Unusual infrared fading of CH Cygni in 2006

Infrared observations of the unique symbiotic system CH Cyg in 2003–2006 are presented. Analysis of the observations has shown that a fairly dense dust structure (a cloud or a shell) appeared on the line of sight in August–November 2006. The dust grains in the new shell are similar in optical properties to graphite ones and their sizes are mostly within the range 0.14–0.16 μm. The dust shell is optically thick and its optical depth at 2.2 μm is τ(2.2) ≈ 0.97. The dust shell mass is M _d(06) ≈ 8 × 10⁻⁶ M _⊙ and the rate of matter flow into the shell has reached ∼2 × 10⁻⁵ M _⊙ yr⁻¹. Original Russian Text ? O.G. Taranova, V.I. Shenavrin, 2007, published in Pis’ma v Astronomicheskiĭ Zhurnal, 2007, Vol. 33, No. 8, pp. 598–603.     

Modeling the linear polarization of optical emission from red giants

We present the results of solving the radiative transfer equation for the Stokes vector in the case of light scattering by spherical forsterite dust particles in an axisymmetric circumstellar envelope of a red giant. We have assumed that the surfaces of constant scattering-particle density are prolate or oblate spheroids, the particle density decreases with radius as N _d ∝ r ⁻², and the dust particles at the inner boundary of the envelope are in thermal equilibrium with the stellar emission at solid-phase evaporation temperature T _ev = 800 K. In the wavelength range 0.27 μm ≤ λ ≤ 1 μm, particles with radii 0.03 μm ≲ a ≲ 0.2 μm make a major contribution to the linear polarization of the stellar emission. The increase in scattering efficiency factor with decreasing wavelength λ is mainly responsible for the growth of polarization toward the short wavelengths known from observations. However, at a mean number of scatterings 1.2 ≤ N _sca ≤ 1.6, the polarization ceases to grow due to depolarization effects and decreases rapidly as the wavelength decreases further. The wavelength of the polarization maximum is determined mainly by two quantities: the particle radius and the mass loss rate. The upper limits for the degree of linear polarization in the case of light scattering in circumstellar dust envelopes with the geometries of prolate and oblate spheroids are p ≈ 3 and 5%, respectively. The polarization for light scattering by enstatite particles is higher than that for light scattering by forsterite particles approximately by 0.3%. Original Russian Text ? Yu.A. Fadeyev, 2007, published in Pis’ma v Astronomicheskiĭ Zhurnal, 2007, Vol. 33, No. 2, pp. 123–133.     

Using the quasar VLBI network for the fundamental time—positioning service of the GLONASS space system

Regular high-precision determinations of the Earth’s orientation parameters (EOPs) on the Quasar VLBI Network were begun in August 2006. The observations are performed within the framework of two national programs: daily sessions at three observatories of the Network to determine all five EOPs (the RU-E program) and 8-h sessions on the Zelenchukskaya-Badary and Svetloe-Badary baselines to determine the Universal Time (the RU-U program). The observations from August 2006 through May 2007 are analyzed. The rms deviations of the EOP values obtained in the RU-E program from the IERS C04 series are 1.1 mas for X _p and Y _p, 37 μs for UT1-UTC, and 0.7 and 0.6 mas for X _c and Y _c, respectively. These results closely match the prospective requirements of GLONASS. The rms deviations of the Universal Times obtained in the RU-U program from the IERS C04 series are 146 μs. We consider the immediate prospects for improving the accuracy of EOP determinations in daily sessions and for implementing the e-VLBI mode for an online determination of the Universal Time. Original Russian Text ? A.M. Finkelstein, E.A. Skurikhina, I.F. Surkis, A.V. Ipatov, I.A. Rakhimov, S.G. Smolentsev, 2008, published in Pis’ma v Astronomicheskiĭ Zhurnal, 2008, Vol. 34, No. 1, pp. 66–76.     

Mhd Leaky Waves in a Layered Plasma: III Numerical Solutions

We present UKIRT spectroscopy of Nova Cassiopeia 1993 (= V705 Cas) in KLNQ bands, taken in 1994 and 1995. Fitting the continuum indicates a dust temperature T ∼ 740 – 750 K in the latter part of 1994; this is similar to earlier measurements, and consistent with the “isothermal” behaviour observed in novae with optically thick dust shells. The β-index drops from 0.8 to 0.4 over the same period. This suggests grain growth; grain diameter increases from < 0.54 μm around day 256, to > 0.57 μm by day 342. The UIR features differ from those in other Galactic sources, and are similar to those in V842 Cen. This suggests fundamental differences between the UIR carriers, or environments, in novae and other Galactic sources. The silicate feature is consistent with an amorphous structure, in contrast to previous novae. We believe that grains in V705 Cas form two populations: silicates, and hydrocarbons. This revised version was published online in September 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Mid-IR Imaging and Modelling of AGB Circumstellar Envelopes

We present new mid-IR images of AGB and post-AGB circumstellar envelopes (CSEs) obtained with the 10–20 μm imaging camera CAMIRAS mounted at the TIRGO infrared telescope (Gornergrat, Switzerland). Diffraction limited images of the sources are obtained, and extended emission for the brightest sources is detected for several arcseconds. Simple radiative transfer modelling is necessary to fit the observed data and derive the physical and chemical state of the envelope. This kind of analysis is an important test for dust formation theories, because it gives indications of dust properties along their condensation path through the envelope. This revised version was published online in September 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Polarization in IR bands and the structure of cosmic dust grains

The water ice and silicate dust bands centered at about 3 and 10 μm, respectively, are simultaneously observed in the spectra of several objects. So far the wavelength dependence of the polarization in both bands has been modeled using two-layer spheroids, with the shape of the silicate core being confocal to that of the ice mantle. We show that nonconfocality of the spheroidal core and mantle boundaries changes fundamentally the wavelength dependence of the polarization within the 10-μm silicate band and affects significantly the polarization within the 3-μm water ice band, while the extinction profiles of these bands remain essentially unchanged. Since the results have been obtained for a theoretical model, we discuss their applicability and significance for cosmic dust grains. Original Russian Text ? M.S. Prokopjeva, V.B. Il’in, 2007, published in Pis’ma v Astronomicheskiĭ Zhurnal, 2007, Vol. 33, No. 10, pp. 784–791.     

Weak Merging Scenario of CLASH Cluster A209

We study the structural and dynamical properties of A209 based on Chandra and XMM-Newton observations. We obtain detailed temperature, pressure, and entropy maps with the contour binning method, and find a hot region in the NW direction. The X-ray brightness residual map and corresponding temperature profiles reveal a possible shock front in the NW direction and a cold front feature in the SE direction. Combined with the galaxy luminosity density map we propose a weak merger scenario. A young su...     

A multiwavelength view of the ISM in the merger remnant galaxy Fornax A

We present multi-wavelength imagery of the merger remnant galaxy NGC 1316 with an objective to study the dust content and its association with the other phases of the interstellar medium. Color-index maps as well as extinction maps derived for this galaxy reveal an intricate and complex dust morphology in NGC 1316, i.e. there is a prominent lane in the inner part, while at about 6-7 kpc it apparently takes the form of an arc-like pattern extending along the northeast direction. In addition to this, several other dust clumps and knots are also evident in this galaxy. The dust emission mapped using Spitzer data at 8 μm indicates even more complex morphological structures of the dust in NGC 1316. The extinction curve derived over the optical to near-IR bands closely follows the standard Galactic curve, suggesting similar properties of the dust grains. The dust content of NGC 1316, estimated from optical extinction, is ～ 2.13 105M⊙ . This is a lower limit compared to that estimated using the IRAS flux densities of ～5.17×106M⊙ and the flux densities at 24, 70 and 160 μm from MIPS ～3.2×107M⊙ . High resolution Chandra observations of this merger remnant system have provided an unprecedented view of the complex nature exhibited by the distribution of hot gas in NGC 1316, which closely matches the morphology of ionized gas and to some extent also the dust. X-ray color-color plots for the resolved sources within the optical D 25 extent of NGC 1316 have enabled us to separate them into different classes.     

Spectral energy distribution of OH megamaser galaxies

The properties of OH megamaser galaxies are analyzed. Using the linear dependence of L _OH on L _FIR and the luminosity function for IR galaxies, the expected number of megamasers is estimated. From observational data at many frequencies (from radio waves to x rays), the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of 16 objects have been plotted and studied. The SEDs of megamasers have the same form from the radio to the x ray range. Considerable emission is observed in the 3 μm range, which evidently indicates the presence of red giants and supergiants in these objects. Possible reasons for the departure of the slope of the dependence of L _OH on L _FIR from unity are considered. The assumption that collisional pumping may play an important role in the inversion of ground levels of the OH molecule and the saturated gain mechanism in megamasers is confirmed. Translated from Astrofizika, Vol. 42, No. 1, pp. 23–36, January–March, 1999.     

Variability of Circumstellar Emission from Dust Envelopes Around Carbon Stars

The main constituents of the dust, produced around late-type carbon stars, are thought to be carbon and silicon carbide (SiC), although their exact nature is not yet well established. This subject has been addressed by several authors and good fits of a large number of IRAS sources (chosen among the carbon stars exhibiting the SiC feature at about 11.3 μm) were obtained. In this work we use the same procedure on a limited number of objects, of the same type, taking into account the variability of such sources and the changes induced in their IR spectra. For this purpose, the chosen stars have been observed with a spectral resolution higher than that available for the IRAS data (λ/Δλ ≅ 50), using the CGS3 instrument of the UKIRT telescope, both in the low (λ/Δλ ≅ 160) and in the high (λ/Δλ ≅ 500) resolution configuration. The results are discussed and some preliminary conclusions are drawn. This revised version was published online in September 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Thermal radiation properties of Apollo 14 fines

The thermal radiation properties as a function of bulk density, angle of illumination and wavelength are presented for lunar fines from the Apollo 14 mission. The density range covered is from 1095 kg/m³ to 1590 kg/m³ and a wavelength range of 0.36–14.5 μm. The solar albedo and total emittance were calculated from spectral values and are compared to Apollo 11 and 12 values.     

Formation of Dust Grains in Circumstellar Envelopes of Oxygen-Rich AGB Stars

We discuss dust formation in steady state dust driven winds around oxygen-rich AGB stars, including not only homogeneous Al₂O₃ and silicate grains but also heterogeneous grains consisting of an Al₂O₃ core and a silicate mantle. In the inner subsonic region, Al₂O₃ grains with radii of ∼ 0.15 μm condense first, then condensation of silicate on Al₂O₃ starts slightly inside the sonic point, which accelerates the gas flow into the supersonic region. Also small silicate grains, whose radii are a few tens of ?ngstroms form beyond the sonic point. The carrier of 13 μm feature observed towards oxygen-rich AGB stars is considered to be the core-mantle grains consisting of an α-Al₂O₃ core and a silicate mantle from the radiation transfer calculations based on the results of dust formation calculations. This revised version was published online in September 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Re-Identification of the ''''Enigmatic'''' X-ray Source 1RXS J114003.0+124112

The ROSAT X-ray source 1RXS J114003.0 124112 was identified as a starburst galaxy at redshift 0.177 by He et al. The authors also noted that the source is almost two orders of magnitude brighter in X-ray than the X-ray-brightest starburst galaxy and it seems to be in a merging system, making this source an enigmatic system demanding further observations. Here we report a re-identification of 1RXS J114003.0 124112 using observations on the 2.6m telescope at Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory, Armenia and the SDSS data. The results indicate that the starburst activity is associated with the brighter object of the system, while the fainter object is a typical Seyfert 1 galaxy at a different redshift (0.282). Therefore, the two objects are not in a merging system, and the Seyfert 1 galaxy naturally accounts for the high X-ray flux. Three more objects reside in the vicinity, but they are all too faint to be responsible for the high X-ray flux.     

Circumstellar Silicate Mineralogy

This paper reviews spectra obtained with the SWS on board of ISO of dust shells around O-rich objects. These spectra reveal the presence of many new emission features between 10 and 45 μm. These bands are generally much narrower than the well-known 10 and 20 μm silicates features. The strength of these features relative to the underlying broad continuum varies from source to source (≅ 5-50%). The 10 μm region shows evidence for the presence of Al2O3 grains. At longer wavelength, the spectra are dominated by features due to crystalline olivine and pyroxene. The exact peak position of these features shows that the emitting grains consist of the Mg-rich end-members of these minerals with an Fe-content of < 10%. The underlying continuum is attributed to amorphous silicate grains. These observations of aluminum-rich and magnesium-rich compounds compare well with the thermodynamic condensation sequence of minerals expected for O-rich outflows. The observations also imply that freeze out (ie., kinetics) of this condensation sequence at different temperatures is an important characteristic of dust formation in these objects. It is suggested that the absence of Fe-rich silicates is a natural consequence of the low temperature at which gaseous Fe reacts with Mg-rich silicates in these outflows, resulting in amorphous grains with little characterizing spectral detail. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Investigation of the polarization observed in infrared absorption bands in the spectra of protostars

We investigate the linear polarization in the two deepest infrared absorption bands observed in the spectra of protostars, the water-ice band with the center near 3.1 μm and the silicate band with the center near 9.7 μm, using a core-mantle confocal spheroid model with various axial ratios a/b and relative volumes of the core material. We consider the effect of the grain shape, structure, and type (oblate, prolate) as well as the type of grain orientation and its location relative to the incident ray of light and the magnetic field direction on the central wavelengths of the two bands and the polarizability in the bands. We have found that the observed relationships between the polarizability in the bands and the ratio of their optical depths at the band centers can be explained if we choose slightly oblate or prolate particles (a/b ≲2 for the silicate band and 1.3 ≲ a/b ≲ 2 for the ice band). For any type of orientation, the core-mantle confocal spheroid model requires different axial ratios for the ice and silicate bands to account for the observed polarization. We show that picket-fence-oriented particles can explain the observed polarization in the ice band at angles α between the particle rotation axis and the incident ray ≳30° and in the silicate band at any α. Perfectly Davis-Greenstein-oriented particles can explain the observed polarization in the ice band at angles Ω between the line of sight and the magnetic field direction ≳60° and in the silicate band at any Ω. The orientation parameter ζ (imperfect Davis-Greenstein orientation) must be no more than 0.5 (oblate particles) and 0.1 (prolate particles) for the ice band and can be arbitrary for the silicate band. Original Russian Text ? T.V. Zinov’eva, 2006, published in Pis’ma v Astronomicheskiĭ Zhurnal, 2006, Vol. 32, No. 10, pp. 748–766.     

ISO-SWS Observations of the Time Variability of Oxygen-righ Mira Variables

We present the first observation of variation of the infrared spectrum of circumstellar dust emission around an oxygen-rich Mira variable star, Z Cyg, over an entire light variation cycle, based on the periodic SWS01 observations. The 10 μm and 20 μm ‘silicate features’ become stronger relative to the photospheric emission at maximum that at minimum. In addition, the relative intensity of the 10 μm to the 20 μm features increases at maximum, indicating an increase of the temperature of circumstellar dust grain. A simple model analysis suggests enhanced dust formation near the photosphere around maximum, leading to a scenario that dust nucleation may have occurred near minimum and the dust grains may have subsequently grown till maximum. The strong observed variation suggests that the variability must be taken into account in the interpretation of the infrared spectra of oxygen-rich Mira variables. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Gyldén Model: The Slowly Changing Equivalent Gravitational Parameter

In the Gyldén problem, the case of slowly changing equivalent gravitational parameter (e.g.p.) is studied. Assuming the following law for the variation of the e.g.p.: μ (t) = μ₀+ εμ (εt), ε< μ₀, we obtained a) a O(ε⁴ T⁴)-approximation of the solution, on a shortened time scale (0,T), with T of order o(ε^-1),for the general case (i.e. the support function μ is O(1)-valued and admits an expansion in power series of its argument), and b) a O(ε²)-approximation of the solution, on a natural timescale of order O(1/ε), for the case of a bounded variation rate (i.e. the support function μ and its derivative are both O(1)-valued). For the study of the first problem we introduced a type of Lissajous variables and used the Lie-Hori normalization scheme; for the second problem we used the Delaunay variables and applied the von Zeipel method for approximate integration. The physical interpretation of the results is in both cases the same: within the corresponding limits of approximation, the variation of e.g.p. (i) has no effect on the size of the osculating ellipse, (ii) it sets the pericenter in slow rotation and (iii) it introduces a secular variation in the longitudes. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

On the βSPEC Values of Galaxy Clusters During the Merger

Time-dependent, X-ray emission properties of merging subclusters of galaxies are studied by N-body + Hydrodynamic simulations. We consider rather idealized cases, in which two virialized subclusters with the same or different masses collide with each other, eventually merging into one bigger cluster. We find that the various observable quantities, such as the cluster temperature, T_g, the line-of-sight velocity dispersion of galaxies, σ₁, and the specific energy ratio, β_spec ≡ μ m_p σ /k_B T_g (where μ is the mean molecular weight in amu, m_p is the proton mass and k_B is the Boltzmann constant) are distinct in merging clusters from those in isolated clusters. When merging, especially, in addition to having large velocity dispersions, σ_l ≳ 2000 km s^-1, clusters will have large deviations of β_spec from unity; that is, β_spec ≳ 2.0 (or β_spec ≲ 0.5) when seen from the direction parallel (perpendicular) to the collision axis. Temperature profiles are the best indicator of merging process. The calculated temperature maps of merging clusters are compared with those of the observed clusters, such as the Coma cluster, A754, and A401/399 supercluster. These simulated features are in good agreement with what ASCA revealed. Further, we present rather unique features in the temperature profiles that can be caused by a merger (or an encounter) with a subgroup of galaxies. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

OB stars in the Tycho-2 and 2MASS catalogues

The Tycho-2 proper motions and five-band Tycho-2 and 2MASS photometry for approximately 2.5 million common stars have been used to select OB stars and to determine the extinction and photometric distance for each of them. We have selected 37 485 stars and calculated their reddenings based on their positions in the two-color V _T -H, J-Ks diagrams relative to the zero-age main sequence and the theoretical reddening line for B5 stars. Tests confirm that the selected stars belong to the spectral types O-B with a small admixture of later types. We calculate the extinction coefficient R and its variations with Galactic longitude based on the positions of the selected stars in the two-color B _T -V _T , V _T -Ks diagram. The interstellar extinction for each star is calculated as the product of the reddening found and the coefficient R. The extinction and its variations with Galactic longitude agree well with the extinction based on the model by Arenou et al. (1992). Calibration of the relation between the absolute magnitude and reduced proper motion V _T − + 5 + 5 log μ for Hipparcos stars has allowed us to calculate the absolute magnitudes and photometric distances for the selected stars. The distances found agree with those derived from the Hipparcos parallaxes within 500 pc. The distribution of the stars and the extinction variations with distance found show that the selected stars form an almost complete sample of stars with spectral types earlier than B5 within about 750 pc of the Sun. The sample includes many noticeably reddened stars in the first and second Galactic quadrants that are absent from the Hipparcos and Tycho Spectral Types Catalogues. This slightly changes the pattern of the distribution of OB stars compared to the classical pattern based on Hipparcos. Original Russian Text ? G.A. Goncharov, 2008, published in Pis’ma v Astronomicheskiĭ Zhurnal, 2008, Vol. 34, No. 1, pp. 10–20.     

Long term variations in solar flare activity

A statistical analysis of the contemporary (1954-1975) solar flare particle events has been made for the parametersF (integrated, proton fluence in cm^-2 in an event with kinetic energy above 10 MeV) andR ₀ (the characteristic rigidity). These data are compared with the long-term averaged values determined from stable- and radio-nuclide measurements of lunar samples. The analysis shows that the ancient solar flare proton spectrum was harder (higher R₀ values) compared to that observed in contemporary flares. A similar analysis can not be made for the mean long-term averaged flux (ˉJ, cm^-2 S^-1), since the contemporary averages suffer from an uncertainty due to the statistics of a single event. However, the average flux estimates for time durations 〈T〉 exceeding 10³ yr, are free from such uncertainties. The long-term averaged ˉJ values obtained over different time scales (10⁴ - 10⁶ yr) suggest a possible periodic variation in solar flare activity, with enhanced flux level during the last 10⁵ yr. The available data rule out the occurrence of giant flares, with proton fluence exceeding 10¹⁵ cm^-2 during the last million years.