Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Baum, William A..
We report the unambiguous detection of individually resolved stars in the elliptical galaxy NGC 3379, a luminous member of the Leo I Group.
We present high-resolution, V band images of the central regions of the brightest cluster ellipticals NGC 3311 and NGC 7768 taken with the Planetary Camera of the Hubble Space Telescope. The nuclei of both galaxies are found to be obscured by dust, though the morphology of the dust is quite different in the two cases. The dust cloud which obscures the central 3 arcsec of NGC 3311 is complex and irregular, while the central region of NGC 7768 contains a disk of material similar in appearance and scale to that recently observed in HST images of NGC 4261. The bright, relatively blue source detected in ground-based studies of NGC 3311 is marginally resolved and is likely to be a site of ongoing star formation. We examine the distribution of globular clusters in the central regions of NGC 3311. The gradient in the surface density profile of the cluster system is significantly shallower than that found by previous investigators at larger radii. We find a core radius for the cluster distribution of 12 plus or minus 3 kpc, which is even larger than the core radius of the globular cluster system surrounding M87. It is also an order of magnitude larger than the upper limit on the core radius of NGC 3311's stellar light and suggests that the central field-star population and the globular cluster system are dynamically distinct. We briefly discuss possible sources for the cold/warm interstellar material in early-type galaxies. While the issue has not been resolved, models which involve galactic wind failure appear to be mo st naturally consistent with the observations.
We have observed a field in Baade's Window using the Wide Field Camera (WFC) of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and obtain V- and I-band photometry down to V approximately 22.5. These data go several magnitudes fainter than previously obtained from the ground. The location of the break in the luminosity function suggests that there are a significant number of intermediate age (less than 10 Gyr) stars in the Galactic bulge. This conclusion rests on the assumptions that the extinction towards our field is similar to that seen in other parts of Baade's Window, that the distance to the bulge is approximately 8 kpc, and that we can determine fairly accurate zero points for the HST photometry. Changes in any one of these assumptions could increase the inferred age, but a conspiracy of lower reddening, a shorter distance to the bulge, and/or photometric zero-point errors would be needed to imply a population entirely older than 10 Gyr. We infer an initial mass function slope for the main-sequence stars, and find that it is consistent with that measured in the solar neighborhood; unfortunately, the slope is poorly constrained because we sample only a narrow range of stellar mass and because of uncertainties in the observed luminosity function at the faint end.
This paper is the first of a series presenting observations of gravitational lenses and lens candidates, taken with the Wide Field/Planetary Camera of the HST. We have resolved the gravitational lens system PG 1115+080 into four point sources and a red, extended object that is presumably the lens galaxy; we present accurate relative intensities, colors, and positions of the four images, and lower accuracy intensity and position of the lens galaxy, all at the epoch 1991.2. Comparison with earlier data shows no compelling evidence for relative intensity variations between the QSO components having so far been observed. The new data agree with earlier conclusions that the system is rather simple, and can be produced by the single observed galaxy. The absence of asymmetry in the HST images implies that the emitting region of the quasar itself has an angular radius smaller than about 10 milliarcsec (100 pc for H0 = 50, q0 = 0.5).
HST Planetary Camera images obtained in the V and I band for M31 show its inner nucleus to consist of two components that are separated by 0.49 arcsec. The nuclear component with lower surface brightness closely coincides with the bulge photocenter and is argued to be at the kinematic center of the galaxy. It is surmised that, if dust absorption generates the asymmetric nuclear morphology observed, the dust grain size must either be exceptionally large, or the dust optical depth must be extremely high; the higher surface-brightness and off-center nuclear component may alternatively be a separate stellar system.
Ground-based CCD observations have been made simulating the photometric properties of the Wide Field/Planetary Camera (WF/PC) of the Hubble Space Telescope. This paper gives results in 15 of the most important WF/PC passbands for two fields chosen to provide efficient in-flight calibration of the WF/PC. These calibration fields are located in the outskirts of the globular clusters Omega Cen and NGC 6752.
The HST recorded 150 images of the September 1990 equatorial eruption on Saturn in six passbands; four of the passbands were selected for photometric analysis, and the images are compared with those obtained before the onset of the disturbance and those from a time when no indication of the disturbance remained. Using deconvolved images from all three observational epochs, measurements were conducted of reflectivities of the disk along parallels of latitude as a function of longitudinal distance from the central meridian, as well as along the central meridian, as a function of latitude from zero to 90 deg.
CCD observations of cometary comas in the spectral continuum are reported. Radial brightness profiles of 14 comets and isophotal maps of three are presented. For 10 of the 14, the azimuthally averaged brightness in the vicinity of the nucleus falls off faster than rho exp -1, where rho is the projected radial distance from the nucleus in the plane of the sky. Simple modeling is used to show that radiation pressure alone cannot account for the observed departures from rho exp -1; it is postulated that the grains fade, i.e., decrease in albedo or size, while they glow outward. For only three of the comets no evidence was found of any grain fading at all. Cases with the most rapid grain fading occurred at small heliocentric distances, but so did some of the cases with no fading, from which large intrinsic differences from comet to comet in the nature of the grain population are inferred.
The discovery of a population of bright blue pointlike sources within 5 kpc of the nucleus of NGC 1275 using HST Planetary Camera observations is reported. The typical object has MV of about -12 to -14. They are all blue, with V - R of less than about 0.3. The color distribution and lack of excess H-alpha emission are consistent with nearly all being continuum sources. Many sources are unresolved even with the HST and consequently have sizes of less than about 15 pc. It is suggested that these are young star clusters that will evolve to look like globular clusters. They are bluer than any clusters seen in the Milky Way or M87, and brighter than the blue clusters seen in the LMC. Ages of several hundred million years or less and corresponding masses of 10 exp 5 - 10 exp 8 solar masses are derived.
Results are presented of an analysis of V- and I-band HST Planetary Camera images of the giant elliptical galaxy M87 which show that its central starlight distribution is consistent with the black hole 2.6 x 10 exp 9-solar-mass cup model proposed for M87 by Young et al. (1978). A combined approach of image deconvolution and modeling is used to investigate the starlight distribution into limiting radii of about 0.04 arcsec. The central structure of M87 is described by three components: a power-law starlight profile of the form mu(r) varies as r exp -1/4 for r of less than 3 arcsec, a central nonthermal point source, and optical counterparts of the jet knots N1 and M identified by VLBI observations.
A brief analysis is presented of images of the nearby S0 galaxy NGC 7457 obtained with the HST Planetary Camera. While the galaxy remains unresolved with the HST, the images reveal that any core most likely has r(c) less than 0.052 arcsec. The light distribution is consistent with a gamma = -1.0 power law inward to the resolution limit, with a possible stellar nucleus with luminosity of 10 million solar. This result represents the first observation outside the Local Group of a galaxy nucleus at this spatial resolution, and it suggests that such small, high surface brightness cores may be common.
It is shown here that, despite the severe spherical aberration present in the HST, the Wide Field/Planetary Camera (WFPC) images still present useful high-resolution information on M15, the classic candidate for a cluster with a collapsed core. The stars in M15 have been resolved down to the main-sequence turnoff and have been subtracted from the images. The remaining faint, unresolved stars form a diffuse background with a surprisingly large core with r(c) = 0.13 pc. The existence of a large core interior to the power-law cusp may imply that M15 has evolved well past maximum core collapse and may rule out the presence of a massive central black hole as well.
This paper describes the observation and analysis of field stars, undertaken as a step toward understanding the photometric properties of the filters and CCDs aboard the Wide-Field/Planetary Camera of the Hubble Space Telescope. Ground-based CCD observations have been made simulating 15 of the most important WF/PC passbands. Data are presented here for an equatorial network of stars including many UBVRI standards and some spectrophotometric standards. They serve to establish a photometric system that will be used in the calibration of in-flight data and that is useful for the calibration of other ground-based data. Transformations between WF/PC and other photometric systems are discussed, as well as the effects of interstellar absorption and atmospheric extinction on data in the WF/PC system. Synthetic photometry has been used as an aid in the data analysis and is described.
Scientific goals include a better determination of the basic physical characteristics of cometary nuclei, a more complete understanding of the complex processes in the comae, a survey of abundances and gas/dust ratios in a large number of comets, and measurement of primordial (12)C/(13)C and (14)N/(15)N ratios. The program also includes the observation of Pluto-Charon mutual eclipses to derive dimensions. Reduction and analysis of extensive narrowband photometry of Comet Halley from Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, Perth Observatory, Lowell Observatory, and Mauna Kea Observatory were completed. It was shown that the 7.4-day periodicity in the activity of Comet Halley was present from late February through at least early June 1986, but there is no conclusive evidence of periodic variability in the preperihelion data. Greatly improved NH scalelengths and lifetimes were derived from the Halley data which lead to the conclusion that the abundance of NH in comets is much higher than previously believed. Simultaneous optical and thermal infrared observations were obtained of Comet P/Temple 2 using the MKO 2.2 m telescope and the NASA IRTF. Preliminary analysis of these observations shows that the comet's nucleus is highly elongated, very dark, and quite red.