Electron-impact excitation of Ar 2+

Context: Emission from Ar III is seen in planetary nebulae, in H II regions, and from laboratory plasmas. The analysis of such spectra requires accurate electron impact excitation data. Aims: The aim of this work is to improve the electron impact excitation data available for Ar2+, for application in studies of planetary nebulae and laboratory plasma spectra. The effects of the new data on diagnostic line ratios are also studied. Methods: Electron-impact excitation collision strengths have been calculated using the R-Matrix Intermediate-Coupling Frame-Transformation method and the R-Matrix Breit-Pauli method. Excitation cross sections are calculated between all levels of the configurations 3s^23p^4, 3s3p^5, 3p^6, 3p^53d, and 3s^23p^3nl (3d ≤ nl ≤ 5s). Maxwellian effective collision strengths are generated from the collision strength data. Results: Good agreement is found in the collision strengths calculated using the two R-Matrix methods. The collision strengths are compared with literature values for transitions within the 3s^23p4 configuration. The new data has a small effect on Te values obtained from the I(λ7135 Å+ λ7751 Å)/ I(λ5192 Å) line ratio, and a larger effect on the Ne values obtained from the I(λ7135 Å)/I(λ9 μm) line ratio. The final effective collision strength data is archived online.

Effective collision strengths for election impact excitation of Cl III

Effective collision strengths for electron-impact excitation of the phosphorus-like ion Cl III are presented for all fine-structure transitions among the levels arising from the lowest 23 LS states. The collisional cross sections are computed in the multichannel close-coupling R-matrix approximation, where sophisticated configuration-interaction wave functions are used to represent the target states. The 23 LS states are formed from the basis configurations 3s²3p³, 3s3p⁴, 3s²3p²3d, and 3s²3p²4s, and correspond to 49 fine-structure levels, leading to a total possible 1176 fine-structure transitions. The effective collision strengths, obtained by averaging the electron collision strengths over a Maxwellian distribution of electron velocities, are tabulated in this paper for all 1176 transitions and for electron temperatures in the ranges T(K)=7500-25,000 and log T(K)=4.4-5.4. The former range encompasses the temperatures of particular importance for application to gaseous nebulae, while the latter range is more applicable to the study of solar and laboratory-type plasmas. © 2001 Academic Press.

Near-infrared integral field spectroscopy of the Homunculus nebula around eta Carinae using Gemini/CIRPASS

This work presents the first integral field spectroscopy of the Homunculus nebula around eta Carinae in the near-infrared spectral region (J band). We confirmed the presence of a hole on the polar region of each lobe, as indicated by previous near-IR long-slit spectra and mid-IR images. The holes can be described as a cylinder of height (i.e. the thickness of the lobe) and diameter of 6.5 and 6.0 x 10(16) cm, respectively. We also mapped the blue-shifted component of He I lambda 10830 seen towards the NW lobe. Contrary to previous works, we suggested that this blue-shifted component is not related to the Paddle but it is indeed in the equatorial disc. We confirmed the claim of N. Smith and showed that the spatial extent of the Little Homunculus matches remarkably well the radio continuum emission at 3 cm, indicating that the Little Homunculus can be regarded as a small H II region. Therefore, we used the optically thin 1.3 mm radio flux to derive a lower limit for the number of Lyman-continuum photons of the central source in eta Car. In the context of a binary system, and assuming that the ionizing flux comes entirely from the hot companion star, the lower limit for its spectral type and luminosity class ranges from O5.5 III to O7 I. Moreover, we showed that the radio peak at 1.7 arcsec NW from the central star is in the same line-of-sight of the `Sr-filament` but they are obviously spatially separated, while the blue-shifted component of He I lambda 10830 may be related to the radio peak and can be explained by the ultraviolet radiation from the companion star.

Metallicity effects on the modified wind momentum of CSPN

Recent investigations on the central stars of planetary nebulae (CSPN) indicate that the masses based on model atmospheres can be much larger than the masses derived from theoretical mass-luminosity relations. Also, the dispersion in the relation between the modified wind momentum and the luminosity depends on the mass spread of the CSPN, and is larger than observed in massive hot stars. Since the wind characteristics probably depend on the metallicity, we analyze the effects on the modified wind momentum by considering the dispersion in this quantity caused by the stellar metallicity. Our CSPN masses are based on a relation between the core mass and the nebular abundances. We conclude that these masses agree with the known mass distribution both for CSPN and white dwarfs, and that the spread in the modified wind momentum can be explained by the observed metallicity variations.

CHEMICAL EVOLUTION OF THE GALACTIC BULGE: SINGLE AND DOUBLE INFALL MODELS

Recent work, has produced a wealth of data concerning the chemical evolution of the Galactic bulge, both for stars and nebulae. Present theoretical models generally adopt it limited range of such constraints, frequenfly using it single chemical element (usually iron), which is not enough to describe it unambiguously. In this work, we take into account contraints involving,9 Many chemical elements as possible, basically obtained from bulge nebulae and stars. Our main goal is to show that different scenarios can describe, at least partially the abundance distribution and several dishuice-independent correlations for these objects . Three classes of models were developed. The first is it one-zone, single-infall model, the. Second is it one-zone, double-infall model and the third is a multizone, double-infall model. We show that a one-zone model with it single infall episode is able to reproduce some of the observational data, but the best results tire achieved using it multizone, double-infall model.

Modelling the warm H(2) infrared emission of the Helix nebula cometary knots

Molecular hydrogen emission is commonly observed in planetary nebulae. Images taken in infrared H(2) emission lines show that at least part of the molecular emission is produced inside the ionized region. In the best studied case, the Helix nebula, the H(2) emission is produced inside cometary knots (CKs), comet-shaped structures believed to be clumps of dense neutral gas embedded within the ionized gas. Most of the H(2) emission of the CKs seems to be produced in a thin layer between the ionized diffuse gas and the neutral material of the knot, in a mini-photodissociation region (mini-PDR). However, PDR models published so far cannot fully explain all the characteristics of the H(2) emission of the CKs. In this work, we use the photoionization code AANGABA to study the H(2) emission of the CKs, particularly that produced in the interface H(+)/H(0) of the knot, where a significant fraction of the H(2) 1-0 S(1) emission seems to be produced. Our results show that the production of molecular hydrogen in such a region may explain several characteristics of the observed emission, particularly the high excitation temperature of the H(2) infrared lines. We find that the temperature derived from H(2) observations, even of a single knot, will depend very strongly on the observed transitions, with much higher temperatures derived from excited levels. We also proposed that the separation between the H alpha and [N II] peak emission observed in the images of CKs may be an effect of the distance of the knot from the star, since for knots farther from the central star the [N II] line is produced closer to the border of the CK than H alpha.

Revisiting 2D numerical models for the 19th century outbursts of eta Carinae

We present here new results of two-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations of the eruptive events of the 1840s (the great) and the 1890s (the minor) eruptions suffered by the massive star eta Carinae (Car). The two bipolar nebulae commonly known as the Homunculus and the little Homunculus (LH) were formed from the interaction of these eruptive events with the underlying stellar wind. We assume here an interacting, non-spherical multiple-phase wind scenario to explain the shape and the kinematics of both Homunculi, but adopt a more realistic parametrization of the phases of the wind. During the 1890s eruptive event, the outflow speed decreased for a short period of time. This fact suggests that the LH is formed when the eruption ends, from the impact of the post-outburst eta Car wind (that follows the 1890s event) with the eruptive flow (rather than by the collision of the eruptive flow with the pre-outburst wind, as claimed in previous models; Gonzalez et al.). Our simulations reproduce quite well the shape and the observed expansion speed of the large Homunculus. The LH (which is embedded within the large Homunculus) becomes Rayleigh-Taylor unstable and develop filamentary structures that resemble the spatial features observed in the polar caps. In addition, we find that the interior cavity between the two Homunculi is partially filled by material that is expelled during the decades following the great eruption. This result may be connected with the observed double-shell structure in the polar lobes of the eta Car nebula. Finally, as in previous work, we find the formation of tenuous, equatorial, high-speed features that seem to be related to the observed equatorial skirt of eta Car.

Probing the 2D kinematic structure of early-type galaxies out to three effective radii

We detail an innovative new technique for measuring the two-dimensional (2D) velocity moments (rotation velocity, velocity dispersion and Gauss-Hermite coefficients h(3) and h(4)) of the stellar populations of galaxy haloes using spectra from Keck DEIMOS (Deep Imaging Multi-Object Spectrograph) multi-object spectroscopic observations. The data are used to reconstruct 2D rotation velocity maps. Here we present data for five nearby early-type galaxies to similar to three effective radii. We provide significant insights into the global kinematic structure of these galaxies, and challenge the accepted morphological classification in several cases. We show that between one and three effective radii the velocity dispersion declines very slowly, if at all, in all five galaxies. For the two galaxies with velocity dispersion profiles available from planetary nebulae data we find very good agreement with our stellar profiles. We find a variety of rotation profiles beyond one effective radius, i.e. rotation speed remaining constant, decreasing and increasing with radius. These results are of particular importance to studies which attempt to classify galaxies by their kinematic structure within one effective radius, such as the recent definition of fast- and slow-rotator classes by the Spectrographic Areal Unit for Research on Optical Nebulae project. Our data suggest that the rotator class may change when larger galactocentric radii are probed. This has important implications for dynamical modelling of early-type galaxies. The data from this study are available on-line.

Morfologia em alta resolução espacial de estrelas de tipo Mira e R Corenae Borealis

Mira and R Coronae Borealis (R CrB) variable stars are evolved objects surrounded by circumstellar envelopes (CSE) composed of the ejected stellar material. We present a detailed high-spatial resolution morfological study of the CSE of three stars: IRC+10216, the closest and more studied Carbon-Rich Mira; o Ceti, the prototype of the Mira class; and RY Sagitarii (RY Sgr), the brightest R CrB variable of the south hemisphere. JHKL near-infrared adaptive optics images of IRC+10216 with high dynamic range and Vband images with high angular resolution and high depth, collected with the VLT/NACO and VLT/FORS1 instruments, were analyzed. NACO images of o Ceti were also analyzed. Interferometric observations of RY Sgr collected with the VLTI/MIDI instrument allowed us to explore its CSE innermost regions (»20 40 mas). The CSE of IRC+10216 exhibit, in near-infrared, clumps with more complex relative displacements than proposed in previous studies. In V-band, the majority of the non-concentric shells, located in the outer CSE layers, seem to be composed of thinner elongated shells. In a global view, the morphological connection between the shells and the bipolar core of the nebulae, located in the outer layers, together with the clumps, located in the innermost regions, has a difficult interpretation. In the CSE of o Ceti, preliminar results would be indicating the presence of possible clumps. In the innermost regions (.110 UA) of the CSE of RY Sgr, two clouds were detected in different epochs, embedded in a variable gaussian envelope. Based on a rigorous verification, the first cloud was located at »100 R¤ (or »30 AU) from the centre, toward the east-north-east direction (modulo 180o) and the second one was almost at a perpendicular direction, having aproximately 2£ the distance of the first cloud. This study introduces new constraints to the mass-loss history of these kind of variables and to the morphology of their innermost CSE regions

The globular cluster kinematics and galaxy dark matter content of NGC 3923

This paper presents further results from our spectroscopic study of the globular cluster (GC) system of the group elliptical NGC 3923. From observations made with the GMOS instrument on the Gemini South Telescope, an additional 50 GC and ultra-compact dwarf (UCD) candidates have been spectroscopically confirmed as members of the NGC 3923 system. When the recessional velocities of these GCs are combined with the 29 GC velocities reported previously, a total sample of 79 GC/UCD velocities is produced. This sample extends to over 6 arcmin (>6 R-e similar to 30 kpc) from the centre of NGC 3923 and is used to study the dynamics of the GC system and the dark matter content of NGC 3923. It is found that the GC system of NGC 3923 displays no appreciable rotation, and that the projected velocity dispersion is constant with radius within the uncertainties. The velocity dispersion profiles of the integrated light and GC system of NGC 3923 are indistinguishable over the region in which they overlap. We find some evidence that the diffuse light and GCs of NGC 3923 have radially biased orbits within similar to 130 arcsec. The application of axisymmetric orbit-based models to the GC and integrated light velocity dispersion profiles demonstrates that a significant increase in the mass-to-light ratio (from M/L-V = 8 to 26) at large galactocentric radii is required to explain this observation. We therefore confirm the presence of a dark matter halo in NGC 3923. We find that dark matter comprises 17.5(-4.5)(+7.3) per cent of the mass within 1 R-e, 41.2(-10.6)(+18.2) per cent within 2 R-e and 75.6(-16.8)(+15.4) per cent within the radius of our last kinematic tracer at 6.9 R-e. The total dynamical mass within this radius is found to be 1.5(-0.25)(+0.4) x 10(12) M-circle dot. In common with other studies of large ellipticals, we find that our derived dynamical mass profile is consistently higher than that derived by X-ray observations, by a factor of around 2.

VVV DR1: The first data release of the Milky Way bulge and southern plane from the near-infrared ESO public survey VISTA variables in the Via Lactea

Context. The ESO public survey VISTA variables in the Via Lactea (VVV) started in 2010. VVV targets 562 sq. deg in the Galactic bulge and an adjacent plane region and is expected to run for about five years. Aims. We describe the progress of the survey observations in the first observing season, the observing strategy, and quality of the data obtained. Methods. The observations are carried out on the 4-m VISTA telescope in the ZYJHK(s) filters. In addition to the multi-band imaging the variability monitoring campaign in the K-s filter has started. Data reduction is carried out using the pipeline at the Cambridge Astronomical Survey Unit. The photometric and astrometric calibration is performed via the numerous 2MASS sources observed in each pointing. Results. The first data release contains the aperture photometry and astrometric catalogues for 348 individual pointings in the ZYJHK(s) filters taken in the 2010 observing season. The typical image quality is similar to 0 ''.9-1 ''.0. The stringent photometric and image quality requirements of the survey are satisfied in 100% of the JHK(s) images in the disk area and 90% of the JHK(s) images in the bulge area. The completeness in the Z and Y images is 84% in the disk, and 40% in the bulge. The first season catalogues contain 1.28 x 10(8) stellar sources in the bulge and 1.68 x 10(8) in the disk area detected in at least one of the photometric bands. The combined, multi-band catalogues contain more than 1.63 x 10(8) stellar sources. About 10% of these are double detections because of overlapping adjacent pointings. These overlapping multiple detections are used to characterise the quality of the data. The images in the JHK(s) bands extend typically similar to 4 mag deeper than 2MASS. The magnitude limit and photometric quality depend strongly on crowding in the inner Galactic regions. The astrometry for K-s = 15-18 mag has rms similar to 35-175 mas. Conclusions. The VVV Survey data products offer a unique dataset to map the stellar populations in the Galactic bulge and the adjacent plane and provide an exciting new tool for the study of the structure, content, and star-formation history of our Galaxy, as well as for investigations of the newly discovered star clusters, star-forming regions in the disk, high proper motion stars, asteroids, planetary nebulae, and other interesting objects.

Neutron Stars—Thermal Emitters

Confronting theoretical models with observations of thermal radiation emitted by neutron stars is one of the most important ways to understand the properties of both, superdense matter in the interiors of the neutron stars and dense magnetized plasmas in their outer layers. Here we review the theory of thermal emission from the surface layers of strongly magnetized neutron stars, and the main properties of the observational data. In particular, we focus on the nearby sources for which a clear thermal component has been detected, without being contaminated by other emission processes (magnetosphere, accretion, nebulae). We also discuss the applications of the modern theoretical models of the formation of spectra of strongly magnetized neutron stars to the observed thermally emitting objects.

Ultraluminous X-ray sources with the SKA

The discovery almost three decades ago of non-nuclear, point-like X-ray sources with X-ray luminosities LX ≥ 3 × 1039 erg s−1 revolutionized the physics of black hole accretion. If of stellar origin, such Ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) would have to accrete at super-Eddington rates in order to reach the observed high X-ray luminosities. Alternatively, ULXs could host sub-Eddington accreting intermediate-mass black holes, which are the long-time sought missing link between stellar and supermassive black holes and the possible seeds of the supermassive black holes that formed in the early Universe. The nature of ULXs can be better investigated in those cases for which a radio counterpart is detected. Radio observations of ULXs have revealed a wide variety of morphologies and source types, from compact and extended jets to radio nebulae and transient behaviours, providing the best observational evidence for the presence of an intermediate-mass black hole in some of them. The high sensitivity of the SKA will allow us to study the faintest ULX radio counterparts in the Local Universe as well as to detect new sources at much larger distances. It will thus perform a leap step in understanding ULXs, their accretion physics, and their possible role as seed black holes in supermassive black hole and galaxy growth.

Aristophanous Eutrapel?tatou K?m?idiai endeka = Aristophanis facetissimi Comoediae undecim ...

Ploutos = Plutus ; Nephelai = Nebulae ; Batrachoi = Ranae ; Ippeis = Equites ; Acharneis = Acharnes ... [y otras obras]

Observations de la grande nébuleuse d'Orion : faites à Cazan et à Poulkova /

Mode of access: Internet.