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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 235 records · Page 13
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NASA NTRS1990

Measurements of the methane relaxation times for application to the infrared emission models of the upper atmospheres of outer planets and Titan

The 7.8 micrometer emission from the nu(sub 4) band of methane (CH4) is a regularly observed feature in the stratosphere of all the giant planets and Titan. On Jupiter, enhancements in this emission are associated with the infrared hot spots in the auroral zone. Attempts to model this phenomenon in particular, and to understand the role of methane in general, have been hampered in part by a lack of adequate laboratory measurements of the collisional relaxation times for the nu(sub 3) and nu(sub 4) levels over the appropriate temperature range. To provide this needed data, a series of laboratory experiments were initiated. In the experimental arrangement the nu(sub3) band of methane is pumped at 3.3 micrometers using a pulsed infrared source (Nd:YAG/dye laser system equipped with a wave-length extender). The radiative lifetime of the nu(sub 3) level (approximately 37 ms) is much shorter than the nu(sub 4) lifetime (approximately 390 ms); however, a rapid V-V energy transfer rate ensures that the nu(sub 4) level is substantially populated. The photoacoustic technique is used to acquire relaxation rate information. The experiments are performed using a low-temperature, low-pressure cell. Experimental apparatus and technique are described. In addition some of the experimental difficulties associated with making these measurements are discussed and some preliminary results are presented.

Halthore, Rangasayi N.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Search for interstellar methane

Researchers searched for interstellar methane in the spectra of infrared sources embedded in molecular clouds. New observations of several lines of the P and R branches of the nu 3 band of CH4 near 3.3 microns give column densities in the range N less than 1(-2) times 10 to the minus 16th power cm(-2). Resulting abundance ratios are (CH4)/(CO) less than 3.3 times 10 to the minus 2nd power toward GL961 in NGC 2244 and less than 2.4 times 10 to the minus 3rd power toward GL989 in the NGC 2264 molecular cloud. The limits, and those determined in earlier observations of BN in Orion and GL490, suggest that there is little methane in molecular clouds. The result agrees with predictions of chemical models. Exceptions could occur in clouds where oxygen may be depleted, for example by H2O freezing on grains. The present observations probably did not sample such regions.

Knacke, R. F.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Interstellar absorption lines toward NGC 2264 and AFGL 2591 - Abundances of H2, H3(+), and CO

Interstellar absorption-line spectroscopy of NGC 2264 is reported which shows that the CO molecule has a column density of 5 x 10 to the 18th/sq cm and a rotational excitation temperature of 28 K. A direct upper limit on the H2 column density implies that at least 6 percent of a solar carbon abundance is in the form of CO. The upper limit on the H3(+) abundance implies that the cosmic-ray ionization rate is of the order of 10 to the -16th/s or less. The H3(+) upper limit, together with a previous radio detection of H2D(+) emission, implies either an enormous overabundance of the deuterated molecule or else that most of the radio emission comes from clouds not located directly between use and the infrared source. Observations of the sources AFGL 2591 and NGC 2024 IRS2 indicate that upper limits on H3(+) imply cosmic ray ionization rates of less than 3 and 60 x 10 to the -17th/s, respectively.

Black, John H.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Global star formation in the L1630 molecular cloud

This paper presents the preliminary results of a study of star formation in the L1630 molecular cloud. An unbiased well sampled systematic CS (2 to 1) survey for density condensations and a 2.2-micron survey for embedded infrared sources in L1630 have been completed. These surveys have provided a complete census of the dense cores and young stellar objects within this molecular cloud. As a result, four embedded stellar clusters have been identified in this cloud. These clusters are located near the most massive CS cores implying that the most active sites of star formation are located within the most massive dense cores.

Lada, Elizabeth A.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Changing environments of pre-main-sequence stars and their effect on the 3 microns ice feature

Three micron spectra of three premain-sequence stellar objects are presented. The heavily embedded infrared source HH100-IR, and two optically visible stars that apparently power the Herbig-Haro objects HH52, 53, 54, and HH57, are likely to represent different stages during early stellar evolution. The medium-resolution spectra of HH100-IR confirm the existence of a very strong ice band absorption (optical depth 0.8-1.2 at 3.07 microns) discovered by Whittet & Blades MNRAS, 191, 309 (1980) with lower resolution. Each of the visible stars shows a weaker (optical depth 0.2-0.4) water-ice feature but with a relatively prominent absorption dip at 2.97 microns which it is believed is due to ammonia ice. A detailed inspection of the line profiles suggests that the environment around the optically visible stars is significantly warmer (about 100 K) than that around HH100-IR (about 10-20 K) and that processing of remnant circumstellar dust is already underway.

Graham, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Broad-Area Laser Diode With Fiber-Optic Injection

Fiber-optic injection-locked broad-area laser diode features single-mode output via fiber-optic injection and serves as compact, rugged, high-power near-infrared source. Useful in free-space and fiber-optic communication links, as communication-receiver preamplifier, and pump source for solid-state lasers.

Hazel, Geoffrey↗
NASA NTRS1992

Measurement of CO overtone line profiles in SVS 13

High-resolution spectra of the CO overtone emission in the infrared source SVS 13 are obtained and the individual vibration-rotation lines are resolved for the first time in a young stellar object. The observed FWHM velocity of the lines in the v = 2-0 band is 40 km/s. A fit of the v = 2-0 band head with a single temperature LTE slab model yields an optical depth of 0.3 in the R(51) line and a rotational temperature of about 3500 K. Given the best estimates for the orientation of the SVS 13 outflow, the observed line widths are much smaller than expected for either of the two most favored interpretations for the CO emission: a circumstellar disk or a high-velocity neutral wind.

Carr, John S.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Mid-infrared imaging of Orion BN/KL - Astrometry of IRc2 and the SiO maser

Array images of Orion BN/KL at nine midinfrared (5-20 microns) wavelengths have revealed a subarcsecond structure near IRc2 which provides new constraints on the relationship between IRc2 and the Orion SiO maser. The infrared source positions have been improved, and IRc2 is found to be displaced 0.8 +/- 0.2 arcsec (at least 400 AU) from the SiO maser, an order of magnitude greater than the separation assumed in the current maser model. The SiO maser and the IRc2 midinfrared source may be physically independent objects. There are indications that IRc2 is eroded on the south side adjacent to the SiO/H2O maser cluster, suggesting that another luminous object near IRc2, most likely a stellar object associated with radio continuum point source 'I', is the host for the Orion SiO maser.

Gezari, Daniel Y.↗
NASA NTRS1993

H II regions in the dwarf galaxy UGC-A 86

The uncertain nature of the dwarf irregular galaxy UGC-A 86 (VIIZw009) makes it a very interesting object for studying star formation at the low end of the galaxy luminosity function. Saha and Hoessel (1991) find that this object is composed of two main parts, one of which appears more resolved than the other. The more resolved component has an excess of blue stars, suggesting that it is currently undergoing star formation. Thus, they argue that UGC-A 86 could be either a superposition of unrelated galaxies, two interacting galaxies, or a single galaxy. However, surface photometry performed by Richter et al. (1991) indicates that it is a single galaxy with an exponential luminosity profile. Richter et al. also find UGC-A 86 to be extremely dusty and to be associated with the infrared source IRAS 3550+6657. The uncertainty is compounded by the large ambiguity in the distance, though a heliocentric H1 velocity of 80 plus or minus 7 km s(sup -1) suggests that it is either a member of the Local Group or perhaps the IC 342 group. A distance of 1.5 Mpc and a reddening of E(B - V) = 0.65 is adopted. UGC-A 86 in H-alpha was observed in order to measure its current star formation rate. This is part of a larger project to study the star formation rates and histories of a complete sample of dwarf galaxies in the Local Group and other nearby groups. The H region luminosity function and size distribution for UGC-A 86 are presented and compared with previous observations of similar dwarf galaxies.

Miller, Bryan W.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Herbig-Haro objects in the receding lobe of the L 1551 outflow

A spectrum has been obtained of two Herbig-Haro objects which are seen against the receding lobe of the bipolar outflow within the dark cloud Lynds 1551. Positive heliocentric velocities up to 90 km/s have been measured from the H-alpha line which point to an association of these emission knots with the embedded infrared source L 1551-IRS 5 rather than with other young stellar objects in this part of the sky. There is a velocity range of 50-100 km/s within each object. (S II) lambda 6716 is also detected at a strength of about 50 pct of H-alpha. Along the entire length of the slit there is broad H-alpha emission with strength about four times that normally seen in emission from the night sky. This feature partially resolves into two components, one of which we suggest is from the general Galactic field, and the other from extended bow-shock emission.

Graham, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS1993

A flattened cloud core in NGC 2024

The (J, K) (1, 1) and (2, 2) NH3 lines were mapped toward a molecular cloud core in NGC 2024 using the VLA in its C/D-configuration. This region is associated with one of the most highly collimated molecular outflows. We find that the molecular condensations associated with the far-infrared sources FIR 5, FIR 6, and FIR 7 have kinetic temperatures of about 40 K. We also find line broadening toward FIR 6 and FIR 7. This suggests that these condensations may not be protostars heated by gravitational energy released during collapse but that they have an internal heating source. A flattened structure of ammonia emission is found extending parallel to the unipolar CO outflow structure, but displaced systematically to the east. If the NH3 emission traces the denser gas environment, there is no evidence that a dense gas structure is confining the molecular outflow. Instead, the location of the high-velocity outflow along the surface of the NH3 structure suggests that a wind is sweeping material from the surface of this elongated cloud core.

Ho, Paul T. P.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Hubble Space Telescope observations of the galactic center region at 1.02 micron

We present HST observations of the galactic center region using the Planetary Camera with the F1042M filter at an effective wavelength of 1.02 micron. We detect several infrared sources seen at this wavelength before but with angular resolution better than previous observations. Our data reveal the source GZ A which was first seen by Rosa et al. (1992) at 1 micron. However, our astrometry identifies this source as IRS 16C, not Sgr A*. We marginally detect an object at 2- to 3-sigma, coincident with the position of Sgr A* to within 0.2 arcsec. This object has unphysical continuum colors which are bluer than an infinite temperature blackbody. If the source is real and associated with Sgr A*, 1 micron line emission is a possible explanation. The possibility of this object being a foreground star or an HST artifact cannot be ruled out.

Liu, T.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Near infrared and optical spectroscopy of FSC10214+4724

New infrared and optical spectroscopic observations, obtained with the W.M. Keck Telescope, are reported for the highly luminous infrared source FSC10214+4724. The rest frame optical spectrum shows new emission lines of (NeIII, (NeV), (OI), (OII), (SII), and He(+) while the rest frame ultraviolet spectrum shows new lines of OIV+SiIV, NII, NIV, SiII, NeIV and possibly NII and (NeIII), as well as clearly showing the L alpha is self-absorbed. The emission line spectrum is most characteristic of a Seyfert 2 nucleus. The preponderance of spectroscopic evidence strengthens the case of a dust enshrouded AGN powering much or most of the observed luminosity. The various spectral lines lead to a wide range in the inferred reddening and ionization parameter for this system, suggesting that we are viewing several environments through differing extinctions.

Soifer, B. T.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Spectroscopic detection of molecular hydrogen frozen in interstellar ices

A weak infrared absorption feature near 4141 wavenumbers (2.415 micrometers) in the spectrum of WL5, an infrared source in the rho Ophiuchus cloud complex, has been detected. It is attributed to molecular hydrogen created by irradiation and frozen in situ into water-rich ices. A second, broader absorption at 4125 wavenumbers centimeters (2.424 micrometers) is probably due to methanol in the ices. The column densities of frozen molecular hydrogen and methanol are inferred to be about 2.5 x 10(exp 18) and 3.0 x 10(exp 19), respectively. There is about three times more frozen molecular hydrogen than frozen carbon monoxide along this line of sight.

Sandford, Scott A.↗
NASA NTRS1990

The nature of interstellar/pre-cometary dust

During the past 15 years considerable progress in observational techniques has been achieved in the middle-infrared region (5000-500/cm, 2-20 microns), the region where most diagnostic molecular vibrations occur. Spectra of many different astronomical infrared sources, some deeply embedded in dark molecular clouds and others obscured only by dust in the diffuse interstellar medium are now available. These spectra provide a powerful probe, not only for the identification of interstellar molecules in both the gas and solid phases, but also of the physical and chemical conditions which prevail in these two very different domains. By comparing these spectra with laboratory spectra one can determine the composition and abundance of the icy material frozen on the cold (- 10K) dust in the dark interior of molecular clouds and of the hydrocarbon component of dust in the diffuse interstellar medium. As these are the building blocks of comets, the work described here also gives insight into the nature of comets.

Allamandola, Louis↗
NASA NTRS1994

Early stellar evolution

Research into the formation and early evolution of stars is currently an area of great interest and activity. The theoretical and observational foundations for this development are reviewed in this paper. By now, the basic physics governing cloud collapse is well understood, as is the structure of the resulting protostars. However, the theory predicts protostellar luminosities that are greater than those of most infrared sources. Observationally, it is thought that protostars emit powerful winds that push away remnant cloud gas, but both the origin of these winds and the nature of their interaction with ambient gas are controversial. Finally, the theory of pre-main-sequence stars has been modified to incorporate more realistic initial conditions. This improvement helps to explain the distribution of such stars in the H-R diagram. Many important issues, such as the origin of binary stars and stellar clusters, remain as challenges for future research.

Stahler, Steven W.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Molecular abundances and low-mass star formation. 1: Si- and S-bearing species toward IRAS 16293-2422

Results from millimeter and submillimeter spectral line surveys of the protobinary source Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) 16293-2422 are presented. Here we outline the abundances of silicon- and sulfur-containing species. A combination of rotation diagram and full statistical equilibrium/radiative transfer calculations is used to constrain the physical conditions toward IRAS 16293 and to construct its beam-averaged chemical composition over a 10 to 20 sec (1600 to 3200 AU) scale. The chemical complexity as judged by species such as SiO, OCS, and H2S, is intermediate between that of dark molecular clouds such as L134N and hot molecular cloud cores such as Orion KL. From the richness of the spectra compared to other young stellar objects of similar luminosity, it is clear that molecular abundances do not scale simply with mass; rather, the chemistry is a strong function of evolutionary state, i.e., age.

Blake, Geoffrey A.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Detection of absorption by H2 in molecular clouds: A direct measurement of the H2:CO ratio

Vibrational absorption by H2 and CO has been searched for toward infrared sources embedded in molecular clouds. H2 was detected toward NGC 2024 IRS 2 and possibly toward NGC 2264 (GL 989). CO was detected toward both sources. The results are consistent with the H2 ortho:para ratio being equilibrated at the cloud temperature. Toward NGC 2024, H2:CO = (3700(sub -2600)(sup +3100)) (2 sigma limits), and toward NGC 2264, H2:CO less than 6000. Approximately one-third of all carbon is in gas-phase CO.

Lacy, J. H.↗