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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 415 records · Page 23
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NASA NTRS1988

X-ray heated winds in Seyfert galaxies

Recent observational work has shown that Type 2 Seyfert galaxies contain Type 1 nuclei. These are hidden from direct view by obscuring material of toroidal geometry, but are revealed by scattering off asymmetrically distributed warm electrons which gives the light net polarization. Warm, ionized gas of the right temperature and optical depth to match the observations is exactly what would be expected due to evaporation of material from the inner edge of the obscuring torus by the nuclear UV and X-ray continuum. In addition to revealing the nucleus by scattering, this warm gas also produces strong X-ray Fe K features.

Krolik, Julian H.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Spectral synthesis in the ultraviolet. II - Stellar populations and star formation in blue compact galaxies

An initial attempt to apply optimizing spectral synthesis techniques to the far-UV spectra of blue compact galaxies (BCGs) is presented. The far-UV absorption-line spectra of the galaxies are clearly composite, with the signatures of the main-sequence types between O3 and mid-A. Most of the low-ionization absorption lines have a stellar origin. The Si IV and C IV features in several objects have P Cygni profiles. In Haro I the strength of Si IV indicates a significant blue supergiant population. The metal-poor blue compact dwarf Mrk 209 displays weak absorption lines, evidence that the stellar component has the same low metallicity as observed in the ionized gas. Good fits to the data are obtained the technique of optimizing population synthesis. The solutions yield stellar luminosity functions which display large discontinuities, indicative of discrete star formation episodes or bursts. The amount of UV extinction is low.

Fanelli, Michael N.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Spectroscopic images of NGC 7027 in the near-infrared dust emission features

Isophote maps derived from spatially resolved moderate spectral resolution images of the planetary nebula NGC 7027 in the 3.28-micron and 3.4-micron 'unidentified' emission features, and in the Br-alpha hydrogen recombination line are presented. Comparison of these images clearly shows that the 3.28-micron emission is spatially more extended than the ionized gas. Analysis and modeling of the spatial distribution of the 3.28-micron feature strength suggest that roughly equal amounts of feature emission appear to come from within the H II region and from a shell outside the H II region. The spatial distribution of the 3.4-micron feature emission is found to be similar to that of the 3.28-micron feature emission.

Woodward, C. E.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Plasma flow processes within magnetic nozzle configurations

An attempt is made to separate the interactive processes occurring in electromagnetic devices and to examine the acceleration of ionized gas within magnetic fields which can guide it through an expansion process. The plasma was generated in a single turn coil 50 cm long with a radius of 5.25 cm which surrounded a quartz tube with an internal radius of 3.81 cm and a length of 100 cm. Choking was found to occur at both sonic and cusp velocities which were coincident in the present experiment.

York, Thomas M.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Ultraviolet interstellar absorption toward HD 163522, a halo star at 9 kiloparsecs in the direction l = 350 deg and b = -9 deg

UV interstellar absorption line measurements obtained by the IUE satellite toward HD 163522 in the direction l = 349.6 deg and b = -9 deg are analyzed. The UV stellar spectrum of HD 163522 places the star beyond the Galactic center at a distance away from the Galactic plane of z = -1.5 kpc. An absorption-line spectrum with S/N approximately equal to 15-25 is produced. The UV interstellar absorption lines for neutral, and weakly and highly ionized gas are examined, as well as the correlation between profiles and the Galactic rotation. Simple model calculations are performed to quantitatively determine the characteristics of the profiles. The observed absorption-line profiles for Al III, Si IV, C IV, and N V are converted into plots of optical depths vs velocity. A comparison of these plots for the weak and strong member of each doublet reveals that the profiles are not strongly influenced by the presence of unresolved saturated absorption, and the optical depth profiles can therefore be directly converted into measures of N(v), the column density per km/s. The converted column densities are examined.

Savage, Blair D.↗
NASA NTRS1990

The evolutionary sequence of planetary nebulae

A first-order solution to the problem of nebular evolution is presented and used to construct photoionization models with the correct ionized gas geometry with respect to the central star. The models are used to investigate the evolution of the central star in terms of a 'transformed' H-R diagram in which H-beta luminosity replaces stellar luminosity and the nebular excitation class takes the place of stellar effective temperature. It is shown that the optically thick PN in the Magellanic Clouds behave as ram-pressure confined H II regions trapped between the shocked remnants of AGB wind and the high-velocity stellar wind of the PN nuclei.

Dopita, M. A.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Electric currents in E-like planetary ionospheres

In this paper an MHD approach is used to consider the conduction of electric current in a lightly ionized gas, taking into account the gradients of pressure in the ion and electron gases, in addition to the electric field. The coefficients of electrical conductivity are found for each driver of current. New expressions for the components of heat dissipation associated with each driver of current are developed, which are fully consistent with kinetic theory. The relationship of the results to those obtained by kinetic theory is discussed. New components of currents associated with planetary equatorial electrojets are found. A new diffusion equation for magnetic induction is found, applicable in E-like regions of planetary ionospheres, and stellar photospheres.

Cole, K. D.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Optical and near-IR study of LMC HII region N11AB

N11 (DEM 34), complex HII region located about 4 degrees from the center of the LMC bar, is a very interesting giant interstellar shell. It has a complicated structure and motion. It is located on the edge of an HI concentration. This is the progress report of the study of its two components, A and B at the optical and near-IR wavelengths to investigate stars, dust and ionized gas associated with them. N11A is a compact high-excitation blob and N11B is a bright HII region in this complex, which embeds OB association Lucke-Hodge 10.

Lee, Myung Gyoon↗
NASA NTRS1990

A multi-wavelength study of the peculiar galaxy NGC 2976

Researchers are currently studying NGC 2976 at many wavelengths to investigate the extent to which an interaction with M81 may have affected the star formation history of this galaxy. Here, researchers present observations of NGC 2976 made at 50 microns with the high resolution (CPC) instrument onboard Infrared Astronomy Satellite (IRAS) at 21-cm (both HI line and radio continuum) with the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope (WSRT) and in the H alpha line with the Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO) 36 inch telescope. The far infrared emission is not centrally peaked as in other spirals (e.g., Wainscoat et al. 1987), but has obvious intensity peaks near the ends of the disk. The ionized gas as inferred from the H alpha observations, is largely confined to two large, symmetrically placed emission regions near the ends of the disk. Finally, the HI and 21-cm radio continuum emission also exhibit this strongly double-peaked structure. At all of the above wavelengths the emission peaks are roughly coincident and lie approx. 1.2 minutes to the NW and approx. 1.1 minutes to the SE of the optical center of this galaxy.

Tacconi, L. J.↗
NASA NTRS1990

A high resolution CO map of M51

Observations of the CO (1-0) emission in two fields of M51 were taken with the Berkeley-Illinois-Maryland Array at Hat Creek, California from May 1988 to February 1989. When combined with two previously observed fields (Lo et al. 1988), a complete map of the central 5 minute x 4 minute at a resolution of 7 seconds x 10 seconds was obtained. The project is part of an ongoing high-resolution survey of the molecular, atomic, and ionized gas distributions in nearby spiral galaxies. The two recently observed fields can be compared to the results of the interferometric study of Vogel et al. (1988 - hereafter VKS). Since the shortest spacing in the current survey is shorter than that of VKS, researchers expect to see more of the extended emission. This is evident when comparing the width of the spiral arms in each survey; ours are a bit broader. While some of the peaks in this region correspond to the peaks in VKS, several of them do not. These discrepancies are probably because of the low signal to noise inherent in observations of this nature. Single-dish maps are currently being readied for inclusion with the interferometer data. These will help fill the short-spacing hole in the UV plane, and serve to recover the flux missing from the interferometer maps.

Adler, D. S.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Starburst outflows from nearby galaxies

Starburst outflows from NGC 5461, 1569 and M82 are discussed. The Sc I galaxy, M101, is reknowned for the kpc-size superassociations of star clusters and HII regions that dominate its spiral arms. NGC 5461 is one of the brightest of these superassociations, rivaling the Large Magellanic Cloud in H alpha luminosity. The NGC 5461 superassociation is dominated by a single unresolved HII region of outstanding luminosity (approx. 1000 Orion nebulae). Detailed examination of corresponding continuum images indicates that only the southern plume has any sort of stellar counterpart. The other plumes are clearly diffuse with no underlying hot stars. An image of NGC 1569 is discussed. Besides showing the peculiar arm noted by Zwicky (1971) and the filamentary extensions to the North and South (as noted by Hodge 1974), this image also reveals two arc-like features of diffuse ionized gas to the South. Both arcs are concentric with the bright center of the galaxy - where the super star clusters, A and B are located. The inner arc (Arc 1) appears to follow the same curve as the SW arm thus suggesting that the two features represent limb-brightened fragments of vast superbubble that was blown out by a central starburst sometime in the past. As the classic starburst galaxy, M82 displays all the luminous hallmarks of intense high-mass star formation and outflow activity. The diffuse H alpha and x ray emitting gas along the minor axis provides especially good evidence for a bipolar outflow of hot gas which is shock heating the swept-up interstellar medium (ISM) to temperatures of approx. 10(exp 4) K. An image shows the H alpha emission within the disk and along the minor axis. Another image shows the same field in the light of near-infrared. Both figures are based on charge coupled device images taken with the McGraw-Hill 1.3 m telescope (Waller 1989). The longer wavelength emission clearly shows a more extended morphology along the major axis. The morphological discrepancy is most likely due to the greater obscuration by dust suffered by the H alpha photons. A third image shows the map of visual extinction that researchers derive from a pixel-by-pixel comparison of the (SIII) and H alpha fluxes. The greatest extinctions are evident along an arc that includes two especially obscured regions on opposite sides of the bursting nucleus.

Waller, William H.↗
NASA NTRS1989

High resolution observations of compact H II regions at 230 GHz

Based on the idea that star formation goes on progressively in molecular clouds, a search was conducted for protostars by mapping compact H II regions at a frequency of 250 GHz. The IRAM 30 m radio telescope was used with a (3)He cooled bolometer. Twenty compact H II regions usually obtaining twice the expected free-free flux density, positionally coincident with the H II region, were observed. Even fine structure within the H II regions can be traced in the maps as in the case of G75.84+0.40 near ON-2. The high degree of coincidence between the 250 and 5 GHz map of Harris shows that the excess flux density observed must come from dust mixed with the ionized gas. Part of the dust must however be accumulated in the outer part of the H II region, since in some cases the contours are shifted outwards relative to the radio maps. This is consistent with the fact that in those cases where enough information is available to make a model fit, temperatures were derived of 80 + or - 30 K.

Wink, JOERN-E.↗
NASA NTRS1989

The discovery of a highly polarized bipolar nebula

During a search for the optical counterparts of IRAS sources whose flux peaks at 25 microns, a small faint bipolar nebula was discovered in Monoceros at the position of IRAS 07131-0147. The CCD images display the object's considerable structure. The central star seems relatively free of closeby nebulosity: the two lobes have a bow-tie structure with those parts nearest to the star consisting of series of small knots. The outer parts of the lobes seem to be made up of filaments streaming away from knots. On the basis of its optical spectrum, the central star was classified as a M5-6 giant. In the IRAS color classification scheme of Van der Veen and Habing (1988), the central star is VIb which indicates that there are distinct hot and cold components of circumstellar dust and that the mass loss process may have temporarily abated. Therefore, it is proposed that the object is in the post main sequence stage of evolution and is a protoplanetary nebulae. Young protoplanetary nebulae have totally obscured central stars illuminating reflective lobes whereas older ones such as M2-9 have lobes seen in emission from gas ionized by the central hot star which is clearly visible. Since the central object of IRAS07131-0147 is a relatively unobscured late type star and the lobes are seen only by reflection, it is suggested that this nebula is a protoplanetary nebula in an evolutionary stage intermediate between that of CRL2688 and M2-9.

Wolstencroft, Ramon D.↗
NASA NTRS1990

4C 41.17 - A radio galaxy at a redshift of 3.8

Observations, comprising radio imaging at three frequencies, optical broadband and narrow-band imaging, optical spectroscopy, and K-band IR imaging, of a distant radio source, 4C 41.17, are presented. It is shown that 4C 41.17 is associated with an extended source of optical and IR emission at a redshift of 3.8. The morphological similarities between the radio source and the ionized gas and optical/IR continua suggest that the radio source is interacting vigorously with the galaxy. Various mechanisms for producing the optical/IR emission in 4C 41.17 are considered. It is concluded that a large fraction of the spectral energy distribution is from stars, and that the star formation induced by the radio source is the likely mechanism to account for the radio/optical alignment.

Chambers, K. C.↗
NASA NTRS1990

A multiwavelength study of the galaxy UGC 11000

The properties of the galaxy UGC 11,000 were investigated using broad-band and narrow-band CCD images, K-band photometry, long-slit optical spectroscopy, and 21-cm radio observations. Results show that the UGC 11,000 can be classified as belonging to the SB(s)dm IV galaxy type. Its heliocentric velocity was found to be equal to (1398 + or - 15) km/sec, which is about a factor of 4 larger than that assumed previously. Three dominant stellar populations were distinguished in UGC 11,000: (1) a bulge with colors corresponding to early-F main sequence stars; (2) a young disk populaton with median colors of late-A type, associated with the spiral-arm pattern and numerous giant H II regions; and (3) an older population of G to K stars corresponding to the outermost regions of the galaxy. The giant H II regions exhibit high star-forming activity and high oxygen abundance. The bulge and the outer disk are free of ionized gas and contain red stars.

Schulte-Ladbeck, R. E.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Near-infrared emission-line images of three Herbig-Haro objects

Flux-calibrated imagery in five emission-line and four narrow-band continuum filters are presented for three classical Herbig-Haro (HH) objects, HH 7-11, HH 12, and HH 34. 1.64 micron forbidden Fe II emission is detected in all three objects whose intensity is typically 20 percent. This line should be an excellent tracer of shocked ionized gas in highly obscured regions. Extinction appears to be unimportant in determining the morphology of these HH object systems. No near-IR continuum emission was detected from any of the HH objects, implying that these regions do not contain embedded stars. At positions where the flow terminates against a large obstacle, there are significant offsets between the shocked flow material and the shocked ambient medium.

Stapelfeldt, Karl R.↗
NASA NTRS1991

The analysis of apparent optical depth profiles for interstellar absorption lines

Attention is given to the apparent optical depth method, a procedure for analyzing interstellar absorption lines. Observed absorption-line profiles are converted into profiles of apparent optical depth, and apparent column density per unit velocity. By comparing the latter for a given interstellar species having two or more absorption lines which differ in the product, the presence or absence of unresolved saturated structure in the profiles can be directly inferred. The method is illustrated using absorption-line data from the IUE satellite for the highly ionized gas toward HD 64760. Additional illustrations and a study of the method's accuracy are provided through a series of numerical simulations of multicomponent interstellar absorption situations. The method is compared to the standard growth curve method for deriving interstellar column densities. The principal value of the apparent optical depth method is that the absorption-line data are directly converted into a form that provides for direct scientific interpretations of the physical conditions in the interstellar absorbing medium as a function of velocity.

Savage, Blair D.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Supernovae and supernova remnants at low frequencies

The importance of low-frequency observations of the intrinsic radio emission from supernovae and their remnants is discussed, with special attention given to an example of a peculiarity at low frequencies of the 38-MHz 'flare' observed from Cas A in the mid-1970s. It is suggested that, for explosions from supernovae in a low-density wind, it may be possible to follow the absorption over a large range of shock front radii. Absorption local to the remnants can occur in H II regions created by the supernovae or their progenitors and in the cooling layers of radiative shock fronts, or in the ionized interstellar medium. Observations of emission as well as of absorption are necessary to determine the location of the ionized gas.

Chevalier, Roger A.↗