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The chemistry of molecules in shocked regions of the interstellar gas is considered and calculations are carried out for a region subjected to a shock at a velocity of 8 km/sec. Substantial enhancements are predicted in the concentrations of the molecules H2S, SO, and SiO compared to those anticipated in cold interstellar clouds.
The extinction curves from 800 to 130 nm (1.25-7.7/micron) of amorphous silicate smokes nominally of olivine and pyroxene composition, carbon smokes, and crystalline SiC smokes are presented. The SiC smoke occurred in the low-temperature (beta) cubic structural form. The SiC smoke showed an absorption edge which occurred at significantly longer wavelengths than the calculated extinction profile of the hexagonal SiC form previously used to calculate the interstellar extinction profile. Neither SiC nor amorphous silicates show an extinction band similar to the observed 6.6/micron astronomical extinction band. The infrared absorption peaks for the silicate and SiC samples near 10 microns and 11-13 microns, respectively, were also measured. The ultraviolet to infrared extinction ratio for the amorphous silicate samples is similar to the observed astronomical extinction ratio. The measured extinction ratios for SiC smokes are significantly below the interstellar extinction ratio. The extinction peak of the carbon smokes occurred at 4.0 and 4.25/micron, for samples of mean radii 13 and 6 nm, respectively. The extinction profile is distinctly different from that predicted for graphite grains of the same size, and is similar to that predicted for glassy carbon grains.
A search for absorption by interstellar C2 molecules, conducted at the (2-0) Phillips band near 8760 A, is reported for three stars. No interstellar absorption is seen in the spectra of 20 Tau and Epsilon Aur, at upper limits of approximately 5 mA and 1 mA, respectively. Toward Zeta Per, however, the R(0), Q(2), and Q(4) lines are detected, and a useful upper limit on the Q(6) line is obtained. The resulting column density, 1.4 x 10 to the 13th to 2.0 x 10 to the 13th per sq cm, and the excitation temperature, T = (78 plus or minus 25) K, show acceptable agreement with an existing theoretical model of the absorbing cloud.
The resonance line of Sc II at 3642.785 A has been sought in the interstellar spectrum of Zeta Oph, resulting in an upper limit N(Sc II) not greater than 8.6 billion/sq cm and a depletion of this element at least by a factor of 200, if Sc III contributes a negligible column density. The present upper limit may be somewhat below the level expected under the grain-formation model for interstellar depletions, and is consistent with the abundance expected if the depletions are due to gas-grain collisions. The new limit on this element helps to support the hypothesis that species within a specific range of ionization potential are preferentially depleted.
The paper discusses a full three spatial-dimension gravitational hydrodynamic code used to follow the collapse of isothermal rotating clouds subjected to various nonaxially symmetric perturbations (NAP). An initially axially symmetric cloud collapsed to form a ring which then fragmented into a binary protostellar system; a low thermal energy cloud with a large bar-shaped NAP collapsed and fragmented into a binary, and higher thermal energy clouds damp out such NAPs while higher rotational energy clouds produce binaries with wider separations. The three-dimensional calculations indicate that isothermal interstellar clouds may fragment into protostellar objects while still in the isothermal regime. Interstellar clouds and their fragments may pass through collapse phases with fragmentation and reduction of spin angular momentum terminating in the formation of pre-main-sequence stars with the observed pre-main-sequence rotation rates.
The ground-state transition of neutral atomic carbon, 3P1-3P0, has been detected in the interstellar medium at the frequency of 492.162 GHz determined in the laboratory by Saykally and Evenson (1980). The observations were made from the NASA Kuiper Airborne Observatory using an InSb heterodyne bolometer receiver. The line was detected as strong emission from eight molecular clouds and apparently provides a widely useful probe of the interstellar medium.
Eighteen high dispersion International Ultraviolet Exploration spectra of 6 stars in the large magellanic cloud (LMC) 3 stars in the small magellanic cloud (SMC) and 2 foreground stars were studied. Fourteen spectra cover the wavelengths lambda 1150-2000 A and 4 cover lambda 1900-3200 A. All the Magellanic Cloud star spectra exhibit exceedingly strong interstellar absorption lines due to a wide range of ionization stages at galactic velocities and at velocities associated with the LMC or SMC. The analysis is restricted to the Milky Way absorption features. Toward the LMC stars, the strong interstellar lines have a positive velocity extension, which exceeds the extension recorded toward the SMC stars. The most straightforward interpretation of these velocity extensions is obtained by assuming that gas at large distances away from the plane of the galaxy participates in the rotation of the galaxy as found in the galactic disk.
A survey of the interstellar gas near the Gum Nebula by optical observation of 67 stars at Ca II, 42 stars at Na I, and 14 stars in the UV with the Copernicus satellite provided radial velocities and column densities for all resolved absorption components. Velocity dispersions for gas in the Gum Nebula are not significantly larger than in the general interstellar medium; the ionization structure is predominantly that of an H II region with moderately high ionization. Denser, more highly ionized clouds are concentrated toward the Gum Nebula; these clouds do not show the anomalously high ionization observed in the Vela remnant clouds.
Copernicus ultraviolet data on six stars embedded in the well-studied Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex have been analyzed for interstellar abundances, densities, and far-ultraviolet extinction parameters, in an effort to determine how interstellar depletions depend on physical conditions. While there are variations within the cloud in the overall depletions, the pattern of depletions from element to element is constant for all six lines of sight. A picture is suggested in which the cloud core has a small velocity dispersion or is either so strongly depleted or so dense (hence not ionized) that the lines of first ions of heavy elements do not arise there, but rather form in a less-dense or less-depleted outer region. The cloud as a whole has substantial depletions, average to low far-ultraviolet extinction, and a low ratio of molecular to atomic hydrogen.
A mission out of the planetary system, launched about the year 2000, could provide valuable scientific data as well as test some of the technology for a later mission to another star. Primary scientific objectives for the precursor mission concern characteristics of the heliopause, the interstellar medium, stellar distances (by parallax measurements), low-energy cosmic rays, interplanetary gas distribution, and the mass of the solar system. Secondary objectives include investigation of Pluto. The mission should extend to 400-1000 AU from the sun. A heliocentric hyperbolic escape velocity of 50-100 km/sec or more is needed to attain this distance within a reasonable mission duration (20-50 years). The trajectory should be toward the incoming interstellar gas. For a year 2000 launch, a Pluto encounter and orbiter can be included. A second mission targeted parallel to the solar axis would also be worthwhile. The mission duration is 20 years, with an extended mission to a total of 50 years. A system using one or two stages of nuclear electric propulsion (NEP) was selected as a possible baseline. The most promising alternatives are ultralight solar sails or laser sailing, with the lasers in earth orbit, for example. The NEP baseline design allows the option of carrying a Pluto orbiter as a daughter spacecraft.
The interstellar medium on the Gamma Cas line of sight is studied through the observations of O I, H2, H I, D I, and Ar I absorption features with the Copernicus satellite. By using the velocity structure of the line of sight previously determined through atomic nitrogen, it is demonstrated that these neutrals are located in the same physical regions and that the O I and Ar I abundances could be solar, on the average, relative to N I in all components. The 1066.660 A Ar I line profile is contaminated by an unidentified line, already detected in the spectrum of Zeta Pup. Furthermore, a peculiar behavior of the Ar I abundance in the different components is reported, possibly associated with high-velocity interstellar gas present on the line of sight. It is concluded that the Gamma Cas line of sight could intercept a dense cloud which has been engulfed and disrupted by a shock.
An improved model of the heliospheric magnetic field configuration is presented by including a uniform interstellar magnetic field and by adopting different values for a few magnetic field parameters. All the basic expressions for the magnetic field components remain the same as in Akasofu et al. (1980). In the magnetic arcade field, the magnetic field of the spherical dipoles is changed from 500 to 50 G. In the field of an extensive current disk around the sun lying in the ecliptic plane, the solar current disk extends from a distance of 1.5 solar radii instead of 10 solar radii. A uniform and southward directed interstellar magnetic field of 0.22 gamma is included. The total magnetic field configuration is constructed for the northward and southward orientation of the solar dipole field.
The ultraviolet spectra of 25 early-type stars have been obtained with the International Ultraviolet Explorer observatory. Bands of the 4th-positive system of interstellar CO are seen towards 12 of these stars. Spectra of HD46223 have been examined for interstellar lines of CH, C2, CH2, OH, HCl, and H2O.
The results of recent observations of the column densities of chlorine species in diffuse interstellar clouds are inconsistent with the column densities predicted by model calculations. The use of new atomic and molecular data fails to decrease the discrepancy. It is speculated that the exothermic reaction Cl(+) yields HCl(+) + H may not be rapid at the low temperatures prevailing in diffuse interstellar clouds.
Observational evidence is presented for the existence of interstellar medium electron density irregularities over a wide range of scale sizes. Radio scattering observations associated with the wavenumber range of about 10 to the -11th to 10 to the -6th/m are consistent with a density spectrum of the wavenumber form -3.7 + or - 0.6. At lower spatial wavenumbers (10 to the -16th to 10 to the -18th/m) the power spectrum can be estimated by (1) computation of the density fluctuations near the outer scale of the spectrum, (2) comparison with density irregularities predicted by theoretical models of the interstellar medium, and (3) comparison with observations of the velocity structure function.
A model is developed of the interstellar diffusion of galactic civilizations which takes into account the population dynamics of such civilizations. The problem is formulated in terms of potential theory, with a family of nonlinear partial differential and difference equations specifying population growth and diffusion for an organism with advantageous genes that undergoes random dispersal while increasing in population locally, and a population at zero population growth. In the case of nonlinear diffusion with growth and saturation, it is found that the colonization wavefront from the nearest independently arisen galactic civilization can have reached the earth only if its lifetime exceeds 2.6 million years, or 20 million years if discretization can be neglected. For zero population growth, the corresponding lifetime is 13 billion years. It is concluded that the earth is uncolonized not because interstellar spacefaring civilizations are rare, but because there are too many worlds to be colonized in the plausible colonization lifetime of nearby civilizations, and that there exist no very old galactic civilizations with a consistent policy of the conquest of inhabited worlds.
H2CO absorption observations against Sgr A are used to select the molecular material lying in front of the galactic center, and an analysis similar to that of Blitz and Shu (1980) is carried out. The ratio of visual extinction to equivalent width of the 6 cm line of H2CO is found to be similar for several nearby interstellar clouds. By considering only the molecular components in front of the infrared cluster, the estimate for the extinction is decreased to 15-46 mag. These results are consistent with those from infrared observations toward the galactic center. Extinction estimates based on other interstellar species are also considered. Atomic gas is seen as contributing less than 10 mag of extinction.
Five-band UV photometry is used to investigate the character of interstellar extinction toward 1367 stars of spectral type B3 and earlier, with observations producing a galactic average of 5.11, 4.78, 6.52, 4.10 and 1.95 at 1550, 1800, 2200, 2500, and 3300 A, respectively. Differences in the strengths of the UV extinction features of these stars appear to be independent, since objects with either strong or weak 2200 A extinction can have strong, normal or weak far-UV extinction. Further investigation reveals that some of the deviant stars are embedded in localized regions whose average extinction curves diverge dramatically from the galactic mean. The anomalous extinction of these regions attests to localized inhomogeneities in the UV characteristics of interstellar dust. Because the evaluation of UV extinction toward a particular star would be more accurate if based on the average curve of the region immediately surrounding that star rather than that of the entire Galaxy, it is recommended that the galactic average presented be used with caution to correct astronomical data of individual objects.