Engineering topics

Rengarajan, T. N.

Publications and source records attributed to Rengarajan, T. N..

14 records

NASA NTRS1994

An assessment of image reconstruction from balloon-borne and the IRAS data

Angular resolution and structural information from the far-infrared mapping of astronomical sources (Galactic star forming regions, spiral galaxies, etc.) made using the TIFR 1 m balloon-borne telescope and the IRAS have been compared. The effective wavelengths of the TIFR two-band photometer are 58 and 150 microns. From IRAS, the survey COADD data, additional observations (AO's) made with the survey detectors with different Macros (DPS, DSD, DPM), as well as the chopped photometric channel (CPC) data have been considered here. The observed signals have been processed using different deconvolution strategies, either based on a maximum entropy method (MEM) developed at TIFR or the HiRes package developed at IPAC. Relative merits of each of these, under different conditions of signal to noise ratio, are highlighted. The following sources have been selected for illustration: Carina complex, W31 region, IRAS 10361-5830 (all Galactic), M101 and M81 (extragalactic). The main conclusions are: far-infrared maps from MEM deconvolution of balloon-borne data have the best angular resolution; MEM deconvolution of IRAS AO's gives resolution comparable to HiRes but with less amount of computation, though the dynamic range in MEM maps is less than in HiRes maps.

Ghosh, S. K.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Far-infrared observations of Circinus and NGC 4945 galaxies

Circinus and NGC 4945 are two galaxies luminous in the infrared and are characterized by compact non thermal radio nuclei, deep silicate absorption features and unusually strong water vapor maser luminosities. Moorwood and Glass (1984) have observed these galaxies extensively in the 1 to 20 micron range. In the far-infrared, observations up to 100 microns are available from the Infrared Astronomy Satellite (IRAS). In order to study the cool dust component of these galaxies, researchers observed them at 150 microns using the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) 100 cm balloon-borne telescope. Here, they report observations along with deconvolved maps at 50 and 100 microns obtained from the Chopped Photometric Channel (CPC) on board IRAS.

Bisht, R. S.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Radio continuum and far-infrared emission of spiral galaxies: Implications of correlations

Researchers present a study extending the correlation seen between radio continuum and far-infrared emissions from spiral galaxies to a lower frequency of 408 MHz and also as a function of radio spectral index. The tight correlation seen between the two luminosities is then used to constrain several parameters governing the emissions such as the changes in star formation rate and mass function, frequency of supernovae that are parents of the interstellar electrons and factors governing synchrotron radio emission.

Rengarajan, T. N.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Dust in a few southern H II regions

The property of dust in four southern H II region/molecular cloud complexes (RCW 108, RCW 57, RCW 122, and G351.6-1.3) was discussed. These regions were observed at an effective wavelength of 150 micron using TIFR balloon borne 1 m telescope and deconvolved maps with a resolution of 1 min were obtained. The data were combined with other available data to derive the properties of the infrared emitting dust in these regions.

Ghosh, Swarna Kanti↗

NASA NTRS1989

Distribution of dust in W31 complex

W31 is a H II region/molecular cloud complex in the galactic plane at a distance of 6 Kpc. This complex consists of two prominent radio continuum sources (G10.2-0.3 and G10.3-0.1) representing H II regions. An extended region covering both these H II regions was mapped in the Far IR (FIR) using the TIFR 1 m balloon-borne telescope with an angular resolution of approx. 1 min and a dynamic range of 100. The resulting flux density distribution at an effective wavelength of 160 microns is presented. The coadded IRAS survey scan data at 60 and 100 microns were deconvolved using a maximum entropy method to generate the flux density maps of the same region. These 60 and 100 micron maps are given and are briefly discussed.

Ghosh, Swarna Kanti↗

NASA NTRS1989

Type of silicate feature in oxygen rich stellar envelopes

In many astronomical studies, the emissivity function derived from the Trapezium emission feature has been used. A statistical study of a large sample of objects is described that deals with the applicability of this function (hereafter TR). For comparison, another emissivity function derived for lunar silicate (LS) sample 14321 was used which has a maximum at 10.2 microns instead of at 9.7 microns as for TR. The IRAS low resolution spectra sources classified as 7n was used which has a silicate absorption feature without any atomic line emission. Most of these sources are likely to be oxygen rich stellar envelopes or hotspots in molecular clouds. The central source as assumed to emit a Plankian spectrum characterized by a temperature (t) and an absorbing envelope with an emissivity dependence of type TR or LS. Values of t and tau, the absorption optical depth were obtained by minimizing chi(exp 2) between the observed and fitted spectra in the 7 to 13 micron range. Values of reduced chi(exp 2) were obtained by taking the noise listed in the LRS Catalog as standard deviation. The tau values obtained correspond to 9.7 microns for TR and 10.2 for LS.

Iyengar, K. V. K.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Multiband far-infrared observations of the NGC 6334 complex

Multiband far-infrared (20-155 microns) observations of the large H II region/molecular cloud complex NGC 6334 are presented. The observations were performed simultaneously in four bands with effective wavelengths 21, 42, 71, and 134 microns. Eight far-infrared sources were detected which cover the range from sources with little of no continuum radio emission to well-developed H II regions. Maps of dust temperature and far-infrared optical depth of the complex are presented which reveal large-scale variations in the color temperature and optical depth. Star formation in the complex is discussed and it is concluded that a Rayleigh-Taylor instability generated by the gravitational attraction of the galactic plane can explain the regular separation of the far-IR sources.

Loughran, L.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Far-infrared spectrum of IRC + 10216

Far-infrared observations of IRC + 10216 in the wavelength range 20-160 microns are presented. The observations were performed simultaneously in four bands with effective wavelengths of 21, 42, 73, and 135 microns, respectively. The scan profile across the source at 21 microns is found to be wider than that for a point source. Interpreting the far-infrared spectrum on the basis of a model in which circumstellar grains are heated by a central source, the radial density dependence is r exp -2, and the emissivity dependence is lambda exp -n, it is found that n = 1-1.2. Time variations of a smaller magnitude at longer wavelengths as compared to the variation at near-infrared wavelengths can also be understood on the basis of this model. Using the mass-loss rate derived from CO observations, the mass absorption coefficient of the grains at 100 microns is found to be not less than 40/sq cm g.

Rengarajan, T. N.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Far-infrared observations of two southern H II regions - RCW 122 and G 351.6-1.3

The luminosities in excess of 1,000,000 solar luminosities obtained in the present 1-arcmin resolution mapping of the two southern H II regions RCW 122 and G 351.6-1.3 requires the presence of OB star clusters. A luminosity/unit mass of the associated cloud of about 6 solar luminosities/solar mass is obtained by combining near-IR, far-IR, and CO-emission properties for RCW 122, and it is determined that the emitting dust grains are amorphous silicate-like. G 351.6-1.3 has very similar properties, although the fraction of 1-25 micron luminosity corrected for silicate absorption is about five times less than for RCW 122.

Mcbreen, B.↗

NASA NTRS1984

An estimate of star formation efficiency in molecular clouds

From the existing data in the literature it is shown that there is a linear correlation between cloud mass derived from CO observations and the associated luminosity obtained from far-IR observations over a large luminosity range of 10 to the 4th to 10 to the 8th solar luminosities. The mean value of luminosity per unit mass for a giant molecular cloud is 5.6 solar-L/solar-M. The star-forming efficiency of the molecular cloud over its lifetime of 5-10 x 10 to the 7th yr is found to be 0.2-0.3, which yields the present star-forming rate of 6-11 solar masses per year. Furthermore, the integral luminosity distribution is a power-law with an exponent of about -0.5. The correlation between cloud mass and the far-IR luminosity observed for a sample of nuclei of external galaxies corresponds to molecular clouds similar to those in the Galaxy.

Rengarajan, T. N.↗

NASA NTRS1984

High-resolution far-infrared observations of the extended W51 complex

A far-IR map with 1 arcmin resolution was obtained of the W51 H II region molecular cloud complex. The 40-120 microns survey was performed to study embedded sources which excite the H II gas. The far-IR emission distribution overlapped radio emissions from the region, implying that the extended dust clouds were heated by the same sources as the H II regions. Four compact sources were characterized and associated with concentrations of luminosities that suggested a scarcity of low-mass stars. The brightest source, labeled W51-I, has a luminosity/mass ratio of 150, high enough to indicate a burst of massive O star formation. No triggering mechanism was identified for the burst of star formation.

Rengarajan, T. N.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Far-infrared and CO observations of the W33 complex

The giant H II region W33 is a strong radio continuum source. However, it has received little attention compared to the nearby M17 region. The present investigation is concerned with the results of 1 min resolution far-infrared (far-IR) and CO observations of the W33 region. The complex has been resolved into several components at the far-IR wavelengths, and information has been obtained regarding spectral characteristics in the range from 20 to 250 microns. An examination is conducted of the nature of the individual W33 sources and their relationship to the radio sources and the molecular clouds. Particular attention is given to the nature of the unusual source W33 A which has a very high ratio of far-IR to radio luminosity.

Stier, M. T.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Age-rotation relationship for late-type main-sequence stars

With advancing spectral type and increasing age, late main-sequence stars exhibit monotonic decrease in rotational velocity. It is of great interest to extend the rotation-age relationship to stars of later spectral type. In recent times it has become possible to measure directly the rotational periods from the photometric modulation by Ca II H and K line emission. There have also been successful attempts to relate the chromospheric activity as manifested through Ca II H and K lines to the rotation period, and it was shown that the fraction of total stellar luminosity in Ca II H and K lines, corrected for photospheric contribution, is a function of a single parameter related to P and B-V. In the present investigation, this rotation-activity relation is utilized to infer the rotation periods as a function of spectral type. The period versus B-V plot is employed as a basis to infer that the rotational period of main-sequence stars is a single-valued function of mass (B-V color) and age.

Rengarajan, T. N.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Far-infrared sources in the vicinity of the supernova remnant W28

The W28 supernova remnant molecular cloud complex has been surveyed in the 40-250 micron spectral range with a three-sigma sensitivity of 100-165 Jy per beam. Only two sources have been found. One, located near the center of the SNR, has a luminosity of 54,000 solar luminosities and can be identified with the thermal radio source G6.6-0.1. The energizing source is probably an O-type ZAMS star. The second source, which is near the boundary of the SNR at a sharp gradient of OH absorption, has a luminosity of 6000 solar luminosities and has no radio counterpart. It is best explained as a B1 ZAMS star or a pre-main sequence object presumably formed from the impact of an expanding SNR with a molecular cloud. No far-IR emission is observed at the position of the CO molecular cloud, which seems to have been impacted by the SNR.

Odenwald, S. F.↗