12 previously well-characterized, isolated, nearby globules using FIR and submm continuum maps at up to eight wavelengths between 100 μm and 1.2 mm. Our sample contains both globules with starless cores and embedded protostars at different early evolutionary stages. The dust emission maps are used to extract spatially resolved SEDs, which are then fit independently with modified blackbody curves to obtain line-of-sight-averaged dust temperature and column density maps. Results: We find that the thermal structure of all globules (mean mass 7 M⊙) is dominated by external heating from the interstellar radiation field and moderate shielding by thin extended halos. All globules have warm outer envelopes (14-20 K) and colder dense interiors (8-12 K) with column densities of a few 1022 cm-2. The protostars embedded in some of the globules raise the local temperature of the dense cores only within radii out to about 5000 AU, but do not significantly affect the overall thermal balance of the globules. Five out of the six starless cores in the sample are gravitationally bound and approximately thermally stabilized. The starless core in CB 244 is found to be supercritical and is speculated to be on the verge of collapse. For the first time, we can now also include externally heated starless cores in the Lsmm/Lbol vs. Tbol diagram and find that Tbol < 25 K seems to be a robust criterion to distinguish starless from protostellar cores, including those that only have an embedded very low-luminosity object. Herschel is an ESA space observatory with science instruments provided by European-led Principal Investigator consortia and with important participation from NASA.Partially based on observations carried out with the IRAM 30 m Telescope, with the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX), and with the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT). IRAM is supported by INSU/CNRS (France), MPG (Germany) and IGN (Spain). APEX is a collaboration between Max Planck Institut für Radioastronomie (MPIfR), Onsala Space Observatory (OSO), and the European Southern Observatory (ESO). The JCMT is operated by the Joint Astronomy Centre on behalf of the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands Association for Scientific Research, and the National Research Council of Canada.Appendices A, B and C are available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org

Planck early results. XXV. Thermal dust in nearby molecular clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Planck Collaboration; Abergel, A.; Ade, P. A. R.; Aghanim, N.; Arnaud, M.; Ashdown, M.; Aumont, J.; Baccigalupi, C.; Balbi, A.; Banday, A. J.; Barreiro, R. B.; Bartlett, J. G.; Battaner, E.; Benabed, K.; Benoît, A.; Bernard, J.-P.; Bersanelli, M.; Bhatia, R.; Bock, J. J.; Bonaldi, A.; Bond, J. R.; Borrill, J.; Bouchet, F. R.; Boulanger, F.; Bucher, M.; Burigana, C.; Cabella, P.; Cardoso, J.-F.; Catalano, A.; Cayón, L.; Challinor, A.; Chamballu, A.; Chiang, L.-Y.; Chiang, C.; Christensen, P. R.; Clements, D. L.; Colombi, S.; Couchot, F.; Coulais, A.; Crill, B. P.; Cuttaia, F.; Danese, L.; Davies, R. D.; Davis, R. J.; de Bernardis, P.; de Gasperis, G.; de Rosa, A.; de Zotti, G.; Delabrouille, J.; Delouis, J.-M.; Désert, F.-X.; Dickinson, C.; Dobashi, K.; Donzelli, S.; Doré, O.; Dörl, U.; Douspis, M.; Dupac, X.; Efstathiou, G.; Enßlin, T. A.; Eriksen, H. K.; Finelli, F.; Forni, O.; Frailis, M.; Franceschi, E.; Galeotta, S.; Ganga, K.; Giard, M.; Giardino, G.; Giraud-Héraud, Y.; González-Nuevo, J.; Górski, K. M.; Gratton, S.; Gregorio, A.; Gruppuso, A.; Guillet, V.; Hansen, F. K.; Harrison, D.; Henrot-Versillé, S.; Herranz, D.; Hildebrandt, S. R.; Hivon, E.; Hobson, M.; Holmes, W. A.; Hovest, W.; Hoyland, R. J.; Huffenberger, K. M.; Jaffe, A. H.; Jones, A.; Jones, W. C.; Juvela, M.; Keihänen, E.; Keskitalo, R.; Kisner, T. S.; Kneissl, R.; Knox, L.; Kurki-Suonio, H.; Lagache, G.; Lamarre, J.-M.; Lasenby, A.; Laureijs, R. J.; Lawrence, C. R.; Leach, S.; Leonardi, R.; Leroy, C.; Linden-Vørnle, M.; López-Caniego, M.; Lubin, P. M.; Macías-Pérez, J. F.; MacTavish, C. J.; Maffei, B.; Mandolesi, N.; Mann, R.; Maris, M.; Marshall, D. J.; Martin, P.; Martínez-González, E.; Masi, S.; Matarrese, S.; Matthai, F.; Mazzotta, P.; McGehee, P.; Meinhold, P. R.; Melchiorri, A.; Mendes, L.; Mennella, A.; Mitra, S.; Miville-Deschênes, M.-A.; Moneti, A.; Montier, L.; Morgante, G.; Mortlock, D.; Munshi, D.; Murphy, A.; Naselsky, P.; Natoli, P.; Netterfield, C. B.; Nørgaard-Nielsen, H. U.; Noviello, F.; Novikov, D.; Novikov, I.; Osborne, S.; Pajot, F.; Paladini, R.; Pasian, F.; Patanchon, G.; Perdereau, O.; Perotto, L.; Perrotta, F.; Piacentini, F.; Piat, M.; Plaszczynski, S.; Pointecouteau, E.; Polenta, G.; Ponthieu, N.; Poutanen, T.; Prézeau, G.; Prunet, S.; Puget, J.-L.; Reach, W. T.; Rebolo, R.; Reinecke, M.; Renault, C.; Ricciardi, S.; Riller, T.; Ristorcelli, I.; Rocha, G.; Rosset, C.; Rubiño-Martín, J. A.; Rusholme, B.; Sandri, M.; Santos, D.; Savini, G.; Scott, D.; Seiffert, M. D.; Shellard, P.; Smoot, G. F.; Starck, J.-L.; Stivoli, F.; Stolyarov, V.; Sudiwala, R.; Sygnet, J.-F.; Tauber, J. A.; Terenzi, L.; Toffolatti, L.; Tomasi, M.; Torre, J.-P.; Tristram, M.; Tuovinen, J.; Umana, G.; Valenziano, L.; Verstraete, L.; Vielva, P.; Villa, F.; Vittorio, N.; Wade, L. A.; Wandelt, B. D.; Yvon, D.; Zacchei, A.; Zonca, A.

2011-12-01

Planck allows unbiased mapping of Galactic sub-millimetre and millimetre emission from the most diffuse regions to the densest parts of molecular clouds. We present an early analysis of the Taurus molecular complex, on line-of-sight-averaged data and without component separation. The emission spectrum measured by Planck and IRAS can be fitted pixel by pixel using a single modified blackbody. Some systematic residuals are detected at 353 GHz and 143 GHz, with amplitudes around -7% and +13%, respectively, indicating that the measured spectra are likely more complex than a simple modified blackbody. Significant positive residuals are also detected in the molecular regions and in the 217 GHz and 100 GHz bands, mainly caused by the contribution of the J = 2 → 1 and J = 1 → 0 12CO and 13CO emission lines. We derive maps of the dust temperature T, the dust spectral emissivity index β, and the dust optical depth at 250 μm τ250. The temperature map illustrates the cooling of the dust particles in thermal equilibrium with the incident radiation field, from 16 - 17 K in the diffuse regions to 13 - 14 K in the dense parts. The distribution of spectral indices is centred at 1.78, with a standard deviation of 0.08 and a systematic error of 0.07. We detect a significant T - β anti-correlation. The dust optical depth map reveals the spatial distribution of the column density of the molecular complex from the densest molecular regions to the faint diffuse regions. We use near-infrared extinction and Hi data at 21-cm to perform a quantitative analysis of the spatial variations of the measured dust optical depth at 250 μm per hydrogen atom τ250/NH. We report an increase of τ250/NH by a factor of about 2 between the atomic phase and the molecular phase, which has a strong impact on the equilibrium temperature of the dust particles. Corresponding author: A. Abergel, e-mail: alain.abergel@ias.u-psud.fr

Gas Cavities inside Dust Cavities in Disks Inferred from ALMA Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van der Marel, Nienke; van Dishoeck, Ewine F.; Bruderer, Simon; Pinilla, Paola; van Kempen, Tim; Perez, Laura; Isella, Andrea

2016-01-01

Protoplanetary disks with cavities in their dust distribution, also named transitional disks, are expected to be in the middle of active evolution and possibly planet formation. In recent years, millimeter-dust rings observed by ALMA have been suggested to have their origin in dust traps, caused by pressure bumps. One of the ways to generate these is by the presence of planets, which lower the gas density along their orbit and create pressure bumps at the edge. We present spatially resolved ALMA Cycle 0 and Cycle 1 observations of CO and CO isotopologues of several famous transitional disks. Gas is found to be present inside the dust cavities, but at a reduced level compared with the gas surface density profile of the outer disk. The dust and gas emission are quantified using the physical-chemical modeling code DALI. In the majority of these disks we find clear evidence for a drop in gas density of at least a factor of 10 inside the cavity, whereas the dust density drops by at least a factor 1000. The CO isotopologue observations reveal that the gas cavities are significantly smaller than the dust cavities. These gas structures suggest clearing by one or more planetary-mass companions.

Theoretical studies of the infrared emission from circumstellar dust shells: the infrared characteristics of circumstellar silicates and the mass-loss rate of oxygen-rich late-type giants

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schutte, W. A.; Tielens, A. G.; Allamandola, L. J. (Principal Investigator)

1989-01-01

We have modeled the infrared emission of spherically symmetric, circumstellar dust shells with the aim of deriving the infrared absorption properties of circumstellar silicate grains and the mass-loss rates of the central stars. As a basis for our numerical studies, a simple semianalytical formula has been derived that illustrates the essential characteristics of the infrared emission of such dust shells. A numerical radiative transfer program has been developed and applied to dust shells around oxygen-rich late-type giants. Free parameters in such models include the absorption properties and density distribution of the dust. An approximate, analytical expression is derived for the density distribution of circumstellar dust driven outward by radiation pressure from a central source. A large grid of models has been calculated to study the influence of the free parameters on the emergent spectrum. These results form the basis for a comparison with near-infrared observations. Observational studies have revealed a correlation between the near-infrared color temperature, Tc, and the strength of the 10 micrometers emission or absorption feature, A10. This relationship, which essentially measures the near-infrared optical depth in terms of the 10 micrometers optical depth, is discussed. Theoretical A10-Tc relations have been calculated and compared to the observations. The results show that this relation is a sensitive way to determine the ratio of the near-infrared to 10 micrometers absorption efficiency of circumstellar silicates. These results as well as previous studies show that the near-infrared absorption efficiency of circumstellar silicate grains is much higher than expected from terrestrial minerals. We suggest that this enhanced absorption is due to the presence of ferrous iron (Fe2+) color centers dissolved in the circumstellar silicates. By using the derived value for the ratio of the near-infrared to 10 micrometers absorption efficiency, the observed A10-Tc relation can be calibrated in terms of the total dust column density of the circumstellar shell and thus the mass-loss rate of late-type giants can easily be derived. Detailed models have been made of the infrared emission of three well-studied Miras: R Cas, IRC 10011, and OH 26.5+0.6, with the emphasis on the shape of the 10 micrometers emission or absorption feature. The results show that the intrinsic shape of the 10 micrometers resonance varies from a very broad feature in R Cas to a relatively narrower feature in OH 26.5+0.6, with IRC 10011 somewhere in between. Possible origins of this variation are discussed. The mass-loss rates from these objects are calculated to be 3 x 10(-7), 2 x 10(-5), and 2 x 10(-4) M Sun yr-1 for R Cas, IRC 10011, and OH 26.5+0.6, respectively. These results are compared to other determinations in the literature.

DISCOVERY OF METHYL ACETATE AND GAUCHE ETHYL FORMATE IN ORION

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tercero, B.; Cernicharo, J.; Lopez, A.

2013-06-10

We report on the discovery of methyl acetate, CH{sub 3}COOCH{sub 3}, through the detection of a large number of rotational lines from each one of the spin states of the molecule: AA species (A{sub 1} or A{sub 2}), EA species (E{sub 1}), AE species (E{sub 2}), and EE species (E{sub 3} or E{sub 4}). We also report, for the first time in space, the detection of the gauche conformer of ethyl formate, CH{sub 3}CH{sub 2}OCOH, in the same source. The trans conformer is also detected for the first time outside the Galactic center source SgrB2. From the derived velocity ofmore » the emission of methyl acetate, we conclude that it arises mainly from the compact ridge region with a total column density of (4.2 {+-} 0.5) Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 15} cm{sup -2}. The derived rotational temperature is 150 K. The column density for each conformer of ethyl formate, trans and gauche, is (4.5 {+-} 1.0) Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 14} cm{sup -2}. Their abundance ratio indicates a kinetic temperature of 135 K for the emitting gas and suggests that gas-phase reactions could participate efficiently in the formation of both conformers in addition to cold ice mantle reactions on the surface of dust grains.« less

Revisiting the `forbidden' region: AGN radiative feedback with radiation trapping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishibashi, W.; Fabian, A. C.; Ricci, C.; Celotti, A.

2018-06-01

Active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback, driven by radiation pressure on dust, is an important mechanism for efficiently coupling the accreting black hole to the surrounding environment. Recent observations confirm that X-ray selected AGN samples respect the effective Eddington limit for dusty gas in the plane defined by the observed column density versus the Eddington ratio, the so-called NH - λ plane. A `forbidden' region occurs in this plane, where obscuring clouds cannot be long-lived, due to the action of radiation pressure on dust. Here we compute the effective Eddington limit by explicitly taking into account the trapping of reprocessed radiation (which has been neglected in previous works), and investigate its impact on the NH - λ plane. We show that the inclusion of radiation trapping leads to an enhanced forbidden region, such that even Compton-thick material can potentially be disrupted by sub-Eddington luminosities. We compare our model results to the most complete sample of local AGNs with measured X-ray properties, and find good agreement. Considering the anisotropic emission from the accretion disc, we also expect the development of dusty outflows along the polar axis, which may naturally account for the polar dust emission recently detected in several AGNs from mid-infrared observations. Radiative feedback thus appears to be the key mechanism regulating the obscuration properties of AGNs, and we discuss its physical implications in the context of co-evolution scenarios.

X-ray-bright optically faint active galactic nuclei in the Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam wide survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Terashima, Yuichi; Suganuma, Makoto; Akiyama, Masayuki; Greene, Jenny E.; Kawaguchi, Toshihiro; Iwasawa, Kazushi; Nagao, Tohru; Noda, Hirofumi; Toba, Yoshiki; Ueda, Yoshihiro; Yamashita, Takuji

2018-01-01

We construct a sample of X-ray-bright optically faint active galactic nuclei by combining Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam, XMM-Newton, and infrared source catalogs. Fifty-three X-ray sources satisfying i-band magnitude fainter than 23.5 mag and X-ray counts with the EPIC-PN detector larger than 70 are selected from 9.1 deg2, and their spectral energy distributions (SEDs) and X-ray spectra are analyzed. Forty-four objects with an X-ray to i-band flux ratio FX/Fi > 10 are classified as extreme X-ray-to-optical flux sources. Spectral energy distributions of 48 among 53 are represented by templates of type 2 AGNs or star-forming galaxies and show the optical signature of stellar emission from host galaxies in the source rest frame. Infrared/optical SEDs indicate a significant contribution of emission from dust to the infrared fluxes, and that the central AGN is dust obscured. The photometric redshifts determined from the SEDs are in the range of 0.6-2.5. The X-ray spectra are fitted by an absorbed power-law model, and the intrinsic absorption column densities are modest (best-fit log NH = 20.5-23.5 cm-2 in most cases). The absorption-corrected X-ray luminosities are in the range of 6 × 1042-2 × 1045 erg s-1. Twenty objects are classified as type 2 quasars based on X-ray luminsosity and NH. The optical faintness is explained by a combination of redshifts (mostly z > 1.0), strong dust extinction, and in part a large ratio of dust/gas.

The Maximum Flux of Star-Forming Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crocker, Roland M.; Krumholz, Mark R.; Thompson, Todd A.; Clutterbuck, Julie

2018-04-01

The importance of radiation pressure feedback in galaxy formation has been extensively debated over the last decade. The regime of greatest uncertainty is in the most actively star-forming galaxies, where large dust columns can potentially produce a dust-reprocessed infrared radiation field with enough pressure to drive turbulence or eject material. Here we derive the conditions under which a self-gravitating, mixed gas-star disc can remain hydrostatic despite trapped radiation pressure. Consistently taking into account the self-gravity of the medium, the star- and dust-to-gas ratios, and the effects of turbulent motions not driven by radiation, we show that galaxies can achieve a maximum Eddington-limited star formation rate per unit area \\dot{Σ }_*,crit ˜ 10^3 M_{⊙} pc-2 Myr-1, corresponding to a critical flux of F*, crit ˜ 1013L⊙ kpc-2 similar to previous estimates; higher fluxes eject mass in bulk, halting further star formation. Conversely, we show that in galaxies below this limit, our one-dimensional models imply simple vertical hydrostatic equilibrium and that radiation pressure is ineffective at driving turbulence or ejecting matter. Because the vast majority of star-forming galaxies lie below the maximum limit for typical dust-to-gas ratios, we conclude that infrared radiation pressure is likely unimportant for all but the most extreme systems on galaxy-wide scales. Thus, while radiation pressure does not explain the Kennicutt-Schmidt relation, it does impose an upper truncation on it. Our predicted truncation is in good agreement with the highest observed gas and star formation rate surface densities found both locally and at high redshift.

The maximum flux of star-forming galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crocker, Roland M.; Krumholz, Mark R.; Thompson, Todd A.; Clutterbuck, Julie

2018-07-01

The importance of radiation pressure feedback in galaxy formation has been extensively debated over the last decade. The regime of greatest uncertainty is in the most actively star-forming galaxies, where large dust columns can potentially produce a dust-reprocessed infrared radiation field with enough pressure to drive turbulence or eject material. Here, we derive the conditions under which a self-gravitating mixed gas-star disc can remain hydrostatic despite trapped radiation pressure. Consistently, taking into account the self-gravity of the medium, the star- and dust-to-gas ratios, and the effects of turbulent motions not driven by radiation, we show that galaxies can achieve a maximum Eddington-limited star formation rate per unit area \\dot{Σ }_*,crit ˜ 10^3 M_{⊙} pc-2 Myr-1, corresponding to a critical flux of F*,crit ˜ 1013 L⊙ kpc-2 similar to previous estimates; higher fluxes eject mass in bulk, halting further star formation. Conversely, we show that in galaxies below this limit, our 1D models imply simple vertical hydrostatic equilibrium and that radiation pressure is ineffective at driving turbulence or ejecting matter. Because the vast majority of star-forming galaxies lie below the maximum limit for typical dust-to-gas ratios, we conclude that infrared radiation pressure is likely unimportant for all but the most extreme systems on galaxy-wide scales. Thus, while radiation pressure does not explain the Kennicutt-Schmidt relation, it does impose an upper truncation on it. Our predicted truncation is in good agreement with the highest observed gas and star formation rate surface densities found both locally and at high redshift.

Impact of NO2 horizontal heterogeneity on tropospheric NO2 vertical columns retrieved from satellite, multi-axis differential optical absorption spectroscopy, and in situ measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mendolia, D.; D'Souza, R. J. C.; Evans, G. J.; Brook, J.

2013-01-01

Tropospheric NO2 vertical column densities were retrieved for the first time in Toronto, Canada using three methods of differing spatial scales. Remotely-sensed NO2 vertical column densities, retrieved from multi-axis differential optical absorption spectroscopy and satellite remote sensing, were evaluated by comparison with in situ vertical column densities derived using a pair of chemiluminescence monitors situated 0.01 and 0.5 km above ground level. The chemiluminescence measurements were corrected for the influence of NOz, which reduced the NO2 concentrations at 0.01 and 0.5 km by 8 ± 1% and 12 ± 1%, respectively. The average absolute decrease in the chemiluminescence NO2 measurement as a result of this correction was less than 1 ppb. Good correlation was observed between the remotely sensed and in situ NO2 vertical column densities (Pearson R ranging from 0.68 to 0.79), but the in situ vertical column densities were 27% to 55% greater than the remotely-sensed columns. These results indicate that NO2 horizontal heterogeneity strongly impacted the magnitude of the remotely-sensed columns. The in situ columns reflected an urban environment with major traffic sources, while the remotely-sensed NO2 vertical column densities were representative of the region, which included spatial heterogeneity introduced by residential neighbourhoods and Lake Ontario. Despite the difference in absolute values, the reasonable correlation between the vertical column densities determined by three distinct methods increased confidence in the validity of the values provided by each of the methods.

Multi-transition study of the peculiar merger Arp 299

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiao, Qian; Zhu, Ming

2017-08-01

We present a multi-transition study to investigate the physical properties of dust and molecular gas in the archetypical merger Arp 299 by using data including James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) 850 and 450 μm observations, Herschel 500, 350, 250, 160 and 70 μm continuum maps, as well as the CO(3-2), CO(4-3) low-J CO lines and CO(11-10), CO(13-12), CO(14-13) high-J CO lines. The CO(3-2) and CO(4-3) lines are observed by JCMT, and the CO(11-10), CO(13-12), CO(14-13) lines are available on the Herschel Science Archive. The resolution of the Herschel Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receiver (SPIRE) Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS) CO(11-10) data is similar to that of the JCMT CO(3-2) line, while the resolution of the SPIRE/FTS CO(13-12) and Photodetector Array Camera and Spectrometer (PACS) CO(14-13) data is similar to that of JCMT CO(4-3), allowing us to obtain accurate line ratios of {I}{{CO}({{11-10}})}/{I}{{CO}({{3-2}})}, {I}{{CO}({{13-12}})}/{I}{{CO}({{4-3}})} and {I}{{CO}({{14-13}})}/{I}{{CO}({{4-3}})}. By modeling the spectral energy distribution of the continuum data, we conclude that two components (cold and warm) exist in the dust, with the warm component occupying a small percent of the total dust mass. We further use a radiative transfer analysis code, RADEX, to calculate the density, temperature and column density of warm gas in the central region, which shows that the kinetic temperature {T}{{kin}} is in the range 110 to 150 K and hydrogen density n({{{H}}}{{2}}) is in the range {10}4.7-{10}5.5{{{cm}}}{{-3}}. We show that the hot dust is located in the central region of IC 694 with a radius of ˜ 4″ and estimate that the warm gas mass is in the range 3.8× {10}7{M}⊙ to 7.7× {10}7{M}⊙ , which contains 5.0%-15.0% of the total H2 mass for the region of IC 694. We also calculate the star formation rate of the galaxy in particular, which is much higher than that of the Milky Way.

Large-eddy simulation of dust-uplift by a haboob density current

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Qian; Marsham, John H.; Tian, Wenshou; Parker, Douglas J.; Garcia-Carreras, Luis

2018-04-01

Cold pool outflows have been shown from both observations and convection-permitting models to be a dominant source of dust emissions ("haboobs") in the summertime Sahel and Sahara, and to cause dust uplift over deserts across the world. In this paper Met Office Large Eddy Model (LEM) simulations, which resolve the turbulence within the cold-pools much better than previous studies of haboobs with convection-permitting models, are used to investigate the winds that uplift dust in cold pools, and the resultant dust transport. In order to simulate the cold pool outflow, an idealized cooling is added in the model during the first 2 h of 5.7 h run time. Given the short duration of the runs, dust is treated as a passive tracer. Dust uplift largely occurs in the "head" of the density current, consistent with the few existing observations. In the modeled density current dust is largely restricted to the lowest, coldest and well mixed layers of the cold pool outflow (below around 400 m), except above the "head" of the cold pool where some dust reaches 2.5 km. This rapid transport to above 2 km will contribute to long atmospheric lifetimes of large dust particles from haboobs. Decreasing the model horizontal grid-spacing from 1.0 km to 100 m resolves more turbulence, locally increasing winds, increasing mixing and reducing the propagation speed of the density current. Total accumulated dust uplift is approximately twice as large in 1.0 km runs compared with 100 m runs, suggesting that for studying haboobs in convection-permitting runs the representation of turbulence and mixing is significant. Simulations with surface sensible heat fluxes representative of those from a desert region during daytime show that increasing surface fluxes slows the density current due to increased mixing, but increase dust uplift rates, due to increased downward transport of momentum to the surface.

GAMA/G10-COSMOS/3D-HST: the 0 < z < 5 cosmic star formation history, stellar-mass, and dust-mass densities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Driver, Simon P.; Andrews, Stephen K.; da Cunha, Elisabete; Davies, Luke J.; Lagos, Claudia; Robotham, Aaron S. G.; Vinsen, Kevin; Wright, Angus H.; Alpaslan, Mehmet; Bland-Hawthorn, Joss; Bourne, Nathan; Brough, Sarah; Bremer, Malcolm N.; Cluver, Michelle; Colless, Matthew; Conselice, Christopher J.; Dunne, Loretta; Eales, Steve A.; Gomez, Haley; Holwerda, Benne; Hopkins, Andrew M.; Kafle, Prajwal R.; Kelvin, Lee S.; Loveday, Jon; Liske, Jochen; Maddox, Steve J.; Phillipps, Steven; Pimbblet, Kevin; Rowlands, Kate; Sansom, Anne E.; Taylor, Edward; Wang, Lingyu; Wilkins, Stephen M.

2018-04-01

We use the energy-balance code MAGPHYS to determine stellar and dust masses, and dust corrected star formation rates for over 200 000 GAMA galaxies, 170 000 G10-COSMOS galaxies, and 200 000 3D-HST galaxies. Our values agree well with previously reported measurements and constitute a representative and homogeneous data set spanning a broad range in stellar-mass (108-1012 M⊙), dust-mass (106-109 M⊙), and star formation rates (0.01-100 M⊙yr-1), and over a broad redshift range (0.0 < z < 5.0). We combine these data to measure the cosmic star formation history (CSFH), the stellar-mass density (SMD), and the dust-mass density (DMD) over a 12 Gyr timeline. The data mostly agree with previous estimates, where they exist, and provide a quasi-homogeneous data set using consistent mass and star formation estimators with consistent underlying assumptions over the full time range. As a consequence our formal errors are significantly reduced when compared to the historic literature. Integrating our CSFH we precisely reproduce the SMD with an interstellar medium replenishment factor of 0.50 ± 0.07, consistent with our choice of Chabrier initial mass function plus some modest amount of stripped stellar mass. Exploring the cosmic dust density evolution, we find a gradual increase in dust density with lookback time. We build a simple phenomenological model from the CSFH to account for the dust-mass evolution, and infer two key conclusions: (1) For every unit of stellar mass which is formed 0.0065-0.004 units of dust mass is also formed. (2) Over the history of the Universe approximately 90-95 per cent of all dust formed has been destroyed and/or ejected.

Observational evidence of a suppressed planetary boundary layer in northern Gale Crater, Mars as seen by the Navcam instrument onboard the Mars Science Laboratory rover

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moores, John E.; Lemmon, Mark T.; Kahanpää, Henrik; Rafkin, Scot C. R.; Francis, Raymond; Pla-Garcia, Jorge; Bean, Keri; Haberle, Robert; Newman, Claire; Mischna, Michael; Vasavada, Ashwin R.; de la Torre Juárez, Manuel; Rennó, Nilton; Bell, Jim; Calef, Fred; Cantor, Bruce; Mcconnochie, Timothy H.; Harri, Ari-Matti; Genzer, Maria; Wong, Michael H.; Smith, Michael D.; Martín-Torres, F. Javier; Zorzano, María-Paz; Kemppinen, Osku; McCullough, Emily

2015-03-01

The Navigation Cameras (Navcam) of the Mars Science Laboratory rover, Curiosity, have been used to examine two aspects of the planetary boundary layer: vertical dust distribution and dust devil frequency. The vertical distribution of dust may be obtained by using observations of the distant crater rim to derive a line-of-sight optical depth within Gale Crater and comparing this optical depth to column optical depths obtained using Mastcam observations of the solar disc. The line of sight method consistently produces lower extinctions within the crater compared to the bulk atmosphere. This suggests a relatively stable atmosphere in which dust may settle out leaving the air within the crater clearer than air above and explains the correlation in observed column opacity between the floor of Gale Crater and the higher elevation Meridiani Planum. In the case of dust devils, despite an extensive campaign only one optically thick vortex (τ = 1.5 ± 0.5 × 10-3) was observed compared to 149 pressure events >0.5 Pa observed in REMS pressure data. Correcting for temporal coverage by REMS and geographic coverage by Navcam still suggests 104 vortices should have been viewable, suggesting that most vortices are dustless. Additionally, the most intense pressure excursions observed on other landing sites (pressure drop >2.5 Pa) are lacking from the observations by the REMS instrument. Taken together, these observations are consistent with pre-landing circulation modeling of the crater showing a suppressed, shallow boundary layer. They are further consistent with geological observations of dust that suggests the northern portion of the crater is a sink for dust in the current era.

SOFIA Science Imagery

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-09-14

SCI2017_0003: The column of material at and just below the surface of dwarf planet Ceres (box) – the top layer contains anhydrous (dry) pyroxene dust accumulated from space mixed in with native hydrous (wet) dust, carbonates, and water ice. (Bottom) Cross section of Ceres showing the surface layers that are the subject of this study plus a watery mantle and a rocky-metallic core. Credit: Pierre Vernazza, LAM–CNRS/AMU

Planck intermediate results. XXX. The angular power spectrum of polarized dust emission at intermediate and high Galactic latitudes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Planck Collaboration; Adam, R.; Ade, P. A. R.; Aghanim, N.; Arnaud, M.; Aumont, J.; Baccigalupi, C.; Banday, A. J.; Barreiro, R. B.; Bartlett, J. G.; Bartolo, N.; Battaner, E.; Benabed, K.; Benoit-Lévy, A.; Bernard, J.-P.; Bersanelli, M.; Bielewicz, P.; Bonaldi, A.; Bonavera, L.; Bond, J. R.; Borrill, J.; Bouchet, F. R.; Boulanger, F.; Bracco, A.; Bucher, M.; Burigana, C.; Butler, R. C.; Calabrese, E.; Cardoso, J.-F.; Catalano, A.; Challinor, A.; Chamballu, A.; Chary, R.-R.; Chiang, H. C.; Christensen, P. R.; Clements, D. L.; Colombi, S.; Colombo, L. P. L.; Combet, C.; Couchot, F.; Coulais, A.; Crill, B. P.; Curto, A.; Cuttaia, F.; Danese, L.; Davies, R. D.; Davis, R. J.; de Bernardis, P.; de Zotti, G.; Delabrouille, J.; Delouis, J.-M.; Désert, F.-X.; Dickinson, C.; Diego, J. M.; Dolag, K.; Dole, H.; Donzelli, S.; Doré, O.; Douspis, M.; Ducout, A.; Dunkley, J.; Dupac, X.; Efstathiou, G.; Elsner, F.; Enßlin, T. A.; Eriksen, H. K.; Falgarone, E.; Finelli, F.; Forni, O.; Frailis, M.; Fraisse, A. A.; Franceschi, E.; Frejsel, A.; Galeotta, S.; Galli, S.; Ganga, K.; Ghosh, T.; Giard, M.; Giraud-Héraud, Y.; Gjerløw, E.; González-Nuevo, J.; Górski, K. M.; Gratton, S.; Gregorio, A.; Gruppuso, A.; Guillet, V.; Hansen, F. K.; Hanson, D.; Harrison, D. L.; Helou, G.; Henrot-Versillé, S.; Hernández-Monteagudo, C.; Herranz, D.; Hivon, E.; Hobson, M.; Holmes, W. A.; Huffenberger, K. M.; Hurier, G.; Jaffe, A. H.; Jaffe, T. R.; Jewell, J.; Jones, W. C.; Juvela, M.; Keihänen, E.; Keskitalo, R.; Kisner, T. S.; Kneissl, R.; Knoche, J.; Knox, L.; Krachmalnicoff, N.; Kunz, M.; Kurki-Suonio, H.; Lagache, G.; Lamarre, J.-M.; Lasenby, A.; Lattanzi, M.; Lawrence, C. R.; Leahy, J. P.; Leonardi, R.; Lesgourgues, J.; Levrier, F.; Liguori, M.; Lilje, P. B.; Linden-Vørnle, M.; López-Caniego, M.; Lubin, P. M.; Macías-Pérez, J. F.; Maffei, B.; Maino, D.; Mandolesi, N.; Mangilli, A.; Maris, M.; Martin, P. G.; Martínez-González, E.; Masi, S.; Matarrese, S.; Mazzotta, P.; Meinhold, P. R.; Melchiorri, A.; Mendes, L.; Mennella, A.; Migliaccio, M.; Mitra, S.; Miville-Deschênes, M.-A.; Moneti, A.; Montier, L.; Morgante, G.; Mortlock, D.; Moss, A.; Munshi, D.; Murphy, J. A.; Naselsky, P.; Nati, F.; Natoli, P.; Netterfield, C. B.; Nørgaard-Nielsen, H. U.; Noviello, F.; Novikov, D.; Novikov, I.; Pagano, L.; Pajot, F.; Paladini, R.; Paoletti, D.; Partridge, B.; Pasian, F.; Patanchon, G.; Pearson, T. J.; Perdereau, O.; Perotto, L.; Perrotta, F.; Pettorino, V.; Piacentini, F.; Piat, M.; Pierpaoli, E.; Pietrobon, D.; Plaszczynski, S.; Pointecouteau, E.; Polenta, G.; Ponthieu, N.; Popa, L.; Pratt, G. W.; Prunet, S.; Puget, J.-L.; Rachen, J. P.; Reach, W. T.; Rebolo, R.; Remazeilles, M.; Renault, C.; Renzi, A.; Ricciardi, S.; Ristorcelli, I.; Rocha, G.; Rosset, C.; Rossetti, M.; Roudier, G.; Rouillé d'Orfeuil, B.; Rubiño-Martín, J. A.; Rusholme, B.; Sandri, M.; Santos, D.; Savelainen, M.; Savini, G.; Scott, D.; Soler, J. D.; Spencer, L. D.; Stolyarov, V.; Stompor, R.; Sudiwala, R.; Sunyaev, R.; Sutton, D.; Suur-Uski, A.-S.; Sygnet, J.-F.; Tauber, J. A.; Terenzi, L.; Toffolatti, L.; Tomasi, M.; Tristram, M.; Tucci, M.; Tuovinen, J.; Valenziano, L.; Valiviita, J.; Van Tent, B.; Vibert, L.; Vielva, P.; Villa, F.; Wade, L. A.; Wandelt, B. D.; Watson, R.; Wehus, I. K.; White, M.; White, S. D. M.; Yvon, D.; Zacchei, A.; Zonca, A.

2016-02-01

The polarized thermal emission from diffuse Galactic dust is the main foreground present in measurements of the polarization of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) at frequencies above 100 GHz. In this paper we exploit the uniqueness of the Planck HFI polarization data from 100 to 353 GHz to measure the polarized dust angular power spectra CℓEE and CℓBB over the multipole range 40 <ℓ< 600 well away from the Galactic plane. These measurements will bring new insights into interstellar dust physics and allow a precise determination of the level of contamination for CMB polarization experiments. Despite the non-Gaussian and anisotropic nature of Galactic dust, we show that general statistical properties of the emission can be characterized accurately over large fractions of the sky using angular power spectra. The polarization power spectra of the dust are well described by power laws in multipole, Cℓ ∝ ℓα, with exponents αEE,BB = -2.42 ± 0.02. The amplitudes of the polarization power spectra vary with the average brightness in a way similar to the intensity power spectra. The frequency dependence of the dust polarization spectra is consistent with modified blackbody emission with βd = 1.59 and Td = 19.6 K down to the lowest Planck HFI frequencies. We find a systematic difference between the amplitudes of the Galactic B- and E-modes, CℓBB/CℓEE = 0.5. We verify that these general properties are preserved towards high Galactic latitudes with low dust column densities. We show that even in the faintest dust-emitting regions there are no "clean" windows in the sky where primordial CMB B-mode polarization measurements could be made without subtraction of foreground emission. Finally, we investigate the level of dust polarization in the specific field recently targeted by the BICEP2 experiment. Extrapolation of the Planck 353 GHz data to 150 GHz gives a dust power 𝒟ℓBB ≡ ℓ(ℓ+1)CℓBB/(2π) of 1.32 × 10-2 μKCMB2 over the multipole range of the primordial recombination bump (40 <ℓ< 120); the statistical uncertainty is ± 0.29 × 10-2 μKCMB2 and there is an additional uncertainty (+0.28, -0.24) × 10-2 μKCMB2 from the extrapolation. This level is the same magnitude as reported by BICEP2 over this ℓ range, which highlights the need for assessment of the polarized dust signal even in the cleanest windows of the sky.

Probing a dusty magnetized plasma with self-excited dust-density waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tadsen, Benjamin; Greiner, Franko; Piel, Alexander

2018-03-01

A cloud of nanodust particles is created in a reactive argon-acetylene plasma. It is then transformed into a dusty magnetized argon plasma. Plasma parameters are obtained with the dust-density wave diagnostic introduced by Tadsen et al. [Phys. Plasmas 22, 113701 (2015), 10.1063/1.4934927]. A change from an open to a cylindrically enclosed nanodust cloud, which was observed earlier, can now be explained by a stronger electric confinement if a vertical magnetic field is present. Using two-dimensional extinction measurements and the inverse Abel transform to determine the dust density, a redistribution of the dust with increasing magnetic induction is found. The dust-density profile changes from being peaked around the central void to being peaked at an outer torus ring resulting in a hollow profile. As the plasma parameters cannot explain this behavior, we propose a rotation of the nanodust cloud in the magnetized plasma as the origin of the modified profile.

Analysis of Mexico City urban air pollution using nitrogen dioxide column density measurements from UV/Visible spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia Payne, D. G.; Grutter, M.; Melamed, M. L.

2010-12-01

The differential optical absorption spectroscopy method (DOAS) was used to get column densities of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) from the analysis of zenith sky UV/visible spectra. Since the optical path length provides critical information in interpreting NO2 column densities, in conjunction with NO2 column densities, the oxygen dimer (O4) column density was retrieved to give insight into the optical path length. We report observations of year round NO2 and O4 column densities (from august 2009 to september 2010) from which the mean seasonal levels and the daily evolution, as well as the occurrence of elevated pollution episodes are examined. Surface nitric oxide (NO) and NO2 from the local monitoring network, as well as wind data and the vertical aerosol density from continuous Lidar measurements are used in the analysis to investigate specific events in the context of local emissions from vehicular traffic, photochemical production and transport from industrial emissions. The NO2 column density measurements will enhance the understanding Mexico City urban air pollution. Recent research has begun to unravel the complexity of the air pollution problem in Mexico City and its effects not only locally but on a regional and global scale as well.

Catastrophic Disruption of Comet ISON

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Keane, Jacqueline V.; Milam, Stefanie N.; Coulson, Iain M.; Kleyna, Jan T.; Sekanina, Zdenek; Kracht, Rainer; Riesen, Timm-Emmanuel; Meech, Karen J.; Charnley, Steven B.

2016-01-01

We report submillimeter 450 and 850 microns dust continuum observations for comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) obtained at heliocentric distances 0.31-0.08 au prior to perihelion on 2013 November 28 (rh?=?0.0125 au). These observations reveal a rapidly varying dust environment in which the dust emission was initially point-like. As ISON approached perihelion, the continuum emission became an elongated dust column spread out over as much as 60? (greater than 10(exp 5) km in the anti-solar direction. Deconvolution of the November 28.04 850 microns image reveals numerous distinct clumps consistent with the catastrophic disruption of comet ISON, producing approximately 5.2?×?10(exp 10) kg of submillimeter-sized dust. Orbital computations suggest that the SCUBA-2 emission peak coincides with the comet's residual nucleus.

Inferring the three-dimensional distribution of dust in the Galaxy with a non-parametric method . Preparing for Gaia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rezaei Kh., S.; Bailer-Jones, C. A. L.; Hanson, R. J.; Fouesneau, M.

2017-02-01

We present a non-parametric model for inferring the three-dimensional (3D) distribution of dust density in the Milky Way. Our approach uses the extinction measured towards stars at different locations in the Galaxy at approximately known distances. Each extinction measurement is proportional to the integrated dust density along its line of sight (LoS). Making simple assumptions about the spatial correlation of the dust density, we can infer the most probable 3D distribution of dust across the entire observed region, including along sight lines which were not observed. This is possible because our model employs a Gaussian process to connect all LoS. We demonstrate the capability of our model to capture detailed dust density variations using mock data and simulated data from the Gaia Universe Model Snapshot. We then apply our method to a sample of giant stars observed by APOGEE and Kepler to construct a 3D dust map over a small region of the Galaxy. Owing to our smoothness constraint and its isotropy, we provide one of the first maps which does not show the "fingers of God" effect.

Potentiality of a fruit peel (banana peel) toward abatement of fluoride from synthetic and underground water samples collected from fluoride affected villages of Birbhum district

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mondal, Naba Kumar; Roy, Arunabha

2018-06-01

Contamination of underground water with fluoride (F) is a tremendous health hazard. Excessive F (> 1.5 mg/L) in drinking water can cause both dental and skeletal fluorosis. A fixed-bed column experiments were carried out with the operating variables such as different initial F concentrations, bed depths, pH and flow rates. Results revealed that the breakthrough time and exhaustion time decrease with increasing flow rate, decreasing bed depth and increasing influent fluoride concentration. The optimized conditions are: 10 mg/L initial fluoride concentration; flow rate 3.4 mL/min, bed depth 3.5 and pH 5. The bed depth service time model and the Thomas model were applied to the experimental results. Both the models were in good agreement with the experimental data for all the process parameters studied except flow rate, indicating that the models were appropriate for removal of F by natural banana peel dust in fix-bed design. Moreover, column adsorption was reversible and the regeneration was accomplished by pumping of 0.1 M NaOH through the loaded banana peel dust column. On the other hand, field water sample analysis data revealed that 86.5% fluoride can be removed under such optimized conditions. From the experimental results, it may be inferred that natural banana peel dust is an effective adsorbent for defluoridation of water.

Simulating the dust content of galaxies: successes and failures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McKinnon, Ryan; Torrey, Paul; Vogelsberger, Mark; Hayward, Christopher C.; Marinacci, Federico

2017-06-01

We present full-volume cosmological simulations, using the moving-mesh code arepo to study the coevolution of dust and galaxies. We extend the dust model in arepo to include thermal sputtering of grains and investigate the evolution of the dust mass function, the cosmic distribution of dust beyond the interstellar medium and the dependence of dust-to-stellar mass ratio on galactic properties. The simulated dust mass function is well described by a Schechter fit and lies closest to observations at z = 0. The radial scaling of projected dust surface density out to distances of 10 Mpc around galaxies with magnitudes 17 < I < 21 is similar to that seen in Sloan Digital Sky Survey data, albeit with a lower normalization. At z = 0, the predicted dust density of Ωdust ≈ 1.3 × 10-6 lies in the range of Ωdust values seen in low-redshift observations. We find that the dust-to-stellar mass ratio anticorrelates with stellar mass for galaxies living along the star formation main sequence. Moreover, we estimate the 850 μm number density functions for simulated galaxies and analyse the relation between dust-to-stellar flux and mass ratios at z = 0. At high redshift, our model fails to produce enough dust-rich galaxies, and this tension is not alleviated by adopting a top-heavy initial mass function. We do not capture a decline in Ωdust from z = 2 to 0, which suggests that dust production mechanisms more strongly dependent on star formation may help to produce the observed number of dusty galaxies near the peak of cosmic star formation.

Large scale IRAM 30 m CO-observations in the giant molecular cloud complex W43

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carlhoff, P.; Nguyen Luong, Q.; Schilke, P.; Motte, F.; Schneider, N.; Beuther, H.; Bontemps, S.; Heitsch, F.; Hill, T.; Kramer, C.; Ossenkopf, V.; Schuller, F.; Simon, R.; Wyrowski, F.

2013-12-01

We aim to fully describe the distribution and location of dense molecular clouds in the giant molecular cloud complex W43. It was previously identified as one of the most massive star-forming regions in our Galaxy. To trace the moderately dense molecular clouds in the W43 region, we initiated W43-HERO, a large program using the IRAM 30 m telescope, which covers a wide dynamic range of scales from 0.3 to 140 pc. We obtained on-the-fly-maps in 13CO (2-1) and C18O (2-1) with a high spectral resolution of 0.1 km s-1 and a spatial resolution of 12''. These maps cover an area of ~1.5 square degrees and include the two main clouds of W43 and the lower density gas surrounding them. A comparison to Galactic models and previous distance calculations confirms the location of W43 near the tangential point of the Scutum arm at approximately 6 kpc from the Sun. The resulting intensity cubes of the observed region are separated into subcubes, which are centered on single clouds and then analyzed in detail. The optical depth, excitation temperature, and H2 column density maps are derived out of the 13CO and C18O data. These results are then compared to those derived from Herschel dust maps. The mass of a typical cloud is several 104 M⊙ while the total mass in the dense molecular gas (>102 cm-3) in W43 is found to be ~1.9 × 106 M⊙. Probability distribution functions obtained from column density maps derived from molecular line data and Herschel imaging show a log-normal distribution for low column densities and a power-law tail for high densities. A flatter slope for the molecular line data probability distribution function may imply that those selectively show the gravitationally collapsing gas. Appendices are available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.orgThe final datacubes (13CO and C18O) for the entire survey are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (ftp://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/560/A24

Topology of two-dimensional turbulent flows of dust and gas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mitra, Dhrubaditya; Perlekar, Prasad

2018-04-01

We perform direct numerical simulations (DNS) of passive heavy inertial particles (dust) in homogeneous and isotropic two-dimensional turbulent flows (gas) for a range of Stokes number, St<1 . We solve for the particles using both a Lagrangian and an Eulerian approach (with a shock-capturing scheme). In the latter, the particles are described by a dust-density field and a dust-velocity field. We find the following: the dust-density field in our Eulerian simulations has the same correlation dimension d2 as obtained from the clustering of particles in the Lagrangian simulations for St<1 ; the cumulative probability distribution function of the dust density coarse grained over a scale r , in the inertial range, has a left tail with a power-law falloff indicating the presence of voids; the energy spectrum of the dust velocity has a power-law range with an exponent that is the same as the gas-velocity spectrum except at very high Fourier modes; the compressibility of the dust-velocity field is proportional to St2. We quantify the topological properties of the dust velocity and the gas velocity through their gradient matrices, called A and B , respectively. Our DNS confirms that the statistics of topological properties of B are the same in Eulerian and Lagrangian frames only if the Eulerian data are weighed by the dust density. We use this correspondence to study the statistics of topological properties of A in the Lagrangian frame from our Eulerian simulations by calculating density-weighted probability distribution functions. We further find that in the Lagrangian frame, the mean value of the trace of A is negative and its magnitude increases with St approximately as exp(-C /St) with a constant C ≈0.1 . The statistical distribution of different topological structures that appear in the dust flow is different in Eulerian and Lagrangian (density-weighted Eulerian) cases, particularly for St close to unity. In both of these cases, for small St the topological structures have close to zero divergence and are either vortical (elliptic) or strain dominated (hyperbolic, saddle). As St increases, the contribution to negative divergence comes mostly from saddles and the contribution to positive divergence comes from both vortices and saddles. Compared to the Eulerian case, the Lagrangian (density-weighted Eulerian) case has less outward spirals and more converging saddles. Inward spirals are the least probable topological structures in both cases.

The molecular complex associated with the Galactic H II region Sh2-90: a possible site of triggered star formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Samal, M. R.; Zavagno, A.; Deharveng, L.; Molinari, S.; Ojha, D. K.; Paradis, D.; Tigé, J.; Pandey, A. K.; Russeil, D.

2014-06-01

Aims: We investigate the star formation activity in the molecular complex associated with the Galactic H ii region Sh2-90. Methods: We obtain the distribution of the ionized and cold neutral gas using radio-continuum and Herschel observations. We use near-infrared and Spitzer data to investigate the stellar content of the complex. We discuss the evolutionary status of embedded massive young stellar objects (MYSOs) using their spectral energy distribution. Results: The Sh2-90 region presents a bubble morphology in the mid-infrared. Radio observations suggest it is an evolved H ii region with an electron density ~144 cm-3, emission measure ~ 6.7 × 104 cm-6 pc and an ionized mass ~55 M⊙. From Herschel and CO (J = 3 - 2) observations we found that the H ii region is part of an elongated extended molecular cloud (H2 column density ≥ 3 × 1021 cm-2 and dust temperature 18-27 K) of total mass ≥ 1 × 104 M⊙. We identify the ionizing cluster of Sh2-90, the main exciting star being an O8-O9 V star. Five cold dust clumps, four mid-IR blobs around B stars, and a compact H ii region are found at the edge of the bubble. The velocity information derived from CO data cubes suggest that most of them are associated with the Sh2-90 region. One hundred and twenty-nine low mass (≤3 M⊙) YSOs have been identified, and they are found to be distributed mostly in the regions of high column density. Four candidate Class 0/I MYSOs have been found. We suggest that multi-generation star formation is present in the complex. From evidence of interaction, time scales involved, and evolutionary status of stellar/protostellar sources, we argue that the star formation at the edges of Sh2-90 might have been triggered. However, several young sources in this complex are probably formed by some other processes. Full Table 5 is only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (ftp://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/566/A122

Properties of dust particles near Saturn inferred from voltage pulses induced by dust impacts on Cassini spacecraft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, S.-Y.; Gurnett, D. A.; Kurth, W. S.; Averkamp, T. F.; Kempf, S.; Hsu, H.-W.; Srama, R.; Grün, E.

2014-08-01

The Cassini Radio and Plasma Wave Science (RPWS) instrument can detect dust particles when voltage pulses induced by the dust impacts are observed in the wideband receiver. The size of the voltage pulse is proportional to the mass of the impacting dust particle. For the first time, the dust impacts signals measured by dipole and monopole electric antennas are compared, from which the effective impact area of the spacecraft is estimated to be 4 m2. In the monopole mode, the polarity of the dust impact signal is determined by the spacecraft potential and the location of the impact (on the spacecraft body or the antenna), which can be used to statistically infer the charge state of the spacecraft. It is shown that the differential number density of the dust particles near Saturn can be characterized as a power law dn/dr ∝ rμ, where μ ~ - 4 and r is the particle size. No peak is observed in the size distribution, contrary to the narrow size distribution found by previous studies. The RPWS cumulative dust density is compared with the Cosmic Dust Analyzer High Rate Detector measurement. The differences between the two instruments are within the range of uncertainty estimated for RPWS measurement. The RPWS onboard dust recorder and counter data are used to map the dust density and spacecraft charging state within Saturn's magnetosphere.

Planck intermediate results: L. Evidence of spatial variation of the polarized thermal dust spectral energy distribution and implications for CMB B-mode analysis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Aghanim, N.; Ashdown, M.; Aumont, J.

The characterization of the Galactic foregrounds has been shown to be the main obstacle in thechallenging quest to detect primordial B-modes in the polarized microwave sky. In this paper, we make use of the Planck-HFI 2015 data release at high frequencies to place new constraints on the properties of the polarized thermal dust emission at high Galactic latitudes. Here, we specifically study the spatial variability of the dust polarized spectral energy distribution (SED), and its potential impact on the determination of the tensor-to-scalar ratio, r. We use the correlation ratio of the C BB ℓ angular power spectra between themore » 217 and 353 GHz channels as a tracer of these potential variations, computed on different high Galactic latitude regions, ranging from 80% to 20% of the sky. The new insight from Planck data is a departure of the correlation ratio from unity that cannot be attributed to a spurious decorrelation due to the cosmic microwave background, instrumental noise, or instrumental systematics. The effect is marginally detected on each region, but the statistical combination of all the regions gives more than 99% confidence for this variation in polarized dust properties. In addition, we show that the decorrelation increases when there is a decrease in the mean column density of the region of the sky being considered, and we propose a simple power-law empirical model for this dependence, which matches what is seen in the Planck data. We explore the effect that this measured decorrelation has on simulations of the BICEP2-Keck Array/Planck analysis and show that the 2015 constraints from these data still allow a decorrelation between the dust at 150 and 353 GHz that is compatible with our measured value. In conclusion, using simplified models, we show that either spatial variation of the dust SED or of the dust polarization angle are able to produce decorrelations between 217 and 353 GHz data similar to the values we observe in the data.« less

Spectroscopic Measurements of the Far-Ultraviolet Dust Attenuation Curve at z ˜ 3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reddy, Naveen A.; Steidel, Charles C.; Pettini, Max; Bogosavljević, Milan

2016-09-01

We present the first spectroscopic measurements of the shape of the far-ultraviolet (far-UV; λ =950{--}1500 Å) dust attenuation curve at high redshift (z˜ 3). Our analysis employs rest-frame UV spectra of 933 galaxies at z˜ 3, 121 of which have very deep spectroscopic observations (≳ 7 hr) at λ =850{--}1300 \\mathring{{A}} , with the Low Resolution Imaging Spectrograph on the Keck Telescope. By using an iterative approach in which we calculate the ratios of composite spectra in different bins of continuum color excess, E(B-V), we derive a dust curve that implies a lower attenuation in the far-UV for a given E(B-V) than those obtained with standard attenuation curves. We demonstrate that the UV composite spectra of z˜ 3 galaxies can be modeled well by assuming our new attenuation curve, a high covering fraction of H I, and absorption from the Lyman-Werner bands of {{{H}}}2 with a small (≲ 20 % ) covering fraction. The low covering fraction of {{{H}}}2 relative to that of the {{H}} {{I}} and dust suggests that most of the dust in the ISM of typical galaxies at z˜ 3 is unrelated to the catalysis of {{{H}}}2, and is associated with other phases of the ISM (I.e., the ionized and neutral gas). The far-UV dust curve implies a factor of ≈ 2 lower dust attenuation of Lyman continuum (ionizing) photons relative to those inferred from the most commonly assumed attenuation curves for L* galaxies at z˜ 3. Our results may be utilized to assess the degree to which ionizing photons are attenuated in H II regions or, more generally, in the ionized or low column density (N({{H}} {{I}})≲ {10}17.2 cm-2) neutral ISM of high-redshift galaxies. Based on data obtained at the W.M. Keck Observatory, which is operated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California, and NASA, and was made possible by the generous financial support of the W.M. Keck Foundation.

Planck intermediate results. L. Evidence of spatial variation of the polarized thermal dust spectral energy distribution and implications for CMB B-mode analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Planck Collaboration; Aghanim, N.; Ashdown, M.; Aumont, J.; Baccigalupi, C.; Ballardini, M.; Banday, A. J.; Barreiro, R. B.; Bartolo, N.; Basak, S.; Benabed, K.; Bernard, J.-P.; Bersanelli, M.; Bielewicz, P.; Bonaldi, A.; Bonavera, L.; Bond, J. R.; Borrill, J.; Bouchet, F. R.; Boulanger, F.; Bracco, A.; Burigana, C.; Calabrese, E.; Cardoso, J.-F.; Chiang, H. C.; Colombo, L. P. L.; Combet, C.; Comis, B.; Crill, B. P.; Curto, A.; Cuttaia, F.; Davis, R. J.; de Bernardis, P.; de Rosa, A.; de Zotti, G.; Delabrouille, J.; Delouis, J.-M.; Di Valentino, E.; Dickinson, C.; Diego, J. M.; Doré, O.; Douspis, M.; Ducout, A.; Dupac, X.; Dusini, S.; Efstathiou, G.; Elsner, F.; Enßlin, T. A.; Eriksen, H. K.; Falgarone, E.; Fantaye, Y.; Finelli, F.; Frailis, M.; Fraisse, A. A.; Franceschi, E.; Frolov, A.; Galeotta, S.; Galli, S.; Ganga, K.; Génova-Santos, R. T.; Gerbino, M.; Ghosh, T.; Giard, M.; González-Nuevo, J.; Górski, K. M.; Gregorio, A.; Gruppuso, A.; Gudmundsson, J. E.; Hansen, F. K.; Helou, G.; Herranz, D.; Hivon, E.; Huang, Z.; Jaffe, A. H.; Jones, W. C.; Keihänen, E.; Keskitalo, R.; Kisner, T. S.; Krachmalnicoff, N.; Kunz, M.; Kurki-Suonio, H.; Lagache, G.; Lähteenmäki, A.; Lamarre, J.-M.; Lasenby, A.; Lattanzi, M.; Lawrence, C. R.; Le Jeune, M.; Levrier, F.; Liguori, M.; Lilje, P. B.; López-Caniego, M.; Lubin, P. M.; Macías-Pérez, J. F.; Maggio, G.; Maino, D.; Mandolesi, N.; Mangilli, A.; Maris, M.; Martin, P. G.; Martínez-González, E.; Matarrese, S.; Mauri, N.; McEwen, J. D.; Melchiorri, A.; Mennella, A.; Migliaccio, M.; Mitra, S.; Miville-Deschênes, M.-A.; Molinari, D.; Moneti, A.; Montier, L.; Morgante, G.; Moss, A.; Naselsky, P.; Nørgaard-Nielsen, H. U.; Oxborrow, C. A.; Pagano, L.; Paoletti, D.; Partridge, B.; Patrizii, L.; Perdereau, O.; Perotto, L.; Pettorino, V.; Piacentini, F.; Plaszczynski, S.; Polenta, G.; Puget, J.-L.; Rachen, J. P.; Reinecke, M.; Remazeilles, M.; Renzi, A.; Rocha, G.; Rossetti, M.; Roudier, G.; Rubiño-Martín, J. A.; Ruiz-Granados, B.; Salvati, L.; Sandri, M.; Savelainen, M.; Scott, D.; Sirignano, C.; Sirri, G.; Stanco, L.; Suur-Uski, A.-S.; Tauber, J. A.; Tenti, M.; Toffolatti, L.; Tomasi, M.; Tristram, M.; Trombetti, T.; Valiviita, J.; Vansyngel, F.; Van Tent, F.; Vielva, P.; Wandelt, B. D.; Wehus, I. K.; Zacchei, A.; Zonca, A.

2017-03-01

The characterization of the Galactic foregrounds has been shown to be the main obstacle in thechallenging quest to detect primordial B-modes in the polarized microwave sky. We make use of the Planck-HFI 2015 data release at high frequencies to place new constraints on the properties of the polarized thermal dust emission at high Galactic latitudes. Here, we specifically study the spatial variability of the dust polarized spectral energy distribution (SED), and its potential impact on the determination of the tensor-to-scalar ratio, r. We use the correlation ratio of the angular power spectra between the 217 and 353 GHz channels as a tracer of these potential variations, computed on different high Galactic latitude regions, ranging from 80% to 20% of the sky. The new insight from Planck data is a departure of the correlation ratio from unity that cannot be attributed to a spurious decorrelation due to the cosmic microwave background, instrumental noise, or instrumental systematics. The effect is marginally detected on each region, but the statistical combination of all the regions gives more than 99% confidence for this variation in polarized dust properties. In addition, we show that the decorrelation increases when there is a decrease in the mean column density of the region of the sky being considered, and we propose a simple power-law empirical model for this dependence, which matches what is seen in the Planck data. We explore the effect that this measured decorrelation has on simulations of the BICEP2-Keck Array/Planck analysis and show that the 2015 constraints from these data still allow a decorrelation between the dust at 150 and 353 GHz that is compatible with our measured value. Finally, using simplified models, we show that either spatial variation of the dust SED or of the dust polarization angle are able to produce decorrelations between 217 and 353 GHz data similar to the values we observe in the data.

Planck intermediate results: L. Evidence of spatial variation of the polarized thermal dust spectral energy distribution and implications for CMB B-mode analysis

DOE PAGES

Aghanim, N.; Ashdown, M.; Aumont, J.; ...

2017-02-28

The characterization of the Galactic foregrounds has been shown to be the main obstacle in thechallenging quest to detect primordial B-modes in the polarized microwave sky. In this paper, we make use of the Planck-HFI 2015 data release at high frequencies to place new constraints on the properties of the polarized thermal dust emission at high Galactic latitudes. Here, we specifically study the spatial variability of the dust polarized spectral energy distribution (SED), and its potential impact on the determination of the tensor-to-scalar ratio, r. We use the correlation ratio of the C BB ℓ angular power spectra between themore » 217 and 353 GHz channels as a tracer of these potential variations, computed on different high Galactic latitude regions, ranging from 80% to 20% of the sky. The new insight from Planck data is a departure of the correlation ratio from unity that cannot be attributed to a spurious decorrelation due to the cosmic microwave background, instrumental noise, or instrumental systematics. The effect is marginally detected on each region, but the statistical combination of all the regions gives more than 99% confidence for this variation in polarized dust properties. In addition, we show that the decorrelation increases when there is a decrease in the mean column density of the region of the sky being considered, and we propose a simple power-law empirical model for this dependence, which matches what is seen in the Planck data. We explore the effect that this measured decorrelation has on simulations of the BICEP2-Keck Array/Planck analysis and show that the 2015 constraints from these data still allow a decorrelation between the dust at 150 and 353 GHz that is compatible with our measured value. In conclusion, using simplified models, we show that either spatial variation of the dust SED or of the dust polarization angle are able to produce decorrelations between 217 and 353 GHz data similar to the values we observe in the data.« less

Dust density and mass distribution near comet Halley from Giotto observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcdonnell, J. A. M.; Alexander, W. M.; Burton, W. M.; Bussoletti, E.; Clark, D. H.; Grard, J. L.; Gruen, E.; Hanner, M. S.; Sekanina, Z.; Hughes, D. W.

1986-01-01

The density and the mass spectrum of the dust near comet Halley have been measured by the Giotto space probe's dust impact detection system. The dust spectrum obtained at 291,000 km from the comet nucleus show depletion in small and intermediate masses; at about 600 km from the nucleus, however, the dust activity rises and the spectrum is dominated by larger masses. Most of the mass striking Giotto is noted to reside in the few large particles penetrating the dust shield. Momentum balances and energy considerations applied to an observed deceleration suggest that a large mass of the spacecraft was detached by an impact.

Dust Abundance Variations in the Magellanic Clouds: Probing the Life-cycle of Metals with All-sky Surveys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roman-Duval, Julia; Bot, Caroline; Chastenet, Jeremy; Gordon, Karl

2017-06-01

Observations and modeling suggest that dust abundance (gas-to-dust ratio, G/D) depends on (surface) density. Variations of the G/D provide timescale constraints for the different processes involved in the life cycle of metals in galaxies. Recent G/D measurements based on Herschel data suggest a factor of 5-10 decrease in dust abundance between the dense and diffuse interstellar media (ISM) in the Magellanic Clouds. However, the relative nature of the Herschel measurements precludes definitive conclusions as to the magnitude of those variations. We investigate variations of the dust abundance in the LMC and SMC using all-sky far-infrared surveys, which do not suffer from the limitations of Herschel on their zero-point calibration. We stack the dust spectral energy distribution (SED) at 100, 350, 550, and 850 microns from IRAS and Planck in intervals of gas surface density, model the stacked SEDs to derive the dust surface density, and constrain the relation between G/D and gas surface density in the range 10-100 M ⊙ pc-2 on ˜80 pc scales. We find that G/D decreases by factors of 3 (from 1500 to 500) in the LMC and 7 (from 1.5× {10}4 to 2000) in the SMC between the diffuse and dense ISM. The surface-density-dependence of G/D is consistent with elemental depletions, and with simple modeling of the accretion of gas-phase metals onto dust grains. This result has important implications for the sub-grid modeling of galaxy evolution, and for the calibration of dust-based gas-mass estimates, both locally and at high redshift.

Dust dynamics and diagnostic applications in quasi-neutral plasmas and magnetic fusion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zhehui; Ticos, Catalin M.; Si, Jiahe; Delzanno, Gian Luca; Lapenta, Gianni; Wurden, Glen

2007-11-01

Little is known about dust dynamics in highly ionized quasi-neutral plasmas with ca. 1.0 e+20 per cubic meter density and ion temperature at a few eV and above, including in magnetic fusion. For example, dust motion in fusion, better known as UFO's, has been observed since 1980's but not explained. Solid understanding of dust dynamics is also important to International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) because of concerns about safety and dust contamination of fusion core. Compared with well studied strongly-coupled dusty plasma regime, new physics may arise in the higher density quasi-neutral plasma regime because of at least four orders of magnitude higher density and two orders of magnitude hotter ion temperature. Our recent laboratory experiments showed that plasma-flow drag force dominates over other forces in a quasi-neutral flowing plasma. In contrast, delicate balance among different forces in dusty plasma has led to many unique phenomena, in particular, the formation of dust crystal. Based on our experiments, we argue that 1) dust crystal will not form in the highly ionized plasmas with flows; 2) the UFO's are moving dust dragged by plasma flows; 3) dust can be used to measure plasma flow. Two diagnostic applications using dust for laboratory quasi-neutral plasmas and magnetic fusion will also be presented.

Using Ice and Dust Lines to Constrain the Surface Densities of Protoplanetary Disks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Powell, Diana; Murray-Clay, Ruth; Schlichting, Hilke

2018-04-01

The surface density of protoplanetary disks is a fundamental parameter that still remains largely unconstrained due to uncertainties in the dust-to-gas ratio and CO abundance. In this talk I will present a novel method for determining the surface density of protoplanetary disks through consideration of disk “dust lines,” which indicate the observed disk radial scale at different observational wavelengths. I will provide an initial proof of concept of our model through an application to the disk TW Hya where we are able to estimate the disk dust-to-gas ratio, CO abundance, and accretion rate in addition to the total disk surface density. We find that our derived surface density profile and dust-to-gas ratio are consistent with the lower limits found through measurements of HD gas. We further apply our model to a large parameter space of theoretical disks and find three observational diagnostics that may be used to test its validity. Using this method we derive disks that may be much more massive than previously thought, often approaching the limit of gravitational stability.

Cloud Structure of Galactic OB Cluster-forming Regions from Combining Ground- and Space-based Bolometric Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Yuxin; Liu, Hauyu Baobab; Li, Di; Zhang, Zhi-Yu; Ginsburg, Adam; Pineda, Jaime E.; Qian, Lei; Galván-Madrid, Roberto; McLeod, Anna Faye; Rosolowsky, Erik; Dale, James E.; Immer, Katharina; Koch, Eric; Longmore, Steve; Walker, Daniel; Testi, Leonardo

2016-09-01

We have developed an iterative procedure to systematically combine the millimeter and submillimeter images of OB cluster-forming molecular clouds, which were taken by ground-based (CSO, JCMT, APEX, and IRAM-30 m) and space telescopes (Herschel and Planck). For the seven luminous (L\\gt {10}6 L ⊙) Galactic OB cluster-forming molecular clouds selected for our analyses, namely W49A, W43-Main, W43-South, W33, G10.6-0.4, G10.2-0.3, and G10.3-0.1, we have performed single-component, modified blackbody fits to each pixel of the combined (sub)millimeter images, and the Herschel PACS and SPIRE images at shorter wavelengths. The ˜10″ resolution dust column density and temperature maps of these sources revealed dramatically different morphologies, indicating very different modes of OB cluster-formation, or parent molecular cloud structures in different evolutionary stages. The molecular clouds W49A, W33, and G10.6-0.4 show centrally concentrated massive molecular clumps that are connected with approximately radially orientated molecular gas filaments. The W43-Main and W43-South molecular cloud complexes, which are located at the intersection of the Galactic near 3 kpc (or Scutum) arm and the Galactic bar, show a widely scattered distribution of dense molecular clumps/cores over the observed ˜10 pc spatial scale. The relatively evolved sources G10.2-0.3 and G10.3-0.1 appear to be affected by stellar feedback, and show a complicated cloud morphology embedded with abundant dense molecular clumps/cores. We find that with the high angular resolution we achieved, our visual classification of cloud morphology can be linked to the systematically derived statistical quantities (I.e., the enclosed mass profile, the column density probability distribution function (N-PDF), the two-point correlation function of column density, and the probability distribution function of clump/core separations). In particular, the massive molecular gas clumps located at the center of G10.6-0.4 and W49A, which contribute to a considerable fraction of their overall cloud masses, may be special OB cluster-forming environments as a direct consequence of global cloud collapse. These centralized massive molecular gas clumps also uniquely occupy much higher column densities than what is determined by the overall fit of power-law N-PDF. We have made efforts to archive the derived statistical quantities of individual target sources, to permit comparisons with theoretical frameworks, numerical simulations, and other observations in the future.

Luminous, pc-scale CO 6-5 emission in the obscured nucleus of NGC 1377

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aalto, S.; Muller, S.; Costagliola, F.; Sakamoto, K.; Gallagher, J. S.; Falstad, N.; König, S.; Dasyra, K.; Wada, K.; Combes, F.; García-Burillo, S.; Kristensen, L. E.; Martín, S.; van der Werf, P.; Evans, A. S.; Kotilainen, J.

2017-12-01

High-resolution submillimeter line and continuum observations are important in probing the morphology, column density, and dynamics of the molecular gas and dust around obscured active galactic nuclei (AGNs). With high-resolution (0.̋06 × 0.̋05 (6 × 5 pc)) ALMA 690 GHz observations we have found bright (TB > 80 K) and compact (full width half maximum size (FWHM) size of 10 × 7 pc) CO 6-5 line emission in the nuclear region of the extremely radio-quiet galaxy NGC 1377. The CO 6-5 intensity is partially aligned with the previously discovered jet/outflow of NGC 1377 and is tracing dense (n > 104cm-3) hot molecular gas at the base of the outflow. The velocity structure is complex and shifts across the jet/outflow are discussed in terms of separate overlapping kinematical components or rotation. High-velocity gas (Δv ± 145km s-1) is detected inside r < 2-3 pc and we suggest that it is emerging from an inclined rotating disk or torus of position angle PA = 140° ± 20° with a dynamical mass of 3 × 106M⊙. This mass is consistent with that of a supermassive black hole (SMBH), as inferred from the M-σ relation. The gas mass of the proposed disk/torus constitutes <3% of the dynamical mass inside a radius of 3 pc. In contrast to the intense CO 6-5 line emission, we do not detect 690 GHz dust continuum in the nuclear region of NGC 1377. The upper limit of S(690 GHz) ≲ 2 mJy implies an H2 column density N(H2) < 3 × 1023cm-2 (averaged in the central 6 × 5 pc beam). This is inconsistent with a Compton thick (CT) source and we discuss the possibility that CT obscuration may instead be occurring on smaller subparsec scales or in a larger foreground structure. From SED fitting we suggest that half of the IR emission of NGC 1377 is nuclear and the rest, mostly the far-infrared (FIR), is emerging from larger scales. The extreme radio quietness, and the lack of emission from other star formation tracers, raise questions on the origin of the FIR emission. We discuss the possibility that it arises from AGN-heated dust along the minor axis. The reduced datacube is only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/608/A22

Size and density sorting of dust grains in SPH simulations of protoplanetary discs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pignatale, F. C.; Gonzalez, J.-F.; Cuello, Nicolas; Bourdon, Bernard; Fitoussi, Caroline

2017-07-01

The size and density of dust grains determine their response to gas drag in protoplanetary discs. Aerodynamical (size × density) sorting is one of the proposed mechanisms to explain the grain properties and chemical fractionation of chondrites. However, the efficiency of aerodynamical sorting and the location in the disc in which it could occur are still unknown. Although the effects of grain sizes and growth in discs have been widely studied, a simultaneous analysis including dust composition is missing. In this work, we present the dynamical evolution and growth of multicomponent dust in a protoplanetary disc using a 3D, two-fluid (gas+dust) smoothed particle hydrodynamics code. We find that the dust vertical settling is characterized by two phases: a density-driven phase that leads to a vertical chemical sorting of dust and a size-driven phase that enhances the amount of lighter material in the mid-plane. We also see an efficient radial chemical sorting of the dust at large scales. We find that dust particles are aerodynamically sorted in the inner disc. The disc becomes sub-solar in its Fe/Si ratio on the surface since the early stage of evolution but sub-solar Fe/Si can be also found in the outer disc-mid-plane at late stages. Aggregates in the disc mimic the physical and chemical properties of chondrites, suggesting that aerodynamical sorting played an important role in determining their final structure.

Dust deposition and removal at the MER landing sites from observations of the Panoramic Camera (Pancam) calibration targets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kinch, K. M.; Bell, J. F.; Madsen, M. B.

2012-12-01

The Panoramic Cameras (Pancams) [1] on NASA's Mars Exploration Rovers have each returned in excess of 17000 images of their external calibration targets (caltargets), a set of optically well-characterized patches of materials with differing reflectance properties. During the mission dust deposition on the caltargets changed their optical reflectance properties [2]. The thickness of dust on the caltargets can be derived with high confidence from the contrast between brighter and darker colored patches. The dustier the caltarget the less contrast. We present a new history of dust deposition and removal at the two MER landing sites. Our data reveals two quite distinct dust environments. At the Spirit landing site half the Martian year is dominated by dust deposition, the other half by dust removal that usually happens during brief sharp wind events. At the Opportunity landing site the Martian year has a four-season cycle of deposition-removal-deposition-removal with dust removal happening gradually throughout the two removal seasons. Comparison to atmospheric optical depth measurements [3] shows that dust removals happen during dusty high-wind periods and that dust deposition rates are roughly proportional to the atmospheric dust load. We compare with dust deposition studies from other Mars landers and also present some early results from observation of dust on a similar camera calibration target on the Mars Science Laboratory mission. References: 1. Bell, J.F., III, et al., Mars Exploration Rover Athena Panoramic Camera (Pancam) investigation. J. Geophys. Res., 2003. 108(E12): p. 8063. 2. Kinch, K.M., et al., Dust Deposition on the Mars Exploration Rover Panoramic Camera (Pancam) Calibration Targets. J. Geophys. Res., 2007. 112(E06S03): p. doi:10.1029/2006JE002807. 3. Lemmon, M., et al., Atmospheric Imaging Results from the Mars Exploration Rovers: Spirit and Opportunity. Science, 2004. 306: p. 1753-1756. Deposited dust optical depth on the Pancam caltargets as a function of time. The lower x-axes show sol number, the upper x-axes shows the areocentric longitude of the sun, Ls. Data shown are from caltarget observations with solar incidence angle i < 45°. Left column is Spirit. Right column is Opportunity. Top row shows our derived deposited optical depth in the L5 (535 nm) filter. Bottom row shows the atmospheric optical depth in the L8 (440 nm) filter as reported by the MER atmospheric team [3].

Dust Devils Seen Streaking Across Mars: PART II--They're the Work of the Devil!

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

[figure removed for brevity, see original site]

[figure removed for brevity, see original site]

In December 1999, the MOC team finally had an answer! A dust devil, shown in the above left figure, was caught in the act of creating a swirly, dark streak! An eerie sensation washed over the first team members who saw this picture--here was an event on Mars 'caught in the act' just hours before the picture was played back to Earth. A 'smoking gun.'

The first dust devil seen making a streak--located in Promethei Terra (above, left)--was traveling from right (east) to left (west). A columnar shadow was cast by sunlight coming from the upper left. This shadow indicates the true shape of the dust devil. The bright dust devil itself does not look like a column because the picture was taken from a camera looking straight down on it. The dust devil is less than 100 meters (less than 100 yards) wide and the picture covers an area approximately 1.5 by 1.7 kilometers (about 1 by 1 mile).

Dust devils are spinning, columnar vortices of wind that move across the landscape, pick up dust, and look somewhat like miniature tornadoes. Dust devils are a common occurrence in dry and desert landscapes on Earth as well as Mars. They form when the ground heats up during the day, warming the air immediately above the surface. As the warmed air nearest the surface begins to rise, it spins. The spinning column begins to move across the surface and picks up loose dust (if any is present). The dust makes the vortex visible and gives it the 'dust devil' or tornado-like appearance. On Earth, dust devils typically last for only a few minutes.

The fourth picture (above, right) shows a surface in southwestern Terra Sirenum near 63oS, 168oW, that has seen the activity of so many dust devils that it looks like a plate of dark gray spaghetti. This image, taken in early summer during February 2000, covers an area 3 km wide and 30 km long (1.9 by 19 miles). In fact, a dust devil can be seen in the upper right of this image. Like the other pictures shown here, the Terra Sirenum image is illuminated by sunlight from the upper left.

Coronagraphic Observations of the Lunar Sodium Exosphere Near the Lunar Surface

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Potter, A. E.; Morgan, T. H.

1998-01-01

The sodium exosphere of the Moon was observed using a solar coronagraph to occult the illuminated surface of the Moon. Exceptionally dust-free atmospheric conditions were required to allow the faint emission from sunlight scattered by lunar sodium atoms to be distinguished from moonlight scattered from atmospheric dust. At 0300 UT on April 22, 1994, ideal conditions prevailed for a few hours, and one excellent image of the sodium exosphere was measured, with the Moon at a phase angle of 51 deg, 81 % illuminated. Analysis of the image data showed that the weighted mean temperature of the exosphere was 1280 K and that the sodium column density varied approximately as cosine-cubed of the latitude. A cosine-cubed variation is an unexpected result, since the flux per unit area of solar photons and solar particles varies as the cosine of latitude. It is suggested that this can be explained by a temperature dependence for the sputtering of sodium atoms from the surface. This is a characteristic feature of chemical sputtering, which has been previously proposed to explain the sodium exosphere of Mercury. A possible interaction between chemical sputtering and solar photons is suggested.

The Relationship Between N(Htotal) and E(B-V) at High Galactic Latitude

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doppel, Jessica Erin; Magnani, Loris A.

2017-06-01

We studied the gas-to-dust ratio at high Galactic latitudes (|b| ≥ 20° and 30°). The gas content was measured by the column density of atomic hydrogen from the Leiden/Argentine/Bonn survey and the dust by E(B-V) from the Schlafly et al. (2014) compilation. We do not see significant variation as a function of galactic quadrant or hemisphere. Our results are similar to other studies that used different techniques for deriving N(HI), N(H2), or E(B-V). Like Liszt (2013), we see a higher slope [N(HI)/E(B-V)] if we choose only those points with E(B-V) ≤ 0.1 mag. We also see the break in slope he noted at 0.08 mag. We examined lines of sight that coincided with the Georgia/Harvard Smithsonian CfA high-latitude CO(1-0) surveys. Although at |b| ≥ 30° there were only about 200 CO detections, those points lie systematically below our best fit lines to the data. We can convert the CO line intensities to N(H2) and determine a global CO-H2 conversion factor for the high latitude sky.

Influence of dust particles on the neon spectral line intensities at the uniform positive column of dc discharge at the space apparatus “Plasma Kristall-4”

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Usachev, A. D.; Zobnin, A. V.; Shonenkov, A. V.; Lipaev, A. M.; Molotkov, V. I.; Petrov, O. F.; Fortov, V. E.; Pustyl'nik, M. Y.; Fink, M. A.; Thoma, M. A.; Thomas, H. M.; Padalka, G. I.

2018-01-01

Influence of the elongated dust cloud on the intensities of different neon spectral lines in visible and near ir spectral ranges in the uniform positive column has been experimentally investigated using the Russian-European space apparatus “Plasma Kristall-4” (SA PK-4) on board of the International Space Station (ISS). The investigation was performed in the low pressure (0.5 mbar) direct current (dc, 1 mA) gas discharge in neon. Microgravity allowed us to perform experiments with a large dust cloud in the steady-state regime. To avoid the dust cloud drift in the dc electric field a switching dc polarity discharge mode has been applied. During the experiment a dust cloud of 9 mm in diameter in the discharge tube of 30 mm in diameter with the length of about 100 mm has been observed in the steady-state regime. In this regard, the intensities of neon spectral lines corresponding to 3p → 3s electronic transitions have increased by a factor of 1.4 times, while the intensities of neon spectral lines corresponding to 3d → 3p electronic transitions have increased by a factor of 1.6 times. The observed phenomenon is explained on the basis of the Schottky approach by a self-consistent rising dc electric field in the dusty plasma cloud resulting in an increase of the electron temperature.

Lunar dust simulant charging and transport under UV irradiation in vacuum: Experiments and numerical modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Champlain, A.; Matéo-Vélez, J.-C.; Roussel, J.-F.; Hess, S.; Sarrailh, P.; Murat, G.; Chardon, J.-P.; Gajan, A.

2016-01-01

Recent high-altitude observations, made by the Lunar Dust Experiment (LDEX) experiment on board LADEE orbiting the Moon, indicate that high-altitude (>10 km) dust particle densities are well correlated with interplanetary dust impacts. They show no evidence of high dust density suggested by Apollo 15 and 17 observations and possibly explained by electrostatic forces imposed by the plasma environment and photon irradiation. This paper deals with near-surface conditions below the domain of observation of LDEX where electrostatic forces could clearly be at play. The upper and lower limits of the cohesive force between dusts are obtained by comparing experiments and numerical simulations of dust charging under ultraviolet irradiation in the presence of an electric field and mechanical vibrations. It is suggested that dust ejection by electrostatic forces is made possible by microscopic-scale amplifications due to soil irregularities. At low altitude, this process may be complementary to interplanetary dust impacts.

CATASTROPHIC DISRUPTION OF COMET ISON

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Keane, Jacqueline V.; Kleyna, Jan T.; Riesen, Timm-Emmanuel

2016-11-10

We report submillimeter 450 and 850 μ m dust continuum observations for comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) obtained at heliocentric distances 0.31–0.08 au prior to perihelion on 2013 November 28 ( r {sub h} = 0.0125 au). These observations reveal a rapidly varying dust environment in which the dust emission was initially point-like. As ISON approached perihelion, the continuum emission became an elongated dust column spread out over as much as 60″ (>10{sup 5} km) in the anti-solar direction. Deconvolution of the November 28.04 850 μ m image reveals numerous distinct clumps consistent with the catastrophic disruption of comet ISON, producingmore » ∼5.2 × 10{sup 10} kg of submillimeter-sized dust. Orbital computations suggest that the SCUBA-2 emission peak coincides with the comet's residual nucleus.« less

Modelling massive star feedback with Monte Carlo radiation hydrodynamics: photoionization and radiation pressure in a turbulent cloud

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ali, Ahmad; Harries, Tim J.; Douglas, Thomas A.

2018-07-01

We simulate a self-gravitating, turbulent cloud of 1000 M⊙ with photoionization and radiation pressure feedback from a 34 M⊙ star. We use a detailed Monte Carlo radiative transfer scheme alongside the hydrodynamics to compute photoionization and thermal equilibrium with dust grains and multiple atomic species. Using these gas temperatures, dust temperatures, and ionization fractions, we produce self-consistent synthetic observations of line and continuum emission. We find that all material is dispersed from the (15.5 pc)3 grid within 1.6 Myr or 0.74 free-fall times. Mass exits with a peak flux of 2 × 10-3 M⊙ yr-1, showing efficient gas dispersal. The model without radiation pressure has a slight delay in the breakthrough of ionization, but overall its effects are negligible. 85 per cent of the volume, and 40 per cent of the mass, become ionized - dense filaments resist ionization and are swept up into spherical cores with pillars that point radially away from the ionizing star. We use free-free emission at 20 cm to estimate the production rate of ionizing photons. This is almost always underestimated: by a factor of a few at early stages, then by orders of magnitude as mass leaves the volume. We also test the ratio of dust continuum surface brightnesses at 450 and 850 µm to probe dust temperatures. This underestimates the actual temperature by more than a factor of 2 in areas of low column density or high line-of-sight temperature dispersion; the H II region cavity is particularly prone to this discrepancy. However, the probe is accurate in dense locations such as filaments.

QUANTIFYING THE INTERSTELLAR MEDIUM AND COSMIC RAYS IN THE MBM 53, 54, AND 55 MOLECULAR CLOUDS AND THE PEGASUS LOOP USING FERMI -LAT GAMMA-RAY OBSERVATIONS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mizuno, T.; Abdollahi, S.; Fukui, Y.

A study of the interstellar medium (ISM) and cosmic rays (CRs) using Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) data, in a region encompassing the nearby molecular clouds MBM 53, 54, and 55 and a farinfrared loop-like structure in Pegasus, is reported. By comparing Planck dust thermal emission model with Fermi -LAT γ-ray data, it was found that neither the dust radiance (R) nor the dust opacity at 353 GHz (τ353) were proportional to the total gas column density N(Htot) primarily because N(Htot)/R and N(Htot)/τ353 depend on the dust temperature (Td). The N(Htot) distribution was evaluated using γ-ray data by assuming themore » regions of high Td to be dominated by optically thin atomic hydrogen (HI) and by employing an empirical linear relation of N(Htot)/R to Td. It was determined that the mass of the gas not traced by the 21-cm or 2.6-mm surveys is ~25% of the mass of HI in the optically thin case and is larger than the mass of the molecular gas traced by carbon monoxide by a factor of up to 5. The measured γ-ray emissivity spectrum is consistent with a model based on CR spectra measured at the Earth and the nuclear enhancement factor of ≤1.5. It is, however, lower than local HI emissivities reported by previous Fermi -LAT studies employing different analysis methods and assumptions on ISM properties by 15%–20% in energies below a few GeV, even if we take account of the statistical and systematic uncertainties. The origin of the discrepancy is also discussed.« less

Modelling massive-star feedback with Monte Carlo radiation hydrodynamics: photoionization and radiation pressure in a turbulent cloud

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ali, Ahmad; Harries, Tim J.; Douglas, Thomas A.

2018-04-01

We simulate a self-gravitating, turbulent cloud of 1000M⊙ with photoionization and radiation pressure feedback from a 34M⊙ star. We use a detailed Monte Carlo radiative transfer scheme alongside the hydrodynamics to compute photoionization and thermal equilibrium with dust grains and multiple atomic species. Using these gas temperatures, dust temperatures, and ionization fractions, we produce self-consistent synthetic observations of line and continuum emission. We find that all material is dispersed from the (15.5pc)3 grid within 1.6Myr or 0.74 free-fall times. Mass exits with a peak flux of 2× 10-3M⊙yr-1, showing efficient gas dispersal. The model without radiation pressure has a slight delay in the breakthrough of ionization, but overall its effects are negligible. 85 per cent of the volume, and 40 per cent of the mass, become ionized - dense filaments resist ionization and are swept up into spherical cores with pillars that point radially away from the ionizing star. We use free-free emission at 20cm to estimate the production rate of ionizing photons. This is almost always underestimated: by a factor of a few at early stages, then by orders of magnitude as mass leaves the volume. We also test the ratio of dust continuum surface brightnesses at 450 and 850μ to probe dust temperatures. This underestimates the actual temperature by more than a factor of 2 in areas of low column density or high line-of-sight temperature dispersion; the HII region cavity is particularly prone to this discrepancy. However, the probe is accurate in dense locations such as filaments.

Water vapor distribution in protoplanetary disks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Du, Fujun; Bergin, Edwin A., E-mail: fdu@umich.edu

Water vapor has been detected in protoplanetary disks. In this work, we model the distribution of water vapor in protoplanetary disks with a thermo-chemical code. For a set of parameterized disk models, we calculate the distribution of dust temperature and radiation field of the disk with a Monte Carlo method, and then solve the gas temperature distribution and chemical composition. The radiative transfer includes detailed treatment of scattering by atomic hydrogen and absorption by water of Lyα photons, since the Lyα line dominates the UV spectrum of accreting young stars. In a fiducial model, we find that warm water vapormore » with temperature around 300 K is mainly distributed in a small and well-confined region in the inner disk. The inner boundary of the warm water region is where the shielding of UV field due to dust and water itself become significant. The outer boundary is where the dust temperature drops below the water condensation temperature. A more luminous central star leads to a more extended distribution of warm water vapor, while dust growth and settling tends to reduce the amount of warm water vapor. Based on typical assumptions regarding the elemental oxygen abundance and the water chemistry, the column density of warm water vapor can be as high as 10{sup 22} cm{sup –2}. A small amount of hot water vapor with temperature higher than ∼300 K exists in a more extended region in the upper atmosphere of the disk. Cold water vapor with temperature lower than 100 K is distributed over the entire disk, produced by photodesorption of the water ice.« less

QUANTIFYING THE INTERSTELLAR MEDIUM AND COSMIC RAYS IN THE MBM 53, 54, AND 55 MOLECULAR CLOUDS AND THE PEGASUS LOOP USING FERMI -LAT GAMMA-RAY OBSERVATIONS

DOE PAGES

Mizuno, T.; Abdollahi, S.; Fukui, Y.; ...

2016-12-20

A study of the interstellar medium (ISM) and cosmic rays (CRs) using Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) data, in a region encompassing the nearby molecular clouds MBM 53, 54, and 55 and a farinfrared loop-like structure in Pegasus, is reported. By comparing Planck dust thermal emission model with Fermi -LAT γ-ray data, it was found that neither the dust radiance (R) nor the dust opacity at 353 GHz (τ353) were proportional to the total gas column density N(Htot) primarily because N(Htot)/R and N(Htot)/τ353 depend on the dust temperature (Td). The N(Htot) distribution was evaluated using γ-ray data by assuming themore » regions of high Td to be dominated by optically thin atomic hydrogen (HI) and by employing an empirical linear relation of N(Htot)/R to Td. It was determined that the mass of the gas not traced by the 21-cm or 2.6-mm surveys is ~25% of the mass of HI in the optically thin case and is larger than the mass of the molecular gas traced by carbon monoxide by a factor of up to 5. The measured γ-ray emissivity spectrum is consistent with a model based on CR spectra measured at the Earth and the nuclear enhancement factor of ≤1.5. It is, however, lower than local HI emissivities reported by previous Fermi -LAT studies employing different analysis methods and assumptions on ISM properties by 15%–20% in energies below a few GeV, even if we take account of the statistical and systematic uncertainties. The origin of the discrepancy is also discussed.« less

Utilization of O4 slant column density to derive aerosol layer height from a spaceborne UV-visible hyperspectral sensor: sensitivity and case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, S. S.; Kim, J.; Lee, H.; Torres, O.; Lee, K.-M.; Lee, S. D.

2015-03-01

The sensitivities of oxygen-dimer (O4) slant column densities (SCDs) to changes in aerosol layer height are investigated using simulated radiances by a radiative transfer model, Linearized Discrete Ordinate Radiative Transfer (LIDORT), and Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (DOAS) technique. The sensitivities of the O4 SCDs to aerosol types and optical properties are also evaluated and compared. Among the O4 absorption bands at 340, 360, 380, and 477 nm, the O4 absorption band at 477 nm is found to be the most suitable to retrieve the aerosol effective height. However, the O4 SCD at 477 nm is significantly influenced not only by the aerosol layer effective height but also by aerosol vertical profiles, optical properties including single scattering albedo (SSA), aerosol optical depth (AOD), and surface albedo. Overall, the error of the retrieved aerosol effective height is estimated to be 414 m (16.5%), 564 m (22.4%), and 1343 m (52.5%) for absorbing, dust, and non-absorbing aerosol, respectively, assuming knowledge on the aerosol vertical distribution type. Using radiance data from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI), a new algorithm is developed to derive the aerosol effective height over East Asia after the determination of the aerosol type and AOD from the MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). The retrieved aerosol effective heights are lower by approximately 300 m (27 %) compared to those obtained from the ground-based LIDAR measurements.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Higuchi, Aya E.; Sakai, Nami; Sato, Aki

We have detected [C i] {sup 3} P {sub 1}–{sup 3} P {sub 0} emissions in the gaseous debris disks of 49 Ceti and β Pictoris with the 10 m telescope of the Atacama Submillimeter Telescope Experiment, which is the first detection of such emissions. The line profiles of [C i] are found to resemble those of CO( J = 3–2) observed with the same telescope and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array. This result suggests that atomic carbon (C) coexists with CO in the debris disks and is likely formed by the photodissociation of CO. Assuming an optically thin [Cmore » i] emission with the excitation temperature ranging from 30 to 100 K, the column density of C is evaluated to be (2.2 ± 0.2) × 10{sup 17} and (2.5 ± 0.7) × 10{sup 16} cm{sup −2} for 49 Ceti and β Pictoris, respectively. The C/CO column density ratio is thus derived to be 54 ± 19 and 69 ± 42 for 49 Ceti and β Pictoris, respectively. These ratios are higher than those of molecular clouds and diffuse clouds by an order of magnitude. The unusually high ratios of C to CO are likely attributed to a lack of H{sub 2} molecules needed to reproduce CO molecules efficiently from C. This result implies a small number of H{sub 2} molecules in the gas disk, i.e., there is an appreciable contribution of secondary gas from dust grains.« less

Star-forming Galaxies as AGN Imposters? A Theoretical Investigation of the Mid-infrared Colors of AGNs and Extreme Starbursts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Satyapal, Shobita; Abel, Nicholas P.; Secrest, Nathan J.

2018-05-01

We conduct for the first time a theoretical investigation of the mid-infrared spectral energy distribution (SED) produced by dust heated by an active galactic nucleus (AGN) and an extreme starburst. These models employ an integrated modeling approach using photoionization and stellar population synthesis models in which both the line and emergent continuum is predicted from gas exposed to the ionizing radiation from a young starburst and an AGN. In this work, we focus on the infrared colors from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, predicting the dependence of the colors on the input radiation field, the interstellar medium conditions, the obscuring column, and the metallicity. We find that an extreme starburst can mimic an AGN in two band mid-infrared color cuts employed in the literature. However, the three-band color cuts employed in the literature require starbursts with extremely high ionization parameters or gas densities. We show that the extreme mid-infrared colors seen in some blue compact dwarf galaxies are not due to metallicity but rather a combination of high ionization parameters and high column densities. Based on our theoretical calculations, we present a theoretical mid-infrared color cut that will exclude even the most extreme starburst that we have modeled in this work. The theoretical AGN demarcation region presented here can be used to identify elusive AGN candidates for future follow-up studies with the James Webb Space Telescope. The full suite of simulated SEDs are available online.

GREEN PEA GALAXIES REVEAL SECRETS OF Lyα ESCAPE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yang, Huan; Wang, Junxian; Malhotra, Sangeeta

2016-04-01

We analyze archival Lyα spectra of 12 “Green Pea” galaxies observed with the Hubble Space Telescope, model their Lyα profiles with radiative transfer models, and explore the dependence of the Lyα escape fraction on various properties. Green Pea galaxies are nearby compact starburst galaxies with [O iii] λ5007 equivalent widths (EWs) of hundreds of Å. All 12 Green Pea galaxies in our sample show Lyα lines in emission, with an Lyα EW distribution similar to high-redshift Lyα emitters. Combining the optical and UV spectra of Green Pea galaxies, we estimate their Lyα escape fractions and find correlations between Lyα escape fractionmore » and kinematic features of Lyα profiles. The escape fraction of Lyα in these galaxies ranges from 1.4% to 67%. We also find that the Lyα escape fraction depends strongly on metallicity and moderately on dust extinction. We compare their high-quality Lyα profiles with single H i shell radiative transfer models and find that the Lyα escape fraction anticorrelates with the derived H i column densities. Single-shell models fit most Lyα profiles well, but not the ones with the highest escape fractions of Lyα. Our results suggest that low H i column density and low metallicity are essential for Lyα escape and make a galaxy an Lyα emitter.« less

Sh2-138: physical environment around a small cluster of massive stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baug, T.; Ojha, D. K.; Dewangan, L. K.; Ninan, J. P.; Bhatt, B. C.; Ghosh, S. K.; Mallick, K. K.

2015-12-01

We present a multiwavelength study of the Sh2-138, a Galactic compact H II region. The data comprise of optical and near-infrared (NIR) photometric and spectroscopic observations from the 2-m Himalayan Chandra Telescope, radio observations from the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT), and archival data covering radio through NIR wavelengths. A total of 10 Class I and 54 Class II young stellar objects (YSOs) are identified in a 4.6 arcmin×4.6 arcmin area of the Sh2-138 region. Five compact ionized clumps, with four lacking of any optical or NIR counterparts, are identified using the 1280 MHz radio map, and correspond to sources with spectral type earlier than B0.5. Free-free emission spectral energy distribution fitting of the central compact H II region yields an electron density of ˜2250 ± 400 cm-3. With the aid of a wide range of spectra, from 0.5-15 μm, the central brightest source - previously hypothesized to be the main ionizing source - is characterized as a Herbig Be type star. At large scale (15 arcmin ×15 arcmin), the Herschel images (70-500 μm) and the nearest neighbour analysis of YSOs suggest the formation of an isolated cluster at the junction of filaments. Furthermore, using a greybody fit to the dust spectrum, the cluster is found to be associated with the highest column density (˜3 × 1022 cm-2) and high temperature (˜35 K) regime, as well as with the radio continuum emission. The mass of the central clump seen in the column density map is estimated to be ˜3770 M⊙.

Interplanetary dust. [survey of last four years' research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brownlee, D. E.

1979-01-01

Progress in the study of interplanetary dust during the past four years is reviewed. Attention is given to determinations of the relative contributions of interstellar dust grains, collisional debris from the asteroid belt and short-period comets to the interplanetary dust cloud. Effects of radiation pressure and collisions on particle dynamics are discussed, noting the discovery of the variation of the orbital parameters of dust particles at 1 AU with size and in situ measurements of dust density between 0.3 and 5 AU by the Helios and Pioneer spacecraft. The interpretation of the zodiacal light as produced by porous absorbing particles 10 to 100 microns in size is noted, and measurements of the Doppler shift, light-producing-particle density, UV spectrum, photometric axis and angular scattering function of the zodiacal light are reported. Results of analyses of lunar rock microcraters as to micrometeoroid density, flux rate, size distribution and composition are indicated and interplanetary dust particles collected from the stratosphere are discussed. Findings concerning the composition of fragile meteoroid types found as cosmic spherules in deep sea sediments are also presented.

MODELING GALACTIC EXTINCTION WITH DUST AND 'REAL' POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mulas, Giacomo; Casu, Silvia; Cecchi-Pestellini, Cesare

We investigate the remarkable apparent variety of galactic extinction curves by modeling extinction profiles with core-mantle grains and a collection of single polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Our aim is to translate a synthetic description of dust into physically well-grounded building blocks through the analysis of a statistically relevant sample of different extinction curves. All different flavors of observed extinction curves, ranging from the average galactic extinction curve to virtually 'bumpless' profiles, can be described by the present model. We prove that a mixture of a relatively small number (54 species in 4 charge states each) of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons can reproducemore » the features of the extinction curve in the ultraviolet, dismissing an old objection to the contribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons to the interstellar extinction curve. Despite the large number of free parameters (at most the 54 Multiplication-Sign 4 column densities of each species in each ionization state included in the molecular ensemble plus the 9 parameters defining the physical properties of classical particles), we can strongly constrain some physically relevant properties such as the total number of C atoms in all species and the mean charge of the mixture. Such properties are found to be largely independent of the adopted dust model whose variation provides effects that are orthogonal to those brought about by the molecular component. Finally, the fitting procedure, together with some physical sense, suggests (but does not require) the presence of an additional component of chemically different very small carbonaceous grains.« less

Deep Submillimeter and Radio Observations in the SSA22 Field. I. Powering Sources and the Lyα Escape Fraction of Lyα Blobs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ao, Y.; Matsuda, Y.; Henkel, C.; Iono, D.; Alexander, D. M.; Chapman, S. C.; Geach, J.; Hatsukade, B.; Hayes, M.; Hine, N. K.; Kato, Y.; Kawabe, R.; Kohno, K.; Kubo, M.; Lehnert, M.; Malkan, M.; Menten, K. M.; Nagao, T.; Norris, R. P.; Ouchi, M.; Saito, T.; Tamura, Y.; Taniguchi, Y.; Umehata, H.; Weiss, A.

2017-12-01

We study the heating mechanisms and Lyα escape fractions of 35 Lyα blobs (LABs) at z ≈ 3.1 in the SSA22 field. Dust continuum sources have been identified in 11 of the 35 LABs, all with star formation rates (SFRs) above 100 M ⊙ yr-1. Likely radio counterparts are detected in 9 out of 29 investigated LABs. The detection of submillimeter dust emission is more linked to the physical size of the Lyα emission than to the Lyα luminosities of the LABs. A radio excess in the submillimeter/radio-detected LABs is common, hinting at the presence of active galactic nuclei. Most radio sources without X-ray counterparts are located at the centers of the LABs. However, all X-ray counterparts avoid the central regions. This may be explained by absorption due to exceptionally large column densities along the line-of-sight or by LAB morphologies, which are highly orientation dependent. The median Lyα escape fraction is about 3% among the submillimeter-detected LABs, which is lower than a lower limit of 11% for the submillimeter-undetected LABs. We suspect that the large difference is due to the high dust attenuation supported by the large SFRs, the dense large-scale environment as well as large uncertainties in the extinction corrections required to apply when interpreting optical data.

Summary of the results from the Lunar Dust Experiment (LDEX) onboard the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment (LADEE) Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horanyi, Mihaly

2016-07-01

The Lunar Dust Experiment (LDEX) onboard the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) mission (9/2013 - 4/2014) discovered a permanently present dust cloud engulfing the Moon. The size, velocity, and density distributions of the dust particles are consistent with ejecta clouds generated from the continual bombardment of the lunar surface by sporadic interplanetary dust particles. Intermittent density enhancements were observed during several of the annual meteoroid streams, especially during the Geminids. LDEX found no evidence of the expected density enhancements over the terminators where electrostatic processes were predicted to efficiently loft small grains. LDEX is an impact ionization dust detector, it captures coincident signals and full waveforms to reliably identify dust impacts. LDEX recorded average impact rates of approximately 1 and 0.1 hits/minute of particles with impact charges of q > 0.5 and q > 5 fC, corresponding to particles with radii of a > 0.3 and a> 0.7~μm, respectively. Several of the yearly meteor showers generated sustained elevated levels of impact rates, especially if their radiant direction intersected the lunar surface near the equatorial plane, greatly enhancing the probability of crossing their ejecta plumes. The characteristic velocities of dust particles in the cloud are on the order of ~100 m/s which we neglect compared to the typical spacecraft speeds of 1.6 km/s. Hence, with the knowledge of the spacecraft orbit and attitude, impact rates can be directly turned into particle densities as functions of time and position. LDEX observations are the first to identify the ejecta clouds around the Moon sustained by the continual bombardment of interplanetary dust particles. Most of the dust particles generated in impacts have insufficient energy to escape and follow ballistic orbits, returning to the surface, 'gardening' the regolith. Similar ejecta clouds are expected to engulf all airless planetary objects, including the Moon, Mercury, and the moons of Mars: Phobos and Deimos.

X-ray radiative transfer in protoplanetary disks. The role of dust and X-ray background fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rab, Ch.; Güdel, M.; Woitke, P.; Kamp, I.; Thi, W.-F.; Min, M.; Aresu, G.; Meijerink, R.

2018-01-01

Context. The X-ray luminosities of T Tauri stars are about two to four orders of magnitude higher than the luminosity of the contemporary Sun. As these stars are born in clusters, their disks are not only irradiated by their parent star but also by an X-ray background field produced by the cluster members. Aims: We aim to quantify the impact of X-ray background fields produced by young embedded clusters on the chemical structure of disks. Further, we want to investigate the importance of the dust for X-ray radiative transfer in disks. Methods: We present a new X-ray radiative transfer module for the radiation thermo-chemical disk code PRODIMO (PROtoplanetary DIsk MOdel), which includes X-ray scattering and absorption by both the gas and dust component. The X-ray dust opacities can be calculated for various dust compositions and dust-size distributions. For the X-ray radiative transfer we consider irradiation by the star and by X-ray background fields. To study the impact of X-rays on the chemical structure of disks we use the well established disk ionization tracers N2H+ and HCO+. Results: For evolved dust populations (e.g. grain growth), X-ray opacities are mostly dominated by the gas; only for photon energies E ≳ 5-10 keV do dust opacities become relevant. Consequently the local disk X-ray radiation field is only affected in dense regions close to the disk midplane. X-ray background fields can dominate the local X-ray disk ionization rate for disk radii r ≳ 20 au. However, the N2H+ and HCO+ column densities are only significantly affected in cases of low cosmic-ray ionization rates (≲10-19 s-1), or if the background flux is at least a factor of ten higher than the flux level of ≈10-5 erg cm-2 s-1 expected for clusters typical for the solar vicinity. Conclusions: Observable signatures of X-ray background fields in low-mass star-formation regions, like Taurus, are only expected for cluster members experiencing a strong X-ray background field (e.g. due to their location within the cluster). For the majority of the cluster members, the X-ray background field has relatively little impact on the disk chemical structure.

Impact-generated dust clouds around planetary satellites: asymmetry effects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sremčević, Miodrag; Krivov, Alexander V.; Spahn, Frank

2003-06-01

In a companion paper (Krivov et al., Impact-generated dust clouds around planetary satellites: spherically symmetric case, Planet. Space. Sci. 2003, 51, 251-269) an analytic model of an impact-generated, steady-state, spherically symmetric dust cloud around an atmosphereless planetary satellite (or planet - Mercury, Pluto) has been developed. This paper lifts the assumption of spherical symmetry and focuses on the asymmetry effects that result from the motion of the parent body through an isotropic field of impactors. As in the spherically symmetric case, we first consider the dust production from the surface and then derive a general phase-space distribution function of the ensemble of ejected dust motes. All quantities of interest, such as particle number densities and fluxes, can be obtained by integrating this phase-space distribution function. As an example, we calculate an asymmetric distribution of dust number density in a cloud. It is found that the deviation from the symmetric case can be accurately described by a cosine function of the colatitude measured from the apex of the satellite motion. This property of the asymmetry is rather robust. It is shown that even an extremely asymmetric dust production at the surface, when nearly all dust is ejected from the leading hemisphere, turns rapidly into the cosine modulation of the number density at distances larger than a few satellite radii. The amplitude of the modulation depends on the ratio of the moon orbital velocity to the speed of impactors and on the initial angular distribution of the ejecta. Furthermore, regardless of the functional form of the initial angular distribution, the number density distribution of the dust cloud is only sensitive to the mean ejecta angle. When the mean angle is small - ejection close to the normal of the surface - the initial dust production asymmetry remains persistent even far from the satellite, but when this angle is larger than about 45°, the asymmetry coefficient drops very rapidly with the increasing distance. The dependence of the asymmetric number density on other parameters is very weak. On the whole, our results provide necessary theoretical guidelines for a dedicated quest of asymmetries in the dust detector data, both those obtained by the Galileo dust detector around the Galilean satellites of Jupiter and those expected from the Cassini dust experiment around outer Saturnian moons.

Implementation of an MgO-based metal removal step in the passive treatment system of Shilbottle, UK: column experiments.

PubMed

Caraballo, Manuel A; Rötting, Tobias S; Silva, Verónica

2010-09-15

Three laboratory column experiments were performed to test the suitability of two different MgO-rich reagents for removal of Mn and Al from the out-flowing waters of Shilbottle passive treatment system (Northumberland, UK). The input water was doped with 100 mg/L Zn in order to extrapolate results to waters in sulphide mining districts. One column was filled with a Dispersed Alkaline Substrate (DAS) containing 12.5% (v/v) caustic magnesia precipitator dust (CMPD) from Spain mixed with wood shavings, two columns were filled with DAS containing wood shavings and 12.5% or 25% (v/v), respectively, of dolomitic lime precipitator dust (DLPD) from Thrislington, UK. The two columns containing 12.5% of CMPD or DLPD completely removed the contaminants from the inflow water during the first 6 weeks of the experiment (mean removal of 88 mg/L Al, 96 mg/L Zn and 37 mg/L Mn), operating at an acidity load of 140 g acidity/m(2)day. At this moment, a substantial increase of the Al and Mn water concentration in the out-flowing waters of Shilbottle occurred (430 g acidity/m(2)day), leading to passivation of the reactive material and to the development of preferential flow paths within less than another 6 weeks, probably mainly due to Al precipitates. Al should be removed prior to MgO treatment. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cassini RPWS Measurement of Dust Particles in Saturn's Magnetosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, S.; Gurnett, D. A.; Kurth, W. S.; Averkamp, T. F.; Kempf, S.; Hsu, S.; Sakai, S.; Morooka, M.; Wahlund, J.

2013-12-01

The Cassini Radio and Plasma Wave Science (RPWS) instrument can detect dust impacts when voltage pulses induced by the impact charges are observed in the wideband receiver. The size of the voltage pulse is proportional to the mass of the impacting dust particle. Based on the data collected during the E-ring crossings and Enceladus flybys, we show that the size distribution of the dust particles can be characterized as dn/dr ∝ rμ, where μ~-4. We compare the density of dust particles above a certain size threshold calculated from the impact rate with the Cosmic Dust Analyzer (CDA) High Rate Detector (HRD) data. When the monopole antenna is connected to the wideband receiver, the polarity of the dust impact signal is determined by the spacecraft potential and the location of the impact (on the spacecraft body or the antenna). Because the effective area of the antenna is relatively easy to estimate, we use the polarity ratio of the dust impacts to infer the effective area of the spacecraft body. RPWS onboard dust detection data is analyzed, from which we infer the sign of the spacecraft potential and the dust density within Saturn's magnetosphere. A new phenomenon called dust ringing has been found to reveal the electron density inside the Enceladus plume. The ringing frequencies, interpreted as the local plasma frequencies, are consistent with the values measured by other methods, i.e., Langmuir probe and upper hybrid resonance.

High frequency drift instabilities in a dusty plasma

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rosenberg, M.; Krall, N. A.

1994-01-01

High frequency drift instabilities with omega(sub ce) much greater than omega which is greater than omega(sub ci) are investigated in a dusty magnetized plasma in which locally there is an electron density gradient which is opposite in sign to a dust density gradient. Two different equilibria are considered, characterized by rho(sub d) greater than L(sub d) and less than L(sub d), where rho(sub d) is the dust gyroradius and L(sub nd) is the dust density scale length. Possible application to Saturn's F-ring is discussed.

Mechanical properties of dust collected by dust separators in iron ore sinter plants.

PubMed

Lanzerstorfer, Christof

2015-01-01

The flow-related mechanical properties of dusts from the de-dusting systems of several sinter plants were investigated. The mass median diameters of the dusts were in the range from approximately 3 to 100 µm. Also, the bulk density of the dusts varied in a wide range (approximately 400 to 2300 kg/m³). A good correlation between the bulk density and the mass median diameter for most of the dusts was found. In contrast, the angles of repose did not vary very much, only for the coarsest dust a significantly lower value was measured. The angles of internal friction as well as the wall friction angles were lower for coarse dust and higher for fine dust. The shear tests showed that both angles depend considerably on the stress level. At low stress, the angles decreased significantly with increasing values of stress, whereas at higher stress, the dependence was small or even disappeared. The only exception to this behaviour was shown by the finest dust. The flowability decreased with the particle size. The flowability categories suggested by the three flowability indicators were passable only for the coarser dusts. For the finer dusts, the flowability was overestimated by all flowability indicators.

Dust trajectories and diagnostic applications beyond strongly coupled dusty plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zhehui; Ticoş, Cǎtǎlin M.; Wurden, Glen A.

2007-10-01

Plasma interaction with dust is of growing interest for a number of reasons. On the one hand, dusty plasma research has become one of the most vibrant branches of plasma science. On the other hand, substantially less is known about dust dynamics outside the laboratory strongly coupled dusty-plasma regime, which typically corresponds to 1015m-3 electron density with ions at room temperature. Dust dynamics is also important to magnetic fusion because of concerns about safety and potential dust contamination of the fusion core. Dust trajectories are measured under two plasma conditions, both of which have larger densities and hotter ions than in typical dusty plasmas. Plasma-flow drag force, dominating over other forces in flowing plasmas, can explain the dust motion. In addition, quantitative understanding of dust trajectories is the basis for diagnostic applications using dust. Observation of hypervelocity dust in laboratory enables dust as diagnostic tool (hypervelocity dust injection) in magnetic fusion. In colder plasmas (˜10eV or less), dust with known physical and chemical properties can be used as microparticle tracers to measure both the magnitude and directions of flows in plasmas with good spatial resolution as the microparticle tracer velocimetry.

Recent increase in aerosol loading over the Australian arid zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mitchell, R. M.; Campbell, S. K.; Qin, Y.

2009-10-01

Collocated sun photometer and nephelometer measurements at Tinga Tingana in the Australian Outback over the decade 1997-2007 show a significant increase in aerosol loading following the onset of severe drought conditions in 2002. The mean mid-visible scattering coefficient obtained from nephelometer measurements over the period 2003-2007 is approximately double that recorded over the preceding 5 yr, with consistent trends in the column aerosol optical depth derived from the sun photometer. This increase is confined to the season of dust activity, particularly September to March. In contrast, background aerosol levels during May, June and July remained stable. The enhanced aerosol loadings during the latter 5 yr of the study period can be understood as a combination of dune destabilisation through loss of ephemeral vegetation and surface crust, and the changing supply of fluvial sediments to ephemeral lakes and floodplains within the Lake Eyre Basin. Major dust outbreaks are generally highly localised, although significant dust activity was observed at Tinga Tingana on 50% of days when a major event occurred elsewhere in the Lake Eyre Basin, suggesting frequent basin-wide dust mobilisation. Combined analysis of aerosol optical depth and scattering coefficient shows weak correlation between the surface and column aerosol (R2=0.24). The aerosol scale height is broadly distributed with a mode typically between 2-3 km, with clearly defined seasonal variation. Climatological analysis reveals bimodal structure in the annual cycle of aerosol optical depth, with a summer peak related to maximal dust activity, and a spring peak related to lofted fine-mode aerosol. There is evidence for an increase in near-surface aerosol during the period 2003-2007 relative to 1997-2002, consistent with an increase in dust activity. This accords with an independent finding of increasing aerosol loading over the Australian region as a whole, suggesting that rising dust activity over the Lake Eyre Basin may be a significant contributor to changes in the aerosol budget of the continent.

CO abundance variations in the Orion Molecular Cloud

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ripple, F.; Heyer, M. H.; Gutermuth, R.; Snell, R. L.; Brunt, C. M.

2013-05-01

Infrared stellar photometry from the Two Micron All-Sky Survey (2MASS) and spectral line imaging observations of 12CO and 13CO J = 1-0 line emission from the Five College Radio Astronomy Observatory (FCRAO) 14-m telescope are analysed to assess the variation of the CO abundance with physical conditions throughout the Orion A and Orion B molecular clouds. Three distinct Av regimes are identified in which the ratio between the 13CO column density and visual extinction changes corresponding to the photon-dominated envelope, the strongly self-shielded interior, and the cold, dense volumes of the clouds. Within the strongly self-shielded interior of the Orion A cloud, the 13CO abundance varies by 100 per cent with a peak value located near regions of enhanced star formation activity. The effect of CO depletion on to the ice mantles of dust grains is limited to regions with Av > 10 mag and gas temperatures less than ˜20 K as predicted by chemical models that consider thermal evaporation to desorb molecules from grain surfaces. Values of the molecular mass of each cloud are independently derived from the distributions of Av and 13CO column densities with a constant 13CO-to-H2 abundance over various extinction ranges. Within the strongly self-shielded interior of the cloud (Av> 3 mag), 13CO provides a reliable tracer of H2 mass with the exception of the cold, dense volumes where depletion is important. However, owing to its reduced abundance, 13CO does not trace the H2 mass that resides in the extended cloud envelope, which comprises 40-50 per cent of the molecular mass of each cloud. The implied CO luminosity to mass ratios, M/LCO, are 3.2 and 2.9 for Orion A and Orion B, respectively, which are comparable to the value (2.9), derived from γ-ray observations of the Orion region. Our results emphasize the need to consider local conditions when applying CO observations to derive H2 column densities.

The shapes of column density PDFs. The importance of the last closed contour

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alves, João; Lombardi, Marco; Lada, Charles J.

2017-10-01

The probability distribution function of column density (PDF) has become the tool of choice for cloud structure analysis and star formation studies. Its simplicity is attractive, and the PDF could offer access to cloud physical parameters otherwise difficult to measure, but there has been some confusion in the literature on the definition of its completeness limit and shape at the low column density end. In this letter we use the natural definition of the completeness limit of a column density PDF, the last closed column density contour inside a surveyed region, and apply it to a set of large-scale maps of nearby molecular clouds. We conclude that there is no observational evidence for log-normal PDFs in these objects. We find that all studied molecular clouds have PDFs well described by power laws, including the diffuse cloud Polaris. Our results call for a new physical interpretation of the shape of the column density PDFs. We find that the slope of a cloud PDF is invariant to distance but not to the spatial arrangement of cloud material, and as such it is still a useful tool for investigating cloud structure.

Dust, Pollution, and Biomass Burning Aerosols in Asian Pacific: A Column Surface/Satellite Perspective

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tsay, Si-Chee; Lau, William K. M. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Many recent field experiments are designed to study the compelling variability in spatial and temporal scale of both pollution-derived and naturally occurring aerosols, which often exist in high concentrations over eastern/southeastern Asia and along the rim of the western Pacific. For example, the phase-I of ACE-Asia was conducted from March-May 2001 in the vicinity of the Gobi desert, East Coast of China, Yellow Sea, Korea, and Japan, along the pathway of Kosa (severe events that blanket East Asia with yellow desert dust, peaked in the Spring season). Asian dust typically originates in desert areas far from polluted urban regions. During transport, dust layers can interact with anthropogenic sulfate and soot aerosols from heavily polluted urban areas. Springtime is also the peak season for biomass burning in southeastern Asia. Added to the complex effects of clouds and natural marine aerosols, dust particles reaching the marine environment can have drastically different properties than those from the source. Thus, understanding the unique temporal and spatial variations of Asian aerosols is of special importance in regional-to-global climate issues such as radiative forcing, the hydrological cycle, and primary biological productivity in the mid-Pacific Ocean. During ACE-Asia we have measured continuously aerosol physical/optical/radiative properties, column precipitable water amount, and surface reflectivity over homogeneous areas from surface. The inclusion of flux measurements permits the determination of aerosol radiative flux in addition to measurements of loading and optical depth. At the time of the Terra/MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer), SeaWiFS (Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor), TOMS (Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer) and other satellite overpasses, these ground-based observations can provide valuable data to compare with satellite retrievals over land. A column satellite-surface perspective of Asian aerosols will be presented and will discuss their implications in regional-to-global effects on climate, fresh water redistribution, and health issues. (to be presented in Hawaii, April 28 - May 3, and Beijing, China, May 6 - 10, 2002)

The distribution of interstellar dust in the solar neighborhood

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gaustad, John E.; Van Buren, Dave

1993-01-01

We surveyed the IRAS data base at the positions of the 1808 O6-B9.5 stars in The Bright Star Catalog for extended objects with excess emission at 60 microns, indicating the presence of interstellar dust at the location of the star. Within 400 pc the filling factor of the interstellar medium, for dust clouds with a density greater than 0.5/cu cm is 14.6 + or - 2.4%. Above a density of 1.0/cu cm, the density distribution function appears to follow a power law index - 1.25. When the dust clouds are mapped onto the galactic plane, the sun appears to be located in a low-density region of the interstellar medium of width about 60 pc extending at least 500 pc in the direction of longitudes 80 deg - 260 deg, a feature we call the 'local trough'.

The circumstellar environment of evolved stars as traced by molecules and dust. The diagnostic power of Herschel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lombaert, Robin

2013-12-01

Low-to-intermediate mass stars end their life on the asymptotic giant branch (AGB), an evolutionary phase in which the star sheds most of its mantle into the circumstellar environment through a stellar wind. This stellar wind expands at relatively low velocities and enriches the interstellar medium with elements newly made in the stellar interior. The physical processes controlling the gas and dust chemistry in the outflow, as well as the driving mechanism of the wind itself, are poorly understood and constitute the broader context of this thesis work. In a first chapter, we consider the thermodynamics of the high-density wind of the oxygen-rich star oh, using observations obtained with the PACS instrument onboard the Herschel Space Telescope. Being one of the most abundant molecules, water vapor can be dominant in the energy balance of the inner wind of these types of stars, but to date, its cooling contribution is poorly understood. We aim to improve the constraints on water properties by careful combination of both dust and gas radiative-transfer models. This unified treatment is needed due to the high sensitivity of water excitation to dust properties. A combination of three types of diagnostics reveals a positive radial gradient of the dust-to-gas ratio in oh. The second chapter deals with the dust chemistry of carbon-rich winds. The 30-mic dust emission feature is commonly identified as due to magnesium sulfide (MgS). However, the lack of short-wavelength measurements of the optical properties of this dust species prohibits the determination of the temperature profile of MgS, and hence its feature strength and shape, questioning whether this species is responsible for the 30-mic feature. By considering the very optically thick wind of the extreme carbon star LL Peg, this problem can be circumvented because in this case the short-wavelength optical properties are not important for the radial temperature distribution. We attribute the 30-mic feature to MgS, but require that the dust species is embedded in a heterogeneous composite grain structure together with carbonaceous compounds. The final chapter considers the circumstellar gas chemistry of carbon-rich AGB stars. The recent discovery of warm water vapor in carbon-rich winds challenges our understanding of chemical processes ongoing in the wind. Two mechanisms for producing warm water were proposed: water formation induced by interstellar ultraviolet photons penetrating into the inner region of a clumpy wind, and water formation induced by shocks passing through the atmospheric and inner-wind molecular gas. A sample of eighteen carbon-rich AGB stars has been observed with the Herschel Space Telescope and offers insights into the dependence of water properties on the stellar and circumstellar conditions. We suggest that both proposed water formation mechanisms must be at work to account for the following findings: 1) warm water is present in all observed carbon stars; 2) water formation efficiency decreases with higher circumstellar column density; 3) water properties strongly depend on the variability characteristics of the AGB stars; and 4) a positive water abundance gradient is present up to at most ˜ 50 rstar in individual stars.

What Does a Submillimeter Galaxy Selection Actually Select? The Dependence of Submillimeter Flux Density on Star Formation Rate and Dust Mass

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayward, Christopher C.; Kereš, Dušan; Jonsson, Patrik; Narayanan, Desika; Cox, T. J.; Hernquist, Lars

2011-12-01

We perform three-dimensional dust radiative transfer (RT) calculations on hydrodynamic simulations of isolated and merging disk galaxies in order to quantitatively study the dependence of observed-frame submillimeter (submm) flux density on galaxy properties. We find that submm flux density and star formation rate (SFR) are related in dramatically different ways for quiescently star-forming galaxies and starbursts. Because the stars formed in the merger-induced starburst do not dominate the bolometric luminosity and the rapid drop in dust mass and more compact geometry cause a sharp increase in dust temperature during the burst, starbursts are very inefficient at boosting submm flux density (e.g., a >~ 16 × boost in SFR yields a <~ 2 × boost in submm flux density). Moreover, the ratio of submm flux density to SFR differs significantly between the two modes; thus one cannot assume that the galaxies with highest submm flux density are necessarily those with the highest bolometric luminosity or SFR. These results have important consequences for the bright submillimeter-selected galaxy (SMG) population. Among them are: (1) The SMG population is heterogeneous. In addition to merger-driven starbursts, there is a subpopulation of galaxy pairs, where two disks undergoing a major merger but not yet strongly interacting are blended into one submm source because of the large (gsim 15" or ~130 kpc at z = 2) beam of single-dish submm telescopes. (2) SMGs must be very massive (M sstarf >~ 6 × 1010 M ⊙). (3) The infall phase makes the SMG duty cycle a factor of a few greater than what is expected for a merger-driven starburst. Finally, we provide fitting functions for SCUBA and AzTEC submm flux densities as a function of SFR and dust mass and bolometric luminosity and dust mass; these should be useful for calculating submm flux density in semi-analytic models and cosmological simulations when performing full RT is computationally not feasible.

The Discovery of an Evolving Dust Scattered X-ray Halo Around GRB 031203

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vaughan, S.; Willingale, R.; OBrien, P. T.; Osborne, J. P.; Reeves, J. N.; Levan, A. J.; Watson, M. G.; Tedds, J. A.; Watson, D.; Santos-Lleo, M.

2003-01-01

We report the first detection of a time-dependent, dust-scattered X-ray halo around a gamma-ray burst. GRB3 031203 was observed by XMM-Newton starting six hours after the burst. The halo appeared as concentric ring-like structures centered on the GRB location. The radii of these structures increased with time as t(sup 1/2), consistent with small-angle X-ray scattering caused by a large column of dust along the line of sight to a cosmologically distant GRB. The rings are due to dust concentrated in two distinct slabs in the Galaxy located at distances of 880 and 1390 pc, consistent with known Galactic features. The halo brightness implies an initial soft X-ray pulse consistent with the observed GRB.

A Population of Faint Extended Line Emitters and the Host Galaxies of Optically Thick QSO Absorption Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rauch, Michael; Haehnelt, Martin; Bunker, Andrew; Becker, George; Marleau, Francine; Graham, James; Cristiani, Stefano; Jarvis, Matt; Lacey, Cedric; Morris, Simon; Peroux, Celine; Röttgering, Huub; Theuns, Tom

2008-07-01

We have conducted a long-slit search for low surface brightness Lyα emitters at redshift 2.67 < z < 3.75. A 92 hr long exposure with the ESO VLT FORS2 instrument down to a 1 σ surface brightness detection limit of 8 × 10-20 erg cm-2 s-1 arcsec-2 per arcsec2 aperture yielded a sample of 27 single line emitters with fluxes of a few × 10-18 erg s-1 cm-2. We present arguments that most objects are indeed Lyα. The large comoving number density, 3 × 10-2 h370 Mpc-3, the large covering factor, dN/dz ~ 0.2-1, and the often extended Lyα emission suggest that the emitters can be identified with the elusive host population of damped Lyα systems (DLAS) and high column density Lyman limit systems (LLS). A small inferred star formation rate, perhaps supplemented by cooling radiation, appears to energetically dominate the Lyα emission, and is consistent with the low metallicity, low dust content, and theoretically inferred low masses of DLAS, and with the relative lack of success of earlier searches for their optical counterparts. Some of the line profiles show evidence for radiative transfer in galactic outflows. Stacking surface brightness profiles, we find emission out to at least 4''. The centrally concentrated emission of most objects appears to light up the outskirts of the emitters (where LLS arise) down to a column density where the conversion from UV to Lyα photon becomes inefficient. DLAS, high column density LLS, and the emitter population discovered in this survey appear to be different observational manifestations of the same low-mass, protogalactic building blocks of present-day L* galaxies. Based partly on observations made with ESO Telescopes at the Paranal Observatories under Program ID LP173.A-0440, and partly on observations obtained at the Gemini Observatory, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under a cooperative agreement with the NSF on behalf of the Gemini partnership: the National Science Foundation (United States), the Science and Technology Facilities Council (United Kingdom), the National Research Council (Canada), CONICYT (Chile), the Australian Research Council (Australia), CNPq (Brazil) and CONICET (Argentina).

Temporal Relationships Between African Dust and Chlorophyll-a in the Eastern Caribbean Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gomez-Andujar, N. X.; Mayol-Bracero, O. L.; Torres-Delgado, E.

2017-12-01

Seasonal African Dust (AD) transports soluble iron to oligotrophic Caribbean waters, and when bioavailable, it could increase marine primary productivity (PP). Recently, the region has experienced the proliferation of unusually high quantities of Sargassum, an iron-absorbing macroalgae inhabiting the air-sea interface, which possess ecological and economic challenges and whose driving factors are still uncertain. AD events reach Puerto Rico (PR) mostly during boreal summer months. This is also the season when chlorophyll-α (CHL) concentrations are highest, when the algae starts to bloom, and when sediment plumes from the Orinoco River (ORP) also reach nutrient discharge maxima.This study seeks to better understand the temporal relationships between increases in chlorophyll-α and the presence of african dust events in the region. Aerosol data collected at the Cabezas de San Juan Atmospheric Observatory was used to identify AD events between January 2005 and December 2015. Light scattering coefficients were measured with an integrating Nephelometer, while light absorption coefficients were obtained from either the Particle Soot/Absorption Photometer (PSAP) or the Continuous Light Absorption Photometer (CLAP). Spectral properties suggesting AD events were cross-referenced with surface dust concentration image models and source-attributed air masses corresponding to dusty periods using Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectories (HYSPLIT). For all years with spectral data, modeled monthly wet dust deposition was correlated (r=0.64) with mean CHL concentrations from NASA's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). Daily dust mass column densities from NASA's MERRA-2 model were also correlated (r2= 0.53) to sea surface iron concentrations from NASA's Ocean Biogeochemical Model. We present the 2010 case study, which coincides with the start of the Sargassum bloom and shows CHL peaks occurring a month before ORPs but during the AD season, suggesting the AD role in enhancing PP. Other possible influencing climatic and oceanographic variables could be associated to these observations. Further efforts include spatially linking the Floating Algae Index in satellite imagery to AD concentrations, to better predict harmful algal blooms and inform management.

SUV Tracks On Mars? The 'Devil' is in the Details

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1998-01-01

Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) on Mars? Imagine the MOC imaging team's surprise on the morning of April 27, 1998, as the latest images came in from the 'Red Planet.'

A picture taken by the camera on Mars Global Surveyor just one day earlier showed several thin, dark lines that--at first glance--looked like pathways blazed by off-road sport utility vehicles. Who's been driving around on Mars?

The MOC image in question (#26403), seen here at full resolution of 13.8 meters (45 feet) per pixel, was obtained around 10:22 a.m. PDT on April 26, 1998, during Mars Global Surveyor's 264th orbit. North is approximately up, illumination is from the lower right. Located in eastern Arabia Terra near 16.5o N latitude, 311.4o W longitude, the image showed a number of natural features--small craters formed by meteor impact, several buttes and mesas left by erosion of the surrounding terrain, small dunes and drifts, and a mantle of dust that varies in thickness from place to place. But the new picture also showed two dark lines--each varying in width up to about 15 meters (49 feet)--that extended several kilometers/miles across the image.

Lines like these have been seen before on Mars. They are most likely the result of dust devils--columnar vortices of wind that move across the landscape, pick up dust, and look somewhat like miniature tornadoes. Dust devils are a common occurrence in dry and desert landscapes on Earth as well as Mars. They form when the ground heats up during the day, warming the air immediately above the surface. As pockets of warm air rise and interfere with one another, they create horizontal pressure variations that, combined with other meteorological winds, cause the upward moving air to spin (the direction of the spin is controlled by the same Coriolis forces that cause terrestrial hurricanes to spin in specific directions). As the spinning column of air moves across the surface, it occasionally encounters dust on the surface, which it can suck upward. This dust rises into the spinning air, giving the appearance of a tornado-like column that moves across the landscape. As the column of air moves, its ability to pick up dust varies--sometimes they hold a lot of dust and are nearly opaque; sometimes you cannot even see them. Dust-devils rarely last long, since their very motion changes the conditions that allowed them to form in the first place.

Mars Pathfinder detected the passage of several dust devils during its 83 days of operation on Mars in 1997. Mariner 9 and the Viking landers and orbiters of the 1970s also found evidence that dust devils occur on Mars; indeed, some Viking Orbiter images actually show dust devil clouds. MOC image 26403 is the latest entry in the body of evidence for the work of wind in the modern martian environment. The MOC Science Team is continuing to study these and other streaks caused by wind interacting with the martian surface.

Malin Space Science Systems and the California Institute of Technology built the MOC using spare hardware from the Mars Observer mission. MSSS operates the camera from its facilities in San Diego, CA. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Surveyor Operations Project operates the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft with its industrial partner, Lockheed Martin Astronautics, from facilities in Pasadena, CA and Denver, CO.

Automated clean-up, separation and detection of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in particulate matter extracts from urban dust and diesel standard reference materials using a 2D-LC/2D-GC system.

PubMed

Ahmed, Trifa M; Lim, Hwanmi; Bergvall, Christoffer; Westerholm, Roger

2013-10-01

A multidimensional, on-line coupled liquid chromatographic/gas chromatographic system was developed for the quantification of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). A two-dimensional liquid chromatographic system (2D-liquid chromatography (LC)), with three columns having different selectivities, was connected on-line to a two-dimensional gas chromatographic system (2D-gas chromatography (GC)). Samples were cleaned up by combining normal elution and column back-flush of the LC columns to selectively remove matrix constituents and isolate well-defined, PAH enriched fractions. Using this system, the sequential removal of polar, mono/diaromatic, olefinic and alkane compounds from crude extracts was achieved. The LC/GC coupling was performed using a fused silica transfer line into a programmable temperature vaporizer (PTV) GC injector. Using the PTV in the solvent vent mode, excess solvent was removed and the enriched PAH sample extract was injected into the GC. The 2D-GC setup consisted of two capillary columns with different stationary phase selectivities. Heart-cutting of selected PAH compounds in the first GC column (first dimension) and transfer of these to the second GC column (second dimension) increased the baseline resolutions of closely eluting PAHs. The on-line system was validated using the standard reference materials SRM 1649a (urban dust) and SRM 1975 (diesel particulate extract). The PAH concentrations measured were comparable to the certified values and the fully automated LC/GC system performed the clean-up, separation and detection of PAHs in 16 extracts in less than 24 h. The multidimensional, on-line 2D-LC/2D-GC system eliminated manual handling of the sample extracts and minimised the risk of sample loss and contamination, while increasing accuracy and precision.

Summer Dust Aerosols Detected from CALIPSO Observations over the Tibetan Plateau

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huang, Jianping; Minnis, Patrick; Yi, Yuhong; Tang, Qiang; Wang, Xin; Hu, Yongxiang; Liu, Zhaoyan; Ayers, Kirk; Trepte, Charles; Winker, David

2007-01-01

Summertime Tibetan dust aerosol plumes are detected from the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) satellite. CALIPSO reveals that dust storms occur 4 times more frequently than previously found from Tibetan surface observations because few surface sites were available over remote northwestern Tibet. The Tibetan dust aerosol is characterized by column-averaged depolarization and color ratios around 21% and 0.83, respectively. The dust layers appear most frequently around 4-7 km above mean sea level. The depolarization ratio for about 90% of the dust particles is less than 10% at low altitudes (3-5 km), while only about 50% of the particles have a greater depolarization ratio at higher altitudes (7-10 km) suggesting a separation of larger irregular particles from smaller, near spherical ones during transport. The 4-day back trajectory analyses show that these plumes probably originate from the nearby Taklimakan desert surface and accumulate over the northern slopes of the Tibetan Plateau. These dust outbreaks can affect the radiation balance of the atmosphere of Tibet because they both absorb and reflect solar radiation.

Detection of anthropogenic dust using CALIPSO lidar measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, J. P.; Liu, J. J.; Chen, B.; Nasiri, S. L.

2015-10-01

Anthropogenic dusts are those produced by human activities on disturbed soils, which are mainly cropland, pastureland, and urbanized regions, and are a subset of the total dust load which includes natural sources from desert regions. Our knowledge of anthropogenic dusts is still very limited due to a lack of data. To understand the contribution of anthropogenic dust to the total global dust load, it is important to identify it apart from total dust. In this study, a new technique for distinguishing anthropogenic dust from natural dust is proposed by using Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) dust and planetary boundary layer (PBL) height retrievals along with a land use data set. Using this technique, the global distribution of dust is analyzed and the relative contribution of anthropogenic and natural dust sources to regional and global emissions are estimated. Results reveal that local anthropogenic dust aerosol due to human activity, such as agriculture, industrial activity, transportation, and overgrazing, accounts for about 25 % of the global continental dust load. Of these anthropogenic dust aerosols, more than 53 % come from semi-arid and semi-wet regions. Annual mean anthropogenic dust column burden (DCB) values range from 0.42 g m-2, with a maximum in India, to 0.12 g m-2, with a minimum in North America. A better understanding of anthropogenic dust emission will enable us to focus on human activities in these critical regions and with such knowledge we will be more able to improve global dust models and to explore the effects of anthropogenic emission on radiative forcing, climate change, and air quality in the future.

Comparison of tropospheric NO2 vertical columns in an urban environment using satellite, multi-axis differential optical absorption spectroscopy, and in situ measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mendolia, D.; D'Souza, R. J. C.; Evans, G. J.; Brook, J.

2013-10-01

Tropospheric NO2 vertical column densities have been retrieved and compared for the first time in Toronto, Canada, using three methods of differing spatial scales. Remotely sensed NO2 vertical column densities, retrieved from multi-axis differential optical absorption spectroscopy and satellite remote sensing, were evaluated by comparison with in situ vertical column densities estimated using a pair of chemiluminescence monitors situated 0.01 and 0.5 km a.g.l. (above ground level). The chemiluminescence measurements were corrected for the influence of NOz, which reduced the NO2 concentrations at 0.01 and 0.5 km by an average of 8 ± 1% and 12 ± 1%, respectively. The average absolute decrease in the chemiluminescence NO2 measurement as a result of this correction was less than 1 ppb. The monthly averaged ratio of the NO2 concentration at 0.5 to 0.01 km varied seasonally, and exhibited a negative linear dependence on the monthly average temperature, with Pearson's R = 0.83. During the coldest month, February, this ratio was 0.52 ± 0.04, while during the warmest month, July, this ratio was 0.34 ± 0.04, illustrating that NO2 is not well mixed within 0.5 km above ground level. Good correlation was observed between the remotely sensed and in situ NO2 vertical column densities (Pearson's R value ranging from 0.72 to 0.81), but the in situ vertical column densities were 52 to 58% greater than the remotely sensed columns. These results indicate that NO2 horizontal heterogeneity strongly impacted the magnitude of the remotely sensed columns. The in situ columns reflected an urban environment with major traffic sources, while the remotely sensed NO2 vertical column densities were representative of the region, which included spatial heterogeneity introduced by residential neighbourhoods and Lake Ontario. Despite the difference in absolute values, the reasonable correlation between the vertical column densities determined by three distinct methods increased confidence in the validity of the values provided by each measurement technique.

RF attenuation as a dusty plasma diagnostic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doyle, Brandon; Konopka, Uwe; Thomas, Edward

2017-10-01

When a dusty plasma is formed by adding dust to a plasma environment, the electron density of the background plasma is depleted as the dust particles acquire their negative charge. The magnitude of the electron depletion depends on the dust particle charge, and thus its properties, as well as the dust number density. A direct measurement of the electron density in a dusty plasma therefore contains information about the charging state of the dust particles. This measurement is difficult to obtain without influencing the system. For example, Langmuir probes influence the system by creating voids, or they become unreliable due to their potential contamination with dust. A less invasive diagnostic tool might be realized using plasma chamber electrodes for a plasma impedance measurement as it depends on the excitation frequency: the spatially averaged electron density is derived from the electron plasma frequency, which is related to the radio frequency attenuation characteristic. We present preliminary experiments using two impedance probe designs: probes immersed in a plasma and electrodes located at the edge of the plasma. We evaluate the potential application of this method for ground-based laboratory experiments and future microgravity experiment facilities aboard the ISS. This work was supported by JPL/NASA (JPL-RSA 1571699) the US Dept. of Energy (DE-SC0016330) and NSF (PHY-1613087).

Flying Through Dust From Asteroids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohler, Susanna

2016-11-01

How can we tell what an asteroid is made of? Until now, weve relied on remote spectral observations, though NASAs recently launched OSIRIS-REx mission may soon change this by landing on an asteroid and returning with a sample.But what if we could learn more about the asteroids near Earth without needing to land on each one? It turns out that we can by flying through their dust.The aerogel dust collector of the Stardust mission. [NASA/JPL/Caltech]Ejected CluesWhen an airless body is impacted by the meteoroids prevalent throughout our solar system, ejecta from the body are flung into the space around it. In the case of small objects like asteroids, their gravitational pull is so weak that most of the ejected material escapes, forming a surrounding cloud of dust.By flying a spacecraft through this cloud, we could perform chemical analysis of the dust, thereby determining the asteroids composition. We could even capture some of the dust during a flyby (for example, by using an aerogel collector like in the Stardust mission) and bring it back home to analyze.So whats the best place to fly a dust-analyzing or -collecting spacecraft? To answer this, we need to know what the typical distribution of dust is around a near-Earth asteroid (NEA) a problem that scientists Jamey Szalay (Southwest Research Institute) and Mihly Hornyi (University of Colorado Boulder) address in a recent study.The colors show the density distribution for dust grains larger than 0.3 m around a body with a 10-km radius. The distribution is asymmetric, with higher densities on the apex side, shown here in the +y direction. [Szalay Hornyi 2016]Moon as a LaboratoryTo determine typical dust distributions around NEAs, Szalay and Hornyi first look at the distribution of dust around our own Moon, caused by the same barrage of meteorites wed expect to impact NEAs. The Moons dust cloud was measured in situ in 2013 and 2014 by the Lunar Dust Experiment (LDEX) on board the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer mission.From LDEXs measurements of the dust distribution around the Moon, Szalay and Hornyi next calculate how this distribution would change for different grain sizes if the body were instead much smaller i.e., a 10-km asteroid instead of the 1700-km Moon.Optimizing the Geometry for an EncounterThe authors find that the dust ejected from asteroids is distributed in an asymmetric shape around the body, with higher dust densities on the side of the asteroid facing its direction of travel. This is because meteoroid impacts arent isotropic: meteoroid showers tend to be directional, and amajority of meteoroids impact the asteroid from this apex side.Total number of impacts per square meter and predicted dust density for a family of potential trajectories for spacecraft flybys of a 10-km asteroid. [Szalay Hornyi 2016]Szalay and Hornyi therefore conclude that dust-analyzing missions would collect many times more dust impacts by transiting the apex side of the body. The authors evaluate a family of trajectories for a transiting spacecraft to determine the density of dust that the spacecraft will encounter and the impact rates expected from the dust particles.This information can help optimize the encounter geometry of a future mission to maximize the science return while minimizing the hazard due to dust impacts.CitationJamey R. Szalay and Mihly Hornyi 2016 ApJL 830 L29. doi:10.3847/2041-8205/830/2/L29

Dust reddening and extinction curves toward gamma-ray bursts at z > 4

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bolmer, J.; Greiner, J.; Krühler, T.; Schady, P.; Ledoux, C.; Tanvir, N. R.; Levan, A. J.

2018-01-01

Context. Dust is known to be produced in the envelopes of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars, the expanded shells of supernova (SN) remnants, and in situ grain growth within the interstellar medium (ISM), although the corresponding efficiency of each of these dust formation mechanisms at different redshifts remains a topic of debate. During the first Gyr after the Big Bang, it is widely believed that there was not enough time to form AGB stars in high numbers, hence the dust at this epoch is expected to be purely from SNe or subsequent grain growth in the ISM. The time period corresponding to z 5-6 is thus expected to display the transition from SN-only dust to a mixture of both formation channels as is generally recognized at present. Aims: Here we aim to use afterglow observations of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) at redshifts larger than z > 4 to derive host galaxy dust column densities along their line of sight and to test if a SN-type dust extinction curve is required for some of the bursts. Methods: We performed GRB afterglow observations with the seven-channel Gamma-Ray Optical and Near-infrared Detector (GROND) at the 2.2 m MPI telescope in La Silla, Chile (ESO), and we combined these observations with quasi-simultaneous data gathered with the XRT telescope on board the Swift satellite. Results: We increase the number of measured AV values for GRBs at z > 4 by a factor of 2-3 and find that, in contrast to samples at mostly lower redshift, all of the GRB afterglows have a visual extinction of AV < 0.5 mag. Analysis of the GROND detection thresholds and results from a Monte Carlo simulation show that although we partly suffer from an observational bias against highly extinguished sight-lines, GRB host galaxies at 4 < z < 6 seem to contain on average less dust than at z 2. Additionally, we find that all of the GRBs can be modeled with locally measured extinction curves and that the SN-like dust extinction curve, as previously found toward GRB 071025, provides a better fit for only two of the afterglow SEDs. However, because of the lack of highly extinguished sight lines and the limited wavelength coverage we cannot distinguish between the different scenarios. For the first time we also report a photometric redshift of zphot = 7.88-0.94+0.75 for GRB 100905A, making it one of the most distant GRBs known to date.

Interstellar C2, CH, and CN in translucent molecular clouds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Black, John H.; Van Dishoeck, Ewine F.

1989-01-01

Optical absorption-line techniques have been applied to the study of a number of translucent molecular clouds in which the total column densities are large enough that substantial molecular abundances can be maintained. Results are presented for a survey of absorption lines of interstellar C2, CH, and CN. Detections of CN through the A 2Pi-X 2Sigma(+) (1,O) and (2,O) bands of the red system are reported and compared with observations of the violet system for one line of sight. The population distributions in C2 provide diagnostic information on temperature and density. The measured column densities of the three species can be used to test details of the theory of molecule formation in clouds where photoprocesses still play a significant role. The C2 and CH column densities are strongly correlated with each other and probably also with the H2 column density. In contrast, the CN column densities are found to vary greatly from cloud to cloud. The observations are discussed with reference to detailed theoretical models.

A Chandra X-ray Study of Cygnus A. 2; The Nucleus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Young, Andrew J.; Wilson, Andrew; Terashima, Yuichi; Arnaud, Keith A.; Smith, David A.; White, Nicholas E. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

We report Chandra Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer and quasi-simultaneous Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) observations of the nearby, powerful radio galaxy Cygnus A, with the present paper focusing on the properties of the active nucleus. In the Chandra observation, the hard (less than a few keV) X-ray emission is spatially unresolved with a size is approximately 1" (1.5 kpc, H(sub 0) = 50 km/s/Mpc) and coincides with the radio and near-infrared nuclei. In contrast, the soft (less than 2 keV) emission exhibits a bipolar nebulosity that aligns with the optical bipolar continuum and emission-line structures and approximately with the radio jet. In particular, the soft X-ray emission corresponds very well with the [O III] (lambda)5007 and H(alpha) + [N II] lambda(lambda)6548, 6583 nebulosity imaged with Hubble Space Telescope. At the location of the nucleus, there is only weak soft X-ray emission, an effect that may be intrinsic or result from a dust lane that crosses the nucleus perpendicular to the source axis. The spectra of the various X-ray components have been obtained by simultaneous fits to the six detectors. The compact nucleus is detected to 100 keV and is well described by a heavily absorbed power-law spectrum with Gamma(sub h) = 1.52(sup + 0.12, sub -0.12) (similar to other 0.12 narrow-line radio galaxies) and equivalent hydrogen column N(sub H)(nuc) = 2.0(sup +0.1, sub -0.1) x 10(exp 23)/sq cm. This 0.2 column is compatible with the dust obscuration to the near-infrared source for a normal gas-to-dust ratio. The soft (less than 2 keV) emission from the nucleus may be described by a power-law spectrum with the same index (i.e., Gamma(sub l) = Gamma(sub h), although direct fits suggest a slightly larger value for Gamma(sub l). Narrow emission lines from highly ionized neon and silicon, as well as a "neutral" Fe K(alpha) line, are detected in the nucleus and its vicinity (r approximately less than 2 kpc). The equivalent width (EW) of the Fe K(alpha) line (182(sup +40, sub -54) eV) is in good agreement with theoretical predictions for the EW versus N(sub H)(nuc) relationship in various geometries. An Fe K edge is also seen. The RXTE observations indicate a temperature of kT = 6.9(sup +0., sub -1.0) keV for the cluster gas (discussed in Paper III of this series) and cluster emission lines of Fe K(alpha) and Fe K(beta) and/or Ni K(alpha). We consider the possibility that the extended soft X-ray emission is electron-scattered nuclear radiation. Given that 1% of the unabsorbed 2 - 10 keV nuclear radiation would have to be scattered, the necessary gas column [N(sub H)(Scattering) approx. = 3.5 x 10(exp 22)/sq cm] would absorb the X-rays rather than scatter them if the gas is cold. Thus, the scattering plasma must be highly ionized. If this ionization is achieved through photoionization by the nucleus, the ionization parameter zeta greater than 1 ergs cm/s and the electron density n(sub e) approx. = 6 cc given the observed distance of the soft X-ray emission from the nucleus. The electron column density inferred from the X-ray observations is much too low to account for the extended optical scattered light, strongly suggesting that the polarized optical light is scattered by dust. The presence of highly ionized Ne lines in the soft X-ray spectrum requires 20 ergs cm/s approximately less than zeta approximately less than 300 ergs cm/s these lines may originate closer to the nucleus than the extended soft continuum or in a lower density gas. A collisionally ionized thermal model of the extended soft X-rays cannot be ruled out but is unattractive in view of the low metal abundance required (Z = 0.03 Z(mass)). The hard X-ray to far-infrared ratio for the nucleus of Cygnus A is similar to that seen in Seyfert 1 and unobscured radio galaxies. By means of the correlation between hard X-ray luminosity and nuclear optical absolute magnitude for these classes of object, we estimate M(sub B) = -22.4 for Cygnus A, near the .borderline between Seyfert galaxies and QSOs.

Simulating the effect of high column density absorbers on the one-dimensional Lyman α forest flux power spectrum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rogers, Keir K.; Bird, Simeon; Peiris, Hiranya V.; Pontzen, Andrew; Font-Ribera, Andreu; Leistedt, Boris

2018-03-01

We measure the effect of high column density absorbing systems of neutral hydrogen (H I) on the one-dimensional (1D) Lyman α forest flux power spectrum using cosmological hydrodynamical simulations from the Illustris project. High column density absorbers (which we define to be those with H I column densities N(H I) > 1.6 × 10^{17} atoms cm^{-2}) cause broadened absorption lines with characteristic damping wings. These damping wings bias the 1D Lyman α forest flux power spectrum by causing absorption in quasar spectra away from the location of the absorber itself. We investigate the effect of high column density absorbers on the Lyman α forest using hydrodynamical simulations for the first time. We provide templates as a function of column density and redshift, allowing the flexibility to accurately model residual contamination, i.e. if an analysis selectively clips out the largest damping wings. This flexibility will improve cosmological parameter estimation, for example, allowing more accurate measurement of the shape of the power spectrum, with implications for cosmological models containing massive neutrinos or a running of the spectral index. We provide fitting functions to reproduce these results so that they can be incorporated straightforwardly into a data analysis pipeline.

H I, CO, and Planck/IRAS dust properties in the high latitude cloud complex, MBM 53, 54, 55 and HLCG 92 – 35. Possible evidence for an optically thick H I envelope around the CO clouds

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fukui, Yasuo; Okamoto, Ryuji; Kaji, Ryohei

We present an analysis of the H I and CO gas in conjunction with the Planck/IRAS submillimeter/far-infrared dust properties toward the most outstanding high latitude clouds MBM 53, 54, 55 and HLCG 92 – 35 at b = –30° to – 45°. The CO emission, dust opacity at 353 GHz (τ{sub 353}), and dust temperature (T {sub d}) show generally good spatial correspondence. On the other hand, the correspondence between the H I emission and the dust properties is less clear than in CO. The integrated H I intensity W{sub H} {sub I} and τ{sub 353} show a large scattermore » with a correlation coefficient of ∼0.6 for a T {sub d} range from 16 K to 22 K. We find, however, that W{sub H} {sub I} and τ{sub 353} show better correlation for smaller ranges of T {sub d} every 0.5 K, generally with a correlation coefficient of 0.7-0.9. We set up a hypothesis that the H I gas associated with the highest T {sub d} ≥ 21.5 K is optically thin, whereas the H I emission is generally optically thick for T {sub d} lower than 21.5 K. We have determined a relationship for the optically thin H I gas between atomic hydrogen column density and τ{sub 353}, N{sub H} {sub I} (cm{sup −2})=(1.5×10{sup 26})⋅τ{sub 353}, under the assumption that the dust properties are uniform and we have applied this to estimate N{sub H} {sub I} from τ{sub 353} for the whole cloud. N{sub H} {sub I} was then used to solve for T {sub s} and τ{sub H} {sub I} over the region. The result shows that the H I is dominated by optically thick gas having a low spin temperature of 20-40 K and a density of 40-160 cm{sup –3}. The H I envelope has a total mass of ∼1.2 × 10{sup 4} M {sub ☉}, an order of magnitude larger than that of the CO clouds. The H I envelope properties derived by this method do not rule out a mixture of H I and H{sub 2} in the dark gas, but we present indirect evidence that most of the gas mass is in the atomic state.« less

Pressure, temperature and density drops along supercritical fluid chromatography columns. I. Experimental results for neat carbon dioxide and columns packed with 3- and 5-micron particles.

PubMed

Poe, Donald P; Veit, Devon; Ranger, Megan; Kaczmarski, Krzysztof; Tarafder, Abhijit; Guiochon, Georges

2012-08-10

The pressure drop and temperature drop on columns packed with 3- and 5-micron particles were measured using neat CO(2) at a flow rate of 5 mL/min, at temperatures from 20°C to 100°C, and outlet pressures from 80 to 300 bar. The density drop was calculated based on the temperature and pressure at the column inlet and outlet. The columns were suspended in a circulating air bath either bare or covered with foam insulation. The results show that the pressure drop depends on the outlet pressure, the operating temperature, and the thermal environment. A temperature drop was observed for all conditions studied. The temperature drop was relatively small (less than 3°C) for combinations of low temperature and high pressure. Larger temperature drops and density drops occurred at higher temperatures and low to moderate pressures. Covering the column with thermal insulation resulted in larger temperature drops and corresponding smaller density drops. At 20°C the temperature drop was never more than a few degrees. The largest temperature drops occurred for both columns when insulated at 80°C and 80 bar, reaching a maximum value of 21°C for the 5-micron column, and 26°C for the 3-micron column. For an adiabatic column, the temperature drop depends on the pressure drop, the thermal expansion coefficient, and the density and the heat capacity of the mobile phase fluid, and can be described by a simple mathematical relationship. For a fixed operating temperature and outlet pressure, the temperature drop increases monotonically with the pressure drop. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Nebular and Stellar Dust Extinction Across the Disk of Emission-line Galaxies on Kiloparsec Scales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hemmati, Shoubaneh; Mobasher, Bahram; Darvish, Behnam; Nayyeri, Hooshang; Sobral, David; Miller, Sarah

2015-11-01

We investigate the resolved kiloparsec-scale stellar and nebular dust distribution in eight star-forming galaxies at z ∼ 0.4 in the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey fields. This is to get a better understanding of the effect of dust attenuation on measurements of physical properties and its variation with redshift. Constructing the observed spectral energy distributions (SEDs) per pixel, based on seven bands of photometric data from Hubble Space Telescope/Advanced Camera for Surveys and WFC3, we performed pixel-by-pixel SED fits to population synthesis models and estimated the small-scale distribution of stellar dust extinction. We use Hα/Hβ nebular emission line ratios from Keck/DEIMOS high-resolution spectra at each spatial resolution element to measure the amount of attenuation faced by ionized gas at different radii from the centers of galaxies. We find a good agreement between the integrated and median of resolved color excess measurements in our galaxies. The ratio of integrated nebular to stellar dust extinction is always greater than unity, but does not show any trend with stellar mass or star formation rate (SFR). We find that inclination plays an important role in the variation of the nebular to stellar excess ratio. The stellar color excess profiles are found to have higher values at the center compared to outer parts of the disk. However, for lower mass galaxies, a similar trend is not found for the nebular color excess. We find that the nebular color excess increases with stellar mass surface density. This explains the absence of radial trend in the nebular color excess in lower mass galaxies which lack a large radial variation of stellar mass surface density. Using standard conversions of SFR surface density to gas mass surface density, and the relation between dust mass surface density and color excess, we find no significant variation in the dust-to-gas ratio in regions with high gas mass surface densities over the scales probed in this study.

Cyclic evolution of the electron temperature and density in dusty low-pressure radio frequency plasmas with pulsed injection of hexamethyldisiloxane

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Garofano, V.; Stafford, L., E-mail: luc.stafford@umontreal.ca, E-mail: kremena.makasheva@laplace.univ-tlse.fr; Despax, B.

2015-11-02

Optical emission spectroscopy was used to analyze the very-low-frequency cyclic evolution of the electron energy and density caused by repetitive formation and loss of dust nanoparticles in argon plasmas with pulsed injection of hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO, [CH{sub 3}]{sub 6}Si{sub 2}O). After elaborating a Boltzmann diagram for Ar high-lying levels and a collisional-radiative model for Ar 2p (Paschen notation) states, temperatures characterizing the low- and high-energy parts of the electron population were calculated. Relative electron densities were also estimated from relative line emission intensities. Both temperatures increase when the dust occupation increases, and then decrease when dust is lost. The opposite trendmore » was observed for the electron density. Such cyclic behaviors of the electron energy and electron density in the HMDSO-containing plasmas are in good agreement with the evolution processes in dusty plasmas, in which the formation of negative ions followed by an electron attachment on the surfaces of the nanoparticles is a critical phenomenon driving dust growth.« less

Photophoretic Levitation and Trapping of Dust in the Inner Regions of Protoplanetary Disks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McNally, Colin P.; McClure, Melissa K.

2017-01-01

In protoplanetary disks, the differential gravity-driven settling of dust grains with respect to gas and with respect to grains of varying sizes determines the observability of grains, and sets the conditions for grain growth and eventually planet formation. In this work, we explore the effect of photophoresis on the settling of large dust grains in the inner regions of actively accreting protoplanetary disks. Photophoretic forces on dust grains result from the collision of gas molecules with differentially heated grains. We undertake one-dimensional dust settling calculations to determine the equilibrium vertical distribution of dust grains in each column of the disk. In the process we introduce a new treatment of the photophoresis force which is consistent at all optical depths with the representation of the radiative intensity field in a two-stream radiative transfer approximation. The levitation of large dust grains creates a photophoretic dust trap several scale heights above the mid-plane in the inner regions of the disk where the dissipation of accretion energy is significant. We find that differential settling of dust grains is radically altered in these regions of the disk, with large dust grains trapped in a layer below the stellar irradiation surface, where the dust to gas mass ratio can be enhanced by a factor of a hundred for the relevant particles. The photophoretic trapping effect has a strong dependence on particle size and porosity.

Density Gradient Columns for Chemical Displays.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guenther, William B.

1986-01-01

Procedures for preparing density gradient columns for chemical displays are presented. They include displays illustrating acid-base reactions, metal ion equilibria, and liquid density. The lifetime of these metastable displays is surprising, some lasting for months in display cabinets. (JN)

Early-stage young stellar objects in the Small Magellanic Cloud

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oliveira, J. M.; van Loon, J. Th.; Sloan, G. C.; Sewiło, M.; Kraemer, K. E.; Wood, P. R.; Indebetouw, R.; Filipović, M. D.; Crawford, E. J.; Wong, G. F.; Hora, J. L.; Meixner, M.; Robitaille, T. P.; Shiao, B.; Simon, J. D.

2013-02-01

We present new observations of 34 young stellar object (YSO) candidates in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). The photometric selection required sources to be bright at 24 and 70 μm (to exclude evolved stars and galaxies). The anchor of the analysis is a set of Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) spectra, supplemented by ground-based 3-5 μm spectra, Spitzer Infrared Array Camera and Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer photometry, near-infrared (IR) imaging and photometry, optical spectroscopy and radio data. The sources' spectral energy distributions and spectral indices are consistent with embedded YSOs; prominent silicate absorption is observed in the spectra of at least 10 sources, silicate emission is observed towards four sources. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission is detected towards all but two sources. Based on band ratios (in particular the strength of the 11.3-μm and the weakness of the 8.6-μm bands) PAH emission towards SMC YSOs is dominated by predominantly small neutral grains. Ice absorption is observed towards 14 sources in the SMC. The comparison of H2O and CO2 ice column densities for SMC, Large Magellanic Cloud and Galactic samples suggests that there is a significant H2O column density threshold for the detection of CO2 ice. This supports the scenario proposed by Oliveira et al., where the reduced shielding in metal-poor environments depletes the H2O column density in the outer regions of the YSO envelopes. No CO ice is detected towards the SMC sources. Emission due to pure rotational 0-0 transitions of molecular hydrogen is detected towards the majority of SMC sources, allowing us to estimate rotational temperatures and H2 column densities. All but one source are spectroscopically confirmed as SMC YSOs. Based on the presence of ice absorption, silicate emission or absorption and PAH emission, the sources are classified and placed in an evolutionary sequence. Of the 33 YSOs identified in the SMC, 30 sources populate different stages of massive stellar evolution. The presence of ice- and/or silicate-absorption features indicates sources in the early embedded stages; as a source evolves, a compact H ii region starts to emerge, and at the later stages the source's IR spectrum is completely dominated by PAH and fine-structure emission. The remaining three sources are classified as intermediate-mass YSOs with a thick dusty disc and a tenuous envelope still present. We propose one of the SMC sources is a D-type symbiotic system, based on the presence of Raman, H and He emission lines in the optical spectrum, and silicate emission in the IRS spectrum. This would be the first dust-rich symbiotic system identified in the SMC.

ALMA unveils rings and gaps in the protoplanetary system HD 169142: signatures of two giant protoplanets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fedele, D.; Carney, M.; Hogerheijde, M. R.; Walsh, C.; Miotello, A.; Klaassen, P.; Bruderer, S.; Henning, Th.; van Dishoeck, E. F.

2017-04-01

The protoplanetary system HD 169142 is one of the few cases where a potential candidate protoplanet has recently been detected by direct imaging in the near-infrared. To study the interaction between the protoplanet and the disk itself, observations of the gas and dust surface density structure are needed. This paper reports new ALMA observations of the dust continuum at 1.3 mm, 12CO, 13CO, and C18O J = 2-1 emission from the system HD 169142 (which is observed almost face-on) at an angular resolution of 0.3 arcsec × 0.2 arcsec ( 35 × 20 au). The dust continuum emission reveals a double-ring structure with an inner ring between 0.17 arcsec{-0.28 arcsec} ( 20-35 au) and an outer ring between 0.48 arcsec{-0.64 arcsec} ( 56-83 au). The size and position of the inner ring is in good agreement with previous polarimetric observations in the near-infrared and is consistent with dust trapping by a massive planet. No dust emission is detected inside the inner dust cavity (R ≲ 20 au) or within the dust gap ( 35-56 au) down to the noise level. In contrast, the channel maps of the J = 2-1 line of the three CO isotopologs reveal gas inside the dust cavity and dust gap. The gaseous disk is also much larger than the compact dust emission; it extends to 1.5 arcsec ( 180 au) in radius. This difference and the sharp drop of the continuum emission at large radii point to radial drift of large dust grains (>μm size). Using the thermo-chemical disk code dali, we modeled the continuum and the CO isotopolog emission to quantitatively measure the gas and dust surface densities. The resulting gas surface density is reduced by a factor of 30-40 inward of the dust gap. The gas and dust distribution indicate that two giant planets shape the disk structure through dynamical clearing (dust cavity and gap) and dust trapping (double-ring dust distribution).

Embedded Star Formation in the Eagle Nebula with Spitzer GLIMPSE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Indebetouw, R.; Robitaille, T. P.; Whitney, B. A.; Churchwell, E.; Babler, B.; Meade, M.; Watson, C.; Wolfire, M.

2007-09-01

We present new Spitzer photometry of the Eagle Nebula (M16, containing the optical cluster NGC 6611) combined with near-infrared photometry from 2MASS. We use dust radiative transfer models, mid-infrared and near-infrared color-color analysis, and mid-infrared spectral indices to analyze point-source spectral energy distributions, select candidate YSOs, and constrain their mass and evolutionary state. Comparison of the different protostellar selection methods shows that mid-infrared methods are consistent, but as has been known for some time, near-infrared-only analysis misses some young objects. We reveal more than 400 protostellar candidates, including one massive YSO that has not been previously highlighted. The YSO distribution supports a picture of distributed low-level star formation, with no strong evidence of triggered star formation in the ``pillars.'' We confirm the youth of NGC 6611 by a large fraction of infrared excess sources and reveal a younger cluster of YSOs in the nearby molecular cloud. Analysis of the YSO clustering properties shows a possible imprint of the molecular cloud's Jeans length. Multiwavelength mid-IR imaging thus allows us to analyze the protostellar population, to measure the dust temperature and column density, and to relate these in a consistent picture of star formation in M16.

The Interplay between Radiation Pressure and the Photoelectric Instability in Optically Thin Disks of Gas and Dust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richert, Alexander J. W.; Lyra, Wladimir; Kuchner, Marc J.

2018-03-01

In optically thin disks, dust grains are photoelectrically stripped of electrons by starlight, heating nearby gas and possibly creating a dust clumping instability—the photoelectric instability (PeI)—that significantly alters global disk structure. In the current work, we use the Pencil Code to perform the first numerical models of the PeI that include stellar radiation pressure on dust grains in order to explore the parameter regime in which the instability operates. In some models with low gas and dust surface densities, we see a variety of dust structures, including sharp concentric rings. In the most gas- and dust-rich models, nonaxisymmetric clumps, arcs, and spiral arms emerge that represent dust surface density enhancements of factors of ∼5–20. In one high gas surface density model, we include a large, low-order gas viscosity and find that it observably smooths the structures that form in the gas and dust, suggesting that resolved images of a given disk may be useful for deriving constraints on the effective viscosity of its gas. Our models show that radiation pressure does not preclude the formation of complex structure from the PeI, but the qualitative manifestation of the PeI depends strongly on the parameters of the system. The PeI may provide an explanation for unusual disk morphologies, such as the moving blobs of the AU Mic disk, the asymmetric dust distribution of the 49 Ceti disk, and the rings and arcs found in the HD 141569A disk.

Isoelectric focusing of red blood cells in a density gradient stabilized column

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smolka, A. J. K.; Miller, T. Y.

1980-01-01

The effects of Ficoll and cell application pH on red blood cell electrophoretic mobility and focusing pH were investigated by focusing cells in a density gradient stabilized column. Sample loading, cell dispersion, column conductivity, resolution of separation, and the effect of Ampholines were examined.

The effect of the ambient plasma conditions on the variation of charge on dust grains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chakraborty, M.; Kausik, S. S.; Saikia, B. K.; Kakati, M.; Bujarbarua, S.

2003-02-01

An experimental study has been performed into the variation of charge on dust grains with change in the ambient plasma conditons. A dust beam containing submicron sized silver grains was passed through plasma. The dust grains were charged by the plasma particles as well as by primary electrons from the filament. An increase in the filament current increased both the plasma density and the number density of the primary electrons. The grain charge was found out both from the deflection of the dust grains and also from the floating potential. The experimental observations shows that the secondary emission caused by the primary electrons significantly influenced and played a prominent role in the establishment of charge on the grains.

MARs Color Imager (MARCI) Daily Global Ozone Column Mapping from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO): A Survey of 2006-2010 Results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clancy, R. T.; Wolff, M. J.; Malin, M. C.; Cantor, B. A.

2010-12-01

MARCI UV band imaging photometry within (260nm) and outside (320nm) the Hartley ozone band absorption supports daily global mapping of Mars ozone column abundances. Key retrieval issues include accurate UV radiometric calibrations, detailed specifications of surface and atmospheric background reflectance (surface albedo, atmospheric Raleigh and dust scattering/absorption), and simultaneous cloud retrievals. The implementation of accurate radiative transfer (RT) treatments of these processes has been accomplished (Wolff et al., 2010) such that daily global mapping retrievals for Mars ozone columns have been completed for the 2006-2010 period of MARCI global imaging. Ozone retrievals are most accurate for high column abundances associated with mid-to-high latitude regions during fall, winter, and spring seasons. We present a survey of these MARCI ozone column retrievals versus season, latitude, longitude, and year.

The Magnetic Field Structure of W3(OH)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El-Batal, Adham M.; Clemens, Dan P.; Montgomery, Jordan

2018-06-01

Situated in the Perseus arm of the Galaxy, the W3 molecular cloud is a high-mass star-forming region with low foreground optical extinction. Near-infrared H- and K-band polarimetric observations of a 10' × 10' field of view of W3 were obtained using the Mimir instrument on the 1.8 m Perkins Telescope. This field of view encompasses W3(OH), a region of OH and H2O masers as well as an HII region. The H-band data were used in conjunction with Spitzer M-band data to map extinction via H-M color excess. In total, 2654 stellar objects were found in the Mimir field of view, of which 1013 had H and M magnitudes with low errors. Using the extinction map and the individual stellar H-M color excess values, 429 stars with polarized signals were found to be background to the molecular cloud. These were useful for mapping the magnetic field structure and estimating the magnetic field strength of the cloud. Mid- to far-infrared (70 - 870 μm) archival Herschel and Planck data were used to map dust extinction at 850 µm and create an H2 column density map. Combined, maps of magnetic field strength and hydrogen column density can be used to infer the ratio of gravitational potential to magnetic potential ( M/Φ ). Findings are discussed in the context of M/Φ ratio in models and the stability of high-mass star-forming regions.This work has been supported by NSF AST14-12269 and NASA NNX15AE51G grants.

Heavily Obscured AGN: An Ideal Laboratory To Study The Early Co-Evolution of Galaxies And Black Holes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Circosta, Chiara; Vignali, C.; Gilli, R.; Feltre, A.; Vito, F.

2016-10-01

Obscured AGN are a crucial ingredient to understand the full growth history of super massive black holes and the coevolution with their host galaxies, since they constitute the bulk of the BH accretion. In the distant Universe, many of them are hosted by submillimeter galaxies (SMGs), characterized by a high production of stars and a very fast consumption of gas. Therefore, the analysis of this class of objects is fundamental to investigate the role of the ISM in the early coevolution of galaxies and black holesWe collected a sample of six obscured X-ray selected AGN at z>2.5 in the CDF-S, detected in the far-IR/submm bands. We performed a multiwavelength analysis in order to characterize their physical properties, as well as those of their host galaxies (e.g. column density, accretion luminosity, stellar mass, SFR, dust and gas mass). I will present the results of the X-ray spectral analysis of these sources based on the 7Ms Chandra data - the deepest X-ray observation ever carried out on any field - along with their broad-band spectral energy distributions (SEDs), built up using the public UV to far-IR photometry from the CANDELS and Herschel catalogs. By comparing the column density associated with the ISM (estimated measuring the size of the system) with that obtained from the X-ray data, it is possible to understand whether the ISM in the host galaxy may be able to produce a substantial part of the observed nuclear obscuration.

The Properties of Planck Galactic Cold Clumps in the L1495 Dark Cloud

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Mengyao; Liu, Tie; Qin, Sheng-Li; Kim, Kee-Tae; Wu, Yuefang; Tatematsu, Ken’ichi; Yuan, Jinghua; Wang, Ke; Parsons, Harriet; Koch, Patrick M.; Sanhueza, Patricio; Ward-Thompson, D.; Tóth, L. Viktor; Soam, Archana; Lee, Chang Won; Eden, David; Di Francesco, James; Rawlings, Jonathan; Rawlings, Mark G.; Montillaud, Julien; Zhang, Chuan-Peng; Cunningham, M. R.

2018-04-01

Planck Galactic Cold Clumps (PGCCs) possibly represent the early stages of star formation. To understand better the properties of PGCCs, we studied 16 PGCCs in the L1495 cloud with molecular lines and continuum data from Herschel, JCMT/SCUBA-2, and the PMO 13.7 m telescope. Thirty dense cores were identified in 16 PGCCs from 2D Gaussian fitting. The dense cores have dust temperatures of T d = 11–14 K, and H2 column densities of {N}{{{H}}2} = (0.36–2.5) × 1022 cm‑2. We found that not all PGCCs contain prestellar objects. In general, the dense cores in PGCCs are usually at their earliest evolutionary stages. All the dense cores have non-thermal velocity dispersions larger than the thermal velocity dispersions from molecular line data, suggesting that the dense cores may be turbulence-dominated. We have calculated the virial parameter α and found that 14 of the dense cores have α <2, while 16 of the dense cores have α >2. This suggests that some of the dense cores are not bound in the absence of external pressure and magnetic fields. The column density profiles of dense cores were fitted. The sizes of the flat regions and core radii decrease with the evolution of dense cores. CO depletion was found to occur in all the dense cores, but is more significant in prestellar core candidates than in protostellar or starless cores. The protostellar cores inside the PGCCs are still at a very early evolutionary stage, sharing similar physical and chemical properties with the prestellar core candidates.

Detection of anthropogenic dust using CALIPSO lidar measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, J.; Liu, J.; Chen, B.; Nasiri, S. L.

2015-04-01

Anthropogenic dusts are those produced by human activities on disturbed soils, which are mainly cropland, pasture, and urbanized regions and are a subset of the total dust load which includes natural sources from desert regions. Our knowledge of anthropogenic dusts is still very limited due to a lack of data on source distribution and magnitude, and on their effect on radiative forcing which may be comparable to other anthropogenic aerosols. To understand the contribution of anthropogenic dust to the total global dust load and its effect on radiative transfer and climate, it is important to identify them from total dust. In this study, a new technique for distinguishing anthropogenic dust from natural dust is proposed by using Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) dust and planetary boundary layer (PBL) height retrievals along with a land use dataset. Using this technique, the global distribution of dust is analyzed and the relative contribution of anthropogenic and natural dust sources to regional and global emissions are estimated. Results reveal that local anthropogenic dust aerosol due to human activity, such as agriculture, industrial activity, transportation, and overgrazing, accounts for about 25% of the global continental dust load. Of these anthropogenic dust aerosols, more than 53% come from semi-arid and semi-wet regions. Annual mean anthropogenic dust column burden (DCB) values range from 0.42 g m-2 with a maximum in India to 0.12 g m-2 with a minimum in North America. A better understanding of anthropogenic dust emission will enable us to focus on human activities in these critical regions and with such knowledge we will be better able to improve global dust models and to explore the effects of anthropogenic emission on radiative forcing, climate change and air quality in the future.

Characterization of Dust Properties Near Source Region During ACE-Asia: A Column Satellite-Surface Perspective

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tsay, S. -C.; Ji, Q.; Chu, A.; Hsu, C.; Holben, B.; Campbell, J.; Welton, E. J.; Shu, P. K.

2002-01-01

Many recent field experiments are designed to study the compelling variability in spatial and temporal scale of both pollution-derived and naturally occurring aerosols, which often exist in high concentrations over eastern/southeastern Asia and along the rim of the western Pacific. For example, the ACE-Asia was conducted from March-May 2001 in the vicinity of the Taklimakan and Gobi deserts, East Coast of China, Yellow Sea, Korea, and Japan, along the pathway of Kosa (severe events that blanket East Asia with yellow desert dust, peaked in the Spring season). Asian dust typically originates in desert areas far from polluted urban regions. During transport, dust layers can interact with anthropogenic sulfate and soot aerosols from heavily polluted urban areas. Added to the complex effects of clouds and natural marine aerosols, dust particles reaching the marine environment can have drastically different properties than those from the source. Thus, understanding the unique temporal and spatial variations of Asian aerosols is of special importance in regional-to-global climate issues such as radiative forcing, the hydrological cycle, and primary biological productivity in the mid-Pacific Ocean. During ACE-Asia we have measured continuously aerosol physical/optical/radiative properties, column precipitable water amount, and surface reflectivity over homogeneous areas from surface. The inclusion of flux measurements permits the determination of aerosol radiative flux in addition to measurements of loading and optical depth. At the time of the Terra/MODIS, SeaWiFS, TOMS and other satellite overpasses, these ground-based observations can provide valuable data to compare with satellite retrievals over land. Preliminary results will be presented and discussed their implications in regional climatic effects.

Excitation of Kelvin Helmholtz instability by an ion beam in a plasma with negatively charged dust grains

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rani, Kavita; Sharma, Suresh C.

2015-02-15

An ion beam propagating through a magnetized dusty plasma drives Kelvin Helmholtz Instability (KHI) via Cerenkov interaction. The frequency of the unstable wave increases with the relative density of negatively charged dust grains. It is observed that the beam has stabilizing effect on the growth rate of KHI for low shear parameter, but for high shear parameter, the instability is destabilized with relative density of negatively charged dust grains.

Chandra Survey of Nearby Galaxies: Testing the Accretion Model for Low-luminosity AGNs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

She, Rui; Ho, Luis C.; Feng, Hua; Cui, Can

2018-06-01

From a Chandra sample of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in nearby galaxies, we find that for low-luminosity AGNs, either the intrinsic absorption column density, or the fraction of absorbed AGNs, positively scales with the Eddington ratio for L bol/L Edd ≲ 10‑2. Such a behavior, along with the softness of the X-ray spectrum at low luminosities, is in good agreement with the picture that they are powered by hot accretion flows surrounding supermassive black holes. Numerical simulations find that outflows are inevitable with hot accretion flows, and the outflow rate is correlated with the innermost accretion rate in the low-luminosity regime. This agrees well with our results, suggesting that the X-ray absorption originates from, or is associated with, the outflow material. Gas and dust on larger scales may also produce the observed correlation. Future correlation analyses may help differentiate the two scenarios.

PFS/Mars Express first results: water vapour and carbon monoxide global distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ignatiev, N. I.; Titov, D. V.; Formisano, V.; Moroz, V. I.; Lellouch, E.; Encrenaz, Th.; Fouchet, T.; Grassi, D.; Giuranna, M.; Atreya, S.; Pfs Team

Planetary Fourier Spectrometer onboard Mars Express, with its wide spectral range (1.2--45 um) and high spectral resolution (1.4 cm-1), makes it possible to study in a self-consistent manner the Martian atmosphere by means of simultaneous analysis of spectral features in several spectral regions. As concerned small species, we observe 30--50, 6.3, 2.56, 1.87 and 1.38 μ m H2O bands, and 4.7 and 2.35 μ m CO bands. The most favourable, with respect to the instrument performance, 2.56 μ m H2O and 4.7 μ m CO bands, are used to study the variations of column abundance of water vapour and carbon monoxide on a global scale from pole to pole. All necessary atmospheric parameters, namely temperature profiles, surface pressure, and dust density are obtained from the same spectra, whenever possible.

A Brief Update on the CMZoom Survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Battersby, C.; Keto, E.; Zhang, Q.; Longmore, S. N.; Kruijssen, J. M. D.; Pillai, T.; Kauffmann, J.; Walker, D.; Lu, X.; Ginsburg, A.; Bally, J.; Mills, E. A. C.; Henshaw, J.; Immer, K.; Patel, N.; Tolls, V.; Walsh, A.; Johnston, K.; Ho, L. C.

2017-01-01

The inner few hundred parsecs of the Milky Way, the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ), is our closest laboratory for understanding star formation in the extreme environments (hot, dense, turbulent gas) that once dominated the universe. We present an update on the first large-area survey to expose the sites of star formation across the CMZ at high-resolution in submillimeter wavelengths: the CMZoom survey with the Submillimeter Array (SMA). We identify the locations of dense cores and search for signatures of embedded star formation. CMZoom is a three-year survey in its final year and is mapping out the highest column density regions of the CMZ in dust continuum and a variety of spectral lines around 1.3 mm. CMZoom combines SMA compact and subcompact configurations with single-dish data from BGPS and the APEX telescope, achieving an angular resolution of about 4'' (0.2 pc) and good image fidelity up to large spatial scales.

CMZoom: The Submillimeter Array Survey of our Galaxy’s Central Molecular Zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Battersby, Cara; CMZoom Team

2018-01-01

The inner few hundred parsecs of the Milky Way, the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ), is our closest laboratory for understanding star formation in the extreme environments (hot, dense, turbulent gas) that once dominated the universe. We present an update on the first large-area survey to expose the sites of star formation across the CMZ at high-resolution in submillimeter wavelengths: the CMZoom survey with the Submillimeter Array (SMA). We identify the locations of dense cores and search for signatures of embedded star formation. CMZoom is a three-year survey, completed this year, and has mapped out the highest column density regions of the CMZ in dust continuum and a variety of spectral lines around 1.3 mm. CMZoom combines SMA compact and subcompact configurations with single-dish data from BGPS and the APEX telescope, achieving an angular resolution of about 4” (0.2 pc) and good image fidelity up to large spatial scales.

Radial Surface Density Profiles of Gas and Dust in the Debris Disk Around 49 Ceti

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hughes, A. Meredith; Lieman-Sifry, Jesse; Flaherty, Kevin M.; Daley, Cail M.; Roberge, Aki; Kospal, Agnes; Moor, Attila; Kamp, Inga; Wilner, David J.; Andrews, Sean M.;

Gravitational Instability of Small Particles in Stratified Dusty Disks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, J.; Chiang, E.

2012-12-01

Self-gravity is an attractive means of forming the building blocks of planets, a.k.a. the first-generation planetesimals. For ensembles of dust particles to aggregate into self-gravitating, bound structures, they must first collect into regions of extraordinarily high density in circumstellar gas disks. We have modified the ATHENA code to simulate dusty, compressible, self-gravitating flows in a 3D shearing box configuration, working in the limit that dust particles are small enough to be perfectly entrained in gas. We have used our code to determine the critical density thresholds required for disk gas to undergo gravitational collapse. In the strict limit that the stopping times of particles in gas are infinitesimally small, our numerical simulations and analytic calculations reveal that the critical density threshold for gravitational collapse is orders of magnitude above what has been commonly assumed. We discuss how finite but still short stopping times under realistic conditions can lower the threshold to a level that may be attainable. Nonlinear development of gravitational instability in a stratified dusty disk. Shown are volume renderings of dust density for the bottom half of a disk at t=0, 6, 8, and 9 Omega^{-1}. The initial disk first develops shearing density waves. These waves then steep and form long extending filament along the azimuth. These filaments eventually break and form very dense dust clumps. The time evolution of the maximum dust density within the simulation box. Run std32 stands for a standard run which has averaged Toomre's Q=0.5. Qgtrsim 1.0 for the rest runs in the plot (Z1 has twice metallicity than the standard; Q1 has twice Q_g, the Toomre's Q for the gas disk alone; M1 has twice the dust-to-gas ratio than the standard at the midplane; R1 is constructed so that the midplane density exceeds the Roche criterion however the Toomre's Q is above unity.)

Statistical analysis of dust signals observed by ROSINA/COPS onboard of the Rosetta spacecraft at comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tzou, Chia-Yu; altwegg, kathrin; Bieler, Andre; Calmonte, Ursina; Gasc, Sébastien; Le Roy, Léna; Rubin, Martin

2016-10-01

ROSINA is the in situ Rosetta Orbiter Spectrometer for Ion and Neutral Analysis on board of Rosetta, one of the corner stone missions of the European Space Agency (ESA) to land and orbit the Jupiter family comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67P). ROSINA consists of two mass spectrometers and a pressure sensor. The Reflectron Time of Flight Spectrometer (RTOF) and the Double Focusing Mass Spectrometer (DFMS) complement each other in mass and time resolution.The Comet Pressure Sensor (COPS) provides density measurements of the neutral molecules in the cometary coma of 67P. COPS has two gauges, a nude gauge that measures the total neutral density and a ram gauge that measures the dynamic pressure from the comet. Combining the two COPS is also capable of providing gas dynamic information such as gas velocity and gas temperature of the coma.While Rosetta started orbiting around 67P in August 2014, COPS observed diurnal and seasonal variations of the neutral gas density in the coma. Surprisingly, additional to these major density variation patterns, COPS occasionally observed small spikes in the density that are associated with dust. These dust signals can be interpreted as a result of cometary dust releasing volatiles while heated up near COPS. A statistical analysis of dust signals detected by COPS will be presented.

Star formation towards the Galactic H II region RCW 120. Herschel observations of compact sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Figueira, M.; Zavagno, A.; Deharveng, L.; Russeil, D.; Anderson, L. D.; Men'shchikov, A.; Schneider, N.; Hill, T.; Motte, F.; Mège, P.; LeLeu, G.; Roussel, H.; Bernard, J.-P.; Traficante, A.; Paradis, D.; Tigé, J.; André, P.; Bontemps, S.; Abergel, A.

2017-04-01

Context. The expansion of H II regions can trigger the formation of stars. An overdensity of young stellar objects is observed at the edges of H II regions but the mechanisms that give rise to this phenomenon are not clearly identified. Moreover, it is difficult to establish a causal link between H II -region expansion and the star formation observed at the edges of these regions. A clear age gradient observed in the spatial distribution of young sources in the surrounding might be a strong argument in favor of triggering. Aims: We aim to characterize the star formation observed at the edges of H II regions by studying the properties of young stars that form there. We aim to detect young sources, derive their properties and their evolution stage in order to discuss the possible causal link between the first-generation massive stars that form the H II region and the young sources observed at their edges. Methods: We have observed the Galactic H II region RCW 120 with Herschel PACS and SPIRE photometers at 70, 100, 160, 250, 350 and 500 μm. We produced temperature and H2 column density maps and use the getsources algorithm to detect compact sources and measure their fluxes at Herschel wavelengths. We have complemented these fluxes with existing infrared data. Fitting their spectral energy distributions with a modified blackbody model, we derived their envelope dust temperature and envelope mass. We computed their bolometric luminosities and discuss their evolutionary stages. Results: The overall temperatures of the region (without background subtraction) range from 15 K to 24 K. The warmest regions are observed towards the ionized gas. The coldest regions are observed outside the ionized gas and follow the emission of the cold material previously detected at 870 μm and 1.3 mm. The H2 column density map reveals the distribution of the cold medium to be organized in filaments and highly structured. Column densities range from 7 × 1021 cm-2 up to 9 × 1023 cm-2 without background subtraction. The cold regions observed outside the ionized gas are the densest and host star formation when the column density exceeds 2 × 1022 cm-2. The most reliable 35 compact sources are discussed. Using existing CO data and morphological arguments we show that these sources are likely to be associated with the RCW 120 region. These sources' volume densities range from 2 × 105 cm-3 to 108 cm-3. Five sources have envelope masses larger than 50 M⊙ and are all observed in high column density regions (>7 × 1022 cm-2). We find that the evolutionary stage of the sources primarily depends on the density of their hosting condensation and is not correlated with the distance to the ionizing star. Conclusions: The Herschel data, with their unique sampling of the far infrared domain, have allowed us to characterize the properties of compact sources observed towards RCW 120 for the first time. We have also been able to determine the envelope temperature, envelope mass and evolutionary stage of these sources. Using these properties we have shown that the density of the condensations that host star formation is a key parameter of the star-formation history, irrespective of their projected distance to the ionizing stars. Table A.1 is also available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/600/A93Herschel is an ESA space observatory with science instruments provided by European-led Principal Investigator consortia and with important participation from NASA.

On the Role of Dust in the Lunar Ionosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stubbs, Timothy J.; Glenar, D. A.; Collier, M. R.; Farrell, W. M.; Halekas, J S.; Delory, G. T.; Vondrak, R. R.

2011-01-01

Evidence suggests that electron concentrations above the dayside lunar surface can be significantly higher than expected from either the photo-ionization of exospheric neutrals or any other well-known process. The Luna 19 mission performed dual-frequency radio occultation experiments in order to determine electron column concentrations above the lunar limb as a function of tangent height (shown in the figure below), The resulting electron concentration profiles surprisingly indicated a peak of approx.500-1000/cu cm and scale heights of approx. 10-30 km. It has been suggested that electrically charged exospheric dust could contribute to these electron cnhancemcnts2 , Here we describe how to estimate the electrons produced by photo-charged dust, which is then used to predict electron concentrations from exospheric dust distribution models that are based on the "excess brightness" observed in Apollo 15 coronal photographs. The results indicate that radio occultation measurements likely provide a valuable perspective on the role of dust in the lunar environment.

Characteristics of dust voids in a strongly coupled laboratory dusty plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bailung, Yoshiko; Deka, T.; Boruah, A.; Sharma, S. K.; Pal, A. R.; Chutia, Joyanti; Bailung, H.

2018-05-01

A void is produced in a strongly coupled dusty plasma by inserting a cylindrical pin (˜0.1 mm diameter) into a radiofrequency discharge argon plasma. The pin is biased externally below the plasma potential to generate the dust void. The Debye sheath model is used to obtain the sheath potential profile and hence to estimate the electric field around the pin. The electric field force and the ion drag force on the dust particles are estimated and their balance accounts well for the maintenance of the size of the void. The effects of neutral density as well as dust density on the void size are studied.

Squeezed between shells? The origin of the Lupus I molecular cloud. APEX/LABOCA, Herschel, and Planck observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaczkowski, B.; Preibisch, T.; Stanke, T.; Krause, M. G. H.; Burkert, A.; Diehl, R.; Fierlinger, K.; Kroell, D.; Ngoumou, J.; Roccatagliata, V.

2015-12-01

Context. The Lupus I cloud is found between the Upper Scorpius (USco) and the Upper Centaurus-Lupus (UCL) subgroups of the Scorpius-Centaurus OB association, where the expanding USco H I shell appears to interact with a bubble currently driven by the winds of the remaining B-stars of UCL. Aims: We want to study how collisions of large-scale interstellar gas flows form and influence new dense clouds in the ISM. Methods: We performed LABOCA continuum sub-mm observations of Lupus I that provide for the first time a direct view of the densest, coldest cloud clumps and cores at high angular resolution. We complemented these data with Herschel and Planck data from which we constructed column density and temperature maps. From the Herschel and LABOCA column density maps we calculated probability density functions (PDFs) to characterize the density structure of the cloud. Results: The northern part of Lupus I is found to have, on average, lower densities, higher temperatures, and no active star formation. The center-south part harbors dozens of pre-stellar cores where density and temperature reach their maximum and minimum, respectively. Our analysis of the column density PDFs from the Herschel data show double-peak profiles for all parts of the cloud, which we attribute to an external compression. In those parts with active star formation, the PDF shows a power-law tail at high densities. The PDFs we calculated from our LABOCA data trace the denser parts of the cloud showing one peak and a power-law tail. With LABOCA we find 15 cores with masses between 0.07 and 1.71 M⊙ and a total mass of ≈8 M⊙. The total gas and dust mass of the cloud is ≈164 M⊙ and hence ~5% of the mass is in cores. From the Herschel and Planck data we find a total mass of ≈174 M⊙ and ≈171 M⊙, respectively. Conclusions: The position, orientation, and elongated shape of Lupus I, the double-peak PDFs and the population of pre-stellar and protostellar cores could be explained by the large-scale compression from the advancing USco H I shell and the UCL wind bubble. The Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX) is a collaboration between the Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie (MPIfR), the European Southern Observatory (ESO), and the Onsala Space Observatory (OSO).Herschel is an ESA space observatory with science instruments provided by European-led Principal Investigator consortia and with important participation from NASA.Final APEX cube and Herschel N and T maps as FITS files are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (ftp://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/584/A36

CO-ices in embedded Young Stellar Objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teixeira, Teresa Cláeira V. S.

1998-09-01

Stars are born in dense cores within molecular clouds, enshrouded in large cocoons of gas and dust which completely obscure the forming star. The large degree of obscuration towards the young stars is due to the presence of solid dust grains in their circumstellar envelopes, which efficiently absorb the radiation from the star at visual and ultraviolet wavelengths, reradiating that energy at far-infrared and submillimeter wavelengths. The composition and structure of the dust grains is not well known, but current studies point to grains having a refractory core and acquiring ice mantles in the cool, shielded conditions of molecular clouds. Such ice mantles are the subject of this thesis. Infrared spectroscopy is an important tool in the study of the complex ice mantles on interstellar grains. A variety of absorption features at these wavelengths, which have been identified as the vibrational transitions of the molecules in the ices, can provide important information on the composition, structure and evolution of the grains. The work reported in this thesis consists of an observational study of the composition of the ice mantles acquired by the dust grains in molecular clouds (with particular emphasis on the CO-ices in the material surrounding embedded Young Stellar Objects in nearby molecular clouds), what can be learned from that about the physical conditions in the regions where the ice mantles exist, and what may affect their survival and evolution. In this work, spectra of the 4.67 micron solid CO absorption feature are presented, mostly towards embedded objects in Taurus. The thesis starts with a brief overview of technical aspects of spectroscopic observations at thermal infrared wavelengths, where the CO stretch absorption feature is located. The observations and data reduction procedures are then reported and discussed in detail. The likely composition of the CO-bearing ices is analysed by fitting the observations with laboratory data. The statistical significance of the results is discussed. Excellent fits to the nonpolar component of the CO-ices along the observed lines-of-sight are produced with ion irradiated pure CO ices. The possible origin of the ion irradiation is discussed, covering flares on the YSOs, cosmic rays and X-ray and UV processing. Predictions are made for the abundance of CO2 and methanol in the mantles. Furthermore, a comparison is made between the results of observations of CO and H2 O ices towards the Taurus and Ophiuchus dark clouds. The column densities of the ices are compared with the visual extinction, Av, through the clouds, and with the 1.3mm continuum emission from the YSOs. The inclusion of the objects in Taurus observed in this work resulted in the appearance of a discontinuity in the relation between the water-ice column density and Av, at the value of Av for which the optical depth at 3 microns (the wavelength of the water-ice absorption feature) is unity. Finally, all the observations and results discussed throughout the thesis are brought together to address their implications in the current understanding of the conditions in Taurus and Ophiuchus. Thesis and published paper available at http://www.obs.aau.dk/~tct/

The Effect of AGN Heating on the Low-redshift Lyα Forest

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gurvich, Alex; Burkhart, Blakesley; Bird, Simeon

2017-02-01

We investigate the effects of AGN heating and the ultraviolet background on the low-redshift Lyα forest column density distribution (CDD) using the Illustris simulation. We show that Illustris reproduces observations at z = 0.1 in the column density range {10}12.5{--}{10}13.5 cm-2, relevant for the “photon underproduction crisis.” We attribute this to the inclusion of AGN feedback, which changes the gas distribution so as to mimic the effect of extra photons, as well as the use of the Faucher-Giguère ultraviolet background, which is more ionizing at z = 0.1 than the Haardt & Madau background previously considered. We show that the difference between simulations run with smoothed particle hydrodynamics and simulations using a moving mesh is small in this column density range but can be more significant at larger column densities. We further consider the effect of supernova feedback, Voigt profile fitting, and finite resolution, all of which we show to have little influence on the CDD. Finally, we identify a discrepancy between our simulations and observations at column densities {10}14{--}{10}16 cm-2, where Illustris produces too few absorbers, which suggests the AGN feedback model should be further refined. Since the “photon underproduction crisis” primarily affects lower column density systems, we conclude that AGN feedback and standard ionizing background models can resolve the crisis.

Existence domains of dust-acoustic solitons and supersolitons

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Maharaj, S. K.; Bharuthram, R.; Singh, S. V.

2013-08-15

Using the Sagdeev potential method, the existence of large amplitude dust-acoustic solitons and supersolitons is investigated in a plasma comprising cold negative dust, adiabatic positive dust, Boltzmann electrons, and non-thermal ions. This model supports the existence of positive potential supersolitons in a certain region in parameter space in addition to regular solitons having negative and positive potentials. The lower Mach number limit for supersolitons coincides with the occurrence of double layers whereas the upper limit is imposed by the constraint that the adiabatic positive dust number density must remain real valued. The upper Mach number limits for negative potential (positivemore » potential) solitons coincide with limiting values of the negative (positive) potential for which the negative (positive) dust number density is real valued. Alternatively, the existence of positive potential solitons can terminate when positive potential double layers occur.« less

MAVEN/IUVS Apoapse Observations of the Martian FUV Dayglow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Correira, J.; Evans, J. S.; Stevens, M. H.; Schneider, N. M.; Stewart, I. F.; Deighan, J.; Jain, S.; Chaffin, M.; Crismani, M. M. J.; McClintock, B.; Holsclaw, G.; Lefèvre, F.; Lo, D.; Stiepen, A.; Clarke, J. T.; Mahaffy, P. R.; Bougher, S. W.; Bell, J. M.; Jakosky, B. M.

2015-12-01

We present FUV data (115 - 190 nm) from MAVEN/IUVS apoapse mode observations for the Oct 2014 through Feb 2015 time period. During apoapse mode the highly elliptical orbit of MAVEN allows for up to four apoapse disk images by IUVS per day. Maps of FUV feature intensities and intensity ratios as well as derived CO/CO2 and O/CO2 column density ratios will be shown. Column density ratios are derived from lookup tables created using the Atmospheric Ultraviolet Radiance Integrated Code [Strickland et al., 1999] in conjunction with observed intensity ratios. Column density ratios provide a measure of composition changes in the Martian atmosphere. Due to MAVEN's orbital geometry the observations from this time period focus on the southern hemisphere. The broad view provided by apoapse observations allows for the investigation of spatial and temporal variations (both long term and local time) of the atmospheric composition (via the column density ratios). IUVS FUV intensities and derived column density ratios will also be compared with model results from Mars Global Ionosphere/Thermosphere Model (MGITM) and the Mars Climate Database (MCD).

Physics of spacecraft-based interplanetary dust collection by impact into low-density media

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, William W.; Ahrens, T. J.

1994-01-01

A spacecraft encountering an interplanetary dust particle (IDP) at a relative velocity of several kilometers per second may be used to capture that particle for in situ analysis or for analysis upon Earth return. In this paper we study the impact of a dust particle into a low-density medium (i.e., a foam) such that the foam dissipates the kinetic energy of impact over a sufficient distance to stop the particle without destroying it.

Remotely operable compact instruments for measuring atmospheric CO2 and CH4 column densities at surface monitoring sites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kobayashi, N.; Inoue, G.; Kawasaki, M.; Yoshioka, H.; Minomura, M.; Murata, I.; Nagahama, T.; Matsumi, Y.; Tanaka, T.; Morino, I.; Ibuki, T.

2010-08-01

Remotely operable compact instruments for measuring atmospheric CO2 and CH4 column densities were developed in two independent systems: one utilizing a grating-based desktop optical spectrum analyzer (OSA) with a resolution enough to resolve rotational lines of CO2 and CH4 in the regions of 1565-1585 and 1674-1682 nm, respectively; the other is an application of an optical fiber Fabry-Perot interferometer (FFPI) to obtain the CO2 column density. Direct sunlight was collimated via a small telescope installed on a portable sun tracker and then transmitted through an optical fiber into the OSA or the FFPI for optical analysis. The near infrared spectra of the OSA were retrieved by a least squares spectral fitting algorithm. The CO2 and CH4 column densities deduced were in excellent agreement with those measured by a Fourier transform spectrometer with high resolution. The rovibronic lines in the wavelength region of 1570-1575 nm were analyzed by the FFPI. The I0 and I values in the Beer-Lambert law equation to obtain CO2 column density were deduced by modulating temperature of the FFPI, which offered column CO2 with the statistical error less than 0.2% for six hours measurement.

Dust settling in magnetorotationally driven turbulent discs - I. Numerical methods and evidence for a vigorous streaming instability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balsara, Dinshaw S.; Tilley, David A.; Rettig, Terrence; Brittain, Sean D.

2009-07-01

In this paper, we have used the RIEMANN code for computational astrophysics to study the interaction of a realistic distribution of dust grains with gas at specific radial locations in a vertically stratified protostellar accretion disc. The disc was modelled to have the density and temperature of a minimum mass solar nebula, and shearing box simulations at radii of 0.3 and 10 au are reported here. The disc was driven to a fully developed turbulence via the magnetorotational instability (MRI). The simulations span three gas scaleheights about the disc's midplane. We find that the inclusion of standard dust-to-gas ratios does not have any significant effect on the MRI even when the dust sediments to the midplane of the accretion disc. The density distribution of the dust of all sizes reached a Gaussian profile within two scaleheights of the disc's midplane. The vertical scaleheights of these Gaussian profiles are shown to be proportional to the reciprocal of the square root of the dust radius when large spherical dust grains are considered. This result is consistent with theoretical expectation. The largest two families of dust in one of our simulations show a strong tendency to settle to the midplane of the accretion disc. The large dust tends to organize itself into elongated clumps of high density. The dynamics of these clumps is shown to be consistent with a streaming instability. The streaming instability is seen to be very vigorous and persistent once it forms. Each stream of high-density dust displays a reduced rms velocity dispersion. The velocity directions within the streams are also aligned relative to the mean shear, providing further evidence that we are witnessing a streaming instability. The densest clumpings of large dust are shown to form where the streams intersect. We have also shown that the mean free path and collision time for dust that participates in the streaming instability are reduced by almost two orders of magnitude relative to the average mean free paths and collision times. The rms velocities between the grains also need to fall below a minimum threshold in order for the grains to stick and we show that a small amount of the large dust in our 10 au simulation should have a propensity for grain coalescence. The results of our simulations are likely to be useful for those who model spectral energy distributions of protostellar discs and also for those who model dust coagulation and growth.

Comparison of dust-layer heights from active and passive satellite sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kylling, Arve; Vandenbussche, Sophie; Capelle, Virginie; Cuesta, Juan; Klüser, Lars; Lelli, Luca; Popp, Thomas; Stebel, Kerstin; Veefkind, Pepijn

2018-05-01

Aerosol-layer height is essential for understanding the impact of aerosols on the climate system. As part of the European Space Agency Aerosol_cci project, aerosol-layer height as derived from passive thermal and solar satellite sensors measurements have been compared with aerosol-layer heights estimated from CALIOP measurements. The Aerosol_cci project targeted dust-type aerosol for this study. This ensures relatively unambiguous aerosol identification by the CALIOP processing chain. Dust-layer height was estimated from thermal IASI measurements using four different algorithms (from BIRA-IASB, DLR, LMD, LISA) and from solar GOME-2 (KNMI) and SCIAMACHY (IUP) measurements. Due to differences in overpass time of the various satellites, a trajectory model was used to move the CALIOP-derived dust heights in space and time to the IASI, GOME-2 and SCIAMACHY dust height pixels. It is not possible to construct a unique dust-layer height from the CALIOP data. Thus two CALIOP-derived layer heights were used: the cumulative extinction height defined as the height where the CALIOP extinction column is half of the total extinction column, and the geometric mean height, which is defined as the geometrical mean of the top and bottom heights of the dust layer. In statistical average over all IASI data there is a general tendency to a positive bias of 0.5-0.8 km against CALIOP extinction-weighted height for three of the four algorithms assessed, while the fourth algorithm has almost no bias. When comparing geometric mean height there is a shift of -0.5 km for all algorithms (getting close to zero for the three algorithms and turning negative for the fourth). The standard deviation of all algorithms is quite similar and ranges between 1.0 and 1.3 km. When looking at different conditions (day, night, land, ocean), there is more detail in variabilities (e.g. all algorithms overestimate more at night than during the day). For the solar sensors it is found that on average SCIAMACHY data are lower by -1.097 km (-0.961 km) compared to the CALIOP geometric mean (cumulative extinction) height, and GOME-2 data are lower by -1.393 km (-0.818 km).

Cosmological simulation with dust formation and destruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aoyama, Shohei; Hou, Kuan-Chou; Hirashita, Hiroyuki; Nagamine, Kentaro; Shimizu, Ikkoh

2018-06-01

To investigate the evolution of dust in a cosmological volume, we perform hydrodynamic simulations, in which the enrichment of metals and dust is treated self-consistently with star formation and stellar feedback. We consider dust evolution driven by dust production in stellar ejecta, dust destruction by sputtering, grain growth by accretion and coagulation, and grain disruption by shattering, and treat small and large grains separately to trace the grain size distribution. After confirming that our model nicely reproduces the observed relation between dust-to-gas ratio and metallicity for nearby galaxies, we concentrate on the dust abundance over the cosmological volume in this paper. The comoving dust mass density has a peak at redshift z ˜ 1-2, coincident with the observationally suggested dustiest epoch in the Universe. In the local Universe, roughly 10 per cent of the dust is contained in the intergalactic medium (IGM), where only 1/3-1/4 of the dust survives against dust destruction by sputtering. We also show that the dust mass function is roughly reproduced at ≲ 108 M⊙, while the massive end still has a discrepancy, which indicates the necessity of stronger feedback in massive galaxies. In addition, our model broadly reproduces the observed radial profile of dust surface density in the circum-galactic medium (CGM). While our model satisfies the observational constraints for the dust extinction on cosmological scales, it predicts that the dust in the CGM and IGM is dominated by large (>0.03 μm) grains, which is in tension with the steep reddening curves observed in the CGM.

Effect of confining wall potential on charged collimated dust beam in low-pressure plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kausik, S. S.; Kakati, B.; Saikia, B. K.

2013-05-01

The effect of confining wall potential on charged collimated dust beam in low-pressure plasma has been studied in a dusty plasma experimental setup by applying electrostatic field to each channel of a multicusp magnetic cage. Argon plasma is produced by hot cathode discharge method at a pressure of 5×10-4 millibars and is confined by a full line cusped magnetic field confinement system. Silver dust grains are produced by gas-evaporation technique and move upward in the form of a collimated dust beam due to differential pressure maintained between the dust and plasma chambers. The charged grains in the beam after coming out from the plasma column enter into the diagnostic chamber and are deflected by a dc field applied across a pair of deflector plates at different confining potentials. Both from the amount of deflection and the floating potential, the number of charges collected by the dust grains is calculated. Furthermore, the collimated dust beam strikes the Faraday cup, which is placed above the deflector plates, and the current (˜pA) so produced is measured by an electrometer at different confining potentials. The experimental results demonstrate the significant effect of confining wall potential on charging of dust grains.

Detection of molecular hydrogen in a near Solar-metallicity damped Lyman-alpha system at zabs ~ 2 toward Q 0551-366 ≈ 2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ledoux, C.; Srianand, R.; Petitjean, P.

2002-09-01

We report the detection of H2, C I, C I *, C I ** and Cl I lines in a near Solar-metallicity ([Zn/H]=-0.13) damped Lyman-alpha (DLA) system at zabs=1.962 observed on the line of sight to the quasar Q 0551-366. The iron-peak elements, X=Fe, Cr and Mn are depleted compared to zinc, [X/Zn] ~ -0.8, probably because they are tied up onto dust grains. Among the three detected H2-bearing clouds, spanning 55 km s-1 in velocity space, we derive a total molecular hydrogen column density N(H2)=2.6x 1017 cm-2 and a mean molecular fraction f=2N(H2)/(2N(H2)+N(H I))=1.7x 10-3. The depletion of heavy elements (S, Si, Mg, Mn, Cr, Fe, Ni and Ti) in the central component is similar to that observed in the diffuse neutral gas of the Galactic halo. This depletion is approximately the same in the six C I-detected components independently of the presence or absence of H2. The gas clouds in which H2 is detected always have large densities, nH>30 cm-3, and low temperatures, T01<~ 100 K. This shows that presence of dust, high particle density and/or low temperature is required for molecules to be present. The photo-dissociation rate derived in the components where H2 is detected suggests the existence of a local UV radiation field similar in strength to the one in the Galaxy. Star formation therefore probably occurs near these H2-bearing clouds. Based on observations carried out at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) under prog. ID No. 66.A-0624 with the UVES spectrograph installed at the Very Large Telescope (VLT) on Cerro Paranal, Chile.

PHOTOPHORETIC LEVITATION AND TRAPPING OF DUST IN THE INNER REGIONS OF PROTOPLANETARY DISKS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McNally, Colin P.; McClure, Melissa K., E-mail: cmcnally@nbi.dk, E-mail: mmcclure@eso.org

In protoplanetary disks, the differential gravity-driven settling of dust grains with respect to gas and with respect to grains of varying sizes determines the observability of grains, and sets the conditions for grain growth and eventually planet formation. In this work, we explore the effect of photophoresis on the settling of large dust grains in the inner regions of actively accreting protoplanetary disks. Photophoretic forces on dust grains result from the collision of gas molecules with differentially heated grains. We undertake one-dimensional dust settling calculations to determine the equilibrium vertical distribution of dust grains in each column of the disk.more » In the process we introduce a new treatment of the photophoresis force which is consistent at all optical depths with the representation of the radiative intensity field in a two-stream radiative transfer approximation. The levitation of large dust grains creates a photophoretic dust trap several scale heights above the mid-plane in the inner regions of the disk where the dissipation of accretion energy is significant. We find that differential settling of dust grains is radically altered in these regions of the disk, with large dust grains trapped in a layer below the stellar irradiation surface, where the dust to gas mass ratio can be enhanced by a factor of a hundred for the relevant particles. The photophoretic trapping effect has a strong dependence on particle size and porosity.« less

On the Formation of Planetesimals: Radial Contraction of the Dust Layer Interacting with the Protoplanetary Disk Gas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Makalkin, A. B.; Artyushkova, M. E.

2017-11-01

Radial contraction of the dust layer in the midplane of a gas-dust protoplanetary disk that consists of large dust aggregates is modeled. Sizes of aggregates vary from centimeters to meters assuming the monodispersion of the layer. The highly nonlinear continuity equation for the solid phase of the dust layer is solved numerically. The purpose of the study is to identify the conditions under which the solid matter is accumulated in the layer, which contributes to the formation of planetesimals as a result of gravitational instability of the dust phase of the layer. We consider the collective interaction of the layer with the surrounding gas of the protoplanetary disk: shear stresses act on the gas in the dust layer that has a higher orbital velocity than the gas outside the layer, this leads to a loss of angular momentum and a radial drift of the layer. The stress magnitude is determined by the turbulent viscosity, which is represented as the sum of the α-viscosity associated with global turbulence in the disk and the viscosity associated with turbulence that is localized in a thin equatorial region comprising the dust layer and is caused by the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability. The evaporation of water ice and the continuity of the mass flux of the nonvolatile component on the ice line is also taken into account. It is shown that the accumulation of solid matter on either side of the ice line and in other regions of the disk is determined primarily by the ratio of the radii of dust aggregates on either side of the ice line. If after the ice evaporation the sizes (or density) of dust aggregates decrease by an order of magnitude or more, the density of the solid phase of the layer's matter in the annular zone adjacent to the ice line from the inside increases sharply. If, however, the sizes of the aggregates on the inner side of the ice line are only a few times smaller than behind the ice line, then in the same zone there is a deficit of mass at the place of the modern asteroid belt. We have obtained constraints on the parameters at which the layer compaction is possible: the global turbulence viscosity parameter (α < 10-5), the initial radial distribution of the surface density of the dust layer, and the distribution of the gas surface density in the disk. Restrictions on the surface density depend on the size of dust aggregates. It is shown that the timescale of radial contraction of a dust layer consisting of meter-sized bodies is two orders of magnitude and that of decimeter ones, an order of magnitude greater than the timescale of the radial drift of individual particles if there is no dust layer.

Physical conditions in the neutral interstellar medium at z = 2.43 toward Q 2348-011

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noterdaeme, P.; Petitjean, P.; Srianand, R.; Ledoux, C.; Le Petit, F.

2007-07-01

Aims:We aim at deriving the physical conditions in the neutral gas associated with damped Lyman-α systems using observation and analysis of H2 and C i absorptions. Methods: We obtained a high-resolution VLT-UVES spectrum of the quasar Q 2348-011 over a wavelength range that covers most of the prominent metal and molecular absorption lines from the log N(H i) = 20.50 ± 0.10 damped Lyman-α system at z_abs=2.4263. We detected H2 in this system and measured column densities of H2, C i, C i^*, C i**, Si ii, P ii, S ii, Fe ii, and Ni ii. From the column density ratios and, in particular, the relative populations of H2 rotational and C i fine-structure levels, we derived the physical conditions in the gas (relative abundances, dust-depletion, particle density, kinetic temperature, and ionising flux) and discuss physical conditions in the neutral phase. Results: Molecular hydrogen was detected in seven components in the first four rotational levels (J = 0-3) of the vibrational ground state. Absorption lines of H2 J=4 (resp. J = 5) rotational levels are detected in six (resp. two) of these components. This leads to a total molecular fraction of log f ≃ -1.69+0.37-0.58. Fourteen components are needed to reproduce the metal-line profiles. The overall metallicity is found to be -0.80, -0.62, -1.17 ± 0.10 for, respectively, [Si/H], [S/H] and [Fe/H]. We confirm the earlier findings that there is a correlation between log N(Fe ii)/N(S ii) and log N(Si ii)/N(S ii) from different components indicative of a dust-depletion pattern. Surprisingly, however, the depletion of metals onto dust in the H2 components is not large in this system: [Fe/S] = -0.8 to -0.1. The gas in H2-bearing components is found to be cold but still hotter than similar gas in our Galaxy (T > 130 K, instead of typically 80 K) and dense (n ˜ 100-200 cm-3). There is an anti-correlation (R=-0.97) between the logarithm of the photo-absorption rate, log β_0, and log N(H2)/N(C i) derived for each H2 component. We show that this is mostly due to shielding effects and imply that the photo-absorption rate β0 is a good indicator of the physical conditions in the gas. We find that the gas is immersed in an intense UV field, about one order of magnitude higher than in the solar vicinity. These results suggest that the gas in H2-bearing DLAs is clumpy, and star-formation occurs in the associated object. Based on observations carried out at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) under prog. ID No. 072.A-0346 with the UVES spectrograph installed at the Very Large Telescope (VLT) Unit 2, Kueyen, on Cerro Paranal, Chile.

WHAT DOES A SUBMILLIMETER GALAXY SELECTION ACTUALLY SELECT? THE DEPENDENCE OF SUBMILLIMETER FLUX DENSITY ON STAR FORMATION RATE AND DUST MASS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hayward, Christopher C.; Keres, Dusan; Jonsson, Patrik

2011-12-20

We perform three-dimensional dust radiative transfer (RT) calculations on hydrodynamic simulations of isolated and merging disk galaxies in order to quantitatively study the dependence of observed-frame submillimeter (submm) flux density on galaxy properties. We find that submm flux density and star formation rate (SFR) are related in dramatically different ways for quiescently star-forming galaxies and starbursts. Because the stars formed in the merger-induced starburst do not dominate the bolometric luminosity and the rapid drop in dust mass and more compact geometry cause a sharp increase in dust temperature during the burst, starbursts are very inefficient at boosting submm flux densitymore » (e.g., a {approx}> 16 Multiplication-Sign boost in SFR yields a {approx}< 2 Multiplication-Sign boost in submm flux density). Moreover, the ratio of submm flux density to SFR differs significantly between the two modes; thus one cannot assume that the galaxies with highest submm flux density are necessarily those with the highest bolometric luminosity or SFR. These results have important consequences for the bright submillimeter-selected galaxy (SMG) population. Among them are: (1) The SMG population is heterogeneous. In addition to merger-driven starbursts, there is a subpopulation of galaxy pairs, where two disks undergoing a major merger but not yet strongly interacting are blended into one submm source because of the large ({approx}> 15'' or {approx}130 kpc at z = 2) beam of single-dish submm telescopes. (2) SMGs must be very massive (M{sub *} {approx}> 6 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 10} M{sub Sun }). (3) The infall phase makes the SMG duty cycle a factor of a few greater than what is expected for a merger-driven starburst. Finally, we provide fitting functions for SCUBA and AzTEC submm flux densities as a function of SFR and dust mass and bolometric luminosity and dust mass; these should be useful for calculating submm flux density in semi-analytic models and cosmological simulations when performing full RT is computationally not feasible.« less

3-D Simulations of the Inner Dust Comae for Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marschall, Raphael; Liao, Ying; Su, Cheng-Chin; Wu, Jong-Shinn; Thomas, Nicolas; Rubin, Martin; Lai, Ian Lin; Ip, Wing-Huen; Keller, Horst Uwe; Knollenberg, Jörg; Kührt, Ekkehard; Skorov, Yuri; Altwegg, Kathrin; Vincent, Jean-Baptiste; Gicquel, Adeline; Shi, Xian; Sierks, Holger; Naletto, Giampiero

2015-04-01

The aims of this study are to (1) model the gas flow-field in the innermost coma for a plausible activity distributions of ROSETTA's target comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67P) using the SHAP2 model, (2) compare this with the ROSINA/COPS gas density (3) investigate the acceleration of dust by gas drag and the resulting dust distribution, (4) produce artificial images of the dust coma brightness as seen from different viewing geometries for a range of heliocentric distances and (5) compare the artificial images quantitatively with observations by the OSIRIS imaging system. We calculate the dust distribution in the coma within the first ten kilometers of the nucleus by assuming the dust to be spherical test particles in the gas field without any back coupling. The motion of the dust is driven by the drag force resulting from the gas flow. We assume a quadratic drag force with a velocity and temperature-dependent drag coefficient. The gravitational force of a point nucleus on the dust is also taken into account which will e.g. determine the maximal liftable size of the dust. Surface cohesion is not included. 40 dust sizes in the range between 8 nm and 0.3 mm are considered. For every dust size the dust densities and velocities are calculated by tracking around one million simulation particles in the gas field. We assume the distribution of dust according to size follows a power law, specifically the number of particles n or a particular radius r is specified by n ~ r-β with usual values of 3 ≤ β ≤ 4 where β = 3 corresponds to the case of equal mass per size and β = 4 to a shift of the mass towards the small particles. For the comparison with images of the high resolution camera OSIRIS on board ESAs ROSETTA spacecraft the viewing geometry of the camera can be specified and a line of sight integration through the dust density is performed. By means of Mie scattering on the particles the dust brightness can be determined. A variety of dust size distributions, gas to dust mass ratios, wavelengths and optical properties can thus be studied and compared with the data.

Enceladus Plume Morphology and Variability from UVIS Measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hansen, Candice; Esposito, Larry; Colwell, Josh; Hendrix, Amanda; Portyankina, Ganna

2017-10-01

The Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS) on the Cassini spacecraft has been observing Enceladus’ plume and its effect on the Saturnian environment since 2004. One solar and 7 stellar occultations have been observed between 2005 and 2017. On 27 March 2017 epsilon Canis Majoris (CMa) passed behind the plume of water vapor spewing from Enceladus’ tiger stripe fissures. With this occultation we have 6 cuts through the plume at a variety of orientations over 12 years. Following our standard procedure the column density along the line of sight from Enceladus to the star was determined and the water flux calculated [1]. The mean anomaly was 131, well away from the dust flux peak associated with Enceladus at an orbital longitude near apoapsis [2]. We find that the water vapor flux was ~160 kg/sec (this number will be refined when the final reconstructed trajectory is available). That puts it “in family” with the other occultations, with values that cluster around 200 kg/sec. It is at the low end, which may be consistent with the drop in particle output observed over the last decade [3]. UVIS results show that the supersonic collimated gas jets imbedded in the plume are the likely source of the variability in dust output [4], rather than overall flux from the tiger stripes. An occultation of epsilon Orionis was observed on 11 March 2016 when Enceladus was at a mean anomaly of 208. Although the bulk flux changed little the amount of water vapor coming from the Baghdad I supersonic jet increased by 25% relative to 2011. The Baghdad I jet was observed again in the 2017 epsilon CMa occultation, and the column density is half that of 2016, further bolstering the conclusion that the gas jets change output as a function of orbital longitude. UVIS results describing gas flux, jets, and general structure of the plume, the observables above the surface, are key to testing hypotheses for what is driving Enceladus’ eruptive activity below the surface. [1] Hansen, C. J. et al. (2006) Science 311:1423; [2] Hedman, M. M. et al., (2013) Nature 500:182; [3] Ingersoll, A. P. and S. P. Ewald (2017) Icarus 282:260. [4] Hansen, C. J. et al (2017) GRL 10.1002/2016GL071853.

Radial Surface Density Profiles of Gas and Dust in the Debris Disk around 49 Ceti

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hughes, A. Meredith; Lieman-Sifry, Jesse; Flaherty, Kevin M.

We present ∼0.″4 resolution images of CO(3–2) and associated continuum emission from the gas-bearing debris disk around the nearby A star 49 Ceti, observed with the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA). We analyze the ALMA visibilities in tandem with the broadband spectral energy distribution to measure the radial surface density profiles of dust and gas emission from the system. The dust surface density decreases with radius between ∼100 and 310 au, with a marginally significant enhancement of surface density at a radius of ∼110 au. The SED requires an inner disk of small grains in addition to the outer diskmore » of larger grains resolved by ALMA. The gas disk exhibits a surface density profile that increases with radius, contrary to most previous spatially resolved observations of circumstellar gas disks. While ∼80% of the CO flux is well described by an axisymmetric power-law disk in Keplerian rotation about the central star, residuals at ∼20% of the peak flux exhibit a departure from axisymmetry suggestive of spiral arms or a warp in the gas disk. The radial extent of the gas disk (∼220 au) is smaller than that of the dust disk (∼300 au), consistent with recent observations of other gas-bearing debris disks. While there are so far only three broad debris disks with well characterized radial dust profiles at millimeter wavelengths, 49 Ceti’s disk shows a markedly different structure from two radially resolved gas-poor debris disks, implying that the physical processes generating and sculpting the gas and dust are fundamentally different.« less

Long-term variability of dust optical depths on Mars during MY24-MY32 and their impact on subtropical lower ionosphere: Climatology, modeling, and observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sheel, Varun; Haider, S. A.

2016-08-01

Dust optical depths (τ) for nine Martian years (MY24-MY32) in the subtropical region (25-35°S) have been used to classify distinct dust scenarios. These data are based on observations at 9.3 µm from the Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Odyssey missions and encompass the regional dust storms which occur every year around solar longitude (Ls) ~ 220° and the two major dust storms of MY25 and MY28. Constrained by these observations and the Mars Climate Sounder observations of detached dust layers, we estimate altitude profiles of dust concentrations. We discuss the characteristics of dust aerosol particles of different size between 0.2 and 3.0 µm by assuming a modified gamma distribution. We then use a comprehensive ion-dust model to calculate ion densities and conductivities in the lower ionosphere of Mars in the absence of dust storm at τ = 0.1 and Ls = 150° and for three dust storm periods viz., (1) major dust storm at τ = 1.7 and Ls = 210°, (2) major dust storm at τ = 1.2 and Ls = 280°, and (3) regional dust storm at τ = 0.5 and Ls = 220°. The model with 12 neutral species considers galactic cosmic rays as a source of ionization. Results show that the density of the dominant hydrated cluster ions and the electrical conductivity are reduced by an order of magnitude near the surface for a few months until the dust storm settles down to its normal condition.

The fundamentally different dynamics of dust and gas in molecular clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hopkins, Philip F.; Lee, Hyunseok

2016-03-01

We study the behaviour of large dust grains in turbulent molecular clouds (MCs). In primarily neutral regions, dust grains move as aerodynamic particles, not necessarily with the gas. We therefore directly simulate, for the first time, the behaviour of aerodynamic grains in highly supersonic, magnetohydrodynamic turbulence typical of MCs. We show that, under these conditions, grains with sizes a ≳ 0.01 micron exhibit dramatic (exceeding factor ˜1000) fluctuations in the local dust-to-gas ratio (implying large small-scale variations in abundances, dust cooling rates, and dynamics). The dust can form highly filamentary structures (which would be observed in both dust emission and extinction), which can be much thinner than the characteristic width of gas filaments. Sometimes, the dust and gas filaments are not even in the same location. The `clumping factor' < n_dust2 > / < n_dust > 2 of the dust (critical for dust growth/coagulation/shattering) can reach ˜100, for grains in the ideal size range. The dust clustering is maximized around scales ˜ 0.2 pc (a/μm) (ngas/100 cm- 3)- 1, and is `averaged out' on larger scales. However, because the density varies widely in supersonic turbulence, the dynamic range of scales (and interesting grain sizes) for these fluctuations is much broader than in the subsonic case. Our results are applicable to MCs of essentially all sizes and densities, but we note how Lorentz forces and other physics (neglected here) may change them in some regimes. We discuss the potentially dramatic consequences for star formation, dust growth and destruction, and dust-based observations of MCs.

Investigation of dust formations in the atmosphere on the basis of satellite observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ivanchik, M. V.; Kliushnikov, S. I.; Krovotyntsev, V. A.; Serebrennikov, A. N.

1984-06-01

A method for the computer processing of space photographs is described which makes it possible to determine dust formations in the atmosphere. Dust formations are identified according to the character of contrast-density distribution. Processed images are compared with actinometric data collected in a dust storm area (Conakry, Guinea, May 1983).

NEBULAR AND STELLAR DUST EXTINCTION ACROSS THE DISK OF EMISSION-LINE GALAXIES ON KILOPARSEC SCALES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hemmati, Shoubaneh; Mobasher, Bahram; Darvish, Behnam

We investigate the resolved kiloparsec-scale stellar and nebular dust distribution in eight star-forming galaxies at z ∼ 0.4 in the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey fields. This is to get a better understanding of the effect of dust attenuation on measurements of physical properties and its variation with redshift. Constructing the observed spectral energy distributions (SEDs) per pixel, based on seven bands of photometric data from Hubble Space Telescope/Advanced Camera for Surveys and WFC3, we performed pixel-by-pixel SED fits to population synthesis models and estimated the small-scale distribution of stellar dust extinction. We use Hα/Hβ nebular emission line ratios from Keck/DEIMOS high-resolutionmore » spectra at each spatial resolution element to measure the amount of attenuation faced by ionized gas at different radii from the centers of galaxies. We find a good agreement between the integrated and median of resolved color excess measurements in our galaxies. The ratio of integrated nebular to stellar dust extinction is always greater than unity, but does not show any trend with stellar mass or star formation rate (SFR). We find that inclination plays an important role in the variation of the nebular to stellar excess ratio. The stellar color excess profiles are found to have higher values at the center compared to outer parts of the disk. However, for lower mass galaxies, a similar trend is not found for the nebular color excess. We find that the nebular color excess increases with stellar mass surface density. This explains the absence of radial trend in the nebular color excess in lower mass galaxies which lack a large radial variation of stellar mass surface density. Using standard conversions of SFR surface density to gas mass surface density, and the relation between dust mass surface density and color excess, we find no significant variation in the dust-to-gas ratio in regions with high gas mass surface densities over the scales probed in this study.« less

Global variability of cloud condensation nuclei concentrations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Makkonen, Risto; Krüger, Olaf

2017-04-01

Atmospheric aerosols can influence cloud optical and dynamical processes by acting as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). Globally, these indirect aerosol effects are significant to the radiative budget as well as a source of high uncertainty in anthropogenic radiative forcing. While historically many global climate models have fixed CCN concentrations to a certain level, most state-of-the-art models calculate aerosol-cloud interactions with sophisticated methodologies based on interactively simulated aerosol size distributions. However, due to scarcity of atmospheric observations simulated global CCN concentrations remain poorly constrained. Here we assess global CCN variability with a climate model, and attribute potential trends during 2000-2010 to changes in emissions and meteorological fields. Here we have used ECHAM5.5-HAM2 with model M7 microphysical aerosol model. The model has been upgraded with a secondary organic aerosol (SOA) scheme including ELVOCs. Dust and sea salt emissions are calculated online, based on wind speed and hydrology. Each experiment is 11 years, analysed after a 6-month spin-up period. The MODIS CCN product (Terra platform) is used to evaluate model performance throughout 2000-2010. While optical remote observation of CCN column includes several deficiencies, the products serves as a proxy for changes during the simulation period. In our analysis we utilize the observed and simulated vertical column integrated CCN concentration, and limit our analysis only over marine regions. Simulated annual CCN column densities reach 2ṡ108 cm-2 near strong source regions in central Africa, Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal and China sea. The spatial concentration gradient in CCN(0.2%) is steep, and column densities drop to <50% a few hundred kilometers away from the coasts. While the spatial distribution of CCN at 0.2% supersaturation is closer to that of MODIS proxy, as opposed to 1.0% supersaturation, the overall column integrated CCN are too low. Still, we can compare the relative response of CCN to emission and meteorological variability. Most evident pattern of high temporal correlation is found over North Atlantic ocean, extending throughout Europe and up to Gulf of Mexico. All of these regions show a generally decreasing trend throughout the decade in control simulations and MODIS CCN, and the simulations including the emission trends clearly improve the simulations with climatological emissions. In regions where the observed intra-annual cycle correlates well with sea-spray emissions, the long-term annual correlation usually remains poor. This could indicate that the model is unable to capture the natural variability in marine aerosol emissions.

The Planck Dusty Gravitationally Enhanced subMillimeter Sources (GEMS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frye, Brenda

2015-10-01

The brightest, strongly lensed high-redshift galaxies are veritable gems to study intense star formation in the early Universe. How do the high and irregular clumpy stellar and gas mass surface densities, strong radiation fields, and high turbulence regulate the rapid growth of these galaxies? We will use HST/WFC3 to investigate the stellar component of 6 of the brightest high-redshift sub-millimeter galaxies on the sky, which were recently discovered with the Planck all-sky survey. All are giant arcs or partial Einstein rings with angular sizes up to 17 in shallow CFHT K-band or Spitzer/IRAC imaging. FIR luminosities are 10^13-14 L_sun, with dust SEDs strongly dominated by intense star formation near the maximum possible rates (maximal starbursts). All have spectroscopic redshifts z=2.2-3.6 and magnification factors >/=20. We already have multiwavelength data sets to characterize their gas and dust column densities and kinematics, and propose here to acquire deep, high-resolution rest-frame optical imaging to study the stellar populations and morphologies. With WFC3 imaging in F110W & F160W we will: (1) constrain the stellar morphologies, ages, and mass-to-light ratios (2) Identify clumps and measure their properties to test several clump formation scenarios(3) Enhance our on-going lens modeling through the most accurate positions, morphologies and colorsOnly the brightest of the arc clumps are visible from the ground in the NIR. To register the flux along the full extent of the arcs, and importantly to probe individual star forming regions of the size of 30 Dor at z 2-3 in the brightest high-z sub-mm galaxies requires HST.

ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN SMALL-SCALE STRUCTURE IN LOCAL GALACTIC NEUTRAL HYDROGEN AND IN THE COSMIC MICROWAVE BACKGROUND OBSERVED BY PLANCK

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Verschuur, Gerrit L., E-mail: gverschu@naic.edu

High-resolution galactic neutral hydrogen (HI) data obtained with the Green Bank Telescope (GBT) over 56 square degrees of sky around l = 132°, b = 25° are compared with small-scale structure in the Cosmic Microwave Background observed by PLANCK, specifically at 143 and 857 GHz, as well as with 100 μm observations from the IRIS survey. The analysis uses data in 13 2° × 2° sub-areas found in the IRSA database at IPAC. The results confirm what has been reported previously; nearby galactic HI features and high-frequency continuum sources believed to be cosmological are in fact clearly associated. While severalmore » attempts strongly suggest that the associations are statistically significant, the key to understanding the phenomenon lies in the fact that in any given area HI is associated with cirrus dust at certain HI velocities and with 143 GHz features at different velocities. At the same time, for the 13 sub-areas studied, there is very little overlap between the dust and 143 GHz features. The data do not imply that the HI itself gives rise to the high-frequency continuum emission. Rather, they appear to indicate undiagnosed brightness enhancements indirectly associated with the HI. If low density interstellar electrons concentrated into clumps, or observed in directions where their integrated line-of-sight column densities are greater than the background in a manner similar to the phenomena that give rise to structure in diffuse HI structure, they will profoundly affect attempts to create a foreground electron mask used for processing PLANCK as well as WMAP data.« less

Constraints on the broad-line region properties and extinction in local Seyferts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schnorr-Müller, Allan; Davies, R. I.; Korista, K. T.; Burtscher, L.; Rosario, D.; Storchi-Bergmann, T.; Contursi, A.; Genzel, R.; Graciá-Carpio, J.; Hicks, E. K. S.; Janssen, A.; Koss, M.; Lin, M.-Y.; Lutz, D.; Maciejewski, W.; Müller-Sánchez, F.; Orban de Xivry, G.; Riffel, R.; Riffel, Rogemar A.; Schartmann, M.; Sternberg, A.; Sturm, E.; Tacconi, L.; Veilleux, S.; Ulrich, O. A.

2016-11-01

We use high-spectral resolution (R > 8000) data covering 3800-13 000 Å to study the physical conditions of the broad-line region (BLR) of nine nearby Seyfert 1 galaxies. Up to six broad H I lines are present in each spectrum. A comparison - for the first time using simultaneous optical to near-infrared observations - to photoionization calculations with our devised simple scheme yields the extinction to the BLR at the same time as determining the density and photon flux, and hence distance from the nucleus, of the emitting gas. This points to a typical density for the H I emitting gas of 1011 cm-3 and shows that a significant amount of this gas lies at regions near the dust sublimation radius, consistent with theoretical predictions. We also confirm that in many objects, the line ratios are far from case B, the best-fitting intrinsic broad-line Hα/H β ratios being in the range 2.5-6.6 as derived with our photoionization modelling scheme. The extinction to the BLR, based on independent estimates from H I and He II lines, is AV ≤ 3 for Seyfert 1-1.5s, while Seyfert 1.8-1.9s have AV in the range 4-8. A comparison of the extinction towards the BLR and narrow-line region (NLR) indicates that the structure obscuring the BLR exists on scales smaller than the NLR. This could be the dusty torus, but dusty nuclear spirals or filaments could also be responsible. The ratios between the X-ray absorbing column NH and the extinction to the BLR are consistent with the Galactic gas-to-dust ratio if NH variations are considered.

The HETDEX pilot survey. V. The physical origin of Lyα emitters probed by near-infrared spectroscopy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Song, Mimi; Finkelstein, Steven L.; Gebhardt, Karl

2014-08-10

We present the results from a Very Large Telescope/SINFONI and Keck/NIRSPEC near-infrared spectroscopic survey of 16 Lyα emitters (LAEs) at z = 2.1-2.5 in the COSMOS and GOODS-N fields discovered from the Hobby Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment Pilot Survey. We detect rest-frame optical nebular lines (Hα and/or [O III] λ5007) for 10 of the LAEs and measure physical properties, including the star formation rate (SFR), gas-phase metallicity, gas mass fraction, and Lyα velocity offset. We find that LAEs may lie below the mass-metallicity relation for continuum-selected star-forming galaxies at the same redshift. The LAEs all show velocity shifts ofmore » Lyα relative to the systemic redshift ranging between +85 and +296 km s{sup –1} with a mean of +180 km s{sup –1}. This value is smaller than measured for continuum-selected star-forming galaxies at similar redshifts. The Lyα velocity offsets show a moderate correlation with the measured SFR (2.5σ), but no significant correlations are seen with the SFR surface density, specific SFR, stellar mass, or dynamical mass (≲1.5σ). Exploring the role of dust, kinematics of the interstellar medium (ISM), and geometry on the escape of Lyα photons, we find no signature of selective quenching of resonantly scattered Lyα photons. However, we also find no evidence that a clumpy ISM is enhancing the Lyα equivalent width. Our results suggest that the low metallicity in LAEs may be responsible for yielding an environment with a low neutral hydrogen column density and less dust, easing the escape of Lyα photons over that in continuum-selected star-forming galaxies.« less

Cold Milky Way HI Gas in Filaments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalberla, P. M. W.; Kerp, J.; Haud, U.; Winkel, B.; Ben Bekhti, N.; Flöer, L.; Lenz, D.

2016-04-01

We investigate data from the Galactic Effelsberg-Bonn H I Survey, supplemented with data from the third release of the Galactic All Sky Survey (GASS III) observed at Parkes. We explore the all-sky distribution of the local Galactic H I gas with | {v}{{LSR}}| \\lt 25 km s-1 on angular scales of 11‧-16‧. Unsharp masking is applied to extract small-scale features. We find cold filaments that are aligned with polarized dust emission and conclude that the cold neutral medium (CNM) is mostly organized in sheets that are, because of projection effects, observed as filaments. These filaments are associated with dust ridges, aligned with the magnetic field measured on the structures by Planck at 353 GHz. The CNM above latitudes | b| \\gt 20^\\circ is described by a log-normal distribution, with a median Doppler temperature TD = 223 K, derived from observed line widths that include turbulent contributions. The median neutral hydrogen (H I) column density is NH I ≃ 1019.1 cm-2. These CNM structures are embedded within a warm neutral medium with NH I ≃ 1020 cm-2. Assuming an average distance of 100 pc, we derive for the CNM sheets a thickness of ≲0.3 pc. Adopting a magnetic field strength of Btot = (6.0 ± 1.8) μG, proposed by Heiles & Troland, and assuming that the CNM filaments are confined by magnetic pressure, we estimate a thickness of 0.09 pc. Correspondingly, the median volume density is in the range 14 ≲ n ≲ 47 cm-3. The authors thank the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) for support under grant numbers KE757/11-1, KE757/7-3, KE757/7-2, KE757/7-1, and BE4823/1-1.

Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopy of the Intergalactic and Interstellar Absorption Toward 3C 273

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sembach, Kenneth R.; Howk, J. Christopher; Savage, Blair D.; Shull, J. Michael; Oegerle, William R.; Fisher, Richard R. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

We present Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer observations of the molecular, neutral atomic, weakly ionized, and highly ionized components of the interstellar and intergalactic material toward the quasar 3C273. We identify Ly-beta absorption in eight of the known intergalactic Ly-alpha absorbers along the sight line with the rest-frame equivalent widths W(sub r)(Ly-alpha) > 50 micro-angstroms. Refined estimates of the H(I) column densities and Doppler parameters (b) of the clouds are presented. We find a range of b = 16-46 km/s. We detect multiple H(I) lines (Ly-beta - Ly-theta) in the 1590 km/s Virgo absorber and estimate logN(H(I)) = 15.85 +/- 0.10, ten times more H(I) than all of the other absorbers along the sight line combined. The Doppler width of this absorber, b = 16 km/s, implies T < 15,000 K. We detect O(VI) absorption at 1015 km/s at the 2-3(sigma) level that may be associated with hot, X-ray emitting gas in the Virgo Cluster. We detect weak C(III) and O(VI) absorption in the IGM at z=0.12007; this absorber is predominantly ionized and has N(H+)/N(H(I)) > 4000/Z, where Z is the metallicity. Strong Galactic interstellar O(VI) is present between -100 and +100 km/s with an additional high-velocity wing containing about 13% of the total O(VI) between +100 and +240 km/s. The Galactic O(VI), N(V), and C(IV) lines have similar shapes, with roughly constant ratios across the -100 to +100 km/s velocity range. The high velocity O(VI) wing is not detected in other species. Much of the interstellar high ion absorption probably occurs within a highly fragmented medium within the Loop IV remnant or in the outer cavity walls of the remnant. Multiple hot gas production mechanisms are required. The broad O(VI) absorption wing likely traces the expulsion of hot gas out of the Galactic disk into the halo. A flux limit of 5.4 x 10(epx -16) erg/sq cm/s on the amount of diffuse O(VI) emission present = 3.5' off the 3C273 sight line combined with the observed O(VI) column density toward 3C273, logN O(VI) = 14.73 +/- 0.04, implies n(sub e) < 0.02/cubic cm and P/k < 11,500/cubic cm for an assumed temperature of 3 x 10(exp 5) K. The elemental abundances in the neutral and weakly-ionized interstellar clouds are similar to those found for other halo clouds. The warm neutral and warm ionized clouds along the sight line have similar dust-phase abundances, implying that the properties of the dust grains in the two types of clouds are similar. Interstellar H2 absorption is present at positive velocities at a level of logN(H2) = 15.71, but is very weak at the velocities of the main column density concentration along the sight line observed in H(I) 21 cm emission.

A planetary dust ring generated by impact-ejection from the Galilean satellites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sachse, Manuel

2018-03-01

All outer planets in the Solar System are surrounded by a ring system. Many of these rings are dust rings or they contain at least a high proportion of dust. They are often formed by impacts of micro-meteoroids onto embedded bodies. The ejected material typically consists of micron-sized charged particles, which are susceptible to gravitational and non-gravitational forces. Generally, detailed information on the dynamics and distribution of the dust requires expensive numerical simulations of a large number of particles. Here we develop a relatively simple and fast, semi-analytical model for an impact-generated planetary dust ring governed by the planet's gravity and the relevant perturbation forces for the dynamics of small charged particles. The most important parameter of the model is the dust production rate, which is a linear factor in the calculation of the dust densities. We apply our model to dust ejected from the Galilean satellites using production rates obtained from flybys of the dust sources. The dust densities predicted by our model are in good agreement with numerical simulations and with in situ measurements by the Galileo spacecraft. The lifetimes of large particles are about two orders of magnitude greater than those of small ones, which implies a flattening of the size distribution in circumplanetary space. Information about the distribution of circumplanetary dust is also important for the risk assessment of spacecraft orbits in the respective regions.

Column Closure Studies of Lower Tropospheric Aerosol and Water Vapor During ACE-Asia Using Airborne Sunphotometer, Airborne In-Situ and Ship-Based Lidar Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schmid, B.; Hegg, A.; Wang, J.; Bates, D.; Redemann, J.; Russells, P. B.; Livingston, J. M.; Jonsson, H. H.; Welton, E. J.; Seinfield, J. H.

2003-01-01

We assess the consistency (closure) between solar beam attenuation by aerosols and water vapor measured by airborne sunphotometry and derived from airborne in-situ, and ship-based lidar measurements during the April 2001 Asian Pacific Regional Aerosol Characterization Experiment (ACE-Asia). The airborne data presented here were obtained aboard the Twin Otter aircraft. Comparing aerosol extinction o(550 nm) from four different techniques shows good agreement for the vertical distribution of aerosol layers. However, the level of agreement in absolute magnitude of the derived aerosol extinction varied among the aerosol layers sampled. The sigma(550 nm) computed from airborne in-situ size distribution and composition measurements shows good agreement with airborne sunphotometry in the marine boundary layer but is considerably lower in layers dominated by dust if the particles are assumed to be spherical. The sigma(550 nm) from airborne in-situ scattering and absorption measurements are about approx. 13% lower than those obtained from airborne sunphotometry during 14 vertical profiles. Combining lidar and the airborne sunphotometer measurements reveals the prevalence of dust layers at altitudes up to 10 km with layer aerosol optical depth (from 3.5 to 10 km altitude) of approx. 0.1 to 0.2 (500 nm) and extinction-to-backscatter ratios of 59-71 sr (523 nm). The airborne sunphotometer aboard the Twin Otter reveals a relatively dry atmosphere during ACE- Asia with all water vapor columns less than 1.5 cm and water vapor densities w less than 12 g/cu m. Comparing layer water vapor amounts and w from the airborne sunphotometer to the same quantities measured with aircraft in-situ sensors leads to a high correlation (r(sup 3)=0.96) but the sunphotometer tends to underestimate w by 7%.

Flow stagnation at Enceladus: The effects of neutral gas and charged dust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Omidi, N.; Tokar, R. L.; Averkamp, T.; Gurnett, D. A.; Kurth, W. S.; Wang, Z.

2012-06-01

Enceladus is one of Saturn's most active moons. It ejects neutral gas and dust particles from its southern plumes with velocities of hundreds of meters per second. The interaction between the ejected material and the corotating plasma in Saturn's magnetosphere leads to flow deceleration in ways that remain to be understood. The most effective mechanism for the interaction between the corotating plasma and the neutral gas is charge exchange which replaces the hotter corotating ions with nearly stationary cold ions that are subsequently accelerated by the motional electric field. Dust particles in the plume can become electrically charged through electron absorption and couple to the plasma through the motional electric field. The objective of this study is to determine the level of flow deceleration associated with each of these processes using Cassini RPWS dust impact rates, Cassini Plasma Spectrometer (CAPS) plasma data, and 3-D electromagnetic hybrid (kinetic ions, fluid electrons) simulations. Hybrid simulations show that the degree of flow deceleration by charged dust varies considerably with the spatial distribution of dust particles. Based on the RPWS observations of dust impacts during the E7 Cassini flyby of Enceladus, we have constructed a dust model consisting of multiple plumes. Using this model in the hybrid simulation shows that when the dust density is high enough for complete absorption of electrons at the point of maximum dust density, the corotating flow is decelerated by only a few km/s. This is not sufficient to account for the CAPS observation of flow stagnation in the interaction region. On the other hand, charge exchange with neutral gas plumes similar to the modeled dust plumes but with base (plume opening) densities of ˜109 cm-3 result in flow deceleration similar to that observed by CAPS. The results indicate that charge exchange with neutral gas is the dominant mechanism for flow deceleration at Enceladus.

Modeling of intercontinental Saharan dust transport: What consequences on atmospheric concentrations and deposition fluxes in the Caribbean?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laurent, Benoit; Formenti, Paola; Desboeufs, Karine; Vincent, Julie; Denjean, Cyrielle; Siour, Guillaume; Mayol-Bracero, Olga L.

2015-04-01

The Dust Aging and Transport from Africa to the Caribbean (Dust-AttaCk) project aims todocument the physical and optical properties of long-range transported African dust to the Caribbean. A comprehensive field campaign was conducted in Cape San Juan, Puerto Rico (18.38°N 65.62°W) during June-July 2012, offering the opportunity to constrain the way Saharan dust are transported from North Africa to the Caribbean by 3D models. Our main objectives are: (i) to discuss the ability of the CHIMERE Eulerian off-line chemistry-transport model to simulate atmospheric Saharan dust loads observed in the Caribbean during the Dust-AttaCk campaign, as well as the altitude of the dust plumes transport over the North Atlantic Ocean up to the Caribbean, (ii) to study the main Saharan dust emission source areas contributing to the dust loads in the Caribbean, (iii) to estimate the Saharan dust deposition in the Caribbean for deposition events observed during the Dust-AttaCk campaign. The dust model outputs are hourly dust concentration fields in µg m-3 for 12 aerosol size bins up to 30 µm and for each of the 15 sigma pressure vertical levels, column integrated dustaerosol optical depth (AOD), and dry and wet deposition fluxes.The simulations performed for the Dust-AttaCk campaign period as well as satellite observations (MODIS AOD, SEVIRI AOD) are used to identify the Saharan emission source regions activated and to study the evolution of the dust plumes tothe Cape San Juan station. In complement, the vertical transport of dust plumes transported from Saharan dust sources and over the North Atlantic Ocean is investigated combining model simulations and CALIOP observations. Aerosol surface concentrations and AOD simulated with CHIMERE are compared with sin-situ observations at Cape San Juan and AERONET stations. Wet deposition measurements performed allow us to constrain dust deposition flux simulated in the Caribbean after long-range transport.

Modeling the total dust production of Enceladus from stochastic charge equilibrium and simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meier, Patrick; Motschmann, Uwe; Schmidt, Jürgen; Spahn, Frank; Hill, Thomas W.; Dong, Yaxue; Jones, Geraint H.; Kriegel, Hendrik

2015-12-01

Negatively and positively charged nano-sized ice grains were detected in the Enceladus plume by the Cassini Plasma Spectrometer (CAPS). However, no data for uncharged grains, and thus for the total amount of dust, are available. In this paper we estimate this population of uncharged grains based on a model of stochastic charging in thermodynamic equilibrium and on the assumption of quasi-neutrality in the plasma-dust system. This estimation is improved upon by combining simulations of the dust component of the plume and simulations for the plasma environment into one self-consistent model. Calibration of this model with CAPS data provides a total dust production rate of about 12 kg s-1, including larger dust grains up to a few microns in size. We find that the fraction of charged grains dominates over that of the uncharged grains. Moreover, our model reproduces densities of both negatively and positively charged nanograins measured by Cassini CAPS. In Enceladus' plume ion densities up to ~104cm-3 are required by the self-consistent model, resulting in an electron depletion of about 50% in the plasma, because electrons are attached to the negatively charged nanograins. These ion densities correspond to effective ionization rates of about 10-7s-1, which are about two orders of magnitude higher than expected.

INVESTIGATING PLANET FORMATION IN CIRCUMSTELLAR DISKS: CARMA OBSERVATIONS OF RY Tau AND DG Tau

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Isella, Andrea; Carpenter, John M.; Sargent, Anneila I., E-mail: isella@astro.caltech.ed

2010-05-10

We present CARMA observations of the thermal dust emission from the circumstellar disks around the young stars RY Tau and DG Tau at wavelengths of 1.3 mm and 2.8 mm. The angular resolution of the maps is as high as 0.''15, or 20 AU at the distance of the Taurus cloud, which is a factor of 2 higher than has been achieved to date at these wavelengths. The unprecedented detail of the resulting disk images enables us to address three important questions related to the formation of planets. (1) What is the radial distribution of the circumstellar dust? (2) Doesmore » the dust emission show any indication of gaps that might signify the presence of (proto-)planets? (3) Do the dust properties depend on the orbital radius? We find that modeling the disk surface density in terms of either a classical power law or the similarity solution for viscous disk evolution reproduces the observations well. Both models constrain the surface density between 15 and 50 AU to within 30% for a given dust opacity. Outside this range, the densities inferred from the two models differ by almost an order of magnitude. The 1.3 mm image from RY Tau shows two peaks separated by 0.''2 with a decline in the dust emission toward the stellar position, which is significant at about 2{sigma}-4{sigma}. For both RY Tau and DG Tau, the dust emission at radii larger than 15 AU displays no significant deviation from an unperturbed viscous disk model. In particular, no radial gaps in the dust distribution are detected. Under reasonable assumptions, we exclude the presence of planets more massive than 5 M{sub J} orbiting either star at distances between about 10 and 60 AU, unless such a planet is so young that there has been insufficient time to open a gap in the disk surface density. The radial variation of the dust opacity slope, {beta}, was investigated by comparing the 1.3 mm and 2.8 mm observations. We find mean values of {beta} of 0.5 and 0.7 for DG Tau and RY Tau, respectively. Variations in {beta} are smaller than {Delta}{beta} = 0.7 between 20 and 70 AU. These results confirm that the circumstellar dust throughout these disks differs significantly from dust in the interstellar medium.« less

Dust transport and deposition observed from the Terra-MODIS space observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaufman, Y. J.; Koren, I.; Tanre, D.; Fan, S.; Remer, L.; Ginoux, P.

2003-12-01

Meteorological observations, in situ data and satellite images of dust episodes were used already in the 1970s to estimate that 100 tg of dust are transported from Africa over the Atlantic Ocean every year between June and August and deposited in the Atlantic Ocean and the Americas. Desert dust is a main source of nutrients to oceanic biota and the Amazon forest, but deteriorates air quality and caries pathogens as shown for Florida. Dust affects the Earth radiation budget, thus participating in climate change and feedback mechanisms. There is an urgent need for new tools for quantitative evaluation of the dust distribution, transport and deposition. The Terra spacecraft launched at the dawn of the last millennium provides first systematic well calibrated multispectral measurements from the MODIS instrument, for daily global analysis of aerosol. MODIS data are used here to distinguish dust from smoke and maritime aerosols and evaluate the African dust column concentration, transport and deposition. We found that 230 80 tg of dust are transported annually from Africa to the Atlantic Ocean, 30 tg return to Africa and Europe, 70 tg reach the Caribbean, 45 tg fertilize the Amazon Basin, 4 times as previous estimates thus explaining a paradox regarding the source of nutrition to the Amazon forest, and 120 40 tg are deposited in the Atlantic Ocean. The results are compared favorably with dust transport models for particle radius * 12 m. This study is a first example of quantitative use of MODIS aerosol for a geophysical study.

The anatomy of the Orion B giant molecular cloud: A local template for studies of nearby galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pety, Jérôme; Guzmán, Viviana V.; Orkisz, Jan H.; Liszt, Harvey S.; Gerin, Maryvonne; Bron, Emeric; Bardeau, Sébastien; Goicoechea, Javier R.; Gratier, Pierre; Le Petit, Franck; Levrier, François; Öberg, Karin I.; Roueff, Evelyne; Sievers, Albrecht

2017-01-01

Context. Molecular lines and line ratios are commonly used to infer properties of extra-galactic star forming regions. The new generation of millimeter receivers almost turns every observation into a line survey. Full exploitation of this technical advancement in extra-galactic study requires detailed bench-marking of available line diagnostics. Aims: We aim to develop the Orion B giant molecular cloud (GMC) as a local template for interpreting extra-galactic molecular line observations. Methods: We use the wide-band receiver at the IRAM-30 m to spatially and spectrally resolve the Orion B GMC. The observations cover almost 1 square degree at 26'' resolution with a bandwidth of 32 GHz from 84 to 116 GHz in only two tunings. Among the mapped spectral lines are the , , C18O, C17O, HCN, HNC, , C2H, HCO+, N2H+(1-0), and , , SiO, c - C3H2, CH3OH (2-1) transitions. Results: We introduce the molecular anatomy of the Orion B GMC, including relationships between line intensities and gas column density or far-UV radiation fields, and correlations between selected line and line ratios. We also obtain a dust-traced gas mass that is less than approximately one third the CO-traced mass, using the standard XCO conversion factor. The presence of over-luminous CO can be traced back to the dependence of the CO intensity on UV illumination. As a matter of fact, while most lines show some dependence on the UV radiation field, CN and C2H are the most sensitive. Moreover, dense cloud cores are almost exclusively traced by N2H+. Other traditional high-density tracers, such as HCN(1-0), are also easily detected in extended translucent regions at a typical density of 500 H2 cm-3. In general, we find no straightforward relationship between line critical density and the fraction of the line luminosity coming from dense gas regions. Conclusions: Our initial findings demonstrate that the relationships between line (ratio) intensities and environment in GMCs are more complicated than often assumed. Sensitivity (I.e., the molecular column density), excitation, and, above all, chemistry contribute to the observed line intensity distributions, and they must be considered together when developing the next generation of extra-galactic molecular line diagnostics of mass, density, temperature, and radiation field.

Retrieving cloud, dust and ozone abundances in the Martian atmosphere using SPICAM/UV nadir spectra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Willame, Y.; Vandaele, A. C.; Depiesse, C.; Lefèvre, F.; Letocart, V.; Gillotay, D.; Montmessin, F.

2017-08-01

We present the retrieval algorithm developed to analyse nadir spectra from SPICAM/UV aboard Mars-Express. The purpose is to retrieve simultaneously several parameters of the Martian atmosphere and surface: the dust optical depth, the ozone total column, the cloud opacity and the surface albedo. The retrieval code couples the use of an existing complete radiative transfer code, an inversion method and a cloud detection algorithm. We describe the working principle of our algorithm and the parametrisation used to model the required absorption, scattering and reflection processes of the solar UV radiation that occur in the Martian atmosphere and at its surface. The retrieval method has been applied on 4 Martian years of SPICAM/UV data to obtain climatologies of the different quantities under investigation. An overview of the climatology is given for each species showing their seasonal and spatial distributions. The results show a good qualitative agreement with previous observations. Quantitative comparisons of the retrieved dust optical depths indicate generally larger values than previous studies. Possible shortcomings in the dust modelling (altitude profile) have been identified and may be part of the reason for this difference. The ozone results are found to be influenced by the presence of clouds. Preliminary quantitative comparisons show that our retrieved ozone columns are consistent with other results when no ice clouds are present, and are larger for the cases with clouds at high latitude. Sensitivity tests have also been performed showing that the use of other a priori assumptions such as the altitude distribution or some scattering properties can have an important impact on the retrieval.

Characterizing potential water quality impacts from soils treated with dust suppressants.

PubMed

Beighley, R Edward; He, Yiping; Valdes, Julio R

2009-01-01

Two separate laboratory experiment series, surface runoff and steady-state seepage, were performed to determine if dust suppressant products can be applied to soils with an expected minimal to no negative impact on water quality. The experiments were designed to mimic arid field conditions and used two soils (clayey and sandy) and six different dust suppressants. The two experiments consisted of: (i) simulated rainfall (intensities of 18, 33, or 61 mm h(-1)) and associated runoff from soil trays at a surface slope of 33%; and (ii) steady-state, constant head seepage through soil columns. Both experiment series involved two product application scenarios and three application ages (i.e., to account for degradation effects) for a total of 126 surface runoff and 80 column experiments. One composite effluent sample was collected from each experiment and analyzed for pH, electrical conductivity, total suspended solids (TSS), total dissolved solids, dissolved oxygen, total organic carbon, nitrate, nitrite, and phosphate. Paired t tests at 1 and 5% levels of significance and project specific data quality objectives are used to compare water quality parameters from treated and untreated soils. Overall, the results from this laboratory scale study suggest that the studied dust suppressants have minimal potential for adverse impacts to selected water quality parameters. The primary impacts were increased TSS for two synthetic products from the surface runoff experiments on both soils. The increase in TSS was not expected based on previous studies and may be attributed to this study's focus on simulating real-world soil agitation/movement at an active construction site subjected to rough grading.

GAMA/H-ATLAS: The Local Dust Mass Function and Cosmic Density as a Function of Galaxy Type - A Benchmark for Models of Galaxy Evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beeston, R. A.; Wright, A. H.; Maddox, S.; Gomez, H. L.; Dunne, L.; Driver, S. P.; Robotham, A.; Clark, C. J. R.; Vinsen, K.; Takeuchi, T. T.; Popping, G.; Bourne, N.; Bremer, M. N.; Phillipps, S.; Moffett, A. J.; Baes, M.; Bland-Hawthorn, J.; Brough, S.; De Vis, P.; Eales, S. A.; Holwerda, B. W.; Loveday, J.; Liske, J.; Smith, M. W. L.; Smith, D. J. B.; Valiante, E.; Vlahakis, C.; Wang, L.

2018-06-01

We present the dust mass function (DMF) of 15,750 galaxies with redshift z < 0.1, drawn from the overlapping area of the GAMA and H-ATLAS surveys. The DMF is derived using the density corrected Vmax method, where we estimate Vmax using: (i) the normal photometric selection limit (pVmax) and (ii) a bivariate brightness distribution (BBD) technique, which accounts for two selection effects. We fit the data with a Schechter function, and find M^{*}=(4.65 ± 0.18)× 107 h^2_{70} M_{⊙ }, α = ( - 1.22 ± 0.01), φ ^{*}=(6.26 ± 0.28)× 10^{-3} h^3_{70} Mpc^{-3} dex^{-1}. The resulting dust mass density parameter integrated down to 104 M⊙ is Ωd = (1.11 ± 0.02) × 10-6 which implies the mass fraction of baryons in dust is f_{m_b}=(2.40± 0.04)× 10^{-5}; cosmic variance adds an extra 7-17 per cent uncertainty to the quoted statistical errors. Our measurements have fewer galaxies with high dust mass than predicted by semi-analytic models. This is because the models include too much dust in high stellar mass galaxies. Conversely, our measurements find more galaxies with high dust mass than predicted by hydrodynamical cosmological simulations. This is likely to be from the long timescales for grain growth assumed in the models. We calculate DMFs split by galaxy type and find dust mass densities of Ωd = (0.88 ± 0.03) × 10-6 and Ωd = (0.060 ± 0.005) × 10-6 for late-types and early-types respectively. Comparing to the equivalent galaxy stellar mass functions (GSMF) we find that the DMF for late-types is well matched by the GMSF scaled by (8.07 ± 0.35) × 10-4.

Hydrodynamic flow in capillary-channel fiber columns for liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Stanelle, Rayman D; Sander, Lane C; Marcus, R Kenneth

2005-12-23

The flow characteristics of capillary-channel polymer (C-CP) fiber liquid chromatographic (LC) columns have been investigated. The C-CP fibers are manufactured with eight longitudinal grooves (capillary channels) extending the length of the fibers. Three C-CP fiber examples were studied, with fiber dimensions ranging from approximately 35 microm to 65 microm, and capillary-channel dimensions ranging from approximately 6 microm to 35 microm. The influence of fiber packing density and column inner diameter on peak asymmetry, peak width, and run-to-run reproducibility have been studied for stainless steel LC columns packed with polyester (PET) and polypropylene (PP) C-CP fibers. The van Deemter A-term was evaluated as a function of fiber packing density (approximately 0.3 g/cm(3)-0.75 g/cm(3)) for columns of 4.6 mm inner diameter (i.d.) and at constant packing densities for 1.5 mm, 3.2 mm, 4.6 mm, and 7.7 mm i.d. columns. Although column diameter had little influence on the eluting peak widths, peak asymmetry increased with increasing column diameter. The A-terms for the C-CP fiber packed columns are somewhat larger than current commercial, microparticulate-packed columns, and means for improvement are discussed. Applications in the area of protein (macromolecule) separations appear the most promising at this stage of the system development.

Coordinated Radio, Electron, and Waves Experiment (CREWE) for the NASA Comet Rendezvous and Asteroid Flyby (CRAF) instrument

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scudder, Jack D.

1992-01-01

The Coordinated Radio, Electron, and Waves Experiment (CREWE) was designed to determine density, bulk velocity and temperature of the electrons for the NASA Comet Rendezvous and Asteroid Flyby Spacecraft, to define the MHD-SW IMF flow configuration; to clarify the role of impact ionization processes, to comment on the importance of anomalous ionization phenomena (via wave particle processes), to quantify the importance of wave turbulence in the cometary interaction, to establish the importance of photoionization via the presence of characteristic lines in a structured energy spectrum, to infer the presence and grain size of significant ambient dust column density, to search for the theoretically suggested 'impenetrable' contact surface, and to quantify the flow of heat (in the likelihood that no surface exists) that will penetrate very deep into the atmosphere supplying a good deal of heat via impact and charge exchange ionization. This final report provides an instrument description, instrument test plans, list of deliverables/schedule, flight and support equipment and software schedule, CREWE accommodation issues, resource requirements, status of major contracts, an explanation of the non-NASA funded efforts, status of EIP and IM plan, descope options, and Brinton questions.

Boundary conditions for the paleoenvironment: Chemical and physical processes in the pre-solar nebula

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Irvine, William M.; Schloerb, F. Peter

1987-01-01

Detailed study of the first interstellar hydrocarbon ring, cyclopropenylidene (C3H2), is continuing. The singly deuterated isotope of this molecule, C3HD, was observed in several cold interstellar clouds. The results of a large survey for C3H2 in galactic sources of various types will soon be completed. It appears that cyclopropenylidene is present in virtually all interstellar clouds of at least moderate density. In order to make the first determinations of the CO2/CO abundance ratio in interstellar sources, observations of protonated CO2 were pursued. The spectrum from 18.5 to 22 GHz for several interstellar clouds is being systematically measured. Particular attention is being given to the cold, dark clouds TMC-1 and L124N, which may be formation sites for solar mass stars. The phenomena of maser emission from molecules of methanol is being studied in certain interstellar clouds. A comparison of 1 millimeter continuum emission from dust with the column density of carbon monoxide as determined from the rare C(18)O isotope for 4 molecular clouds in the Galaxy is nearing completion. Papers published during the period of this report are listed.

Modeling the dust cycle from sand dunes to haboobs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kallos, George; Patlakas, Platon; Bartsotas, Nikolaos; Spyrou, Christos; Qahtani, Jumaan Al; Alexiou, Ioannis; Bar, Ayman M.

2017-04-01

The dust cycle is a rather complicated mechanism depending on various factors. The most important factors affecting dust production is soil characteristics (soil composi-tion, physical and chemical properties, water content, temperature etc). The most known production mechanism at small scale is the saltation-bombardment. This mechanism is able to accurately predict uptake of dust particles up to about 10 μm. Larger dust particles are heavier and fall relatively fast due to the gravitational influ-ence. The other controlling factors of dust uptake and transport are wind speed (to be above a threshold) and turbulence. Weather conditions affecting dust produc-tion/transport/deposition are of multi-scale ranging from small surface inhomoge-neities to mesoscale and large-scale systems. While the typical dust transport mech-anism is related to wind conditions near the surface, larger scale systems play an important role on dust production. Such systems are associated with mesoscale phenomena typical of the specific regions. Usually they are associated with deep convection and strong downdrafts and are known as haboobs. Density currents are formed in the surface with strong winds and turbulence. Density currents can be considered as dust sources by themselves due to high productivity of dust. In this presentation we will discuss characteristics of the dust production mechanisms at multiscale over the Arabian Peninsula by utilizing the RAMS/ICLAMS multiscale model. A series of simulations at small-scale have been performed and mitigation actions will be explored.

Classifying the embedded young stellar population in Perseus and Taurus and the LOMASS database

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carney, M. T.; Yıldız, U. A.; Mottram, J. C.; van Dishoeck, E. F.; Ramchandani, J.; Jørgensen, J. K.

2016-02-01

Context. The classification of young stellar objects (YSOs) is typically done using the infrared spectral slope or bolometric temperature, but either can result in contamination of samples. More accurate methods to determine the evolutionary stage of YSOs will improve the reliability of statistics for the embedded YSO population and provide more robust stage lifetimes. Aims: We aim to separate the truly embedded YSOs from more evolved sources. Methods: Maps of HCO+J = 4-3 and C18O J = 3-2 were observed with HARP on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) for a sample of 56 candidate YSOs in Perseus and Taurus in order to characterize the presence and morphology of emission from high density (ncrit > 106 cm-3) and high column density gas, respectively. These are supplemented with archival dust continuum maps observed with SCUBA on the JCMT and Herschel PACS to compare the morphology of the gas and dust in the protostellar envelopes. The spatial concentration of HCO+J = 4-3 and 850 μm dust emission are used to classify the embedded nature of YSOs. Results: Approximately 30% of Class 0+I sources in Perseus and Taurus are not Stage I, but are likely to be more evolved Stage II pre-main sequence (PMS) stars with disks. An additional 16% are confused sources with an uncertain evolutionary stage. Outflows are found to make a negligible contribution to the integrated HCO+ intensity for the majority of sources in this study. Conclusions: Separating classifications by cloud reveals that a high percentage of the Class 0+I sources in the Perseus star forming region are truly embedded Stage I sources (71%), while the Taurus cloud hosts a majority of evolved PMS stars with disks (68%). The concentration factor method is useful to correct misidentified embedded YSOs, yielding higher accuracy for YSO population statistics and Stage timescales. Current estimates (0.54 Myr) may overpredict the Stage I lifetime on the order of 30%, resulting in timescales down to 0.38 Myr for the embedded phase.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kulkarni, Varsha P.; Som, Debopam; Morrison, Sean

We report Keck/Echellette Spectrograph and Imager and Very Large Telescope/Ultraviolet-Visual Echelle Spectrograph observations of three super-damped Lyα quasar absorbers with H i column densities log N{sub H} {sub i} ≥ 21.7 at redshifts 2 ≲ z ≲ 2.5. All three absorbers show similar metallicities (∼−1.3 to −1.5 dex), and dust depletion of Fe, Ni, and Mn. Two of the absorbers show supersolar [S/Zn] and [Si/Zn]. We combine our results with those for other damped Lyα a absorbers (DLAs) to examine trends between N{sub H} {sub i}, metallicity, and dust depletion. A larger fraction of the super-DLAs lie close to ormore » above the line [X/H] = 20.59 − log N{sub H} {sub i} in the metallicity versus N{sub H} {sub i} plot, compared to the less gas-rich DLAs, suggesting that super-DLAs are more likely to be rich in molecules. Unfortunately, our data for Q0230−0334 and Q0743+1421 do not cover H{sub 2} absorption lines. For Q1418+0718, some H{sub 2} lines are covered, but not detected. CO is not detected in any of our absorbers. For DLAs with log N{sub H} {sub i} < 21.7, we confirm strong correlation between metallicity and Fe depletion, and find a correlation between metallicity and Si depletion. For super-DLAs, these correlations are weaker or absent. The absorbers toward Q0230−0334 and Q1418+0718 show potential detections of weak Lyα emission, implying star formation rates of ∼1.6 and ∼0.7 M{sub ⊙} yr{sup −1}, respectively (ignoring dust extinction). Upper limits on the electron densities from C ii*/C ii or Si ii*/Si ii are low, but are higher than the median values in less gas-rich DLAs. Finally, systems with log N{sub H} {sub i} > 21.7 may have somewhat narrower velocity dispersions Δv{sub 90} than the less gas-rich DLAs, and may arise in cooler and/or less turbulent gas.« less

Size- and density-distributions and sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in urban road dust.

PubMed

Murakami, Michio; Nakajima, Fumiyuki; Furumai, Hiroaki

2005-11-01

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) present in size- and density-fractionated road dust were measured to identify the important fractions in urban runoff and to analyse their sources. Road dust was collected from a residential area (Shakujii) and a heavy traffic area (Hongo Street). The sampling of road dust from the residential area was conducted twice in different seasons (autumn and winter). The collected road dust was separated into three or four size-fractions and further fractionated into light (<1.7 g/cm3) and heavy (>1.7 g/cm3) fractions by using cesium chloride solution. Light particles constituted only 4.0+/-1.4%, 0.69+/-0.03% and 3.4+/-1.0% of the road dust by weight for Shakujii (November), Shakujii (February) and Hongo Street, respectively but contained 28+/-10%, 33+/-3% and 44+/-8% of the total PAHs, respectively. The PAH contents in the light fractions were 1-2 orders of magnitude higher than those in the heavy fractions. In the light fractions, the 12PAH contents in February were significantly higher than the 12PAH contents in November (P<0.01), whereas in the heavy fractions, no significant difference was found (P>0.05). Cluster analysis revealed that there was a significant difference in the PAH profiles between locations rather than between size-fractions, density-fractions and sampling times. Multiple regression analysis indicated that asphalt/pavement was the major source of Shakujii road dust, and that tyre and diesel vehicle exhaust were the major sources of finer and coarser fractions collected from Hongo Street road dust, respectively.

Oblique Interaction of Dust-ion Acoustic Solitons with Superthermal Electrons in a Magnetized Plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parveen, Shahida; Mahmood, Shahzad; Adnan, Muhammad; Qamar, Anisa

2018-01-01

The oblique interaction between two dust-ion acoustic (DIA) solitons travelling in the opposite direction, in a collisionless magnetized plasma composed of dynamic ions, static dust (positive/negative) charged particles and interialess kappa distributed electrons is investigated. By employing extended Poincaré-Lighthill-Kuo (PLK) method, Korteweg-de Vries (KdV) equations are derived for the right and left moving low amplitude DIA solitons. Their trajectories and corresponding phase shifts before and after their interaction are also obtained. It is found that in negatively charged dusty plasma above the critical dust charged to ion density ratio the positive polarity pulse is formed, while below the critical dust charged density ratio the negative polarity pulse of DIA soliton exist. However it is found that only positive polarity pulse of DIA solitons exist for the positively charged dust particles case in a magnetized nonthermal plasma. The nonlinearity coefficient in the KdV equation vanishes for the negatively charged dusty plasma case for a particular set of parameters. Therefore, at critical plasma density composition for negatively charged dust particles case, the modified Korteweg-de Vries (mKdV) equations having cubic nonlinearity coefficient of the DIA solitons, and their corresponding phase shifts are derived for the left and right moving solitons. The effects of the system parameters including the obliqueness of solitons propagation with respect to magnetic field direction, superthermality of electrons and concentration of positively/negatively static dust charged particles on the phase shifts of the colliding solitons are also discussed and presented numerically. The results are applicable to space magnetized dusty plasma regimes.

Dust near luminous ultraviolet stars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Henry, Richard C.

1992-01-01

More than 700 luminous stars in the infrared astronomical satellite (IRAS) Skyflux plates were examined for the presence of dust heated by a nearby star. This dust may be distinguished from the ubiquitous cool cirrus by its higher temperature and thus enhanced 60 micron emission. More than 120 dust clouds were found around only 106 of the stars with a volume filling factor of 0.006 and an intercloud separation of 46 pc. A region of dust smoothly distributed through the volume of space heated by the star could not be found and hence an upper limit of 0.05 cm(exp -3) is placed on the equivalent gas density in the intercloud regions. The clouds have an average density of 0.22 cm(exp -3) and a radius of 1.9 pc, albeit with wide variations in their properties. Two different scale heights of 140 and 540 pc were found. This was interpreted as evidence for different distributions of dust in and out of the galactic disk.

Separation of carbon nanotubes into chirally enriched fractions

DOEpatents

Doorn, Stephen K [Los Alamos, NM; Niyogi, Sandip [Los Alamos, NM

2012-04-10

A mixture of single-walled carbon nanotubes ("SWNTs") is separated into fractions of enriched chirality by preparing an aqueous suspension of a mixture of SWNTs and a surfactant, injecting a portion of the suspension on a column of separation medium having a density gradient, and centrifuging the column. In some embodiments, salt is added prior to centrifugation. In other embodiments, the centrifugation is performed at a temperature below room temperature. Fractions separate as colored bands in the column. The diameter of the separated SWNTs decreases with increasing density along the gradient of the column. The colored bands can be withdrawn separately from the column.

DUST CAPTURE AND LONG-LIVED DENSITY ENHANCEMENTS TRIGGERED BY VORTICES IN 2D PROTOPLANETARY DISKS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Surville, Clément; Mayer, Lucio; Lin, Douglas N. C., E-mail: clement.surville@physik.uzh.ch

We study dust capture by vortices and its long-term consequences in global two-fluid inviscid disk simulations using a new polar grid code RoSSBi. We perform the longest integrations so far, several hundred disk orbits, at the highest resolution attainable in global disk simulations with dust, namely, 2048 × 4096 grid points. We vary a wide range of dust parameters, most notably the initial dust-to-gas ratio ϵ varies in the range of 10{sup −4}–10{sup −2}. Irrespective of the value of ϵ , we find rapid concentration of the dust inside vortices, reaching dust-to-gas ratios of the order of unity inside themore » vortex. We present an analytical model that describes this dust capture process very well, finding consistent results for all dust parameters. A vortex streaming instability develops, which invariably causes vortex destruction. After vortex dissipation large-scale dust rings encompassing a disk annulus form in most cases, which sustain very high dust concentration, approaching ratios of the order of unity; they persist as long as the duration of the simulations. They are sustained by a streaming instability, which manifests itself in high-density dust clumps at various scales. When vortices are particularly long-lived, rings do not form but dust clumps inside vortices can survive a long time and would likely undergo collapse by gravitational instability. Rings encompass almost an Earth mass of solid material, while even larger masses of dust do accumulate inside vortices in the earlier stage. We argue that rapid planetesimal formation would occur in the dust clumps inside the vortices as well as in the post-vortex rings.« less

Dust Capture and Long-lived Density Enhancements Triggered by Vortices in 2D Protoplanetary Disks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Surville, Clément; Mayer, Lucio; Lin, Douglas N. C.

2016-11-01

We study dust capture by vortices and its long-term consequences in global two-fluid inviscid disk simulations using a new polar grid code RoSSBi. We perform the longest integrations so far, several hundred disk orbits, at the highest resolution attainable in global disk simulations with dust, namely, 2048 × 4096 grid points. We vary a wide range of dust parameters, most notably the initial dust-to-gas ratio ɛ varies in the range of 10-4-10-2. Irrespective of the value of ɛ, we find rapid concentration of the dust inside vortices, reaching dust-to-gas ratios of the order of unity inside the vortex. We present an analytical model that describes this dust capture process very well, finding consistent results for all dust parameters. A vortex streaming instability develops, which invariably causes vortex destruction. After vortex dissipation large-scale dust rings encompassing a disk annulus form in most cases, which sustain very high dust concentration, approaching ratios of the order of unity they persist as long as the duration of the simulations. They are sustained by a streaming instability, which manifests itself in high-density dust clumps at various scales. When vortices are particularly long-lived, rings do not form but dust clumps inside vortices can survive a long time and would likely undergo collapse by gravitational instability. Rings encompass almost an Earth mass of solid material, while even larger masses of dust do accumulate inside vortices in the earlier stage. We argue that rapid planetesimal formation would occur in the dust clumps inside the vortices as well as in the post-vortex rings.

Potential transport pathways of dust emanating from the playa of Ebinur Lake, Xinjiang, in arid northwest China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ge, Yongxiao; Abuduwaili, Jilili; Ma, Long; Wu, Na; Liu, Dongwei

2016-09-01

In this paper, the HYSPLIT model, driven with reanalysis meteorological data from 1978 to 2013, was used to understand the potential transport characteristics of dust and salt dust emanating from the playa of Ebinur Lake in arid northwest China. Daily air parcel trajectories were computed forward for 8 days from an origin centered over Ebinur Lake at 100 m above ground level. Air parcel trajectory density plots were mapped for seven levels: 0-100 m agl., 100-500 m agl., 500-1000 m agl., 1000-1500 m agl., 1500-2000 m agl., 2000-3000 m agl., and 3000-5000 m agl. These show that potential dust transport pathways have clear seasonal differentiation. The potential transport distance of dust and salt dust is greatest in spring and summer. In autumn and winter, the potential transport of the high-density air trajectory is below 1000 m traveling a shorter distance. Potential dust transport pathways showed notifying directivity in different seasons and heights. Southeast in spring and summer, and north to northeast in autumn and winter are the two main potential transport channels of dust and salt dust. Accordingly, dust and salt dust from the playa of Ebinur Lake may influence the atmospheric processes and biogeochemical cycles of a vast region. The main area of influence of dust and salt dust is close to the source area, and will significantly accelerate the melting of snow and ice in the Tianshan Mountains. This highlights the urgent need to combine remote sensing, isotope and other methods to further research the transport characteristics of dust and salt dust from the playa of the Ebinur Lake.

X ray emission from Wolf-Rayet stars with recurrent dust formation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rawley, Gayle L.

1993-01-01

We were granted a ROSAT observation of the Wolf-Rayet star WR 137 (equals HD 192641) to test a proposed mechanism for producing the infrared variability reported by Williams et al. (1987). These studies showed one clear infrared outburst preceded by what may be the dimming of a previous outburst. The recurrent dust formation model was put forward by Williams et al. (1990) to account for similar variability seen in WR 140, which varies in both the infrared and X-ray bands. The detected X-ray flux from WR 140 was observed to decrease from its normally high (for Wolf-Rayet stars) level as the infrared flux increased. Observation of two apparently-periodic infrared outbursts led to the hypothesis that WR 140 had an O star companion in an eccentric orbit, and that the increase in infrared flux came from a dust formation episode triggered by the compression of the O star and Wolf-Rayet star winds. The absorption of the X-rays by the increased material explained the decrease in flux at those wavelengths. If the infrared variability in WR 137 were caused by a similar interaction of the Wolf-Rayet star with a companion, we might expect that WR 137 would show corresponding X-ray variability and an X-ray luminosity somewhat higher than typical WC stars, as well as a phase-dependent non-thermal X-ray spectrum. Our goals in this study were to obtain luminosity estimates from our counting rates for comparison with previous observations of WR 137 and other WC class stars, especially WR 140; to compare the luminosity with the IR lightcurve; and to characterize the spectral shape of the X-ray emission, including the column density.

Differential Ablation of Cosmic Dust and Implications for the Relative Abundances of Atmospheric Metals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McNeil, W. J.

1997-09-01

Metals in the Earth's atmosphere are of interest and importance for several reasons. Emission lines from the sodium layer are used for wave front corrections in imaging space objects. The ionospheric metals present background contamination for remote sensing and tracking of space- born objects. Ionization during meteor showers may also interfere with communications. Although it is generally accepted that extraterrestrial material is the source of metals in the atmospheric, the relative abundances of mesospheric metals and ions present us with a conundrum. Lidar observations have consistently shown that the abundances of neutral metals in the atmospheric and the abundances of these metals in the meteoric material that falls to earth are significantly disproportionate. For example, the column density of neutral sodium is perhaps two orders of magnitude larger than that of calcium, while the abundances in meteorites are approximately equal. To complicate matters further, ion mass spectroscopy has shown that the abundances of the meteoric ions match reasonably well those in the meteorites. We present here a model that attempts to address these discrepancies. At the heart of the model is the concept of differential ablation, which suggests that more volatile metals sublimate earlier in the descent of a cosmic dust particle than do the less volatile components. The modeling is carried out comprehensively, beginning with the heating and vaporization of the dust particles. The vaporization rate is computed as a function of altitude from an ensemble of particles to give a deposition function which is then injected into a fully time-dependent kinetic code which allows for vertical diffusion and includes diurnal dependence through both the models of the major atmospheric components and through transport of the ions due to electric fields.

ELEMENTAL DEPLETIONS IN THE MAGELLANIC CLOUDS AND THE EVOLUTION OF DEPLETIONS WITH METALLICITY

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tchernyshyov, Kirill; Meixner, Margaret; Seale, Jonathan

2015-10-01

We present a study of the composition of gas and dust in the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds (LMC and SMC) using UV absorption spectroscopy. We measure P ii and Fe ii along 84 spatially distributed sightlines toward the MCs using archival Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer observations. For 16 of those sightlines, we also measure Si ii, Cr ii, and Zn ii from new Hubble Space Telescope Cosmic Origins Spectrograph observations. We analyze these spectra using a new spectral line analysis technique based on a semi-parametric Voigt profile model. We have combined these measurements with H i and H{sub 2}more » column densities and reference stellar abundances from the literature to derive gas-phase abundances, depletions, and gas-to-dust ratios (GDRs). Of our 84 P and 16 Zn measurements, 80 and 13, respectively, are depleted by more than 0.1 dex, suggesting that P and Zn abundances are not accurate metallicity indicators at and above the metallicity of the SMC. Si, Cr, and Fe are systematically less depleted in the SMC than in the Milky Way (MW) or LMC. The minimum Si depletion in the SMC is consistent with zero. We find GDR ranges of 190–565 in the LMC and 480–2100 in the SMC, which is broadly consistent with GDRs from the literature. These ranges represent actual location to location variation and are evidence of dust destruction and/or growth in the diffuse neutral phase of the interstellar medium. Where they overlap in metallicity, the gas-phase abundances of the MW, LMC, and SMC and damped Lyα systems evolve similarly with metallicity.« less

Local H i emissivity measured with FERMI-LAT and implications for Cosmic-ray spectra

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Casandjian, Jean -Marc

Cosmic-ray (CR) electrons and nuclei interact with the Galactic interstellar gas and produce high-energy γ-rays. The γ-ray emission rate per hydrogen atom, called emissivity, provides a unique indirect probe of the CR flux. We present the measurement and the interpretation of the emissivity in the solar neighborhood for γ-ray energy from 50 MeV to 50 GeV. We analyzed a subset of 4 yr of observations from the Large Area Telescope (LAT) aboard the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope ( Fermi) restricted to absolute latitudesmore » $$10^\\circ \\lt | b| \\lt 70^\\circ $$. From a fit to the LAT data including atomic, molecular, and ionized hydrogen column density templates, as well as a dust optical depth map, we derived the emissivities, the molecular hydrogen–to–CO conversion factor $${X}_{\\mathrm{CO}}=(0.902\\pm 0.007)\\times {10}^{20}$$ cm–2 (K km s–1)–1, and the dust-to-gas ratio $${X}_{\\mathrm{DUST}}=(41.4\\pm 0.3)\\times {10}^{20}$$ cm–2 mag–1. Moreover, we detected for the first time γ-ray emission from ionized hydrogen. We compared the extracted emissivities to those calculated from γ-ray production cross sections and to CR spectra measured in the heliosphere. We observed that the experimental emissivities are reproduced only if the solar modulation is accounted for. This provides a direct detection of solar modulation observed previously through the anticorrelation between CR fluxes and solar activity. Lastly, we fitted a parameterized spectral form to the heliospheric CR observations and to the Fermi-LAT emissivity and obtained compatible local interstellar spectra for proton and helium kinetic energy per nucleon between between 1 and 100 GeV and for electron–positrons between 0.1 and 100 GeV.« less

Local H i emissivity measured with FERMI-LAT and implications for Cosmic-ray spectra

DOE PAGES

Casandjian, Jean -Marc

2015-06-20

Cosmic-ray (CR) electrons and nuclei interact with the Galactic interstellar gas and produce high-energy γ-rays. The γ-ray emission rate per hydrogen atom, called emissivity, provides a unique indirect probe of the CR flux. We present the measurement and the interpretation of the emissivity in the solar neighborhood for γ-ray energy from 50 MeV to 50 GeV. We analyzed a subset of 4 yr of observations from the Large Area Telescope (LAT) aboard the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope ( Fermi) restricted to absolute latitudesmore » $$10^\\circ \\lt | b| \\lt 70^\\circ $$. From a fit to the LAT data including atomic, molecular, and ionized hydrogen column density templates, as well as a dust optical depth map, we derived the emissivities, the molecular hydrogen–to–CO conversion factor $${X}_{\\mathrm{CO}}=(0.902\\pm 0.007)\\times {10}^{20}$$ cm–2 (K km s–1)–1, and the dust-to-gas ratio $${X}_{\\mathrm{DUST}}=(41.4\\pm 0.3)\\times {10}^{20}$$ cm–2 mag–1. Moreover, we detected for the first time γ-ray emission from ionized hydrogen. We compared the extracted emissivities to those calculated from γ-ray production cross sections and to CR spectra measured in the heliosphere. We observed that the experimental emissivities are reproduced only if the solar modulation is accounted for. This provides a direct detection of solar modulation observed previously through the anticorrelation between CR fluxes and solar activity. Lastly, we fitted a parameterized spectral form to the heliospheric CR observations and to the Fermi-LAT emissivity and obtained compatible local interstellar spectra for proton and helium kinetic energy per nucleon between between 1 and 100 GeV and for electron–positrons between 0.1 and 100 GeV.« less

Interstellar C IV and Si IV column densities toward early-type stars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bruhweiler, F. C.; Kondo, Y.; Mccluskey, G. E.

1980-01-01

Equivalent widths and deduced column densities of Si IV and C IV are examined for 18 early-type close binaries, and physical processes responsible for the origin of these ions in the interstellar medium are investigated. The available C IV/Si IV column density ratios typically lie within a narrow range from 0.8 to 4.5, and there is evidence that the column density of C IV is higher than that of N V along most lines of sight, suggesting that C IV is not formed in the same hot region as O VI. In addition, the existence of regions with a narrowly defined new temperature range around 50,000 deg K is indicated. The detection of the semitorrid gas of Bruhweiler, Kondo, and McCluskey (1978, 1979) is substantiated, and the relation of this gas to the observations of coronal gas in the galactic halo is discussed.

Synthetic Observations of 21 cm H I Line Profiles from Inhomogeneous Turbulent Interstellar H I Gas with Magnetic Fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fukui, Yasuo; Hayakawa, Takahiro; Inoue, Tsuyoshi; Torii, Kazufumi; Okamoto, Ryuji; Tachihara, Kengo; Onishi, Toshikazu; Hayashi, Katsuhiro

2018-06-01

We carried out synthetic observations of interstellar atomic hydrogen at 21 cm wavelength by utilizing the magnetohydrodynamic numerical simulations of the inhomogeneous turbulent interstellar medium. The cold neutral medium (CNM) shows a significantly clumpy distribution with a small volume filling factor of 3.5%, whereas the warm neutral medium (WNM) has a distinctly different and smooth distribution with a large filling factor of 96.5%. In projection on the sky, the CNM exhibits a highly filamentary distribution with a subparsec width, whereas the WNM shows a smooth, extended distribution. In the H I optical depth, the CNM is dominant and the contribution of the WNM is negligibly small. The CNM has an area covering factor of 30% in projection, while the WNM has a covering factor of 70%. This means that the emission–absorption measurements toward radio continuum compact sources tend to sample the WNM with a probability of 70%, yielding a smaller H I optical depth and a smaller H I column density than those of the bulk H I gas. The emission–absorption measurements, which are significantly affected by the small-scale large fluctuations of the CNM properties, are not suitable for characterizing the bulk H I gas. Larger-beam emission measurements that are able to fully sample the H I gas will provide a better tool for that purpose, if a reliable proxy for hydrogen column density, possibly dust optical depth and gamma rays, is available. The present results provide a step toward precise measurements of the interstellar hydrogen with ∼10% accuracy. This will be crucial in interstellar physics, including identification of the proton–proton interaction in gamma-ray supernova remnants.

Utilization of O4 slant column density to derive aerosol layer height from a space-borne UV-visible hyperspectral sensor: sensitivity and case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Sang Seo; Kim, Jhoon; Lee, Hanlim; Torres, Omar; Lee, Kwang-Mog; Lee, Sang Deok

2016-02-01

The sensitivities of oxygen-dimer (O4) slant column densities (SCDs) to changes in aerosol layer height are investigated using the simulated radiances by a radiative transfer model, the linearized pseudo-spherical vector discrete ordinate radiative transfer (VLIDORT), and the differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) technique. The sensitivities of the O4 index (O4I), which is defined as dividing O4 SCD by 1040 molecules2 cm-5, to aerosol types and optical properties are also evaluated and compared. Among the O4 absorption bands at 340, 360, 380, and 477 nm, the O4 absorption band at 477 nm is found to be the most suitable to retrieve the aerosol effective height. However, the O4I at 477 nm is significantly influenced not only by the aerosol layer effective height but also by aerosol vertical profiles, optical properties including single scattering albedo (SSA), aerosol optical depth (AOD), particle size, and surface albedo. Overall, the error of the retrieved aerosol effective height is estimated to be 1276, 846, and 739 m for dust, non-absorbing, and absorbing aerosol, respectively, assuming knowledge on the aerosol vertical distribution shape. Using radiance data from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI), a new algorithm is developed to derive the aerosol effective height over East Asia after the determination of the aerosol type and AOD from the MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). About 80 % of retrieved aerosol effective heights are within the error range of 1 km compared to those obtained from the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) measurements on thick aerosol layer cases.

The shape of the cosmic X-ray background: nuclear starburst discs and the redshift evolution of AGN obscuration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gohil, R.; Ballantyne, D. R.

2018-04-01

A significant number of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are observed to be hidden behind dust and gas. The distribution of material around AGNs plays an important role in modelling the cosmic X-ray background (CXB), especially the fraction of type 2 AGNs (f2). One of the possible explanations for obscuration in Seyfert galaxies at intermediate redshifts is dusty starburst discs. We compute the two-dimensional (2D) hydrostatic structure of 768 nuclear starburst discs (NSDs) under various physical conditions and also the distribution of column density along the line of sight (NH) associated with these discs. Then the NH distribution is evolved with redshift by using the redshift-dependent distribution function of input parameters. Parameter f2 shows a strong positive evolution up to z = 2, but only a weak level of enhancement at higher z. The Compton-thin and Compton-thick AGN fractions associated with these starburst regions increase ∝ (1 + z)δ, where δ is estimated to be 1.12 and 1.45, respectively. The reflection parameter Rf associated with column density NH ≥ 1023.5 cm-2 extends from 0.13 at z = 0 to 0.58 at z = 4. A CXB model employing this evolving NH distribution indicates that more compact (Rout < 120 pc) NSDs provide a better fit to the CXB. In addition to `Seyfert-like' AGNs obscured by nuclear starbursts, we predict that 40-60 per cent of quasars must be Compton-thick to produce a peak of the CXB spectrum within the observational uncertainty. The predicted total number counts of AGNs in 8-24 keV bands are in fair agreement with observations from the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR).

Utilization of O4 Slant Column Density to Derive Aerosol Layer Height from a Space-Borne UV-Visible Hyperspectral Sensor: Sensitivity and Case Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Park, Sang Seo; Kim, Jhoon; Lee, Hanlim; Torres, Omar; Lee, Kwang-Mog; Lee, Sang Deok

2016-01-01

The sensitivities of oxygen-dimer (O4) slant column densities (SCDs) to changes in aerosol layer height are investigated using the simulated radiances by a radiative transfer model, the linearized pseudo-spherical vector discrete ordinate radiative transfer (VLIDORT), and the differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) technique. The sensitivities of the O4 index (O4I), which is defined as dividing O4 SCD by 10(sup 40) molecules (sup 2) per centimeters(sup -5), to aerosol types and optical properties are also evaluated and compared. Among the O4 absorption bands at 340, 360, 380, and 477 nanometers, the O4 absorption band at 477 nanometers is found to be the most suitable to retrieve the aerosol effective height. However, the O4I at 477 nanometers is significantly influenced not only by the aerosol layer effective height but also by aerosol vertical profiles, optical properties including single scattering albedo (SSA), aerosol optical depth (AOD), particle size, and surface albedo. Overall, the error of the retrieved aerosol effective height is estimated to be 1276, 846, and 739 meters for dust, non-absorbing, and absorbing aerosol, respectively, assuming knowledge on the aerosol vertical distribution shape. Using radiance data from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI), a new algorithm is developed to derive the aerosol effective height over East Asia after the determination of the aerosol type and AOD from the MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). About 80 percent of retrieved aerosol effective heights are within the error range of 1 kilometer compared to those obtained from the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) measurements on thick aerosol layer cases.

THERMAL PRESSURES IN THE INTERSTELLAR MEDIUM OF THE MAGELLANIC CLOUDS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Welty, Daniel E.; York, Donald G.; Lauroesch, James T.

2016-04-20

We discuss the thermal pressures ( n {sub H} T ) in predominantly cold, neutral interstellar gas in the Magellanic Clouds, derived from analyses of the fine-structure excitation of neutral carbon, as seen in high-resolution Hubble Space Telescope /Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph spectra of seven diverse sight lines in the LMC and SMC. Detailed fits to the line profiles of the absorption from C i, C i*, and C i** yield consistent column densities for the three to six C i multiplets detected in each sight line. In the LMC and SMC, N (C i{sub tot}) is consistent with Galacticmore » trends versus N (Na i) and N (CH), but is slightly lower versus N (K i) and N (H{sub 2}). As for N (Na i) and N (K i), N (C i{sub tot}) is generally significantly lower, for a given N (H{sub tot}), in the LMC and (especially) in the SMC, compared to the local Galactic relationship. For the LMC and SMC components with well-determined column densities for C i, C i*, and C i**, the derived thermal pressures are typically factors of a few higher than the values found for most cold, neutral clouds in the Galactic ISM. Such differences are consistent with the predictions of models for clouds in systems (like the LMC and SMC) that are characterized by lower metallicities, lower dust-to-gas ratios, and enhanced radiation fields—where higher pressures are required for stable cold, neutral clouds. The pressures may be further enhanced by energetic activity (e.g., due to stellar winds, star formation, and/or supernova remnants) in several of the regions probed by these sight lines. Comparisons are made with the C i observed in some quasar absorption-line systems.« less

Utilization of O4 Slant Column Density to Derive Aerosol Layer Height from a Spaceborne UV-Visible Hyperspectral Sensor: Sensitivity and Case Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Park, Sang Seo; Kim, Jhoon; Lee, Hanlim; Torres, Omar; Lee, Kwang-Mog; Lee, Sang Deok

2016-01-01

The sensitivities of oxygen-dimer (O4) slant column densities (SCDs) to changes in aerosol layer height are investigated using the simulated radiances by a radiative transfer model, the linearized pseudo-spherical vector discrete ordinate radiative transfer (VLIDORT), and the Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (DOAS) technique. The sensitivities of the O4 index (O4I), which is defined as dividing O4 SCD by 10(exp 40) sq molecules cm(exp -5), to aerosol types and optical properties are also evaluated and compared. Among the O4 absorption bands at 340, 360, 380, and 477 nm, the O4 absorption band at 477 nm is found to be the most suitable to retrieve the aerosol effective height. However, the O4I at 477 nm is significantly influenced not only by the aerosol layer effective height but also by aerosol vertical profiles, optical properties including single scattering albedo (SSA), aerosol optical depth (AOD), particle size, and surface albedo. Overall, the error of the retrieved aerosol effective height is estimated to be 1276, 846, and 739 m for dust, non-absorbing, and absorbing aerosol, respectively, assuming knowledge on the aerosol vertical distribution shape. Using radiance data from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI), a new algorithm is developed to derive the aerosol effective height over East Asia after the determination of the aerosol type and AOD from the MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). About 80% of retrieved aerosol effective heights are within the error range of 1 km compared to those obtained from the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) measurements on thick aerosol layer cases.

Anthropogenic dust emissions due to livestock trampling in a Mongolian temperate grassland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Munkhtsetseg, Erdenebayar; Shinoda, Masato; Ishizuka, Masahide; Mikami, Masao; Kimura, Reiji; Nikolich, George

2017-09-01

Mongolian grasslands are a natural dust source region and they contribute to anthropogenic dust due to the long tradition of raising livestock there. Past decades of abrupt changes in a nomadic society necessitate a study on the effects of livestock trampling on dust emissions, so that research studies may help maintain a sustainable ecosystem and well-conditioned atmospheric environment. In this study, we conducted a mini wind tunnel experiment (using a PI-SWERL® device) to measure dust emissions fluxes from trampling (at three disturbance levels of livestock density, N) and zero trampling (natural as the background level) at test areas in a Mongolian temperate grassland. Moreover, we scaled anthropogenic dust emissions to natural dust emissions as a relative consequence of livestock trampling. We found a substantial increase in dust emissions due to livestock trampling. This effect of trampling on dust emissions was persistent throughout all wind friction velocities, u* (varying from 0.44 to 0.82 m s-1). Significantly higher dust loading occurs after a certain disturbance level has been reached by the livestock trampling. Our results suggest that both friction velocity (u*) and disturbance level of livestock density (N) have an enormous combinational effect on dust emissions from the trampling test surface. This means that the effect of livestock trampling on dust emissions can be seen or revealed when wind is strong. Our results also emphasize that better management for livestock allocation coupled with strategies to prevent anthropogenic dust loads are needed. However, there are many uncertainties and assumptions to be improved on in this study.

Dust Density Distribution and Imaging Analysis of Different Ice Lines in Protoplanetary Disks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pinilla, P.; Pohl, A.; Stammler, S. M.; Birnstiel, T.

2017-08-01

Recent high angular resolution observations of protoplanetary disks at different wavelengths have revealed several kinds of structures, including multiple bright and dark rings. Embedded planets are the most used explanation for such structures, but there are alternative models capable of shaping the dust in rings as it has been observed. We assume a disk around a Herbig star and investigate the effect that ice lines have on the dust evolution, following the growth, fragmentation, and dynamics of multiple dust size particles, covering from 1 μm to 2 m sized objects. We use simplified prescriptions of the fragmentation velocity threshold, which is assumed to change radially at the location of one, two, or three ice lines. We assume changes at the radial location of main volatiles, specifically H2O, CO2, and NH3. Radiative transfer calculations are done using the resulting dust density distributions in order to compare with current multiwavelength observations. We find that the structures in the dust density profiles and radial intensities at different wavelengths strongly depend on the disk viscosity. A clear gap of emission can be formed between ice lines and be surrounded by ring-like structures, in particular between the H2O and CO2 (or CO). The gaps are expected to be shallower and narrower at millimeter emission than at near-infrared, opposite to model predictions of particle trapping. In our models, the total gas surface density is not expected to show strong variations, in contrast to other gap-forming scenarios such as embedded giant planets or radial variations of the disk viscosity.

Spatial variability of excess mortality during prolonged dust events in a high-density city: a time-stratified spatial regression approach.

PubMed

Wong, Man Sing; Ho, Hung Chak; Yang, Lin; Shi, Wenzhong; Yang, Jinxin; Chan, Ta-Chien

2017-07-24

Dust events have long been recognized to be associated with a higher mortality risk. However, no study has investigated how prolonged dust events affect the spatial variability of mortality across districts in a downwind city. In this study, we applied a spatial regression approach to estimate the district-level mortality during two extreme dust events in Hong Kong. We compared spatial and non-spatial models to evaluate the ability of each regression to estimate mortality. We also compared prolonged dust events with non-dust events to determine the influences of community factors on mortality across the city. The density of a built environment (estimated by the sky view factor) had positive association with excess mortality in each district, while socioeconomic deprivation contributed by lower income and lower education induced higher mortality impact in each territory planning unit during a prolonged dust event. Based on the model comparison, spatial error modelling with the 1st order of queen contiguity consistently outperformed other models. The high-risk areas with higher increase in mortality were located in an urban high-density environment with higher socioeconomic deprivation. Our model design shows the ability to predict spatial variability of mortality risk during an extreme weather event that is not able to be estimated based on traditional time-series analysis or ecological studies. Our spatial protocol can be used for public health surveillance, sustainable planning and disaster preparation when relevant data are available.

The effect of dust charge variation, due to ion flow and electron depletion, on dust levitation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Land, Victor; Douglass, Angela; Qiao Ke

2011-11-29

Using a fluid model, the plasma densities, electron temperature and ion Mach number in front of a powered electrode in different plasma discharges is computed. The dust charge is computed using OML theory for Maxwellian electrons and ions distributed according to a shifted-Maxwellian. By assuming force balance between gravity and the electrostatic force, the dust levitation height is obtained. The importance of the dust charge variation is investigated.

Optical Extinction Measurements of Dust Density in the GMRO Regolith Test Bin

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lane, J.; Mantovani, J.; Mueller, R.; Nugent, M.; Nick, A.; Schuler, J.; Townsend, I.

2016-01-01

A regolith simulant test bin was constructed and completed in the Granular Mechanics and Regolith Operations (GMRO) Lab in 2013. This Planetary Regolith Test Bed (PRTB) is a 64 sq m x 1 m deep test bin, is housed in a climate-controlled facility, and contains 120 MT of lunar-regolith simulant, called Black Point-1 or BP-1, from Black Point, AZ. One of the current uses of the test bin is to study the effects of difficult lighting and dust conditions on Telerobotic Perception Systems to better assess and refine regolith operations for asteroid, Mars and polar lunar missions. Low illumination and low angle of incidence lighting pose significant problems to computer vision and human perception. Levitated dust on Asteroids interferes with imaging and degrades depth perception. Dust Storms on Mars pose a significant problem. Due to these factors, the likely performance of telerobotics is poorly understood for future missions. Current space telerobotic systems are only operated in bright lighting and dust-free conditions. This technology development testing will identify: (1) the impact of degraded lighting and environmental dust on computer vision and operator perception, (2) potential methods and procedures for mitigating these impacts, (3) requirements for telerobotic perception systems for asteroid capture, Mars dust storms and lunar regolith ISRU missions. In order to solve some of the Telerobotic Perception system problems, a plume erosion sensor (PES) was developed in the Lunar Regolith Simulant Bin (LRSB), containing 2 MT of JSC-1a lunar simulant. PES is simply a laser and digital camera with a white target. Two modes of operation have been investigated: (1) single laser spot - the brightness of the spot is dependent on the optical extinction due to dust and is thus an indirect measure of particle number density, and (2) side-scatter - the camera images the laser from the side, showing beam entrance into the dust cloud and the boundary between dust and void. Both methods must assume a mean particle size in order to extract a number density. The optical extinction measurement yields the product of the 2nd moment of the particle size distribution and the extinction efficiency Qe. For particle sizes in the range of interest (greater than 1 micrometer), Qe approximately equal to 2. Scaling up of the PES single laser and camera system is underway in the PRTB, where an array of lasers penetrate a con-trolled dust cloud, illuminating multiple targets. Using high speed HD GoPro video cameras, the evolution of the dust cloud and particle size density can be studied in detail.

Comparison of physical and mechanical properties of river sand concrete with quarry dust concrete

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Opara, Hyginus E.; Eziefula, Uchechi G.; Eziefula, Bennett I.

2018-03-01

This study compared the physical and mechanical properties of river sand concrete with quarry dust concrete. The constituent materials were batched by weight. The water-cement ratio and mix ratio selected for the experimental investigation were 0.55 and 1:2:4, respectively. The specimens were cured for 7, 14, 21 and 28 days. Slump, density and compressive strength tests were carried out. The results showed that river sand concrete had greater density and compressive strength than quarry dust concrete for all curing ages. At 28 days of curing, river sand concrete exceeded the target compressive strength by 36%, whereas quarry dust concrete was less than the target compressive strength by 12%. Both river sand concrete and quarry dust concrete for the selected water/cement ratio and mix ratio are suitable for non-structural applications and lightly-loaded members where high strength is not a prerequisite.

SYNTHETIC OBSERVATIONS OF MAGNETIC FIELDS IN PROTOSTELLAR CORES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lee, Joyce W. Y.; Hull, Charles L. H.; Offner, Stella S. R., E-mail: chat.hull@cfa.harvard.edu, E-mail: jwyl1g12@soton.ac.uk

The role of magnetic fields in the early stages of star formation is not well constrained. In order to discriminate between different star formation models, we analyze 3D magnetohydrodynamic simulations of low-mass cores and explore the correlation between magnetic field orientation and outflow orientation over time. We produce synthetic observations of dust polarization at resolutions comparable to millimeter-wave dust polarization maps observed by the Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-wave Astronomy and compare these with 2D visualizations of projected magnetic field and column density. Cumulative distribution functions of the projected angle between the magnetic field and outflow show different degreesmore » of alignment in simulations with differing mass-to-flux ratios. The distribution function for the less magnetized core agrees with observations finding random alignment between outflow and field orientations, while the more magnetized core exhibits stronger alignment. We find that fractional polarization increases when the system is viewed such that the magnetic field is close to the plane of the sky, and the values of fractional polarization are consistent with observational measurements. The simulation outflow, which reflects the underlying angular momentum of the accreted gas, changes direction significantly over over the first ∼0.1 Myr of evolution. This movement could lead to the observed random alignment between outflows and the magnetic fields in protostellar cores.« less

STAR CLUSTER FORMATION WITH STELLAR FEEDBACK AND LARGE-SCALE INFLOW

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Matzner, Christopher D.; Jumper, Peter H., E-mail: matzner@astro.utoronto.ca

2015-12-10

During star cluster formation, ongoing mass accretion is resisted by stellar feedback in the form of protostellar outflows from the low-mass stars and photo-ionization and radiation pressure feedback from the massive stars. We model the evolution of cluster-forming regions during a phase in which both accretion and feedback are present and use these models to investigate how star cluster formation might terminate. Protostellar outflows are the strongest form of feedback in low-mass regions, but these cannot stop cluster formation if matter continues to flow in. In more massive clusters, radiation pressure and photo-ionization rapidly clear the cluster-forming gas when itsmore » column density is too small. We assess the rates of dynamical mass ejection and of evaporation, while accounting for the important effect of dust opacity on photo-ionization. Our models are consistent with the census of protostellar outflows in NGC 1333 and Serpens South and with the dust temperatures observed in regions of massive star formation. Comparing observations of massive cluster-forming regions against our model parameter space, and against our expectations for accretion-driven evolution, we infer that massive-star feedback is a likely cause of gas disruption in regions with velocity dispersions less than a few kilometers per second, but that more massive and more turbulent regions are too strongly bound for stellar feedback to be disruptive.« less

Dense cloud cores revealed by CO in the low metallicity dwarf galaxy WLM.

PubMed

Rubio, Monica; Elmegreen, Bruce G; Hunter, Deidre A; Brinks, Elias; Cortés, Juan R; Cigan, Phil

2015-09-10

Understanding stellar birth requires observations of the clouds in which they form. These clouds are dense and self-gravitating, and in all existing observations they are molecular, with H2 the dominant species and carbon monoxide (CO) the best available tracer. When the abundances of carbon and oxygen are low compared with that of hydrogen, and the opacity from dust is also low, as in primeval galaxies and local dwarf irregular galaxies, CO forms slowly and is easily destroyed, so it is difficult for it to accumulate inside dense clouds. Here we report interferometric observations of CO clouds in the local group dwarf irregular galaxy Wolf-Lundmark-Melotte (WLM), which has a metallicity that is 13 per cent of the solar value and 50 per cent lower than the previous CO detection threshold. The clouds are tiny compared to the surrounding atomic and H2 envelopes, but they have typical densities and column densities for CO clouds in the Milky Way. The normal CO density explains why star clusters forming in dwarf irregulars have similar densities to star clusters in giant spiral galaxies. The low cloud masses suggest that these clusters will also be low mass, unless some galaxy-scale compression occurs, such as an impact from a cosmic cloud or other galaxy. If the massive metal-poor globular clusters in the halo of the Milky Way formed in dwarf galaxies, as is commonly believed, then they were probably triggered by such an impact.

A Physical Model for the Evolving Ultraviolet Luminosity Function of High Redshift Galaxies and their Contribution to the Cosmic Reionization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cai, Zhen-Yi; Lapi, Andrea; Bressan, Alessandro; De Zotti, Gianfranco; Negrello, Mattia; Danese, Luigi

2014-04-01

We present a physical model for the evolution of the ultraviolet (UV) luminosity function of high-redshift galaxies, taking into account in a self-consistent way their chemical evolution and the associated evolution of dust extinction. Dust extinction is found to increase fast with halo mass. A strong correlation between dust attenuation and halo/stellar mass for UV selected high-z galaxies is thus predicted. The model yields good fits of the UV and Lyman-α (Lyα) line luminosity functions at all redshifts at which they have been measured. The weak observed evolution of both luminosity functions between z = 2 and z = 6 is explained as the combined effect of the negative evolution of the halo mass function; of the increase with redshift of the star formation efficiency due to the faster gas cooling; and of dust extinction, differential with halo mass. The slope of the faint end of the UV luminosity function is found to steepen with increasing redshift, implying that low luminosity galaxies increasingly dominate the contribution to the UV background at higher and higher redshifts. The observed range of the UV luminosities at high z implies a minimum halo mass capable of hosting active star formation M crit <~ 109.8 M ⊙, which is consistent with the constraints from hydrodynamical simulations. From fits of Lyα line luminosity functions, plus data on the luminosity dependence of extinction, and from the measured ratios of non-ionizing UV to Lyman-continuum flux density for samples of z ~= 3 Lyman break galaxies and Lyα emitters, we derive a simple relationship between the escape fraction of ionizing photons and the star formation rate. It implies that the escape fraction is larger for low-mass galaxies, which are almost dust-free and have lower gas column densities. Galaxies already represented in the UV luminosity function (M UV <~ -18) can keep the universe fully ionized up to z ~= 6. This is consistent with (uncertain) data pointing to a rapid drop of the ionization degree above z ~= 6, such as indications of a decrease of the comoving emission rate of ionizing photons at z ~= 6, a decrease of sizes of quasar near zones, and a possible decline of the Lyα transmission through the intergalactic medium at z > 6. On the other hand, the electron scattering optical depth, τes, inferred from cosmic microwave background (CMB) experiments favor an ionization degree close to unity up to z ~= 9-10. Consistency with CMB data can be achieved if M crit ~= 108.5 M ⊙, implying that the UV luminosity functions extend to M UV ~= -13, although the corresponding τes is still on the low side of CMB-based estimates.

Determination of the line shapes of atomic nitrogen resonance lines by magnetic scans

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lawrence, G. M.; Stone, E. J.; Kley, D.

1976-01-01

A technique is given for calibrating an atomic nitrogen resonance lamp for use in determining column densities of atoms in specific states. A discharge lamp emitting the NI multiplets at 1200 A and 1493 A is studied by obtaining absorption by atoms in a magnetic field (0-2.5 T). This magnetic scanning technique enables the determination of the absorbing atom column density, and an empirical curve of growth is obtained because the atomic f-value is known. Thus, the calibrated lamp can be used in the determination of atomic column densities.

Antibody-immobilized column for quick cell separation based on cell rolling.

PubMed

Mahara, Atsushi; Yamaoka, Tetsuji

2010-01-01

Cell separation using methodological standards that ensure high purity is a very important step in cell transplantation for regenerative medicine and for stem cell research. A separation protocol using magnetic beads has been widely used for cell separation to isolate negative and positive cells. However, not only the surface marker pattern, e.g., negative or positive, but also the density of a cell depends on its developmental stage and differentiation ability. Rapid and label-free separation procedures based on surface marker density are the focus of our interest. In this study, we have successfully developed an antiCD34 antibody-immobilized cell-rolling column, that can separate cells depending on the CD34 density of the cell surfaces. Various conditions for the cell-rolling column were optimized including graft copolymerization, and adjustment of the column tilt angle, and medium flow rate. Using CD34-positive and -negative cell lines, the cell separation potential of the column was established. We observed a difference in the rolling velocities between CD34-positive and CD34-negative cells on antibody-immobilized microfluidic device. Cell separation was achieved by tilting the surface 20 degrees and the increasing medium flow. Surface marker characteristics of the isolated cells in each fraction were analyzed using a cell-sorting system, and it was found that populations containing high density of CD34 were eluted in the delayed fractions. These results demonstrate that cells with a given surface marker density can be continuously separated using the cell rolling column.

VizieR Online Data Catalog: Gamma Ray Bursts detected by Swift (2004-2015) (Buchner+, 2017)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buchner, J.; Schulze, S.; Bauer, F.

2016-04-01

Gamma Ray Bursts (GRB) typically show intrinsic LOS column densities of 1021-23cm2. We performed a thorough statistical analysis of all available X-ray spectra of Swift-detected GRBs. In the associated paper we use sub-samples to analyse the population properties of LGRB and concluded that the obscuration is due to large-scale gas inside the GRB host galaxy, due to the shape of the column density distribution and its correlation with host stellar mass. This catalogue presents X-ray spectral analysis of all Swift-detected GRBs. It includes information about the GRB (ID, Swift Trigger ID, duration, RA/Dec in J2000, galactic coordinates, Milky Way column density). Those properties are taken from the http://www.swift.ac.uk/ and http://gcn.gsfc.nasa.gov/ websites. We removed prompt emission and flares, leaving only a certain time interval for spectral extraction. We use two models to analyse X-ray spectra: TBABS and SPHERE. Both include updated abundances and cross-sections as compared to previous works. The latter includes the effects of Compton-scattering and FeKa fluorescence relevant at high column densities. Columns list the posterior mean, standard deviation, 10% and 90% quantiles. Note that the column densities are converted to hydrogen assuming local ISM abundances, but are derived primarily from photo-electric absorption of e.g. Fe and O, and therefore primarily measure metal gas. (2 data files).

Interstellar matter in Shapley-Ames elliptical galaxies. IV. A diffusely distributed component of dust and its effect on colour gradients.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goudfrooij, P.; de Jong, T.

1995-06-01

We have investigated IRAS far-infrared observations of a complete, blue magnitude limited sample of 56 elliptical galaxies selected from the Revised Shapley-Ames Catalog. Data from a homogeneous optical CCD imaging survey as well as published X-ray data from the EINSTEIN satellite are used to constrain the infrared data. Dust masses as determined from the IRAS flux densities are found to be roughly an order of magnitude higher than those determined from optical extinction values of dust lanes and patches, in strong contrast with the situation in spiral galaxies. This "mass discrepancy" is found to be independent of the (apparent) inclination of the dust lanes. To resolve this dilemma we postulate that the majority of the dust in elliptical galaxies exists as a diffusely distributed component of dust which is undetectable at optical wavelengths. Using observed radial optical surface brightness profiles, we have systematically investigated possible heating mechanisms for the dust within elliptical galaxies. We find that heating of the dust in elliptical galaxies by the interstellar radiation field is generally sufficient to account for the dust temperatures as indicated by the IRAS flux densities. Collisions of dust grains with hot electrons in elliptical galaxies which are embedded in a hot, X-ray-emitting gas is found to be another effective heating mechanism for the dust. Employing model calculations which involve the transfer of stellar radiation in a spherical distribution of stars mixed with a diffuse distribution of dust, we show that the observed infrared luminosities imply total dust optical depths of the postulated diffusely distributed dust component in the range 0.1<~τ_V_<~0.7 and radial colour gradients 0.03<~{DELTA}(B-I)/{DELTA}log r<~0.25. The observed IRAS flux densities can be reproduced within the 1σ uncertainties in virtually all ellipticals in this sample by this newly postulated dust component, diffusely distributed over the inner few kpc of the galaxies, and heated by optical photons and/or hot electrons. The radial colour gradients implied by the diffuse dust component are found to be smaller than or equal to the observed colour gradients. Thus, we argue that the effect of dust extinction should be taken seriously in the interpretation of colour gradients in elliptical galaxies. We show that the amount of dust observed in luminous elliptical galaxies is generally higher than that expected from production by mass loss of stars within elliptical galaxies and destruction by sputtering in hot gas. This suggests that most of the dust in elliptical galaxies generally has an external origin.

Factorial-design optimization of gas chromatographic analysis of tetrabrominated to decabrominated diphenyl ethers. Application to domestic dust.

PubMed

Regueiro, Jorge; Llompart, Maria; Garcia-Jares, Carmen; Cela, Rafael

2007-07-01

Gas chromatographic analysis of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) has been evaluated in an attempt to achieve better control of the separation process, especially for highly substituted congeners. Use of a narrow-bore capillary column enabled adequate determination of tetra, penta, hexa, hepta, octa, nona and decaBDE congeners in only one chromatographic run while maintaining resolution power similar to that of conventional columns. A micro electron-capture detector (GC-microECD) was used. Chromatographic conditions were optimized by multifactorial experimental design, with the objective of obtaining not only high sensitivity but also good precision. In this way two different approaches to maximizing response and minimizing variability were tested, and are fully discussed. These optimum chromatographic conditions were then used to determine PBDEs extracted from domestic dust samples by microwave-assisted solvent extraction (MASE). Quantitative recovery (90-108%) was achieved for all the PBDEs and method precision (RSD < 13%) was satisfactory. Accuracy was tested by use of the standard reference material SRM 2585, and sub-ng g(-1) limits of detection were obtained for all compounds except BDE-209 (1.44 ng g(-1)). Finally, several samples of house dust were analysed by use of the proposed method and all the target PBDEs were detected in all the samples. BDE-209 was the predominant congener. Amounts varied from 58 to 1615 ng g(-1) and the average contribution to the total PBDE burden of 52%. The main congeners of the octaBDE mixture (BDE-183, BDE-197, BDE-207 and BDE-196) also made an important contribution (29%) to the total. These are the first data about the presence of these compounds in European house-dust samples. Finally, the sum of the main congeners in the pentaBDE commercial mixture (BDE-47, BDE-99, and BDE-100) contributed 14% to the total. Figure Polybrominated diphenyl ethers in House Dust.

Characterization of size, morphology and elemental composition of nano-, submicron, and micron particles of street dust separated using field-flow fractionation in a rotating coiled column.

PubMed

Fedotov, Petr S; Ermolin, Mikhail S; Karandashev, Vasily K; Ladonin, Dmitry V

2014-12-01

For the first time, nano- and submicron particles of street dust have been separated, weighted, and analyzed. A novel technique, sedimentation field-flow fractionation in a rotating coiled column, was applied to the fractionation of dust samples with water being used as a carrier fluid. The size and morphology of particles in the separated fractions were characterized by electronic microscopy before digestion and the determination of the concentration of elements by ICP-AES and ICP-MS. The elements that may be of anthropogenic origin (Zn, Cr, Ni, Cu, Cd, Sn, Pb) were found to concentrate mainly in <0.3 and 0.3-1 μm fractions. It has been shown that the concentrations of Cr, Ni, Zn in the finest fraction (<0.3 μm) of street dust can be one order of magnitude higher than the concentrations of elements in bulk sample and coarse fractions. For example, the concentrations of Ni in <0.3, 0.3-1, 1-10, and 10-100 μm fractions were 297 ± 46, 130 ± 21, 36 ± 10, and 21 ± 4 mg/kg, correspondingly. Though the finest particles present only about 0.1 mass% of the sample they are of special concern due to their increased mobility and ability to penetrate into the deepest alveolar area of the lungs. For rare earth elements (La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm) that are evidently of natural source and may be found in soil minerals, in contrary, higher concentrations were observed in large particles (10-100 μm). Sc was an exception that needs further studies. The proposed approach to the fractionation and analysis of nano-, submicron, and micron particles can be a powerful tool for risk assessment related to toxic elements in dust, ash, and other particulate environmental samples. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Surface chemistry in photodissociation regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esplugues, G. B.; Cazaux, S.; Meijerink, R.; Spaans, M.; Caselli, P.

2016-06-01

Context. The presence of dust can strongly affect the chemical composition of the interstellar medium. We model the chemistry in photodissociation regions (PDRs) using both gas-phase and dust-phase chemical reactions. Aims: Our aim is to determine the chemical compositions of the interstellar medium (gas/dust/ice) in regions with distinct (molecular) gas densities that are exposed to radiation fields with different intensities. Methods: We have significantly improved the Meijerink PDR code by including 3050 new gas-phase chemical reactions and also by implementing surface chemistry. In particular, we have included 117 chemical reactions occurring on grain surfaces covering different processes, such as adsorption, thermal desorption, chemical desorption, two-body reactions, photo processes, and cosmic-ray processes on dust grains. Results: We obtain abundances for different gas and solid species as a function of visual extinction, depending on the density and radiation field. We also analyse the rates of the formation of CO2 and H2O ices in different environments. In addition, we study how chemistry is affected by the presence/absence of ice mantles (bare dust or icy dust) and the impact of considering different desorption probabilities. Conclusions: The type of substrate (bare dust or icy dust) and the probability of desorption can significantly alter the chemistry occurring on grain surfaces, leading to differences of several orders of magnitude in the abundances of gas-phase species, such as CO, H2CO, and CH3OH. The type of substrate, together with the density and intensity of the radiation field, also determine the threshold extinction to form ices of CO2 and H2O. We also conclude that H2CO and CH3OH are mainly released into the gas phase of low, far-ultraviolet illuminated PDRs through chemical desorption upon two-body surface reactions, rather than through photodesorption.

Continuous-flow leaching in a rotating coiled column for studies on the mobility of toxic elements in dust samples collected near a metallurgic plant.

PubMed

Fedotov, Petr S; Ermolin, Mikhail S; Ivaneev, Alexandr I; Fedyunina, Natalia N; Karandashev, Vasily K; Tatsy, Yury G

2016-03-01

Continuous-flow (dynamic) leaching in a rotating coiled column has been applied to studies on the mobility of Zn, Cd, Cu, Pb, Ni, Sb, As, S, and other potentially toxic elements in atmospherically deposited dust samples collected near a large copper smelter (Chelyabinsk region, Russia). Water and simulated "acid rain" (pH 4) were used as eluents. The technique enables not only the fast and efficient leaching of elements but as well time-resolved studies on the mobilization of heavy metals, sulphur, and arsenic in environmentally relevant forms to be made. It is shown that up to 1.5, 4.1, 1.9, 11.1, and 46.1% of Pb, As, Cu, Zn, and S, correspondingly, can be easily mobilized by water. Taking into consideration that the total concentrations of these elements in the samples under investigation are surprisingly high and vary in the range from 2.7 g/kg (for arsenic) to 15.5 g/kg (for sulphur), the environmental impact of the dust may be dramatic. The simulated acid rain results in somewhat higher recoveries of elements, except Cu and Pb. The proposed approach and the data obtained can very useful for the risk assessment related to the mobility of potentially toxic elements and their inclusion in the biogeochemical cycle. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evolution of HI from Z=5 to the present

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Storrie-Lombardi, L. J.

2002-01-01

Studies of damped Lya systems provide us with a good measure of the evolution of the HI column density distribution function and the contribution to the comoving mass density in neutral gas out to redshifts of z = 5 . The column density distribution function at high redshift steepens for the highest column density HI absorbers, though the contribution to the comoving mass density of neutral gas remains fiat from 2 < z < 5 . Results from studies at z < 2 are finding substantial numbers of damped absorbers identified from MgII absorption, compared to previous blind surveys. These results indicate that the contribution to the comoving mass density in neutral gas may be constant from z 0 to z 5. Details of recent work in the redshift range z < 2 work is covered elsewhere in this volume (see D. Nestor). We review here recent results for the redshift range 2 < z < 5.

Dust Transport and Deposition Observed from the Terra-Moderate Image Spectrometer (MODIS) Space Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kaufman, Y.

2004-01-01

Meteorological observations, in situ data and satellite images of dust episodes were used already in the 1970s to estimate that 100 tg of dust are transported from Africa over the Atlantic Ocean every year between June and August and deposited in the Atlantic Ocean and the Americas. Desert dust is a main source of nutrients to oceanic biota and the Amazon forest, but deteriorates air quality and caries pathogens as shown for Florida. Dust affects the Earth radiation budget, thus participating in climate change and feedback mechanisms. There is an urgent need for new tools for quantitative evaluation of the dust distribution, transport and deposition. The Terra spacecraft launched at the dawn of the last millennium provides first systematic well calibrated multispectral measurements from the MODIS instrument, for daily global analysis of aerosol. MODIS data are used here to distinguish dust from smoke and maritime aerosols and evaluate the African dust column concentration, transport and deposition. We found that 230 plus or minus 80 tg of dust are transported annually from Africa to the Atlantic Ocean, 30 tg return to Africa and Europe, 70 tg reach the Caribbean, 45 tg fertilize the Amazon Basin, 4 times as previous estimates thus explaining a paradox regarding the source of nutrition to the Amazon forest, and 120 plus or minus 40 tg are deposited in the Atlantic Ocean. The results are compared favorably with dust transport models for particle radius less than or equal to 12 microns. This study is a first example of quantitative use of MODIS aerosol for a geophysical study.

Dust Transport and Deposition Observed from the Terra-MODIS Space Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kaufman, Y. J.; Koren, I.; Remer, L. A.; Tanre, D.; Fan, Ginoux; Fan, S.

2004-01-01

Meteorological observations, in situ data and satellite images of dust episodes were used already in the 1970s to estimate that 100 tg of dust are transported from Africa over the Atlantic Ocean every year between June and August and deposited in the Atlantic Ocean and the Americas. Desert dust is a main source of nutrients to oceanic biota and the Amazon forest, but deteriorates air quality and caries pathogens as shown for Florida. Dust affects the Earth radiation budget, thus participating in climate change and feedback mechanisms. There is an urgent need for new tools for quantitative evaluation of the dust distribution, transport and deposition. The Terra spacecraft launched at the dawn of the last millennium provides first systematic well calibrated multispectral measurements from the MODIS instrument, for daily global analysis of aerosol. MODIS data are used here to distinguish dust from smoke and maritime aerosols and evaluate the African dust column concentration, transport and deposition. We found that 230+/-80 tg of dust are transported annually from Africa to the Atlantic Ocean, 30 tg return to Africa and Europe, 70 tg reach the Caribbean, 45 tg fertilize the Amazon Basin, 4 times as previous estimates thus explaining a paradox regarding the source of nutrition to the Amazon forest, and 120+/-40 tg are deposited in the Atlantic Ocean. The results are compared favorably with dust transport models for particle radius less than or equal to 12 microns. This study is a first example of quantitative use of MODIS aerosol for a geophysical study.

Charting the Interstellar Magnetic Field causing the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) Ribbon of Energetic Neutral Atoms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frisch, P. C.; Berdyugin, A.; Piirola, V.; Magalhaes, A. M.; Seriacopi, D. B.; Wiktorowicz, S. J.; Andersson, B.-G.; Funsten, H. O.; McComas, D. J.; Schwadron, N. A.; Slavin, J. D.; Hanson, A. J.; Fu, C.-W.

2015-12-01

The interstellar magnetic field (ISMF) near the heliosphere is a fundamental component of the solar galactic environment that can only be studied using polarized starlight. The results of an ongoing survey of the linear polarizations of local stars are analyzed with the goal of linking the ISMF that shapes the heliosphere to the nearby field in interstellar space. We present new results on the direction of the magnetic field within 40 pc obtained from analyzing polarization data using a merit function that determines the field direction that provides the best fit to the polarization data. Multiple magnetic components are identified, including a dominant interstellar field, {B}{POL}, that is aligned with the direction ℓ, b = 36.°2, 49.°0 (±16.°0). Stars tracing {B}{POL} have the same mean distance as stars that do not trace {B}{POL}, but show weaker average polarizations consistent with a smaller column density of polarizing material. {B}{POL} is aligned with the ISMF traced by the IBEX Ribbon to within {7.6}-7.6+14.9 degrees. The variations in the polarization position angle directions derived from the data that best match {B}{POL} indicate a low level of magnetic turbulence, ˜9° ± 1°. The direction of {B}{POL} is obtained after excluding polarization data tracing a separate magnetic structure that appears to be associated with interstellar dust deflected around the heliosphere. The velocities of local interstellar clouds relative to the Local Standard of Rest (LSR) increase with the angles between the LSR velocities and {B}{POL}, indicating that the kinematics of local interstellar material is ordered by the ISMF. The Loop I superbubble that extends close to the Sun contains dust that reddens starlight and whose distance is determined by the color excess E(B - V) of starlight. Polarizations caused by grains aligned with respect to {B}{POL} are consistent with the location of the Sun in the rim of the Loop I superbubble. An angle of {76.8}-27.6+23.5 between {B}{POL} and the bulk LSR velocity the local interstellar material indicates a geometry that is consistent with an expanding superbubble. The efficiency of grain alignment in the local interstellar medium has been assessed using stars where both polarization data and hydrogen column density data are available. Nearby stars appear to have larger polarizations than expected based on reddened sightlines, which is consistent with previous results, but uncertainties are large. Optical polarization and color excess E(B - V) data indicate the presence of nearby interstellar dust in the BICEP2 field. Color excess E(B - V) indicates an optical extinction of AV > 0.6 in the BICEP2 field, while the polarization data indicate that AV > 0.09 mag. The IBEX Ribbon ISMF extends to the boundaries of the BICEP2 region.

Measurement of Circumstellar Disk Sizes in the Upper Scorpius OB Association with ALMA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barenfeld, Scott A.; Carpenter, John M.; Sargent, Anneila I.; Isella, Andrea; Ricci, Luca

2017-12-01

We present detailed modeling of the spatial distributions of gas and dust in 57 circumstellar disks in the Upper Scorpius OB Association observed with ALMA at submillimeter wavelengths. We fit power-law models to the dust surface density and CO J = 3–2 surface brightness to measure the radial extent of dust and gas in these disks. We found that these disks are extremely compact: the 25 highest signal-to-noise disks have a median dust outer radius of 21 au, assuming an {R}-1 dust surface density profile. Our lack of CO detections in the majority of our sample is consistent with these small disk sizes assuming the dust and CO share the same spatial distribution. Of seven disks in our sample with well-constrained dust and CO radii, four appear to be more extended in CO, although this may simply be due to the higher optical depth of the CO. Comparison of the Upper Sco results with recent analyses of disks in Taurus, Ophiuchus, and Lupus suggests that the dust disks in Upper Sco may be approximately three times smaller in size than their younger counterparts, although we caution that a more uniform analysis of the data across all regions is needed. We discuss the implications of these results for disk evolution.

Apparent Disk-mass Reduction and Planetisimal Formation in Gravitationally Unstable Disks in Class 0/I Young Stellar Objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsukamoto, Y.; Okuzumi, S.; Kataoka, A.

2017-04-01

We investigate the dust structure of gravitationally unstable disks undergoing mass accretion from the envelope, envisioning its application to Class 0/I young stellar objects (YSOs). We find that the dust disk quickly settles into a steady state and that, compared to a disk with interstellar medium (ISM) dust-to-gas mass ratio and micron-sized dust, the dust mass in the steady state decreases by a factor of 1/2 to 1/3, and the dust thermal emission decreases by a factor of 1/3 to 1/5. The latter decrease is caused by dust depletion and opacity decrease owing to dust growth. Our results suggest that the masses of gravitationally unstable disks in Class 0/I YSOs are underestimated by a factor of 1/3 to 1/5 when calculated from the dust thermal emission assuming an ISM dust-to-gas mass ratio and micron-sized dust opacity, and that a larger fraction of disks in Class 0/I YSOs is gravitationally unstable than was previously believed. We also investigate the orbital radius {r}{{P}} within which planetesimals form via coagulation of porous dust aggregates and show that {r}{{P}} becomes ˜20 au for a gravitationally unstable disk around a solar mass star. Because {r}{{P}} increases as the gas surface density increases and a gravitationally unstable disk has maximum gas surface density, {r}{{P}}˜ 20 {au} is the theoretical maximum radius for planetesimal formation. We suggest that planetesimal formation in the Class 0/I phase is preferable to that in the Class II phase because a large amount of dust is supplied by envelope-to-disk accretion.

Studies of mobile dust in scrape-off layer plasmas using silica aerogel collectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bergsåker, H.; Ratynskaia, S.; Litnovsky, A.; Ogata, D.; Sahle, W.

2011-08-01

Dust capture with ultralow density silica aerogel collectors is a new method, which allows time resolved in situ capture of dust particles in the scrape-off layers of fusion devices, without substantially damaging the particles. Particle composition and morphology, particle flux densities and particle velocity distributions can be determined through appropriate analysis of the aerogel surfaces after exposure. The method has been applied in comparative studies of intrinsic dust in the TEXTOR tokamak and in the Extrap T2R reversed field pinch. The analysis methods have been mainly optical microscopy and SEM. The method is shown to be applicable in both devices and the results are tentatively compared between the two plasma devices, which are very different in terms of edge plasma conditions, time scale, geometry and wall materials.

Ice nucleation activity of agricultural soil dust aerosols from Mongolia, Argentina, and Germany

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steinke, I.; Funk, R.; Busse, J.; Iturri, A.; Kirchen, S.; Leue, M.; Möhler, O.; Schwartz, T.; Schnaiter, M.; Sierau, B.; Toprak, E.; Ullrich, R.; Ulrich, A.; Hoose, C.; Leisner, T.

2016-11-01

Soil dust particles emitted from agricultural areas contain considerable mass fractions of organic material. Also, soil dust particles may act as carriers for potentially ice-active biological particles. In this work, we present ice nucleation experiments conducted in the Aerosol Interaction and Dynamics in the Atmosphere (AIDA) cloud chamber. We investigated the ice nucleation efficiency of four types of soil dust from different regions of the world. The results are expressed as ice nucleation active surface site (INAS) densities and presented for the immersion freezing and the deposition nucleation mode. For immersion freezing occurring at 254 K, samples from Argentina, China, and Germany show ice nucleation efficiencies which are by a factor of 10 higher than desert dusts. On average, the difference in ice nucleation efficiencies between agricultural and desert dusts becomes significantly smaller at temperatures below 247 K. In the deposition mode the soil dusts showed higher ice nucleation activity than Arizona Test Dust over a temperature range between 232 and 248 K and humidities RHice up to 125%. INAS densities varied between 109 and 1011 m-2 for these thermodynamic conditions. For one soil dust sample (Argentinian Soil), the effect of treatments with heat was investigated. Heat treatments (383 K) did not affect the ice nucleation efficiency observed at 249 K. This finding presumably excludes proteinaceous ice-nucleating entities as the only source of the increased ice nucleation efficiency.

Sinking velocities of phytoplankton measured on a stable density gradient by laser scanning

PubMed Central

Walsby, Anthony E; Holland, Daryl P

2005-01-01

Two particular difficulties in measuring the sinking velocities of phytoplankton cells are preventing convection within the sedimenting medium and determining the changing depth of the cells. These problems are overcome by using a density-stabilized sedimentation column scanned by a laser. For freshwater species, a suspension of phytoplankton is layered over a vertical density gradient of Percoll solution; as the cells sink down the column their relative concentration is measured by the forward scattering of light from a laser beam that repeatedly scans up and down the column. The Percoll gradient stabilizes the column, preventing vertical mixing by convection, radiation or perturbation of density by the descending cells. Measurements were made on suspensions of 15 μm polystyrene microspheres with a density of 1050 kg m−3; the mean velocity was 6.28 μm s−1, within 1.5% of that calculated by the Stokes equation, 6.36 μm s−1. Measurements made on the filamentous cyanobacterium Planktothrix rubescens gave mean velocities within the theoretical range of values based on the range of size, shape, orientation and density of the particles in a modified Stokes equation. Measurements on marine phytoplankton may require density gradients prepared with other substances. PMID:16849271

Dust Density Distribution and Imaging Analysis of Different Ice Lines in Protoplanetary Disks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pinilla, P.; Pohl, A.; Stammler, S. M.

Recent high angular resolution observations of protoplanetary disks at different wavelengths have revealed several kinds of structures, including multiple bright and dark rings. Embedded planets are the most used explanation for such structures, but there are alternative models capable of shaping the dust in rings as it has been observed. We assume a disk around a Herbig star and investigate the effect that ice lines have on the dust evolution, following the growth, fragmentation, and dynamics of multiple dust size particles, covering from 1 μ m to 2 m sized objects. We use simplified prescriptions of the fragmentation velocity threshold,more » which is assumed to change radially at the location of one, two, or three ice lines. We assume changes at the radial location of main volatiles, specifically H{sub 2}O, CO{sub 2}, and NH{sub 3}. Radiative transfer calculations are done using the resulting dust density distributions in order to compare with current multiwavelength observations. We find that the structures in the dust density profiles and radial intensities at different wavelengths strongly depend on the disk viscosity. A clear gap of emission can be formed between ice lines and be surrounded by ring-like structures, in particular between the H{sub 2}O and CO{sub 2} (or CO). The gaps are expected to be shallower and narrower at millimeter emission than at near-infrared, opposite to model predictions of particle trapping. In our models, the total gas surface density is not expected to show strong variations, in contrast to other gap-forming scenarios such as embedded giant planets or radial variations of the disk viscosity.« less

How Much Dust Does Enceladus eject?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kempf, S.; Southworth, B.; Srama, R.; Schmidt, J.; Postberg, F.

2016-12-01

There is an ongoing argument how much dust per second the ice volcanoes on Saturn's ice moon eject. By adjusting their plume model to the dust flux measured by the Cassini dust detector during the close Enceladus flyby in 2005, Schmidt et al. (2008) obtained a total dust production rate in the plumes of about 􏱱5 kg/s. On the other hand, Ingersoll and Ewald (2005) derived a dust production rate of 51 kg/s from the total plume brightness. Knowledge of the production rate is essential for estimating the dust to gas mass ratio, which in turn is an important constraint for finding the plume source mechanism. Here we report on measurements of the plume dust density during the last close Cassini flyby at Enceladus in October 2015. The data match our numerical model for the Enceladus plume. The model is based on a large number of dynamical simulations including gravity and Lorentz force to investigate the earliest phase of the ring particle life span. The evolution of the electrostatic charge carried by the initially uncharged grains is treated self-consistently. Our numerical simulations reproduce all Enceladus data sets obtained by Cassini's Cosmic Dust Analyzer (CDA). Our model calculations together with the new density data constrain the Enceladus dust source rate to < 5 kg/s. Based on our simulation results we are able to draw conclusions about the emission of plume particles along the fractures in the south polar terrain.

HIDEEP - an extragalactic blind survey for very low column-density neutral hydrogen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Minchin, R. F.; Disney, M. J.; Boyce, P. J.; de Blok, W. J. G.; Parker, Q. A.; Banks, G. D.; Freeman, K. C.; Garcia, D. A.; Gibson, B. K.; Grossi, M.; Haynes, R. F.; Knezek, P. M.; Lang, R. H.; Malin, D. F.; Price, R. M.; Stewart, I. M.; Wright, A. E.

2003-12-01

We have carried out an extremely long integration time (9000 s beam-1) 21-cm blind survey of 60 deg2 in Centaurus using the Parkes multibeam system. We find that the noise continues to fall as throughout, enabling us to reach an HI column-density limit of 4.2 × 1018 cm-2 for galaxies with a velocity width of 200 km s-1 in the central 32 deg2 region, making this the deepest survey to date in terms of column density sensitivity. The HI data are complemented by very deep optical observations from digital stacking of multi-exposure UK Schmidt Telescope R-band films, which reach an isophotal level of 26.5 R mag arcsec-2 (~=27.5 B mag arcsec-2). 173 HI sources have been found, 96 of which have been uniquely identified with optical counterparts in the overlap area. There is not a single source without an optical counterpart. Although we have not measured the column densities directly, we have inferred them from the optical sizes of their counterparts. All appear to have a column density of NHI= 1020.65+/-0.38. This is at least an order of magnitude above our sensitivity limit, with a scatter only marginally larger than the errors on NHI. This needs explaining. If confirmed it means that HI surveys will only find low surface brightness (LSB) galaxies with high MHI/LB. Gas-rich LSB galaxies with lower HI mass to light ratios do not exist. The paucity of low column-density galaxies also implies that no significant population will be missed by the all-sky HI surveys being carried out at Parkes and Jodrell Bank.

WMO SDS-WAS NAMEE Regional Center: Towards continuous evaluation of dust models in Northern Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Basart, Sara; García-Castillo, Gerardo; Cuevas, Emilio; Terradellas, Enric

2016-04-01

One of the most important activities of the Regional Center for Northern Africa, Middle East and Europe of the World Meteorological Organization's Sand and Dust Storm Warning Advisory and Assessment System (WMO SDS-WAS, http://sds-was.aemet.es) is the dust model intercomparison and forecast evaluation, which is deemed an indispensable service to the users and an invaluable tool to assess model skills. Currently, the Regional Center collects daily dust forecasts from models run by nine partners (BSC, ECMWF, NASA, NCEP, SEEVCCC, EMA, CNR-ISAC, NOA and UK Met Office). A multi-model ensemble has also been set up in an effort to provide added-value products to the users. The first problem to address the dust model evaluation is the scarcity of suitable routine observations near the Sahara, the world's largest source of mineral dust. The present contribution presents preliminary results of dust model evaluation using new observational datasets. The current routine evaluation of dust predictions is focused on total-column dust optical depth (DOD) and uses remote-sensing retrievals from sun-photometric (AERONET) and satellite (MODIS) measurements. However, most users of dust forecasts are interested in the concentration near the surface (in the air we breathe) rather than in the total column content. Therefore, evaluation of the predicted surface concentration is also necessary. In this context, the initiative of the African Monsoon Interdisciplinary Analysis (AMMA) International Program to establish permanent measuring stations in the Sahel is extremely important. Tapered Element Oscillating Microbalance (TEOM) monitors continuously record PM10 in M'Bour (Senegal); Cinzana (Mali) and Banizoumbou (Niger). This surface model evaluation is complemented with the PM10 observation from the Air Quality Control and Monitoring Network (AQCMN) of the Canary Islands (Spain). The region, located in the sub-tropical Eastern Atlantic (roughly 100 km west of the Moroccan coast), is frequently affected by intrusions of Saharan dust. Regional Node are evaluated during two years (2013-2014) with observations recorded in the Sahelian region and Canary Islands. Additionally, since the data sets of weather records have an excellent spatial and temporal coverage, observations of horizontal visibility included in meteorological reports are used as an alternative way to monitor dust events in near-real-time (NRT). Recently, a new visibility product that includes more than 1,500 METAR stations has implemented in the SDS-WAS NAMEE Regional Center. The present contribution also will demonstrate how the visibility can complement the information provided by other observing systems (air quality monitoring stations, sun photometers, vertical profilers or satellite products) and numerical simulations presenting its application in tracking several dust episodes. Otherwise, the vertical distribution of aerosol also influences the radiative effect at the top of the atmosphere, especially when aerosols have strong absorption of shortwave radiation. The free troposphere contribution to aerosol optical depth (AOD) and the altitude of lofted layers are provided thanks to the vertical profiling capability of the lidar/ceilomenter technique. Currently, a lidar located in Dakar (Senegal) and a ceilometer in Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain) provide near-real-time (NRT) vertical profiles of aerosols, which are compared with those simulated by models.

Dust Transport, Deposition and Radiative Effects Observed from MODIS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kaufman, Y. J.; Koren, I.; Remer, L. A.; Tanre, D.; Ginoux, P.; Fan, S.

2003-01-01

Carlson (1977) used satellite (AVHRR) observation of dust episodes 3 estimate that 90 tg of dust are emitted from Africa (0-30 N) to the Atlantic Ocean between June and August. MODIS systematic measurements of aerosol optical thickness (AOT) and the fraction of the AOT (f) due to the fine mode (see Remer et al abstract), are used to derive the column concentration, flux and deposition of African dust over the Atlantic Ocean. The main data set is for 2001 but the results are consistent with MODIS measurements from 2002. The analysis first determines the properties of maritime baseline aerosol (AOT=0.06, f=0.5); followed by linear scaling of the dust AOT and the anthropogenic AOT, based on MODIS measured values of the fraction "f" being 0.9 for anthropogenic aerosol and 0.5 for dust. NCEP winds are used in the analysis and are evaluated against observed dust movements between the Terra and Aqua passes (see Koren et al. abstract). Monthly values of dust transport and deposition are calculated. Preliminary results show that 280 tg of dust are emitted annually from Africa to the Atlantic Ocean between 20s and 30N, with 40 tg returning to Africa and Europe between 30N and 50N. 85 tg reach the Americas, with 130-150 tg are deposited in the Atlantic Ocean. The results are compared with dust transport models that indicate 110-230 tg of dust being deposited in the Ocean. It is interesting to note that the early estimates of Carlson (1977) and Carlson & Prosper0 (1972) are very close to our estimate from MODIS of 100 tg for the same latitude range and monthly period.

Investigating the Effect of Titanium Dioxide (TiO2) Pollution on the Performance of the Mono-crystalline Solar Module

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmed Darwish, Zeki; Sopian, K.; Kazem, Hussein A.; Alghoul, M. A.; Alawadhi, Hussain

2017-11-01

This paper presents a study of titanium oxide TiO2 as one of the components of dust pollution affecting the PV performance. This pollutant can be found in various quantities in different locations around the world. The production of energy by different types of photovoltaic systems is very sensitive and depends on various environmental factors. Dust is one of the main contributing factors, yet the type of the dust is often neglected when studying the behaviour of the solar panel. In this experimental work we have studied the performance of the monocrystalline solar module as affected by the density of TiO2. The reduction of the PV module power caused by titanium dioxide under various mass densities was investigated. The results showed that the TiO2 has a significant effect on the PV output power. The dust density varied between 0-125 g.m-2. The corresponding reduction of the PV output power increased from 0 to 86.7%. This is based on various influencing parameters such as: short circuit current (Isc), maximum current (Im), open circuit voltage (Voc), maximum voltage (Vm), maximum power (Pm) and efficiency (E). Two functions are proposed as a mathematical model in order to explain this behaviour, namely the exponential and Fourier functions. The coefficients of all general models are valid for this type of dust with a density value ranging from 0-125 g.m-2.

Planetesimal formation in self-gravitating discs - the effects of particle self-gravity and back-reaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gibbons, P. G.; Mamatsashvili, G. R.; Rice, W. K. M.

2014-07-01

We study particle dynamics in self-gravitating gaseous discs with a simple cooling law prescription via two-dimensional simulations in the shearing sheet approximation. It is well known that structures arising in the gaseous component of the disc due to a gravitational instability can have a significant effect on the evolution of dust particles. Previous results have shown that spiral density waves can be highly efficient at collecting dust particles, creating significant local overdensities of particles. The degree of such concentrations has been shown to be dependent on two parameters: the size of the dust particles and the rate of gas cooling. We expand on these findings, including the self-gravity of dust particles, to see how these particle overdensities evolve. We use the PENCIL code to solve the local shearing sheet equations for gas on a fixed grid together with the equations of motion for solids coupled to the gas through an aerodynamic drag force. We find that the enhancements in the surface density of particles in spiral density wave crests can reach levels high enough to allow the solid component of the disc to collapse under its own self-gravity. This produces many gravitationally bound collections of particles within the spiral structure. The total mass contained in bound structures appears nearly independent of the cooling time, suggesting that the formation of planetesimals through dust particle trapping by self-gravitating density waves may be possible at a larger range of radii within a disc than previously thought. So, density waves due to gravitational instabilities in the early stages of star formation may provide excellent sites for the rapid formation of many large, planetesimal-sized objects.

Regional Modeling of Dust Mass Balance and Radiative Forcing over East Asia using WRF-Chem

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, Siyu; Zhao, Chun; Qian, Yun

The Weather Research and Forecasting model with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) is used to investigate the seasonal and annual variations of mineral dust over East Asia during 2007-2011, with a focus on the dust mass balance and radiative forcing. A variety of measurements from in-stu and satellite observations have been used to evaluate simulation results. Generally, WRF-Chem reproduces not only the column variability but also the vertical profile and size distribution of mineral dust over and near the dust source regions of East Asia. We investigate the dust lifecycle and the factors that control the seasonal and spatial variations of dust massmore » balance and radiative forcing over the seven sub-regions of East Asia, i.e. source regions, the Tibetan Plateau, Northern China, Southern China, the ocean outflow region, and Korea-Japan regions. Results show that, over the source regions, transport and dry deposition are the two dominant sinks. Transport contributes to ~30% of the dust sink over the source regions. Dust results in a surface cooling of up to -14 and -10 W m-2, atmospheric warming of up to 20 and 15 W m-2, and TOA cooling of -5 and -8 W m-2 over the two major dust source regions of East Asia, respectively. Over the Tibetan Plateau, transport is the dominant source with a peak in summer. Over identified outflow regions, maximum dust mass loading in spring is contributed by the transport. Dry and wet depositions are the comparably dominant sinks, but wet deposition is larger than dry deposition over the Korea-Japan region, particularly in spring (70% versus 30%). The WRF-Chem simulations can generally capture the measured features of dust aerosols and its radaitve properties and dust mass balance over East Asia, which provides confidence for use in further investigation of dust impact on climate over East Asia.« less

How well can we quantify dust deposition to the ocean?

PubMed

Anderson, R F; Cheng, H; Edwards, R L; Fleisher, M Q; Hayes, C T; Huang, K-F; Kadko, D; Lam, P J; Landing, W M; Lao, Y; Lu, Y; Measures, C I; Moran, S B; Morton, P L; Ohnemus, D C; Robinson, L F; Shelley, R U

2016-11-28

Deposition of continental mineral aerosols (dust) in the Eastern Tropical North Atlantic Ocean, between the coast of Africa and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, was estimated using several strategies based on the measurement of aerosols, trace metals dissolved in seawater, particulate material filtered from the water column, particles collected by sediment traps and sediments. Most of the data used in this synthesis involve samples collected during US GEOTRACES expeditions in 2010 and 2011, although some results from the literature are also used. Dust deposition generated by a global model serves as a reference against which the results from each observational strategy are compared. Observation-based dust fluxes disagree with one another by as much as two orders of magnitude, although most of the methods produce results that are consistent with the reference model to within a factor of 5. The large range of estimates indicates that further work is needed to reduce uncertainties associated with each method before it can be applied routinely to map dust deposition to the ocean. Calculated dust deposition using observational strategies thought to have the smallest uncertainties is lower than the reference model by a factor of 2-5, suggesting that the model may overestimate dust deposition in our study area.This article is part of the themed issue 'Biological and climatic impacts of ocean trace element chemistry'. © 2016 The Author(s).

How well can we quantify dust deposition to the ocean?

PubMed Central

Cheng, H.; Edwards, R. L.; Fleisher, M. Q.; Hayes, C. T.; Huang, K.-F.; Kadko, D.; Lam, P. J.; Landing, W. M.; Lao, Y.; Lu, Y.; Measures, C. I.; Moran, S. B.; Morton, P. L.; Ohnemus, D. C.; Robinson, L. F.; Shelley, R. U.

2016-01-01

Deposition of continental mineral aerosols (dust) in the Eastern Tropical North Atlantic Ocean, between the coast of Africa and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, was estimated using several strategies based on the measurement of aerosols, trace metals dissolved in seawater, particulate material filtered from the water column, particles collected by sediment traps and sediments. Most of the data used in this synthesis involve samples collected during US GEOTRACES expeditions in 2010 and 2011, although some results from the literature are also used. Dust deposition generated by a global model serves as a reference against which the results from each observational strategy are compared. Observation-based dust fluxes disagree with one another by as much as two orders of magnitude, although most of the methods produce results that are consistent with the reference model to within a factor of 5. The large range of estimates indicates that further work is needed to reduce uncertainties associated with each method before it can be applied routinely to map dust deposition to the ocean. Calculated dust deposition using observational strategies thought to have the smallest uncertainties is lower than the reference model by a factor of 2–5, suggesting that the model may overestimate dust deposition in our study area. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Biological and climatic impacts of ocean trace element chemistry’. PMID:29035251

MEASUREMENTS OF THE MEAN DIFFUSE GALACTIC LIGHT SPECTRUM IN THE 0.95–1.65 μm BAND FROM CIBER

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Arai, T.; Matsuura, S.; Sano, K.

2015-06-10

We report measurements of the diffuse galactic light (DGL) spectrum in the near-infrared, spanning the wavelength range 0.95–1.65 μm by the Cosmic Infrared Background ExpeRiment. Using the low-resolution spectrometer calibrated for absolute spectro-photometry, we acquired long-slit spectral images of the total diffuse sky brightness toward six high-latitude fields spread over four sounding rocket flights. To separate the DGL spectrum from the total sky brightness, we correlated the spectral images with a 100 μm intensity map, which traces the dust column density in optically thin regions. The measured DGL spectrum shows no resolved features and is consistent with other DGL measurementsmore » in the optical and at near-infrared wavelengths longer than 1.8 μm. Our result implies that the continuum is consistently reproduced by models of scattered starlight in the Rayleigh scattering regime with a few large grains.« less

Modern Dust Deposition and Dissolved Iron Residence Times in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vivancos, S. M.; Anderson, R. F.; Pavia, F. J.; Fleisher, M. Q.; Lu, Y.; Zhang, P.; Cheng, H.; Edwards, R. L.

2016-02-01

We use dissolved 230Th and 232Th data along the U.S. GEOTRACES Equatorial Pacific Zonal Transect (EPZT) from Peru to Tahiti to quantify dust input to the region. Dust in the global oceans is a mineral ballast that helps carry organic matter to depth, a reactive particle surface that scavenges trace metals such as Th and Pa from the water column, and through its dissolution dust provides essential micronutrients, such as iron, that stimulate productivity. When integrating Th inventories from the sea surface to 500 meters water depth (Hayes et al., Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 383 (2013) 16-25), we find that dust fluxes along the EPZT are an order of magnitude lower (0.18-1.61 g/m2/yr) than along the U.S. GEOTRACES Atlantic Transect (Mauritania to Bermuda; 3.22 to 10.56 g/m2/yr). Dust fluxes decrease with distance away from the dust source (i.e., the continents). Using an Fe/Th ratio of 2660 g/g for dust and assuming a Fe/Th solubility ratio of 1.0 (Hayes et al., Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 169 (2015) 1-16), we calculate a dissolved iron flux of 12.06 to 109.88 µmol/m2/yr to the EPZT region. Utilizing dissolved iron data along the EPZT (Resing et al., Nature, 523 (2015) 200-203), we calculate a dissolved iron residence time integrated from the sea surface to 500 meters water depth of 4 to 11 years.

MGS TES Measurements of Dust and Ice Aerosol Behaviors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clancy, R. T.; Wolff, M. J.; Christensen, P. R.

2000-10-01

The Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES, Christensen et al., Science, v279, 1692-1697, 1998) on board the Mars Global Surveyor obtains simultaneous solar band and thermal IR spectral emission-phase-function (EPF) observations with global spatial coverage and continuous seasonal sampling. These measurements allow the first comprehensive study of the coupled visible scattering and thermal IR absorption properties of Mars atmospheric aerosols, a fundamental requirement towards defining opacities, particle sizes, and particle shapes for separable dust and water ice aerosol components. Furthermore, TES limb sounding at solar band and IR wavelengths may be analyzed in the context of these EPF column determinations to constrain the distinctive vertical profile behaviors of dust and ice clouds. We present initial radiative transfer analyses of TES visible and IR EPFs, which indicate surprisingly complex dust and ice aerosol behaviors over all latitudes and seasons. Distinctive backscattering peaks of variable intensity are observed for several types of water ice clouds, along with evidence for ice-coated dust aerosols. We will present a broad spatial and temporal sampling of solar band and spectral IR results for Mars atmospheric ice and dust aerosols observed over the 1998-2000 period. This research is supported by the MGS Participating Scientist and MED Science Data Analysis programs.

Total ozone column, aerosol optical depth and precipitable water effects on solar erythemal ultraviolet radiation recorded in Malta.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bilbao, Julia; Román, Roberto; Yousif, Charles; Mateos, David; Miguel, Argimiro

2013-04-01

The Universities of Malta and Valladolid (Spain) developed a measurement campaign, which took place in the Institute for Energy Technology in Marsaxlokk (Southern Malta) between May and October 2012, and it was supported by the Spanish government through the Project titled "Measurement campaign about Solar Radiation, Ozone, and Aerosol in the Mediterranean area" (with reference CGL2010-12140-E). This campaign provided the first ground-based measurements in Malta of erythemal radiation and UV index, which indicate the effectiveness of the sun exposure to produce sunburn on human skin. A wide variety of instruments was involved in the campaign, providing a complete atmospheric characterization. Data of erythemal radiation and UV index (from UVB-1 pyranometer), total shortwave radiaton (global and diffuse components from CM-6B pyranometers), and total ozone column, aerosol optical thickness, and precitable water column (from a Microtops-II sunphotometer) were available in the campaign. Ground-based and satellite instruments were used in the analysis, and several intercomparisons were carried out to validate remote sensing data. OMI, GOME, GOME-2, and MODIS instruments, which provide data of ozone, aerosol load and optical properties, were used to this end. The effects on solar radiation, ultraviolet and total shortwave ranges, of total ozone column, aerosol optical thickness and precipitable water column were obtained using radiation measurements at different fixed solar zenith angles. The empirical results shown a determinant role of the solar position, a negligible effect of ozone on total shortwave radiation, and a stronger attenuation provided by aerosol particles in the erythemal radiation. A variety of aerosol types from different sources (desert dust, biomass burning, continental, and maritime) reach Malta, in this campaign several dust events from the Sahara desert occurred and were analyzed establishing the air mass back-trajectories ending at Malta at several heights calculated by means of the HYSPLIT model. Hence, changes in the UV index due to atmospheric aerosol were characterized.

Diagnostics and characterization of nanodust and nanodusty plasmas★

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greiner, Franko; Melzer, Andrè; Tadsen, Benjamin; Groth, Sebastian; Killer, Carsten; Kirchschlager, Florian; Wieben, Frank; Pilch, Iris; Krüger, Harald; Block, Dietmar; Piel, Alexander; Wolf, Sebastian

2018-05-01

Plasmas growing or containing nanometric dust particles are widely used and proposed in plasma technological applications for production of nano-crystals and surface deposition. Here, we give a compact review of in situ methods for the diagnostics of nanodust and nanodusty plasmas, which have been developed in the framework of the SFB-TR24 to fully characterize these systems. The methods include kinetic Mie ellipsometry, angular-resolved Mie scattering, and 2D imaging Mie ellipsometry to get information about particle growth processes, particle sizes and particle size distributions. There, also the role of multiple scattering events is analyzed using radiative transfer simulations. Computed tomography and Abel inversion techniques to get the 3D dust density profiles of the particle cloud will be presented. Diagnostics of the dust dynamics yields fundamental dust and plasma properties like particle charges and electron and ion densities. Since nanodusty plasmas usually form dense dust clouds electron depletion (Havnes effect) is found to be significant.

A pilot study of personal exposure to respirable and inhalable dust during the sanding and sawing of medium density fibreboard (MDF) and soft wood.

PubMed

Hursthouse, Andrew; Allan, Fraser; Rowley, Louise; Smith, Frank

2004-08-01

A pilot study of production of respirable and inhalable dusts from sawing and sanding medium density fibreboard (MDF) and softwood in a typical cabinet-making workshop produced high but variable exposure levels at the bench and operator position. Exposure levels for the total inhalable fraction (approximately <100 microm) were 6.9-91 mg m(-3) for MDF and 2.5-45 mg m(-3) for softwood. For the respirable fraction (< 10 microm) levels were 0.4-13 mg m(-3) for MDF and 0.4-2.9 mg m(-3) for softwood. These results show significant dust loading is produced in the coarser fraction and that the material used has a significant impact on levels produced. It suggests that fuller evaluation of operator influence of fine dust production is needed and may question the common application of a single inhalable exposure standard for wood dust to all wood working scenarios.

Statistical properties of Galactic CMB foregrounds: dust and synchrotron

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kandel, D.; Lazarian, A.; Pogosyan, D.

2018-07-01

Recent Planck observations have revealed some of the important statistical properties of synchrotron and dust polarization, namely, the B to E mode power and temperature-E (TE) mode cross-correlation. In this paper, we extend our analysis in Kandel et al. that studied the B to E mode power ratio for polarized dust emission to include TE cross-correlation and develop an analogous formalism for synchrotron signal, all using a realistic model of magnetohydrodynamical turbulence. Our results suggest that the Planck results for both synchrotron and dust polarization can be understood if the turbulence in the Galaxy is sufficiently sub-Alfvénic. Making use of the observed poor magnetic field-density correlation, we show that the observed positive TE correlation for dust corresponds to our theoretical expectations. We also show how the B to E ratio as well as the TE cross-correlation can be used to study media magnetization, compressibility, and level of density-magnetic field correlation.

PHYSICS OF GASES, PLASMAS, AND ELECTRIC DISCHARGES Dust Acoustic Solitary Waves in Saturn F-ring's Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

E. K., El-Shewy; M. I. Abo el, Maaty; H. G., Abdelwahed; M. A., Elmessary

2011-01-01

Effect of hot and cold dust charge on the propagation of dust-acoustic waves (DAWs) in unmagnetized plasma having electrons, singly charged ions, hot and cold dust grains has been investigated. The reductive perturbation method is employed to reduce the basic set of fluid equations to the Kortewege-de Vries (KdV) equation. At the critical hot dusty plasma density Nh0, the KdV equation is not appropriate for describing the system. Hence, a set of stretched coordinates is considered to derive the modified KdV equation. It is found that the presence of hot and cold dust charge grains not only significantly modifies the basic properties of solitary structure, but also changes the polarity of the solitary profiles. In the vicinity of the critical hot dusty plasma density Nh0, neither KdV nor mKdV equation is appropriate for describing the DAWs. Therefore, a further modified KdV (fmKdV) equation is derived, which admits both soliton and double layer solutions.

Correlations in the three-dimensional Lyman-alpha forest contaminated by high column density absorbers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rogers, Keir K.; Bird, Simeon; Peiris, Hiranya V.; Pontzen, Andrew; Font-Ribera, Andreu; Leistedt, Boris

2018-05-01

Correlations measured in three dimensions in the Lyman-alpha forest are contaminated by the presence of the damping wings of high column density (HCD) absorbing systems of neutral hydrogen (H I; having column densities N(H I) > 1.6 × 10^{17} atoms cm^{-2}), which extend significantly beyond the redshift-space location of the absorber. We measure this effect as a function of the column density of the HCD absorbers and redshift by measuring three-dimensional (3D) flux power spectra in cosmological hydrodynamical simulations from the Illustris project. Survey pipelines exclude regions containing the largest damping wings. We find that, even after this procedure, there is a scale-dependent correction to the 3D Lyman-alpha forest flux power spectrum from residual contamination. We model this residual using a simple physical model of the HCD absorbers as linearly biased tracers of the matter density distribution, convolved with their Voigt profiles and integrated over the column density distribution function. We recommend the use of this model over existing models used in data analysis, which approximate the damping wings as top-hats and so miss shape information in the extended wings. The simple `linear Voigt model' is statistically consistent with our simulation results for a mock residual contamination up to small scales (|k| < 1 h Mpc^{-1}). It does not account for the effect of the highest column density absorbers on the smallest scales (e.g. |k| > 0.4 h Mpc^{-1} for small damped Lyman-alpha absorbers; HCD absorbers with N(H I) ˜ 10^{21} atoms cm^{-2}). However, these systems are in any case preferentially removed from survey data. Our model is appropriate for an accurate analysis of the baryon acoustic oscillations feature. It is additionally essential for reconstructing the full shape of the 3D flux power spectrum.

Water vapor in the middle atmosphere of Mars during the 2007 global dust storm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fedorova, Anna; Bertaux, Jean-Loup; Betsis, Daria; Montmessin, Franck; Korablev, Oleg; Maltagliati, Luca; Clarke, John

2018-01-01

Recent observations of the Martian hydrogen corona in the UV H Ly-alpha emission by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) (Clarke et al., 2014) and the SPICAM UV spectrometer on Mars Express (Chaffin et al., 2014) reported its rapid change by an order of magnitude over a short few months period in 2007 (MY28), which is inconsistent with the existing models. One proposed explanation of the observed increase of the coronal emission is that during the global dust storm water vapor from the lower atmosphere can be transported to higher altitudes, where its photodissociation rate by near-UV sunlight increases, providing an additional source of hydrogen for the upper atmosphere. In this work we study the water vapor vertical distribution in the middle atmosphere of Mars during the 2007 global dust storm based on solar occultation measurements by the SPICAM IR spectrometer onboard the Mars-Express spacecraft. The vertical profiles of H2O density and mixing ratio have been obtained for solar longitudes Ls = 255°-300° in MY28. In the Northern hemisphere from Ls = 268° to Ls = 285° the H2O density at altitudes of 60-80 km increased by an order of magnitude. During the dust storm the profiles extended up to 80 km, with an H2O density exceeding 1010 molecules/cm3 (mixing ratio ≥200 ppm). Two maxima of the H2O density were detected. The largest H2O densities observed at latitudes higher than 60°N, over Ls = 269°-275°, do not directly correlate with the aerosol loading and likely relate to the downwelling branch of the meridional circulation that was intensified during the dust storm, and transported water from the Southern hemisphere to high northern latitudes. The second smaller maximum coincides with the high dust loading at middle northern latitudes. The comparison with geographically close observations in the quiet Mars year MY32, when the H2O content in the Northern hemisphere did not exceed 2 × 1010 molecules/cm3 and 50 ppm at 60 km, showed that the global dust storm was a unique event. The situation was different in the Southern hemisphere. During the dust storm the water density at 50-80 km increased by a factor of 4-5 with a mixing ratio >100 ppm, well correlated with the aerosol vertical extension. A somewhat weaker increase of the H2O density by a factor of 2-3 with a mixing ratio > 100 ppm was also observed during MY32 starting from Ls = 260°, suggesting a seasonal repeatability. The observed amount of water at high altitudes in both hemispheres can produce a large increase in the H escape rate on a timescale of weeks, as was shown in the photochemical modeling by Chaffin et al. (2017). Future modeling would be necessary to separate the seasonal and the dust storm contributions to the hydrogen escape.

Universe opacity and CMB

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vavryčuk, Václav

2018-07-01

A cosmological model, in which the cosmic microwave background (CMB) is a thermal radiation of intergalactic dust instead of a relic radiation of the big bang, is revived and revisited. The model suggests that a virtually transparent local Universe becomes considerably opaque at redshifts z > 2-3. Such opacity is hardly to be detected in the Type Ia supernova data, but confirmed using quasar data. The opacity steeply increases with redshift because of a high proper density of intergalactic dust in the previous epochs. The temperature of intergalactic dust increases as (1 + z) and exactly compensates the change of wavelengths due to redshift, so that the dust radiation looks apparently like the radiation of the blackbody with a single temperature. The predicted dust temperature is TD = 2.776 K, which differs from the CMB temperature by 1.9 per cent only, and the predicted ratio between the total CMB and extragalactic background light (EBL) intensities is 13.4 which is close to 12.5 obtained from observations. The CMB temperature fluctuations are caused by EBL fluctuations produced by galaxy clusters and voids in the Universe. The polarization anomalies of the CMB correlated with temperature anisotropies are caused by the polarized thermal emission of needle-shaped conducting dust grains aligned by large-scale magnetic fields around clusters and voids. A strong decline of the luminosity density for z > 4 is interpreted as the result of high opacity of the Universe rather than of a decline of the global stellar mass density at high redshifts.

Universe opacity and CMB

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vavryčuk, Václav

2018-04-01

A cosmological model, in which the cosmic microwave background (CMB) is a thermal radiation of intergalactic dust instead of a relic radiation of the Big Bang, is revived and revisited. The model suggests that a virtually transparent local Universe becomes considerably opaque at redshifts z > 2 - 3. Such opacity is hardly to be detected in the Type Ia supernova data, but confirmed using quasar data. The opacity steeply increases with redshift because of a high proper density of intergalactic dust in the previous epochs. The temperature of intergalactic dust increases as (1 + z) and exactly compensates the change of wavelengths due to redshift, so that the dust radiation looks apparently like the radiation of the blackbody with a single temperature. The predicted dust temperature is TD = 2.776 K, which differs from the CMB temperature by 1.9% only, and the predicted ratio between the total CMB and EBL intensities is 13.4 which is close to 12.5 obtained from observations. The CMB temperature fluctuations are caused by EBL fluctuations produced by galaxy clusters and voids in the Universe. The polarization anomalies of the CMB correlated with temperature anisotropies are caused by the polarized thermal emission of needle-shaped conducting dust grains aligned by large-scale magnetic fields around clusters and voids. A strong decline of the luminosity density for z > 4 is interpreted as the result of high opacity of the Universe rather than of a decline of the global stellar mass density at high redshifts.

Cloudy Skies over AGN: Observations with Simbol-X

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salvati, M.; Risaliti, G.

2009-05-01

Recent time-resolved spectroscopic X-ray studies of bright obscured AGN show that column density variability on time scales of hours/days may be common, at least for sources with NH>1023 cm-2. This opens new oppurtunities in the analysis of the structure of the circumnuclear medium and of the X-ray source: resolving the variations due to single clouds covering/uncovering the X-ray source provides tight constraints on the source size, the clouds' size and distance, and their average number, density and column density. We show how Simbol-X will provide a breakthrough in this field, thanks to its broad band coverage, allowing (a) to precisely disentangle the continuum and NH variations, and (2) to extend the NH variability analysis to column densities >1023 cm-2.

A parametric study of Io’s thermophysical surface properties and subsequent numerical atmospheric simulations based on the best fit parameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walker, Andrew C.; Moore, Chris H.; Goldstein, David B.; Varghese, Philip L.; Trafton, Laurence M.

2012-07-01

Io’s sublimation atmosphere is inextricably linked to the SO2 surface frost temperature distribution which is poorly constrained by observations. We constrain Io’s surface thermal distribution by a parametric study of its thermophysical properties in an attempt to better model the morphology of Io’s sublimation atmosphere. Io’s surface thermal distribution is represented by three thermal units: sulfur dioxide (SO2) frosts/ices, non-frosts (probably sulfur allotropes and/or pyroclastic dusts), and hot spots. The hot spots included in our thermal model are static high temperature surfaces with areas and temperatures based on Keck infrared observations. Elsewhere, over frosts and non-frosts, our thermal model solves the one-dimensional heat conduction equation in depth into Io’s surface and includes the effects of eclipse by Jupiter, radiation from Jupiter, and latent heat of sublimation and condensation. The best fit parameters for the SO2 frost and non-frost units are found by using a least-squares method and fitting to observations of the Hubble Space Telescope’s Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (HST STIS) mid- to near-UV reflectance spectra and Galileo PPR brightness temperature. The thermophysical parameters are the frost Bond albedo, αF, and thermal inertia, ΓF, as well as the non-frost surface Bond albedo, αNF, and thermal inertia, ΓNF. The best fit parameters are found to be αF ≈ 0.55 ± 0.02 and ΓF ≈ 200 ± 50 J m-2 K-1 s-1/2 for the SO2 frost surface and αNF ≈ 0.49 ± 0.02 and ΓNF ≈ 20 ± 10 J m-2 K-1 s-1/2 for the non-frost surface. These surface thermophysical parameters are then used as boundary conditions in global atmospheric simulations of Io’s sublimation-driven atmosphere using the direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method. These simulations are unsteady, three-dimensional, parallelized across 360 processors, and include the following physical effects: inhomogeneous surface frosts, plasma heating, and a temperature-dependent residence time on the non-frost surface. The DSMC simulations show that the sub-jovian hemisphere is significantly affected by the daily solar eclipse. The simulated SO2 surface frost temperature is found to drop only ∼5 K during eclipse due to the high thermal inertia of SO2 surface frosts but the SO2 gas column density falls by a factor of 20 compared to the pre-eclipse column due to the exponential dependence of the SO2 vapor pressure on the SO2 surface frost temperature. Supersonic winds exist prior to eclipse but become subsonic during eclipse because the collapse of the atmosphere significantly decreases the day-to-night pressure gradient that drives the winds. Prior to eclipse, the supersonic winds condense on and near the cold nightside and form a highly non-equilibrium oblique shock near the dawn terminator. In eclipse, no shock exists since the gas is subsonic and the shock only reestablishes itself an hour or more after egress from eclipse. Furthermore, the excess gas that condenses on the non-frost surface during eclipse leads to an enhancement of the atmosphere near dawn. The dawn atmospheric enhancement drives winds that oppose those that are driven away from the peak pressure region above the warmest area of the SO2 frost surface. These opposing winds meet and are collisional enough to form stagnation point flow. The simulations are compared to Lyman-α observations in an attempt to explain the asymmetry between the dayside atmospheres of the anti-jovian and sub-jovian hemispheres. Lyman-α observations indicate that the anti-jovian hemisphere has higher column densities than the sub-jovian hemisphere and also has a larger latitudinal extent. A composite “average dayside atmosphere” is formed from a collisionless simulation of Io’s atmosphere throughout an entire orbit. This composite “average dayside” atmosphere without the effect of global winds indicates that the sub-jovian hemisphere has lower average column densities than the anti-jovian hemisphere (with the strongest effect at the sub-jovian point) due primarily to the diurnally averaged effect of eclipse. This is in qualitative agreement with the sub-jovian/anti-jovian asymmetry in the Lyman-α observations which were alternatively explained by the bias of volcanic centers on the anti-jovian hemisphere. Lastly, the column densities in the simulated average dayside atmosphere agree with those inferred from Lyman-α observations despite the thermophysical parameters being constrained by mid- to near UV observations which show much higher instantaneous SO2 gas column densities. This may resolve the apparent discrepancy between the lower “average dayside” column densities observed in the Lyman-α and the higher instantaneous column densities observed in the mid- to near UV.

Dust transport and deposition observed from the Terra-Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) spacecraft over the Atlantic Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaufman, Y. J.; Koren, I.; Remer, L. A.; Tanré, D.; Ginoux, P.; Fan, S.

2005-05-01

Meteorological observations, in situ data, and satellite images of dust episodes were used already in the 1970s to estimate that 100 Tg of dust are transported from Africa over the Atlantic Ocean every year between June and August and are deposited in the Atlantic Ocean and the Americas. Desert dust is a main source of nutrients to oceanic biota and the Amazon forest, but it deteriorates air quality, as shown for Florida. Dust affects the Earth radiation budget, thus participating in climate change and feedback mechanisms. There is an urgent need for new tools for quantitative evaluation of the dust distribution, transport, and deposition. The Terra spacecraft, launched at the dawn of the last millennium, provides the first systematic well-calibrated multispectral measurements from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument for daily global analysis of aerosol. MODIS data are used here to distinguish dust from smoke and maritime aerosols and to evaluate the African dust column concentration, transport, and deposition. We found that 240 ± 80 Tg of dust are transported annually from Africa to the Atlantic Ocean, 140 ± 40 Tg are deposited in the Atlantic Ocean, 50 Tg fertilize the Amazon Basin (four times as previous estimates, thus explaining a paradox regarding the source of nutrition to the Amazon forest), 50 Tg reach the Caribbean, and 20 Tg return to Africa and Europe. The results are compared favorably with dust transport models for maximum particle diameter between 6 and 12 μm. This study is a first example of quantitative use of MODIS aerosol for a geophysical research.

Dust mite, cockroach, cat, and dog allergen concentrations in homes of asthmatic children in the northeastern United States: impact of socioeconomic factors and population density.

PubMed Central

Leaderer, Brian P; Belanger, Kathleen; Triche, Elizabeth; Holford, Theodore; Gold, Diane R; Kim, Young; Jankun, Thomas; Ren, Ping; McSharry Je, Jean-ellen; Platts-Mills, Thomas A E; Chapman, Martin D; Bracken, Michael B

2002-01-01

Home exposures to aeroallergens are an important environmental factor in allergic sensitization and in the development and exacerbation of asthma. We assessed variations in home concentrations of dust mite, cockroach, cat, and dog allergens in dust collected in the main living areas of asthmatics' homes by family income, mother's education, dwelling type, population density, household population density, and ethnicity in Connecticut and south-central Massachusetts. Dust samples were collected at the time of home interview in 999 homes as part of an ongoing longitudinal birth cohort study of 1,002 infants and their asthmatic siblings. The analysis employed lower and upper cut points for group 1 dust mite (> or = 2.0 microg/g and > or = 10 microg/g), cockroach (> or = 1.0 U/g and > or = 4.0 U/g), cat (> or = 1.0 microg/g and > or = 8.0 ug/g), and dog (> or = 2.0 microg/g and > or = 10.0 microg/g) allergens. Subject residences were geocoded to assess population density from the U.S. Census, and multiple logistic regression was used to control for confounding. The portion of homes at the lower cut point for dust mite, cockroach, cat, and dog allergens were 46.9%, 24.9%, 42.2%, and 35.6%, respectively; the upper cut point for each of the allergens was reached in 22.4%, 13.4%, 21.0%, and 22.9% of the homes, respectively. In all, 86.0% of the homes had at least one allergen at the lower cut point, and 58.0% had at least one allergen at the upper cut point. Forty-nine percent of the homes had two or more allergens at the lower cut point, and 19.7% had two or more allergens at the upper cut point. Higher education of the mother, higher household income, living in a single-family home in a less densely populated area with fewer people per room, and being a white household were associated with elevated dust mite, cat, and dog allergens and low cockroach allergen. In contrast, low income, living in a multifamily home in a high population density area with a higher occupancy rate per room, and being a Hispanic or black household were associated with elevated cockroach allergens and low concentrations of dust mite, cat, and dog allergens. Although the presence of an individual allergen is more likely associated with one or more socioeconomic or ethnic factors, most homes typically have multiple allergen burdens in excess of concentrations thought to be associated with sensitization and exacerbation of asthma. Mite and cockroach allergens have distinct and opposite associations with socioeconomic factors and population density. PMID:11940461

The effects of secondary emission on the sheath structure in an electrostatic dusty plasma containing energetic electrons and charged nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jalilpour, P.; Foroutan, G.

2018-03-01

Multi-fluid numerical simulations are utilized to explore the effects of secondary emission by nanosize dust particles on the structure of a dusty plasma sheath in the presence of a beam of fast, mono-energetic electrons. It was found that the sheath dynamics depends strongly on the magnitude of the secondary emission yield δm. For δm smaller than unity, the secondary emission is weak, and the sheath width always increases with increasing beam flux, such that it experiences a sharp transition from the regime of thin sheath to the regime of thick sheath, at a given beam flux. For δm larger than unity, the secondary emission dominates the dust dynamics, and the sheath width always decreases with increasing beam flux. The sheath thickness decreases very quickly with the secondary emission yield, but increases with Em, the characteristic energy corresponding to the maximum secondary emission. As δm is increased, the absolute dust charge and hence the accelerating ion drag force are reduced. Then, the dust is decelerated and as a result the dust number density is enhanced. Increasing the dust radius and/or the dust number density leads to an enhanced secondary emission effect and thus to a narrower sheath width.

Dust in a Type Ia Supernova Progenitor: Spitzer Spectroscopy of Kepler's Supernova Remnant

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, Brian J.; Borkowski, Kazimierz; Reynolds, Stephen P.; Ghavamian, Parviz; Blair, William P.; Long, Knox S.; Sankrit, Ravi

2012-01-01

Characterization of the relatively poorly-understood progenitor systems of Type Ia supernovae is of great importance in astrophysics, particularly given the important cosmological role that these supernovae play. Kepler's Supernova Remnant, the result of a Type Ia supernova, shows evidence for an interaction with a dense circumstellar medium (CSM), suggesting a single-degenerate progenitor system. We present 7.5-38 micron IR spectra of the remnant, obtained with the Spitzer Space Telescope, dominated by emission from warm dust. Broad spectral features at 10 and 18 micron, consistent with various silicate particles, are seen throughout. These silicates were likely formed in the stellar outflow from the progenitor system during the AGB stage of evolution, and imply an oxygen-rich chemistry. In addition to silicate dust, a second component, possibly carbonaceous dust, is necessary to account for the short-wavelength IRS and IRAC data. This could imply a mixed chemistry in the atmosphere of the progenitor system. However, non-spherical metallic iron inclusions within silicate grains provide an alternative solution. Models of collisionally-heated dust emission from fast shocks (> 1000 km/s) propagating into the CSM can reproduce the majority of the emission associated with non-radiative filaments, where dust temperatures are approx 80-100 K, but fail to account for the highest temperatures detected, in excess of 150 K. We find that slower shocks (a few hundred km/s) into moderate density material (n(sub o) approx 50-100 / cubic cm) are the only viable source of heating for this hottest dust. We confirm the finding of an overall density gradient, with densities in the north being an order of magnitude greater than those in the south.

Role of electron temperature on charging of dust grains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kausik, S. S.; Chakraborty, M.; Saikia, B. K.

2007-02-01

Dust grains are produced by evaporation of silver in an experimental setup consisting of a dust chamber, a plasma chamber, and a deflection chamber. Due to differential pressure between the dust and plasma chambers, the dust grains move upward and after passing through plasma they become negatively charged. These charged dust grains are then deflected by a dc field applied across a pair of deflector plates in the deflection chamber. Both from the amount of deflection and also from the floating potential, the number of charges collected on the dust grains is calculated. As the gas pressure is changed, the plasma density and the electron temperature changes. Dust charge is then calculated at each value of pressure from the deflection and floating potential. It is found that the electron temperature has a profound effect in the accumulation of charge on dust grains.

Possible method for diagnosing waves in dusty plasmas with magnetized charged dust particulates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosenberg, M.; Shukla, P. K.

2005-05-01

We discuss theoretically a possible method for diagnosing some features of dust wave behavior in a magnetized plasma containing small (tens of nm) charged dust grains whose motion is magnetized. It is easier to magnetize a small dust particle because its charge-to-mass ratio increases as its size decreases. However, it is more difficult to use the backscattering of light from the dust as a diagnostic as the dust size decreases below the diffraction limit. The idea proposed here is to measure the reduction in transmitted UV or optical light intensity due to enhanced extinction by small metal dust particles that have surface plasmon resonances at those wavelengths. Such measurements could indicate the spatial location of the dust density compressions or rarefactions, which may yield information on the dust wave behavior, or perhaps even charged dust transport. Parameters that may be relevant to possible laboratory dusty plasma experiments are discussed.

Preliminary Martian Atmospheric Water Vapour Column Abundances with Mars Climate Sounder

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lolachi, Ramin; Irwin, P. G. J.; Teanby, N.; Calcutt, S.; Howett, C. J. A.; Bowles, N. E.; Taylor, F. W.; Schofield, J. T.; Kleinboehl, A.; McCleese, D. J.

2007-12-01

Mars Climate Sounder (MCS) is an infra-red radiometer on board NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) launched in August 2005 and now orbiting Mars in a near circular polar orbit. MCS has nine spectral channels in the range 0.3-50 µm. Goals of MCS include global characterization of atmospheric temperature, dust and water profiles observing temporal and spatial variation. Using Oxford University's multivariate retrieval algorithm, NEMESIS, we present preliminary determinations of the water vapour column abundance in the Martian atmosphere during the period September-October 2006 (Ls range 111-129°, i.e. northern hemisphere summer). A combination of spectral channels inside and outside the water vapour rotation band (at 50 µm) are used to retrieve the column abundances mainly using nadir observations (as aerosol opacity is less important relative to water vapour opacity in nadir viewing geometry). We then compare these column abundances to earlier results from the Viking Orbiter Mars Atmospheric Water Detectors (MAWD) and the Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) on Mars Global Surveyor.

MicroMED: a dust particle counter for the characterization of airborne dust close to the surface of Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cozzolino, Fabio; Esposito, Francesca; Molfese, Cesare; Cortecchia, Fausto; Saggin, Bortolino; D'amato, Francesco

2015-04-01

Monitoring of airborne dust is very important in planetary climatology. Indeed, dust absorbs and scatter solar and thermal radiation, severely affecting atmospheric thermal structure, balance and dynamics (in terms of circulations). Wind-driven blowing of sand and dust is also responsible for shaping planetary surfaces through the formation of sand dunes and ripples, the erosion of rocks, and the creation and transport of soil particles. Dust is permanently present in the atmosphere of Mars and its amount varies with seasons. During regional or global dust storms, more than 80% of the incoming sunlight is absorbed by dust causing an intense atmospheric heating. Airborne dust is therefore a crucial climate component on Mars which impacts atmospheric circulations at all scales. Main dust parameters influencing the atmosphere heating are size distribution, abundance, albedo, single scattering phase function, imaginary part of the index of refraction. Moreover, major improvements of Mars climate models require, in addition to the standard meteorological parameters, quantitative information about dust lifting, transport and removal mechanisms. In this context, two major quantities need to be measured for the dust source to be understood: surface flux and granulometry. While many observations have constrained the size distribution of the dust haze seen from the orbit, it is still not known what the primary airborne dust (e.g. the recently lifted dust) is made of, size-wise. MicroMED has been designed to fill this gap. It will measure the abundance and size distribution of dust, not in the atmospheric column, but close to the surface, where dust is lifted, so to be able to monitor dust injection into the atmosphere. This has never been performed in Mars and other planets exploration. MicroMED is an Optical Particle Counter, analyzing light scattered from single dust particles to measure their size and abundance. A proper fluid-dynamic system, including a pump and a sampling head, allows the sampling of Martian atmosphere with embedded dust. The captured dust grains are detected by an Optical System and then ejected into the atmosphere. MicroMED is a miniaturization of the instrument MEDUSA, developed for the Humboldt payload of the ExoMars mission. An Elegant Breadboard has been developed and tested and successfully demonstrates the instrument performances. The design and performance test results will be discussed.

Study of cliff activity dominating the gas and dust comae of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko during the early phase of the Rosetta mission using ROSINA/COPS and OSIRIS data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marschall, Raphael; Su, Cheng-Chin; Liao, Ying; Rubin, Martin; Wu, Jong-Shinn; Thomas, Nicolas; altwegg, kathrin; Sierks, Holger; OSIRIS, ROSINA

2016-10-01

The study by [1] has proposed the idea that the cometary dust jets in the northern hemisphere of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko arise mainly from rough cliff like terrain. Using our 3D gas and dust dynamics coma model [2] we have run simulations targeting the question whether areas with high gravitational slopes alone can indeed account for both the ROSINA/COPS and the OSIRIS data obtained for mid August to end October 2014.The basis of our simulations is the shape model "SHAP4S" of [3]. Surface temperatures have been defined using a simple 1-D thermal model (including insolation, shadowing, thermal emission, sublimation but neglecting conduction) computed for each facet of the shape model allowing a consistent and known description of the gas flux and its initial temperature. In a next step we use the DSMC program PDSC++ [4] to calculate the gas properties in 3D space. The gas solution can be compared with the in situ measurements by ROSINA/COPS. In a subsequent step dust particles are introduced into the gas flow to determine dust densities and with a column integrator and Mie theory dust brightnesses that can be compared to OSIRIS data.To examine cliff activity we have divided the surface into two sets. One with gravitational slopes larger than 30° which we call cliffs and one with slopes less than 30° which we shall call plains. We have set up two models, "cliff only" and "plains only" where the respective set of areas are active and the others inert. The outgassing areas are assumed to be purely insolation driven. The "cliffs only" model is a statistically equally good fit to the ROSINA/COPS data as the global insolation driven model presented in [2]. The "plains only" model on the other hand is statistically inferior to the "cliffs only" model. We found in [2] that increased activity in the Hapi region (called inhomogeneous model) of the comet improves the fit of the gas results significantly. We can show in this study that a "cliffs + Hapi" model fits the ROSINA/COPS data equally well as the inhomogeneous model. These results are consistent with OSIRIS data.[1] Vincent et al., 2016, A&A, 587, A14[2] Marschall et al., 2016; A&A, 589, A90[3] Preusker et al., 2015, A&A 583, A33[4] Su, C. C., 2013

Experimental investigation on temperature distribution of foamed concrete filled steel tube column under standard fire

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kado, B.; Mohammad, S.; Lee, Y. H.; Shek, P. N.; Kadir, M. A. A.

2018-04-01

Standard fire test was carried out on 3 hollow steel tube and 6 foamed concrete filled steel tube columns. Temperature distribution on the columns was investigated. 1500 kg/m3 and 1800 kg/m3 foamed concrete density at 15%, 20% and 25% load level are the parameters considered. The columns investigated were 2400 mm long, 139.7 mm outer diameter and 6 mm steel tube thickness. The result shows that foamed concrete filled steel tube columns has the highest fire resistance of 43 minutes at 15% load level and low critical temperature of 671 ºC at 25% load level using 1500 kg/m3 foamed concrete density. Fire resistance of foamed concrete filled column increases with lower foamed concrete strength. Foamed concrete can be used to provide more fire resistance to hollow steel column or to replace normal weight concrete in concrete filled columns. Since filling hollow steel with foamed concrete produce column with high fire resistance than unfilled hollow steel column. Therefore normal weight concrete can be substituted with foamed concrete in concrete filled column, it will reduces the self-weight of the structure because of its light weight at the same time providing the desired fire resistance.

Atmospheric Optical Properties and Spectral Analysis of Desert Aerosols

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yvgeni, D.; Karnieli, A.; Kaufman, Y. J.; Andreae, M. O.; Holben, B. N.; Maenhaut, W.

2002-05-01

Scientific background Aerosols can interact directly with solar and terrestrial radiation by scattering as well as absorption. In addition, they can indirectly alter the planetary albedo by modifying the properties of clouds. Objectives Investigations have been devoted to two main areas: (1) Aerosol climatology situation in the Negev desert, investigations of physical and chemical characteristics of aerosols, and study of the local and long-range transport trajectory of polluted air masses over the Negev desert; and (2) An estimation of the optical properties throughout the atmospheric column by surface measurements via performance of spectral and statistical analysis of the data received from two measurement systems. Results and conclusions Analyzed data from the Sede Boker site, in the Negev Desert of Israel, shows an increase in aerosol optical depth during the summer seasons and a decrease during winter. One of the possible reasons for this characteristic is an increase of the precipitable water (reaches 3.0-3.5 cm) due to a constant wind stream from the Mediterranean Sea in same time. The highest probability distribution of the aerosol optical depth is in the range of 0.15-0.20; and of the Angstrom parameter is in range of 0.83 - 1.07. During dust storm events, the scattering coefficient range at 670 nm and 440 nm wavelengths were inverted. It was discovered that the dust particles in this case had non-spherical character. Comparison between optical depth, measured through all atmospheric column, and scattering coefficient from surface measurements provides correlation coefficient (r) equal to 0.64. The Angstrom parameter, calculated via optical depth and via scattering coefficient, provides a correlation coefficient of 0.66. Thus we can obtain an estimate of the influence of the surface aerosol situation on column optical properties. The combined analysis of dust cloud altitude and optical depth as a function of the time indicates long-term transport and settling of the aerosol, thus this analysis allowed to get a qualitative relation with trajectories and transport models. An additional finding is that except for the dust storms, the aerosol optical properties defined by fine particles, i.e. product of urban pollution. Possible explanations for this situation are the pollution sources in the Israeli Mediterranean coast, where population and industrial centers are concentrated, and long-range transport of polluted air masses from the European region.

Constraining the H2 column density distribution at z ˜ 3 from composite DLA spectra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balashev, S. A.; Noterdaeme, P.

2018-07-01

We present the detection of the average H2 absorption signal in the overall population of neutral gas absorption systems at z˜ 3 using composite absorption spectra built from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey-III damped Lyman α catalogue. We present a new technique to directly measure the H2 column density distribution function f_H_2(N) from the average H2 absorption signal. Assuming a power-law column density distribution, we obtain a slope β = -1.29 ± 0.06(stat) ± 0.10 (sys) and an incidence rate of strong H2 absorptions [with N(H2) ≳ 1018 cm-2] to be 4.0 ± 0.5(stat) ± 1.0 (sys) per cent in H I absorption systems with N(H I) ≥1020 cm-2. Assuming the same inflexion point where f_H_2(N) steepens as at z = 0, we estimate that the cosmological density of H2 in the column density range log N(H_2) (cm^{-2})= 18{-}22 is {˜ } 15 per cent of the total. We find one order of magnitude higher H2 incident rate in a sub-sample of extremely strong damped Lyman α absorption systems (DLAs) [log N(H I) (cm^{-2}) ≥ 21.7], which, together with the derived shape of f_H_2(N), suggests that the typical H I-H2 transition column density in DLAs is log N(H)(cm-2) ≳ 22.3 in agreement with theoretical expectations for the average (low) metallicity of DLAs at high-z.

Constraining the H2 column density distribution at z˜3 from composite DLA spectra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balashev, S. A.; Noterdaeme, P.

2018-04-01

We present the detection of the average H2 absorption signal in the overall population of neutral gas absorption systems at z ˜ 3 using composite absorption spectra built from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey-III damped Lyman-α catalogue. We present a new technique to directly measure the H2 column density distribution function f_H_2(N) from the average H2 absorption signal. Assuming a power-law column density distribution, we obtain a slope β = -1.29 ± 0.06(stat) ± 0.10 (sys) and an incidence rate of strong H2 absorptions (with N(H2) ≳ 1018 cm-2) to be 4.0 ± 0.5(stat) ± 1.0 (sys) % in H I absorption systems with N(H I)≥1020 cm-2. Assuming the same inflexion point where f_H_2(N) steepens as at z = 0, we estimate that the cosmological density of H2 in the column density range log N(H_2) (cm^{-2})= 18-22 is ˜15% of the total. We find one order of magnitude higher H2 incident rate in a sub-sample of extremely strong DLAs (log N(H I) (cm^{-2}) ≥ 21.7), which, together with the the derived shape of f_H_2(N), suggests that the typical H I-H2 transition column density in DLAs is log N(H)(cm-2) ≳ 22.3 in agreement with theoretical expectations for the average (low) metallicity of DLAs at high-z.

Efficiency gain limits of the parallel segmented inlet and outlet flow concept in analytical liquid chromatography columns suffering from radial transcolumn packing density gradients.

PubMed

Broeckhoven, Ken; Desmet, Gert

2012-10-05

The maximal gain in efficiency that can be expected from the use of the segmented column end fittings that were recently introduced to alleviate the effect of transcolumn packing density gradients has been quantified and generalized using numerical computations of the band broadening process. It was found that, for an unretained compound in a column with a parabolic packing density gradient, the use of a segmented inlet or a segmented outlet allows to eliminate about 60-100% of the plate height contribution (H(tc)) originating from a parabolic transcolumn velocity gradient in a d(c)=4.6 mm column. In a d(c)=2.1 mm column, these percentages change from 10 to 100%. Using a combined segmented in- and outlet, H(tc) can be reduced by about 90-100% (d(c)=4.6 mm column) or 20-100% (d(c)=2.1 mm column). The strong variation of these gain percentages is due to fact that they depend very strongly on the column length and the flow rate. Dimensionless graphs have been established that allow to directly quantify the effect for each specific case. It was also found that, in agreement with one's physical intuition, trans-column velocity profiles that are more flat in the central region benefit more from the concept than sharp, parabolic-like profiles. The gain margins furthermore tend to become smaller with increasing retention and increasing diffusion coefficient. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Investigating ChaMPlane X-Ray Sources in the Galactic Bulge with Magellan LDSS2 Spectra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koenig, Xavier; Grindlay, Jonathan E.; van den Berg, Maureen; Laycock, Silas; Zhao, Ping; Hong, JaeSub; Schlegel, Eric M.

2008-09-01

We have carried out optical and X-ray spectral analyses on a sample of 136 candidate optical counterparts of X-ray sources found in five Galactic bulge fields included in our Chandra Multiwavelength Plane Survey. We use a combination of optical spectral fitting and quantile X-ray analysis to obtain the hydrogen column density toward each object, and a three-dimensional dust model of the Galaxy to estimate the most probable distance in each case. We present the discovery of a population of stellar coronal emission sources, likely consisting of pre-main-sequence, young main-sequence, and main-sequence stars, as well as a component of active binaries of RS CVn or BY Dra type. We identify one candidate quiescent low-mass X-ray binary with a subgiant companion; we note that this object may also be an RS CVn system. We report the discovery of three new X-ray-detected cataclysmic variables (CVs) in the direction of the Galactic center (at distances lesssim2 kpc). This number is in excess of predictions made with a simple CV model based on a local CV space density of lesssim10-5 pc-3, and a scale height ~200 pc. We discuss several possible reasons for this observed excess.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gronke, M.; Dijkstra, M., E-mail: maxbg@astro.uio.no

We perform Lyman- α (Ly α ) Monte-Carlo radiative transfer calculations on a suite of 2500 models of multiphase, outflowing media, which are characterized by 14 parameters. We focus on the Ly α spectra emerging from these media and investigate which properties are dominant in shaping the emerging Ly α profile. Multiphase models give rise to a wide variety of emerging spectra, including single-, double-, and triple-peaked spectra. We find that the dominant parameters in shaping the spectra include (i) the cloud covering factor, f {sub c} , which is in agreement with earlier studies, and (ii) the temperature andmore » number density of residual H i in the hot ionized medium. We attempt to reproduce spectra emerging from multiphase models with “shell models” which are commonly used to fit observed Ly α spectra, and investigate the connection between shell-model parameters and the physical parameters of the clumpy media. In shell models, the neutral hydrogen content of the shell is one of the key parameters controlling Ly α radiative transfer. Because Ly α spectra emerging from multiphase media depend much less on the neutral hydrogen content of the clumps, the shell-model parameters such as H i column density (but also shell velocity and dust content) are generally not well matched to the associated physical parameters of the clumpy media.« less

Circumstellar Dust in Symbiotic Novae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jurkic, T.; Kotnik-Karuza, D.

2015-12-01

We present a model of inner dust regions around the cool Mira component of the two symbiotic novae, RR Tel and HM Sge, based on the near-IR photometry, ISO spectra and mid-IR interferometry. The dust properties were determined using the DUSTY code. A compact circumstellar silicate dust shell with inner dust shell temperatures between 900 K and 1300 K and of moderate optical depth can explain all the observations. RR Tel shows the presence of an equatorially enhanced dust density during minimum obscuration. Obscuration events are explained by an increase in optical depth caused by the newly condensed dust. The mass loss rates are significantly higher than in intermediate-period single Miras but in agreement with longer-period O-rich AGB stars.

Pressure, temperature and density drops along supercritical fluid chromatography columns in different thermal environments. III. Mixtures of carbon dioxide and methanol as the mobile phase.

PubMed

Poe, Donald P; Veit, Devon; Ranger, Megan; Kaczmarski, Krzysztof; Tarafder, Abhijit; Guiochon, Georges

2014-01-03

The pressure, temperature and density drops along SFC columns eluted with a CO2/methanol mobile phase were measured and compared with theoretical values. For columns packed with 3- and 5-μm particles the pressure and temperature drops were measured using a mobile phase of 95% CO2 and 5% methanol at a flow rate of 5mL/min, at temperatures from 20 to 100°C, and outlet pressures from 80 to 300bar. The density drop was calculated based on the temperature and pressure at the column inlet and outlet. The columns were suspended in a circulating air bath, either bare or covered with foam insulation. The experimental measurements were compared to theoretical results obtained by numerical simulation. For the convective air condition at outlet pressures above 100bar the average difference between the experimental and calculated temperature drops and pressure drops were 0.1°C and 0.7% for the bare 3-μm column, respectively, and were 0.6°C and 4.1% for the insulated column. The observed temperature drops for the insulated columns are consistent with those predicted by the Joule-Thomson coefficients for isenthalpic expansion. The dependence of the temperature and the pressure drops on the Joule-Thomson coefficient and kinematic viscosity are described for carbon dioxide mobile phases containing up to 20% methanol. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Infrared emission from the supernova remnant Puppis A: Dust and gas parameters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arendt, Richard G.; Dwek, Eli; Petre, R

1989-01-01

The infrared (IR) spectra of collisionally heated dust at several regions across the supernova remnant (SNR) Puppis A were modelled. Through the comparison of the actual and model spectra, the possible range of gas density and temperature within these areas was narrowed down. From the models, information on the minimum and maximum dust grain sizes and the amount of sputtering which has occurred was found. Finally the mass of gas and dust, the IR luminosity, the effective thickness, and the length of time since the dust was swept up by the SNR were derived for these regions.

Propagation of electromagnetic wave in dusty plasma and the influence of dust size distribution

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, Hui; China Research Institute of Radio Wave Propagation; Wu, Jian

The effect of charged dust particle and their size distribution on the propagation of electromagnetic wave in a dusty plasma is investigated. It is shown that the additional collision mechanism provided by charged dust particles can significantly alter the electromagnetic properties of a plasma, leading to the appearance of attenuation of electromagnetic wave through dusty plasma. The attenuation coefficient mainly depends on the dust density, radius, and the charge numbers on the dust surface. The results described here will be used to enhance understanding of electromagnetic wave propagation processed in space and laboratory dusty plasma.

A 3D model of polarized dust emission in the Milky Way

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martínez-Solaeche, Ginés; Karakci, Ata; Delabrouille, Jacques

2018-05-01

We present a three-dimensional model of polarized galactic dust emission that takes into account the variation of the dust density, spectral index and temperature along the line of sight, and contains randomly generated small-scale polarization fluctuations. The model is constrained to match observed dust emission on large scales, and match on smaller scales extrapolations of observed intensity and polarization power spectra. This model can be used to investigate the impact of plausible complexity of the polarized dust foreground emission on the analysis and interpretation of future cosmic microwave background polarization observations.

A Mid-Summer's Dust Devil

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

One objective for the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) in the Extended Mission is to continue looking for changes and dynamic events taking place on the red planet. The feature shown here elicited gasps of excitement among the MOC Operations Staff when it was received in early April 2001.

The feature is a dust devil. Dust devils are spinning, columnar vortices of wind that move across the landscape, pick up dust, and look somewhat like miniature tornadoes. Dust devils are a common occurrence in dry and desert landscapes on Earth as well as Mars. When this dust devil was spied in Amazonis Planitia on April 10th, the MOC was looking straight down. Usually when the camera is looking down the dust devil will appear as a circular, fuzzy patch with a straight shadow indicating its columnar shape. In this case, however, the dust devil is somewhat curved and kinked--its shape is best seen in the shadow it casts to the right. A thin, light-toned track has been left by the dust devil as it moved eastward across the landscape. Usually, such tracks are darker than the surroundings, in this case the light tone might indicate that the dust being removed by the passing dust devil is darker than the surface underneath the thin veneer of dust.

Dust devils most typically form when the ground heats up during the day, warming the air immediately above the surface. As the warmed air nearest the surface begins to rise, it spins. The spinning column begins to move across the surface and picks up loose dust (if any is present). The dust makes the vortex visible and gives it the 'dust devil' or tornado-like appearance. This dust devil occurred at an optimal time for dust devils whether on Earth or Mars--around 2 p.m. local time in the middle of Northern Hemisphere Summer. North is up, sunlight illuminates the scene from the left (west), and 500 meters is about 547 yards. The shadow cast by the dust devil goes off the edge of the image, but the length shown here (about 1.5 km) indicates that the dust devil was a bit more than 1 km (0.62 mi) in height.

Maximizing performance in supercritical fluid chromatography using low-density mobile phases.

PubMed

Gritti, Fabrice; Fogwill, Michael; Gilar, Martin; Jarrell, Joseph A

2016-10-14

The performance of a 3.0mm×150mm column packed with 1.8μm fully porous HSS-SB-C 18 particles was investigated in supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) with low-density, highly expansible carbon dioxide. These conditions are selected for the analysis of semi-volatile compounds. Elevated temperatures (>100°C) were then combined with low column back pressures (<100bar). In this work, the inlet temperature of pure carbon dioxide was set at 107°C, the active back pressure regulator (ABPR) pressure was fixed at 100bar, and the flow rate was set at 2.1mL/min at 12°C (liquefied carbon dioxide) and at an inlet column pressure close to 300bar. Nine n-alkylbenzenes (from benzene to octadecylbenzene) were injected under linear (no sample overload) conditions. The severe steepness of the temperature gradients across the column diameter were predicted from a simplified heat transfer model. Such conditions dramatically lower the column performance by affecting the symmetry of the peak shape. In order to cope with this problem, three different approaches were experimentally tested. They include (1) the decoupling and the proper selection of the inlet eluent temperature with respect to the oven temperature, (2) the partial thermal insulation of the column using polyethylene aerogel, and (3) the application of a high vacuum (10 -5 Torr provided by a turbo-molecular pump) in a housing chamber surrounding the whole column body. The results reveal that (1) the column efficiency can be maximized by properly selecting the difference between the eluent and the oven temperatures, (2) the mere wrapping of the column with an excellent insulating material is insufficient to fully eliminate heat exchanges by conduction and the undesirable radial density gradients across the column i.d., and (3) the complete thermal insulation of the SFC column under high vacuum allows to maximize the column efficiency by maintaining the integrity of the peak shape. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

IRAS images of nearby dark clouds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wood, Douglas O. S.; Myers, Philip C.; Daugherty, Debra A.

1994-01-01

We have investigated approximately 100 nearby molecular clouds using the extensive, all-sky database of IRAS. The clouds in this study cover a wide range of physical properties including visual extinction, size, mass, degree of isolation, homogeneity and morphology. IRAS 100 and 60 micron co-added images were used to calculate the 100 micron optical depth of dust in the clouds. These images of dust optical depth compare very well with (12)CO and (13)CO observations, and can be related to H2 column density. From the optical depth images we locate the edges of dark clouds and the dense cores inside them. We have identified a total of 43 `IRAS clouds' (regions with A(sub v) greater than 2) which contain a total of 255 `IRAS cores' (regions with A(sub v) greater than 4) and we catalog their physical properties. We find that the clouds are remarkably filamentary, and that the cores within the clouds are often distributed along the filaments. The largest cores are usually connected to other large cores by filaments. We have developed selection criteria to search the IRAS Point Source Catalog for stars that are likely to be associated with the clouds and we catalog the IRAS sources in each cloud or core. Optically visible stars associated with the clouds have been identified from the Herbig and Bell catalog. From these data we characterize the physical properties of the clouds including their star-formation efficiency.

Outflow and Infall in Star-forming Region L1221

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Chin-Fei; Ho, Paul T. P.

2005-10-01

We have mapped the 3.3 mm continuum, CO, HCO+, N2H+, and CS emission around a nearby Class I source, IRAS 22266+6845, in the L1221 cometary dark cloud. L1221 is a complicated star-forming region. It hosts three infrared sources: a close binary consisting of an east source and a west source around the IRAS source position and a southeast source ~45" to the southeast (T. Bourke 2004, private communication). The east source is identified as the IRAS source. Continuum emission is seen around the east and southeast sources, probably tracing the dust around them. No continuum emission is seen toward the west source, probably indicating that there is not much dust there. An east-west molecular outflow is seen in CO, HCO+, and CS originated from around the binary. It is bipolar with an east lobe and a west lobe, both appearing as a wide-opening outflow shell originated from around the binary. It is likely powered by the east source, which shows a southeast extension along the outflow axis in the K' image. A ringlike envelope is seen in N2H+ around the binary surrounding the outflow waist. It is tilted with the major axis perpendicular to the outflow axis. The kinematics is well reproduced by a thin-disk model with both infall and rotation, and a column density peak in a ring. The ringlike envelope is not rotationally supported, as the rotation velocity is smaller than the infall velocity.

High-mass Star Formation Toward Southern Infrared Bubble S10

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ranjan Das, Swagat; Tej, Anandmayee; Vig, Sarita; Ghosh, Swarna K.; Ishwara Chandra, C. H.

2016-11-01

An investigation in radio and infrared wavelengths of two high-mass star-forming regions toward the southern Galactic bubble S10 is presented here. The two regions under study are associated with the broken bubble S10 and Extended Green Object, G345.99-0.02, respectively. Radio continuum emission mapped at 610 and 1280 MHz using the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope, India, is detected toward both of the regions. These regions are estimated to be ionized by early-B- to late-O-type stars. Spitzer GLIMPSE mid-infrared data is used to identify young stellar objects (YSOs) associated with these regions. A Class-I/II-type source, with an estimated mass of 6.2 M ⊙, lies ˜7″ from the radio peak. Pixel-wise, modified blackbody fits to the thermal dust emission using Herschel far-infrared data is performed to construct dust temperature and column density maps. Eight clumps are detected in the two regions using the 250 μm image. The masses and linear diameter of these range between ˜300-1600 M ⊙ and 0.2-1.1 pc, respectively, which qualifies them as high-mass star-forming clumps. Modeling of the spectral energy distribution of these clumps indicates the presence of high luminosity, high accretion rate, massive YSOs possibly in the accelerating accretion phase. Furthermore, based on the radio and MIR morphology, the occurrence of a possible bow wave toward the likely ionizing star is explored.

The Most Luminous Object in the Universe: Shrouded Quasar or Proto-Galaxy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heckman, Timothy M.

1999-01-01

We have used ASCA to observe the IRAS source FSC 10214+4724, which is identified with a galaxy at a redshift of 2.286. When first discovered, it was believed to be the most luminous object in the universe. Subsequent HST images have established that it is gravitationally-lensed by a foreground cluster. It is still a very powerful object, but not extraordinarily so. Observations at other wavebands have not established whether it is a dust-shrouded quasar or a young, massive galaxy in the process of formation. Since quasars are strong emitters of hard X-rays, while proto-galaxies would not be, and since the opacity of gas and dust is relatively small in the energy regime probed by ASCA (3 to 30 keV in the galaxy rest frame), we undertook these observations to search for a heavily shrouded quasar that might be invisible at lower energies. However, the observations did not detect any emission from this object. This either means that the galaxy is in fact powered by a starburst or that the putative quasar is located behind a very high column density of absorbing gas (N_H > 10(exp 25)/sq cm), so that not even hard X-rays are transmitted. A hidden quasar should be visible in reflected light in X-ray data of higher sensitivity. Observations with NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory or ESA's XMM are required to settle the matter. No publication resulted from our null result.

Round and Round

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Damonte, Kathleen

2004-01-01

A tornado is a rotating, funnel-shaped column of air, which extends from a thunderstorm to the ground. The winds of a tornado can reach up to 480 km per hour. This is about five times faster than a car driving on a highway. Tornadoes can be almost invisible until they pick up dust and debris. This article describes an activity that stimulates…

Molecular column densities in selected model atmospheres. [chemical analysis of carbon stars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, H. R.; Beebe, R. F.; Sneden, C.

1974-01-01

From an examination of predicted column densities, the following conclusions were drawn: (1) The SiO ought to be visible in carbon stars which were generated from triple alpha burning, but absent from carbon stars generated from the CNO bi-cycle. (2) Variation in the observed relative strengths of TiO and ZrO is indicative of real differences in the ratio Ti/Zr. (3) The TiO/ZrO ratio shows a small variation as C/O and effective temperature is changed. (4) Column density of silicon dicarbide (SiC2) is sensitive to abundance, temperature, and gravity; hence all relationships between the strength of SiC2 and other stellar parameters will show appreciable scatter. There is however, a substantial luminosity effect present in the SiC2 column densities. (5) Unexpectedly, SiC2 is anti-correlated with C2. (6) The presence of SiC2 in a carbon star eliminates the possibility of these stars having temperatures greater than or equal to 3000 K, or being produced through the CNO bi-cycle.

The Influence of African Dust on Air Quality in the Caribbean Basin: An Integrated Analysis of Satellite Retrievals, Ground Observations, and Model Simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, H.; Prospero, J. M.; Chin, M.; Randles, C. A.; da Silva, A.; Bian, H.

2015-12-01

Long-term surface measurements in several locations extending from northeastern coast of South America to Miami in Florida have shown that African dust arrives in the Greater Caribbean Basin throughout a year. This long-range transported dust frequently elevates the level of particulate matter (PM) above the WHO guideline for PM10, which raises a concern of possible adverse impact of African dust on human health in the region. There is also concern about how future climate change might affect dust transport and its influence on regional air quality. In this presentation we provide a comprehensive characterization of the influence of African dust on air quality in the Caribbean Basin via integrating the ground observations with satellite retrievals and model simulations. The ground observations are used to validate and evaluate satellite retrievals and model simulations of dust, while satellite measurements and model simulations are used to extend spatial coverage of the ground observations. An analysis of CALIPSO lidar measurements of three-dimensional distribution of aerosols over 2007-2014 yields altitude-resolved dust mass flux into the region. On a basis of 8-year average and integration over the latitude zone of 0°-30°N, a total of 76 Tg dust is imported to the air above the Greater Caribbean Basin, of which 34 Tg (or 45%) is within the lowest 1 km layer and most relevant to air quality concern. The seasonal and interannual variations of the dust import are well correlated with ground observations of dust in Cayenne, Barbados, Puerto Rico, and Miami. We will also show comparisons of the size-resolved dust amount from both NASA GEOS-5 aerosol simulation and MERRA-2 aerosol reanalysis (i.e., column aerosol loading being constrained by satellite measurements of radiance at the top of atmosphere) with the ground observations and satellite measurement.

Unveiling the chemistry of interstellar CH. Spectroscopy of the 2 THz N = 2 ← 1 ground state line

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wiesemeyer, H.; Güsten, R.; Menten, K. M.; Durán, C. A.; Csengeri, T.; Jacob, A. M.; Simon, R.; Stutzki, J.; Wyrowski, F.

2018-04-01

Context. The methylidyne radical CH is commonly used as a proxy for molecular hydrogen in the cold, neutral phase of the interstellar medium. The optical spectroscopy of CH is limited by interstellar extinction, whereas far-infrared observations provide an integral view through the Galaxy. While the HF ground state absorption, another H2 proxy in diffuse gas, frequently suffers from saturation, CH remains transparent both in spiral-arm crossings and high-mass star forming regions, turning this light hydride into a universal surrogate for H2. However, in slow shocks and in regions dissipating turbulence its abundance is expected to be enhanced by an endothermic production path, and the idea of a "canonical" CH abundance needs to be addressed. Aim. The N = 2 ← 1 ground state transition of CH at λ149 μm has become accessible to high-resolution spectroscopy thanks to the German Receiver for Astronomy at Terahertz Frequencies (GREAT) aboard the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). Its unsaturated absorption and the absence of emission from the star forming regions makes it an ideal candidate for the determination of column densities with a minimum of assumptions. Here we present an analysis of four sightlines towards distant Galactic star forming regions, whose hot cores emit a strong far-infrared dust continuum serving as background signal. Moreover, if combined with the sub-millimeter line of CH at λ560 μm , environments forming massive stars can be analyzed. For this we present a case study on the "proto-Trapezium" cluster W3 IRS5. Methods: While we confirm the global correlation between the column densities of HF and those of CH, both in arm and interarm regions, clear signposts of an over-abundance of CH are observed towards lower densities. However, a significant correlation between the column densities of CH and HF remains. A characterization of the hot cores in the W3 IRS5 proto-cluster and its envelope demonstrates that the sub-millimeter/far-infrared lines of CH reliably trace not only diffuse but also dense, molecular gas. Results: In diffuse gas, at lower densities a quiescent ion-neutral chemistry alone cannot account for the observed abundance of CH. Unlike the production of HF, for CH+ and CH, vortices forming in turbulent, diffuse gas may be the setting for an enhanced production path. However, CH remains a valuable tracer for molecular gas in environments reaching from diffuse clouds to sites of high-mass star formation. The reduced spectra (Fig. 2) are only and Table 2 is also available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/612/A37

Multi-wavelength campaign on NGC 7469. II. Column densities and variability in the X-ray spectrum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peretz, U.; Behar, E.; Kriss, G. A.; Kaastra, J.; Arav, N.; Bianchi, S.; Branduardi-Raymont, G.; Cappi, M.; Costantini, E.; De Marco, B.; Di Gesu, L.; Ebrero, J.; Kaspi, S.; Mehdipour, M.; Middei, R.; Paltani, S.; Petrucci, P. O.; Ponti, G.; Ursini, F.

2018-01-01

We have investigated the ionic column density variability of the ionized outflows associated with NGC 7469, to estimate their location and power. This could allow a better understanding of galactic feedback of AGNs to their host galaxies. Analysis of seven XMM-Newton grating observations from 2015 is reported. We used an individual-ion spectral fitting approach, and compared different epochs to accurately determine variability on timescales of years, months, and days. We find no significant column density variability in a ten-year period implying that the outflow is far from the ionizing source. The implied lower bound on the ionization equilibrium time, ten years, constrains the lower limit on the distance to be at least 12 pc, and up to 31 pc, much less but consistent with the 1 kpc wide starburst ring. The ionization distribution of column density is reconstructed from measured column densities, nicely matching results of two 2004 observations, with one large high ionization parameter (ξ) component at 2 < log ξ< 3.5, and one at 0.5 < log ξ< 1 in cgs units. The strong dependence of the expression for kinetic power, ∝ 1 /ξ, hampers tight constraints on the feedback mechanism of outflows with a large range in ionization parameter, which is often observed and indicates a non-conical outflow. The kinetic power of the outflow is estimated here to be within 0.4 and 60% of the Eddington luminosity, depending on the ion used to estimate ξ.

Insights from Synthetic Star-forming Regions. II. Verifying Dust Surface Density, Dust Temperature, and Gas Mass Measurements With Modified Blackbody Fitting

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Koepferl, Christine M.; Robitaille, Thomas P.; Dale, James E., E-mail: koepferl@usm.lmu.de

We use a large data set of realistic synthetic observations (produced in Paper I of this series) to assess how observational techniques affect the measurement physical properties of star-forming regions. In this part of the series (Paper II), we explore the reliability of the measured total gas mass, dust surface density and dust temperature maps derived from modified blackbody fitting of synthetic Herschel observations. We find from our pixel-by-pixel analysis of the measured dust surface density and dust temperature a worrisome error spread especially close to star formation sites and low-density regions, where for those “contaminated” pixels the surface densitiesmore » can be under/overestimated by up to three orders of magnitude. In light of this, we recommend to treat the pixel-based results from this technique with caution in regions with active star formation. In regions of high background typical in the inner Galactic plane, we are not able to recover reliable surface density maps of individual synthetic regions, since low-mass regions are lost in the far-infrared background. When measuring the total gas mass of regions in moderate background, we find that modified blackbody fitting works well (absolute error: + 9%; −13%) up to 10 kpc distance (errors increase with distance). Commonly, the initial images are convolved to the largest common beam-size, which smears contaminated pixels over large areas. The resulting information loss makes this commonly used technique less verifiable as now χ {sup 2} values cannot be used as a quality indicator of a fitted pixel. Our control measurements of the total gas mass (without the step of convolution to the largest common beam size) produce similar results (absolute error: +20%; −7%) while having much lower median errors especially for the high-mass stellar feedback phase. In upcoming papers (Paper III; Paper IV) of this series we test the reliability of measured star formation rate with direct and indirect techniques.« less

Mapping the circumsolar dust ring near the orbit of Venus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, M. H.; Bewsher, D.; Brown, D. S.

2017-05-01

Synoptic images obtained from the HI-2 instrument on STEREO-A and -B between 2007 and 2014 have been used to further investigate the circumsolar dust ring at the orbit of Venus that was reported by Jones et al. (2013). The analysis is based on high signal-to-noise ratio photometry of the zodiacal light, using data acquired over 10-day intervals, followed by a process of extracting spatial variability on scales up to about 6.5°. The resulting images provide information about the structure of the ring at the location where it is viewed tangentially. We identify 65 usable data sets that comprise about 11% of the available HI-2 data. Analysis of these images show that the orientation of the ring appears to be different to that of the orbit of Venus, with an inclination of 2.1° and longitude of ascending node of 68.5°. We map the variation of ring density parameters in a frame of reference that is co-rotating with Venus and find a pattern suggestive of dust in a 3: 2 orbital resonance. However, the location of the maxima of dust densities is not as expected from theoretical models, and there is some evidence that the dust density distribution in the ring has a pattern speed that differs from the mean motion of Venus.

Mars Global Surveyor Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) Observations of Dust Opacity During Aerobraking and Science Phasing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Michael D.; Pearl, John C.; Conrath, Barney J.; Christensen, Philip R.

1999-01-01

The Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) arrived at Mars in September 1997 near Mars southern spring equinox and has now provided monitoring of conditions in the Mars atmosphere for more than half a Mars year. The large majority of the spectra taken by the Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) are in a nadir geometry (downward looking mode) where Mars is observed through the atmosphere. Most of these contain the distinct spectral signature of atmospheric dust. For these nadir-geometry spectra we retrieve column-integrated infrared aerosol (dust) opacities. TES observations during the aerobraking and science-phasing portions of the MGS mission cover the seasonal range L(sub s)=184 deg - 28 deg. Excellent spatial coverage was obtained in the southern hemisphere. Northern hemisphere coverage is generally limited to narrow strips taken during the periapsis pass but is still very valuable. At the beginning of the mission the 9-(micron)meter dust opacity at midsouthern latitudes was low (0.15-0.25). As the season advanced through southern spring and into summer, TES observed several regional dust storms (including the Noachis dust storm of November 1997) where peak 9-(micron)meter dust opacities approached or exceeded unity, as well as numerous smaller local storms. Both large and small dust storms exhibited significant changes in both spatial coverage and intensity over a timescale of a day. Throughout southern spring and summer the region at the edge of the retreating southern seasonal polar ice cap was observed to be consistently more dusty than other latitudes.

Trajectories and distribution of interstellar dust grains in the heliosphere

DOE PAGES

Slavin, Jonathan D.; Frisch, Priscilla C.; Müller, Hans-Reinhard; ...

2012-11-01

The solar wind carves a bubble in the surrounding interstellar medium (ISM) known as the heliosphere. Charged interstellar dust grains (ISDG) encountering the heliosphere may be diverted around the heliopause or penetrate it depending on their charge-to-mass ratio. Here, we present new calculations of trajectories of ISDG in the heliosphere, and the dust density distributions that result. We include up-to-date grain charging calculations using a realistic UV radiation field and full three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic fluid + kinetic models for the heliosphere. Models with two different (constant) polarities for the solar wind magnetic field (SWMF) are used, with the grain trajectory calculationsmore » done separately for each polarity. Small grains a gr ≲ 0.01 μm are completely excluded from the inner heliosphere. Large grains, a gr ≳ 1.0 μm, pass into the inner solar system and are concentrated near the Sun by its gravity. Trajectories of intermediate size grains depend strongly on the SWMF polarity. When the field has magnetic north pointing to ecliptic north, the field de-focuses the grains resulting in low densities in the inner heliosphere, while for the opposite polarity the dust is focused near the Sun. The ISDG density outside the heliosphere inferred from applying the model results to in situ dust measurements is inconsistent with local ISM depletion data for both SWMF polarities but is bracketed by them. Our result points to the need to include the time variation in the SWMF polarity during grain propagation. This provides valuable insights for interpretation of the in situ dust observations from Ulysses.« less

Iron and Silicate Dust Growth in the Galactic Interstellar Medium: Clues from Element Depletions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhukovska, Svitlana; Henning, Thomas; Dobbs, Clare

2018-04-01

The interstellar abundances of refractory elements indicate a substantial depletion from the gas phase, which increases with gas density. Our recent model of dust evolution, based on hydrodynamic simulations of the life cycle of giant molecular clouds (GMCs), proves that the observed trend for [Sigas/H] is driven by a combination of dust growth by accretion in the cold diffuse interstellar medium (ISM) and efficient destruction by supernova (SN) shocks. With an analytic model of dust evolution, we demonstrate that even with optimistic assumptions for the dust input from stars and without destruction of grains by SNe it is impossible to match the observed [Sigas/H]–n H relation without growth in the ISM. We extend the framework developed in our previous work for silicates to include the evolution of iron grains and address a long-standing conundrum: “Where is the interstellar iron?” Much higher depletion of Fe in the warm neutral medium compared to Si is reproduced by the models, in which a large fraction of interstellar iron (70%) is locked as inclusions in silicate grains, where it is protected from efficient sputtering by SN shocks. The slope of the observed [Fegas/H]–n H relation is reproduced if the remaining depleted iron resides in a population of metallic iron nanoparticles with sizes in the range of 1–10 nm. Enhanced collision rates due to the Coulomb focusing are important for both silicate and iron dust models to match the slopes of the observed depletion–density relations and the magnitudes of depletion at high gas density.

The gaseous component of the disk around Beta Pictoris

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hobbs, L. M.; Vidal-Madjar, A.; Ferlet, R.; Albert, C. E.; Gry, C.

1985-01-01

Optical spectra of alpha Lyr, alpha PsA, and beta Pic have been obtained at a velocity resolution of 3 km/s. No circumstellar absorption lines of Ca II or Na I are detected toward alpha Lyr or alpha PsA at sensitive limits. In the favorable case of beta Pic, where the circumstellar disk imaged by Smith and Terrile (1984) is seen nearly edge-on, a strong, narrow, circumstellar Ca II K absorption line previously reported by Slettebak (1982) and weaker, still narrower circumstellar Na I D lines are detected. Negative results of high sensitivity also are obtained for the Ca I 4226 A and CH(+) 4232 A lines, along with upper limits on the Zn II 2026, 2062 A doublet from archival IUE spectra. Under assumptions which agree with other well-established observations of the gaseous abundances of calcium and zinc, the total gaseous column density of hydrogen along a radius of the circumstellar disk is between 10 to the 18th and 4 x 10 to the 20th/sq cm. Within the boundaries of the dust disk detected by Smith and Terrile (1984) the total gaseous mass then is less than about 2, or less than 1 percent of the mass of the planetary system. A simplified model of the density distribution in the gaseous disk yields a characteristic total density n(H) of about 100,000/cu cm, which exceeds that of all interplanetary gas at earth's position by a factor of about 10,000.

THE FATE OF PLANETESIMALS IN TURBULENT DISKS WITH DEAD ZONES. I. THE TURBULENT STIRRING RECIPE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Okuzumi, Satoshi; Ormel, Chris W., E-mail: okuzumi@geo.titech.ac.jp

2013-07-01

Turbulence in protoplanetary disks affects planet formation in many ways. While small dust particles are mainly affected by the aerodynamical coupling with turbulent gas velocity fields, planetesimals and larger bodies are more affected by gravitational interaction with gas density fluctuations. For the latter process, a number of numerical simulations have been performed in recent years, but a fully parameter-independent understanding has not been yet established. In this study, we present simple scaling relations for the planetesimal stirring rate in turbulence driven by magnetorotational instability (MRI), taking into account the stabilization of MRI due to ohmic resistivity. We begin with order-of-magnitudemore » estimates of the turbulence-induced gravitational force acting on solid bodies and associated diffusion coefficients for their orbital elements. We then test the predicted scaling relations using the results of recent ohmic-resistive MHD simulations by Gressel et al. We find that these relations successfully explain the simulation results if we properly fix order-of-unity uncertainties within the estimates. We also update the saturation predictor for the density fluctuation amplitude in MRI-driven turbulence originally proposed by Okuzumi and Hirose. Combination of the scaling relations and saturation predictor allows us to know how the turbulent stirring rate of planetesimals depends on disk parameters such as the gas column density, distance from the central star, vertical resistivity distribution, and net vertical magnetic flux. In Paper II, we apply our recipe to planetesimal accretion to discuss its viability in turbulent disks.« less

Effect of dust charging and trapped electrons on nonlinear solitary structures in an inhomogeneous magnetized plasma

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kumar, Ravinder; Malik, Hitendra K.; Singh, Khushvant

2012-01-15

Main concerns of the present article are to investigate the effects of dust charging and trapped electrons on the solitary structures evolved in an inhomogeneous magnetized plasma. Such a plasma is found to support two types of waves, namely, fast wave and slow wave. Slow wave propagates in the plasma only when the wave propagation angle {theta} satisfies the condition {theta}{>=}tan{sup -1}{l_brace}({radical}((1+2{sigma})-[(n{sub dlh}({gamma}{sub 1}-1))/(1+n{sub dlh}{gamma}{sub 1})])-v{sub 0}/u{sub 0}){r_brace}, where v{sub 0}(u{sub 0}) is the z- (x-) component of ion drift velocity, {sigma} = T{sub i}/T{sub eff}, n{sub dlh} = n{sub d0}/(n{sub el0} + n{sub eh0}), and {gamma}{sub 1}=-(1/{Phi}{sub i0})[(1-{Phi}{sub i0}/1+{sigma}(1-{Phi}{submore » i0}))] together with T{sub i} as ion temperature, n{sub el0}(n{sub eh0}) as the density of trapped (isothermal) electrons, {Phi}{sub i0} as the dust grain (density n{sub d0}) surface potential relative to zero plasma potential, and T{sub eff}=(n{sub elo}+n{sub eho})T{sub el}T{sub eh}/(n{sub elo}T{sub eh}+n{sub eho}T{sub el}), where T{sub el}(T{sub eh}) is the temperature of trapped (isothermal) electrons. Both the waves evolve in the form of density hill type structures in the plasma, confirming that these solitary structures are compressive in nature. These structures are found to attain higher amplitude when the charge on the dust grains is fluctuated (in comparison with the case of fixed charge) and also when the dust grains and trapped electrons are more in number; the same is the case with higher temperature of ions and electrons. Slow solitary structures show weak dependence on the dust concentration. Both types of structures are found to become narrower under the application of stronger magnetic field. With regard to the charging of dust grains, it is observed that the charge gets reduced for the higher trapped electron density and temperature of ions and electrons, and dust charging shows weak dependence on the ion temperature.« less

DUST AND GAS IN THE DISK OF HL TAURI: SURFACE DENSITY, DUST SETTLING, AND DUST-TO-GAS RATIO

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pinte, C.; Ménard, F.; Dent, W. R. F.

The recent ALMA observations of the disk surrounding HL Tau reveal a very complex dust spatial distribution. We present a radiative transfer model accounting for the observed gaps and bright rings as well as radial changes of the emissivity index. We find that the dust density is depleted by at least a factor of 10 in the main gaps compared to the surrounding rings. Ring masses range from 10–100 M{sub ⊕} in dust, and we find that each of the deepest gaps is consistent with the removal of up to 40 M{sub ⊕} of dust. If this material has accumulatedmore » into rocky bodies, these would be close to the point of runaway gas accretion. Our model indicates that the outermost ring is depleted in millimeter grains compared to the central rings. This suggests faster grain growth in the central regions and/or radial migration of the larger grains. The morphology of the gaps observed by ALMA—well separated and showing a high degree of contrast with the bright rings over all azimuths—indicates that the millimeter dust disk is geometrically thin (scale height ≈1 AU at 100 AU) and that a large amount of settling of large grains has already occurred. Assuming a standard dust settling model, we find that the observations are consistent with a turbulent viscosity coefficient of a few 10{sup −4}. We estimate the gas/dust ratio in this thin layer to be of the order of 5 if the initial ratio is 100. The HCO{sup +} and CO emission is consistent with gas in Keplerian motion around a 1.7 M{sub ⊙} star at radii from ≤10–120 AU.« less

Fractal cometary dust - a window into the early Solar system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mannel, T.; Bentley, M. S.; Schmied, R.; Jeszenszky, H.; Levasseur-Regourd, A. C.; Romstedt, J.; Torkar, K.

2016-11-01

The properties of dust in the protoplanetary disc are key to understanding the formation of planets in our Solar system. Many models of dust growth predict the development of fractal structures which evolve into non-fractal, porous dust pebbles representing the main component for planetesimal accretion. In order to understand comets and their origins, the Rosetta orbiter followed comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko for over two years and carried a dedicated instrument suite for dust analysis. One of these instruments, the MIDAS (Micro-Imaging Dust Analysis System) atomic force microscope, recorded the 3D topography of micro- to nanometre-sized dust. All particles analysed to date have been found to be hierarchical agglomerates. Most show compact packing; however, one is extremely porous. This paper contains a structural description of a compact aggregate and the outstanding porous one. Both particles are tens of micrometres in size and show rather narrow subunit size distributions with noticeably similar mean values of 1.48^{+0.13}_{-0.59} μm for the porous particle and 1.36^{+0.15}_{-0.59} μm for the compact. The porous particle allows a fractal analysis, where a density-density correlation function yields a fractal dimension of Df = 1.70 ± 0.1. GIADA, another dust analysis instrument on board Rosetta, confirms the existence of a dust population with a similar fractal dimension. The fractal particles are interpreted as pristine agglomerates built in the protoplanetary disc and preserved in the comet. The similar subunits of both fractal and compact dust indicate a common origin which is, given the properties of the fractal, dominated by slow agglomeration of equally sized aggregates known as cluster-cluster agglomeration.

Immersion freezing of supermicron mineral dust particles: freezing results, testing different schemes for describing ice nucleation, and ice nucleation active site densities.

PubMed

Wheeler, M J; Mason, R H; Steunenberg, K; Wagstaff, M; Chou, C; Bertram, A K

2015-05-14

Ice nucleation on mineral dust particles is known to be an important process in the atmosphere. To accurately implement ice nucleation on mineral dust particles in atmospheric simulations, a suitable theory or scheme is desirable to describe laboratory freezing data in atmospheric models. In the following, we investigated ice nucleation by supermicron mineral dust particles [kaolinite and Arizona Test Dust (ATD)] in the immersion mode. The median freezing temperature for ATD was measured to be approximately -30 °C compared with approximately -36 °C for kaolinite. The freezing results were then used to test four different schemes previously used to describe ice nucleation in atmospheric models. In terms of ability to fit the data (quantified by calculating the reduced chi-squared values), the following order was found for ATD (from best to worst): active site, pdf-α, deterministic, single-α. For kaolinite, the following order was found (from best to worst): active site, deterministic, pdf-α, single-α. The variation in the predicted median freezing temperature per decade change in the cooling rate for each of the schemes was also compared with experimental results from other studies. The deterministic model predicts the median freezing temperature to be independent of cooling rate, while experimental results show a weak dependence on cooling rate. The single-α, pdf-α, and active site schemes all agree with the experimental results within roughly a factor of 2. On the basis of our results and previous results where different schemes were tested, the active site scheme is recommended for describing the freezing of ATD and kaolinite particles. We also used our ice nucleation results to determine the ice nucleation active site (INAS) density for the supermicron dust particles tested. Using the data, we show that the INAS densities of supermicron kaolinite and ATD particles studied here are smaller than the INAS densities of submicron kaolinite and ATD particles previously reported in the literature.

Stardust Interstellar Preliminary Examination IX: High-Speed Interstellar Dust Analog Capture in Stardust Flight-Spare Aerogel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Postberg, F.; Sterken, V.; Achilles, C.; Allen, C.; Bastien, R. K.; Frank, D.; Sandford, S. A.; Zolensky, M. E.; Butterworth, A.; Gainesforth, Z.

2014-01-01

The NASA Stardust mission used silica aerogel slabs to slowly decelerate and capture impinging cosmic dust particles for return to Earth. During this process, impact tracks are generated along the trajectory of the particle into the aerogel. It is believed that the morphology and dimensions of these tracks, together with the state of captured grains at track termini, may be linked to the size, velocity, and density of the impacting cosmic dust grain. Here, we present the results of laboratory hypervelocity impact experiments, during which cosmic dust analog particles (diameters of between 0.2 and 0.4 lm), composed of olivine, orthopyroxene, or an organic polymer, were accelerated onto Stardust flight spare low-density (approximately 0.01 g/cu cm) silica aerogel. The impact velocities (3-21 km/s) were chosen to simulate the range of velocities expected during Stardust's interstellar dust (ISD) collection phases. Track lengths and widths, together with the success of particle capture, are analyzed as functions of impact velocity and particle composition, density, and size. Captured terminal particles from low-density organic projectiles become undetectable at lower velocities than those from similarly sized, denser mineral particles, which are still detectable (although substantially altered by the impact process) at 15 km/s. The survival of these terminal particles, together with the track dimensions obtained during low impact speed capture of small grains in the laboratory, indicates that two of the three best Stardust candidate extraterrestrial grains were actually captured at speeds much lower than predicted. Track length and diameters are, in general, more sensitive to impact velocities than previously expected, which makes tracks of particles with diameters of 0.4 lm and below hard to identify at low capture speeds (<10 km/s). Therefore, although captured intact, the majority of the interstellar dust grains returned to Earth by Stardust remain to be found.

STELLARATOR INJECTOR

DOEpatents

Post, R.F.

1962-09-01

A method and means are described for injecting energetic neutral atoms or molecular ions into dense magnetically collimated plasma columns of stellarators and the like in such a manner that the atoms or ions are able to significantly penetrate the column before being ionized by collision with the plasma constituent particles. Penetration of the plasma column by the neutral atoms or molecular ions is facilitated by superposition of two closely spaced magnetic mirrors on the plasma confinement field. The mirrors are moved apart to magnetically sweep plasma from a region between the mirrors and establish a relatively low plasma density therein. By virture of the low density, neutral atoms or molecular ions injected into the region significantly penetrate the plasma column before being ionized. Thereafter, the mirrors are diminished to permit the injected material to admix with the plasma in the remainder of the column. (AEC)

Planck Cold Clumps in the λ Orionis Complex. II. Environmental Effects on Core Formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yi, Hee-Weon; Lee, Jeong-Eun; Liu, Tie; Kim, Kee-Tae; Choi, Minho; Eden, David; Evans, Neal J., II; Di Francesco, James; Fuller, Gary; Hirano, N.; Juvela, Mika; Kang, Sung-ju; Kim, Gwanjeong; Koch, Patrick M.; Lee, Chang Won; Li, Di; Liu, H.-Y. B.; Liu, Hong-Li; Liu, Sheng-Yuan; Rawlings, Mark G.; Ristorcelli, I.; Sanhueza, Patrico; Soam, Archana; Tatematsu, Ken’ichi; Thompson, Mark; Toth, L. V.; Wang, Ke; White, Glenn J.; Wu, Yuefang; Yang, Yao-Lun; the JCMT Large Program “SCOPE” Collaboration; TRAO Key Science Program “TOP” Collaboration

2018-06-01

Based on the 850 μm dust continuum data from SCUBA-2 at James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT), we compare overall properties of Planck Galactic Cold Clumps (PGCCs) in the λ Orionis cloud to those of PGCCs in the Orion A and B clouds. The Orion A and B clouds are well-known active star-forming regions, while the λ Orionis cloud has a different environment as a consequence of the interaction with a prominent OB association and a giant H II region. PGCCs in the λ Orionis cloud have higher dust temperatures (T d = 16.13 ± 0.15 K) and lower values of dust emissivity spectral index (β = 1.65 ± 0.02) than PGCCs in the Orion A (T d = 13.79 ± 0.21 K, β = 2.07 ± 0.03) and Orion B (T d = 13.82 ± 0.19 K, β = 1.96 ± 0.02) clouds. We find 119 substructures within the 40 detected PGCCs and identify them as cores. Out of a total of 119 cores, 15 cores are discovered in the λ Orionis cloud, while 74 and 30 cores are found in the Orion A and B clouds, respectively. The cores in the λ Orionis cloud show much lower mean values of size R = 0.08 pc, column density N(H2) = (9.5 ± 1.2) × 1022 cm‑2, number density n(H2) = (2.9 ± 0.4) × 105 cm‑3, and mass M core = 1.0 ± 0.3 M ⊙ compared to the cores in the Orion A [R = 0.11 pc, N(H2) = (2.3 ± 0.3) × 1023 cm‑2, n(H2) = (3.8 ± 0.5) × 105 cm‑3, and M core = 2.4 ± 0.3 M ⊙] and Orion B [R = 0.16 pc, N(H2) = (3.8 ± 0.4) × 1023 cm‑2, n(H2) = (15.6 ± 1.8) × 105 cm‑3, and M core = 2.7 ± 0.3 M ⊙] clouds. These core properties in the λ Orionis cloud can be attributed to the photodissociation and external heating by the nearby H II region, which may prevent the PGCCs from forming gravitationally bound structures and eventually disperse them. These results support the idea of negative stellar feedback on core formation.