Browsing by Subject "planetary-nebulae"

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Are C-60 Molecules Detectable In Circumstellar Shells Of R Coronae Borealis Stars?
(2011-03) Garcia-Hernandez, D. Anibal; Rao, N. Kameswara; Lambert, David L.; Rao, N. Kameswara; Lambert, David L.
The hydrogen-poor, helium-rich, and carbon-rich character of the gas around R Coronae Borealis (RCB) stars has been suggested to be a site for formation of C-60 molecules. This suggestion is not supported by observations reported here showing that infrared transitions of C-60 are not seen in a large sample of RCB stars observed with the Infrared Spectrograph on the Spitzer Space Telescope. The infrared C-60 transitions are seen, however, in emission and blended with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) features in spectra of DY Cen and possibly also of V854 Cen, the two least hydrogen-deficient (hydrogen deficiency of only similar to 10-100) RCB stars. The speculation is offered that C-60 (and the PAHs) in the moderately H-deficient circumstellar envelopes may be formed by the decomposition of hydrogenated amorphous carbon but fullerene formation is inefficient in the highly H-deficient environments of most RCBs.
The Bulge Radial Velocity Assay (BRAVA). II. Complete Sample And Data Release
(2012-03) Kunder, Andrea; Koch, Andreas; Rich, R. Michael; de Propris, Roberto; Howard, Christian D.; Stubbs, Scott A.; Johnson, Christian I.; Shen, Juntai T.; Wang, Yougang G.; Robin, Annie C.; Kormendy, John; Soto, Mario; Frinchaboy, Peter; Reitzel, David B.; Zhao, HongSheng; Origlia, Livia; Kormendy, John
We present new radial velocity measurements from the Bulge Radial Velocity Assay, a large-scale spectroscopic survey of M-type giants in the Galactic bulge/bar region. The sample of similar to 4500 new radial velocities, mostly in the region -10 degrees < l < +10 degrees and b approximate to -6 degrees, more than doubles the existent published data set. Our new data extend our rotation curve and velocity dispersion profile to +20 degrees, which is similar to 2.8 kpc from the Galactic center. The new data confirm the cylindrical rotation observed at -6 degrees and -8 degrees and are an excellent fit to the Shen et al. N-body bar model. We measure the strength of the TiO epsilon molecular band as a first step toward a metallicity ranking of the stellar sample, from which we confirm the presence of a vertical abundance gradient. Our survey finds no strong evidence of previously unknown kinematic streams. We also publish our complete catalog of radial velocities, photometry, TiO band strengths, and spectra, which is available at the Infrared Science Archive as well as at UCLA.
Chemical Cartography With Apogee: Large-Scale Mean Metallicity Maps Of The Milky Way Disk
(2014-05) Michael R. Hayden; Jon A. Holtzman; Jo Bovy; Steven R. Majewski; Jennifer A. Johnson; Carlos Allende Prieto; Timothy C. Beers; Katia Cunha; Peter M. Frinchaboy; Ana E. García Pérez; Léo Girardi; Fred R. Hearty; Young Sun Lee; David Nidever; Ricardo P. Schiavon; Katharine J. Schlesinger; Donald P. Schneider; Mathias Schultheis; Matthew Shetrone; Verne V. Smith; Gail Zasowski; Dmitry Bizyaev; Diane Feuillet; Sten Hasselquist; Karen Kinemuchi; Elena Malanushenko; Viktor Malanushenko; Robert O'Connell; Kaike Pan; Keivan Stassun; Shetrone, Matthew D.
We present Galactic mean metallicity maps derived from the first year of the SDSS-III APOGEE experiment. Mean abundances in different zones of projected Galactocentric radius (0 < R < 15 kpc) at a range of heights above the plane (0 < vertical bar z vertical bar < 3 kpc), are derived from a sample of nearly 20,000 giant stars with unprecedented coverage, including stars in the Galactic mid-plane at large distances. We also split the sample into subsamples of stars with low- and high-[alpha/M] abundance ratios. We assess possible biases in deriving the mean abundances, and find that they are likely to be small except in the inner regions of the Galaxy. A negative radial metallicity gradient exists over much of the Galaxy; however, the gradient appears to flatten for R < 6 kpc, in particular near the Galactic mid-plane and for low-[alpha/M] stars. At R > 6 kpc, the gradient flattens as one moves off the plane, and is flatter at all heights for high-[alpha/M] stars than for low-[alpha/M] stars. Alternatively, these gradients can be described as vertical gradients that flatten at larger Galactocentric radius; these vertical gradients are similar for both low- and high-[alpha/M] populations. Stars with higher [alpha/M] appear to have a flatter radial gradient than stars with lower [alpha/M]. This could suggest that the metallicity gradient has grown steeper with time or, alternatively, that gradients are washed out over time by migration of stars.
Dust Around R Coronae Borealis Stars. I. Spitzer/Infrared Spectrograph Observations
(2011-09) Garcia-Hernandez, D. Anibal; Rao, N. Kameswara; Lambert, David L.; Lambert, David L.
Spitzer/infrared spectrograph (IRS) spectra from 5 to 37 mu m for a complete sample of 31 R Coronae Borealis stars (RCBs) are presented. These spectra are combined with optical and near-infrared photometry of each RCB at maximum light to compile a spectral energy distribution (SED). The SEDs are fitted with blackbody flux distributions and estimates are made of the ratio of the infrared flux from circumstellar dust to the flux emitted by the star. Comparisons for 29 of the 31 stars are made with the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) fluxes from three decades earlier: Spitzer and IRAS fluxes at 12 mu m and 25 mu m are essentially equal for all but a minority of the sample. For this minority, the IRAS to Spitzer flux ratio exceeds a factor of three. The outliers are suggested to be stars where formation of a dust cloud or dust puff is a rare event. A single puff ejected prior to the IRAS observations may have been reobserved by Spitzer as a cooler puff at a greater distance from the RCB. RCBs which experience more frequent optical declines have, in general, a circumstellar environment containing puffs subtending a larger solid angle at the star and a quasi-constant infrared flux. Yet, the estimated subtended solid angles and the blackbody temperatures of the dust show a systematic evolution to lower solid angles and cooler temperatures in the interval between IRAS and Spitzer. Dust emission by these RCBs and those in the LMC is similar in terms of total 24 mu m luminosity and [8.0]-[24.0] color index.
Dust Around R Coronae Borealis Stars. II. Infrared Emission Features In An H-Poor Environment
(2013-08) Garcia-Hernandez, D. Anibal; Rao, N. Kameswara; Lambert, David L.; Rao, N. Kameswara; Lambert, David L.
Residual Spitzer/Infrared Spectrograph spectra for a sample of 31 R Coronae Borealis (RCB) stars are presented and discussed in terms of narrow emission features superimposed on the quasi-blackbody continuous infrared emission. A broad similar to 6-10 mu m dust emission complex is seen in the RCBs showing an extreme H-deficiency. A secondary and much weaker similar to 11.5-15 mu m broad emission feature is detected in a few RCBs with the strongest similar to 6-10 mu m dust complex. The Spitzer infrared spectra reveal for the first time the structure within the similar to 6-10 mu m dust complex, showing the presence of strong C-C stretching modes at similar to 6.3 and 8.1 mu m as well as of other dust features at similar to 5.9, 6.9, and 7.3 mu m, which are attributable to amorphous carbonaceous solids with little or no hydrogen. The few RCBs with only moderate H-deficiencies display the classical "unidentified infrared bands (UIRs)" and mid-infrared features from fullerene-related molecules. In general, the characteristics of the RCB infrared emission features are not correlated with the stellar and circumstellar properties, suggesting that the RCB dust features may not be dependent on the present physical conditions around RCB stars. The only exception seems to be the central wavelength of the 6.3 mu m feature, which is blueshifted in those RCBs showing also the UIRs, i.e., the RCBs with the smallest H deficiency.
Effect Of A Dark Matter Halo On The Determination Of Black Hole Masses
(2011-03) Schulze, Andreas; Gebhardt, Karl; Gebhardt, Karl
Stellar dynamical modeling is a powerful method to determine the mass of black holes in quiescent galaxies. However, in previous work the presence of a dark matter halo has been ignored in the modeling. Gebhardt & Thomas in 2009 showed that accounting for a dark matter halo increased the black hole mass of the massive galaxy M87 by a factor of two. We used a sample of 12 galaxies to investigate the effect of accounting for a dark matter halo in the dynamical modeling in more detail, and also updated the masses using improved modeling. The sample of galaxies possesses Hubble Space Telescope and ground-based observations of stellar kinematics. Their black hole masses have been presented before, but without including a dark matter halo in the models. Without a dark halo, we find a mean increase in the estimated mass of 1.5 for the whole sample compared to previous results. We attribute this change to using a more complete orbit library. When we include a dark matter halo, along with the updated models, we find an additional increase in black hole mass by a factor of 1.2 in the mean, much less than for M87. We attribute the smaller discrepancy in black hole mass to using data that better resolve the black hole's sphere of influence. We redetermined the M-center dot-sigma(*) and M-center dot-L-V relationships using our updated black hole masses and found a slight increase in both normalization and intrinsic scatter.
H II Region Driven Galactic Bubbles And Their Relationship To The Galactic Magnetic Field
(2012-12) Pavel, Michael D.; Clemens, D. P.; Pavel, Michael D.
The relative alignments of mid-infrared traced Galactic bubbles are compared to the orientation of the mean Galactic magnetic field in the disk. The orientations of bubbles in the northern Galactic plane were measured and are consistent with random orientations-no preferential alignment with respect to the Galactic disk was found. A subsample of H II region driven Galactic bubbles was identified, and as a single population they show random orientations. When this subsample was further divided into subthermal and suprathermal H II regions, based on hydrogen radio recombination linewidths, the subthermal H II regions showed a marginal deviation from random orientations, but the suprathermal H II regions showed significant alignment with the Galactic plane. The mean orientation of the Galactic disk magnetic field was characterized using new near-infrared starlight polarimetry and the suprathermal H II regions were found to preferentially align with the disk magnetic field. If suprathermal linewidths are associated with younger H II regions, then the evolution of young H II regions is significantly affected by the Galactic magnetic field. As H II regions age, they cease to be strongly linked to the Galactic magnetic field, as surrounding density variations come to dominate their morphological evolution. From the new observations, the ratios of magnetic-to-ram pressures in the expanding ionization fronts were estimated for younger H II regions.
High-Resolution Optical Spectroscopy of DY Cen: Diffuse Interstellar Bands in a Proto-Fullerene Circumstellar Environment?
(2012-11) Garcia-Hernandez, D. A.; Rao, N. Kameswara; Lambert, David L.; Rao, N. Kameswara; Lambert, David L.
We search high-resolution and high-quality VLT/UVES optical spectra of the hot R Coronae Borealis star DY Cen for electronic transitions of the C-60 molecule and diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs). We report the non-detection of the strongest C-60 electronic transitions (e. g., those at similar to 3760, 3980, and 4024 angstrom). The absence of C-60 absorption bands may support recent laboratory results, which show that the similar to 7.0, 8.5, 17.4, and 18.8 mu m emission features seen in DY Cen-and other similar objects with polycyclic-aromatic-hydrocarbon-like dominated IR spectra-are attributable to proto-fullerenes or fullerene precursors rather than to C-60. DIBs toward DY Cen are normal for its reddening; the only exception is the DIB at 6284 angstrom (possibly also the 7223 angstrom DIB) which is found to be unusually strong. We also report the detection of a new broad (FWHM similar to 2 angstrom) and unidentified feature centered at similar to 4000 angstrom. We suggest that this new band may be related to the circumstellar proto-fullerenes seen at infrared wavelengths.
Hobby-Eberly Telescope Observations Of The Dark Halo In NGC 821
(2010-06) Forestell, Amy D.; Gebhardt, Karl; Forestell, Amy D.; Gebhardt, Karl
We present stellar line-of-sight velocity distributions (LOSVDs) of elliptical galaxy NGC 821 obtained to approximately 100 '' (over two effective radii) with long-slit spectroscopy from the Hobby-Eberly Telescope. Our measured stellar LOSVDs are larger than the planetary nebulae measurements at similar radii. We fit axisymmetric orbit-superposition models with a range of dark halo density profiles, including two-dimensional kinematics at smaller radii from SAURON data. Within our assumptions, the best-fitted model gives a total enclosed mass of 2.0 x 10(11) M(circle dot) within 100 '', with an accuracy of 2%; this mass is equally divided between halo and stars. At 1 R(e), the best-fitted dark matter halo accounts for 13% of the total mass in the galaxy. This dark halo is inconsistent with previous claims of little to no dark matter halo in this galaxy from planetary nebula measurements. We find that a power-law dark halo with a slope 0.1 is the best-fitted model; both the no dark halo and Navarro-Frenk-White models are worse fits at a greater than 99% confidence level. NGC 821 does not appear to have the expected dark halo density profile. The internal moments of the stellar velocity distribution show that the model with no dark halo is radially anisotropic at small radii and tangentially isotropic at large radii, while the best-fitted halo models are slightly radially anisotropic at all radii. We test the potential effects of model smoothing and find that there are no effects on our results within the errors. Finally, we run models using the planetary nebula kinematics and assuming our best-fitted halos and find that the planetary nebulae require radial orbits throughout the galaxy.
Outflows From Evolved Stars: The Rapidly Changing Fingers Of CRL 618
(2013-07) Balick, Bruce; Huarte-Espinosa, Martin; Frank, Adam; Gomez, Thomas; Alcolea, Javier; Corradi, Romano L. M.; Vinkovic, Dejan; Frank, Adam; Gomez, Thomas
Our ultimate goal is to probe the nature of the collimator of the outflows in the pre-planetary nebula CRL 618. CRL 618 is uniquely suited for this purpose owing to its multiple, bright, and carefully studied finger-shaped outflows east and west of its nucleus. We compare new Hubble Space Telescope images to images in the same filters observed as much as 11 yr ago to uncover large proper motions and surface brightness changes in its multiple finger-shaped outflows. The expansion age of the ensemble of fingers is close to 100 yr. We find strong brightness variations at the fingertips during the past decade. Deep IR images reveal a multiple ring-like structure of the surrounding medium into which the outflows propagate and interact. Tightly constrained three-dimensional hydrodynamic models link the properties of the fingers to their possible formation histories. We incorporate previously published complementary information to discern whether each of the fingers of CRL 618 are the results of steady, collimated outflows or a brief ejection event that launched a set of bullets about a century ago. Finally, we argue on various physical grounds that fingers of CRL 618 are likely to be the result of a spray of clumps ejected at the nucleus of CRL 618 since any mechanism that form a sustained set of unaligned jets is unprecedented.
Review: A Search For Diffuse Bands In The Circumstellar Envelopes Of Post-AGB Stars
(2008-03) Luna, R.; Cox, N. L. J.; Satorre, M. A.; Hernández, D. A. García.; Suarez, O.; Lario, P. G.; García Hernández, D. A.
In this work we present the results of a systematic search for diffuse bands (DBs, hereafter) in the circumstellar envelopes of a carefully selected sample of post-AGB stars. We concentrated on analyzing 9 of the DBs most commonly found in the interstellar medium. The strength of these features is determined using high-resolution optical spectroscopy, and the results obtained are compared with literature data on field stars affected only by interstellar reddening. Based on the weak features observed in the subsample of post-AGB stars dominated by circumstellar reddening, we conclude that the carrier(s)of these DBs must not be present in the circumstellar environment of these sources, or at least not under the excitation conditions in which DBs are formed. This conclusion is applicable to all the post-AGB stars studied, irrespective of the dominant chemistry or the spectral type of the star considered. A detailed radial velocity analysis of the features observed in individual sources confirms this result, as the Doppler shifts measured are found to be consistent with an interstellar origin.
A Spitzer High-Resolution Mid-Infrared Spectral Atlas of Starburst Galaxies
(2009-10) Bernard-Salas, J.; Spoon, H. W. W.; Charmandaris, V.; Lebouteiller, V.; Farrah, D.; Devost, D.; Brandl, B. R.; Wu, Y. L.; Armus, L.; Hao, L.; Sloan, G. C.; Weedman, D.; Houck, J. R.; Hao, L.
We present an atlas of Spitzer/IRS high-resolution (R similar to 600) 10-37 mu m spectra for 24 well known starburst galaxies. The spectra are dominated by fine-structure lines, molecular hydrogen lines, and emission bands of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Six out of the eight objects with a known active galactic nucleus (AGN) component show emission of the high excitation [Ne v] line. This line is also seen in one other object (NGC 4194) with, a priori, no known AGN component. In addition to strong PAH emission features in this wavelength range (11.3, 12.7, 16.4 mu m), the spectra reveal other weak hydrocarbon features at 10.6, 13.5, 14.2 mu m, and a previously unreported emission feature at 10.75 mu m. An unidentified absorption feature at 13.7 mu m is detected in many of the starbursts. We use the fine-structure lines to derive the abundance of neon and sulfur for 14 objects where the Hi 7-6 line is detected. We further use the molecular hydrogen lines to sample the properties of the warm molecular gas. Several basic diagrams characterizing the properties of the sample are also shown. We have combined the spectra of all the pure starburst objects to create a high signal-to-noise ratio template, which is available to the community.