On radiative pumping of interstellar methanol masers

From the observed data of 17 Class-II methanol masers and their asociated HII regions and infrared sources and using the maser photon emission rate and the brightness temperature as two constraints on the pump, we conclude that infrared sources with a brightness temperature of about 100 K and a photon rate of about 10⁵³s⁻¹, associated with compact HII regions are the most probable pumping source     

星际甲醇分子脉泽的辐射抽运研究

本项研究给出了17个具有Ⅱ类星际甲醇分子脉泽源的致密氢11区的轫致辐射、尘埃红外辐射和中心年轻恒星Layman辐射的特征．以脉泽的光子发射率和辐射亮温度作为两个主要的辐射抽运约束条件，讨论了Ⅱ类星际甲醇分子脉泽的几种可能的激发机制．我们认为热辐射亮温度为100K与致密氢Ⅱ区成协的红外辐射体很可能是Ⅱ类甲醇脉泽的抽运源．     

IRAS05391—0217和IRAS06572—0742源的热动性质

利用紫金山天文台青海观测站１３．７米射电望远镜对源ＩＲＡＳ０５３９１０２１７和ＩＲＡＳ０６５７２０７４２进行了１２ＣＯＪ＝１－０观测,获得了气体的相应参数;用ＩＲＡＳ及其他红外观测资料,获得了尘埃热结构;探讨了云中气体的热平衡．对于ＩＲＡＳ０５３９１０２１７中由远红外得出的Ｔｄ＜Ｔｋ的情形,考虑了几种可能的加热机制．光电加热对该云可能是比较重要的;激波可能是另一种加热途径．     

大质量分子云核的CO同位素搜寻

使用紫金山天文台 １３．７ ｍ望远镜上新安装的 ＳＩＳ系统,对 ６４个高色指数 ＩＲＡＳ源和水脉泽源进行了 ＣＯ同位素１３ＣＯ和 Ｃ１８Ｏ Ｊ＝ １－０的搜寻,并对部分源作了成图观测．结果在 ６４个源中全部测到了这一谱线对,而１３ＣＯ的辐射一般较强,说明与稠密分子区成协,其中约６０个源为首次作ＣＯ同位素谱线对巡测．用高斯拟会导出了天线温度、线心速度和谱线全半宽．对辐射强度、话线特征进行了初步分析．     

Analysis of spatial temperature variations in regions of massive star formation

Using the 20-m Onsala Observatory telescope (Sweden), we performed observations of the CH₃C₂H(6-5) line toward several regions of massive star formation to estimate the kinetic temperature of the gas and study its variations over the sources. Intense lines were detected in five objects. For these, we estimated the kinetic temperature of the gas near the CS and N₂H⁺ molecular emission peaks by the method of population diagrams. A significant temperature difference between these peaks is noticeable only in W3 and, to a lesser degree, in DR 21. In the remaining cases, it is insignificant. This indicates that the chemical differentiation of the molecules in these regions cannot be associated with temperature variations. The kinetic temperature determined from methyl acetylene observations is usually slightly higher than the temperature estimated from ammonia observations. This is probably because the methyl acetylene emission originates in denser, i.e., deeper and hotter layers of the cloud.     

Possibilities of investigation of interstellar matter by radio recombination lines (Review)

Radio recombination lines (RRL) discovered about 25 years ago became a very effective tool for the investigation of interstellar matter (ISM). These lines are unique by the number of transitions and the spectral range observed: from 2 mm to 20 m wavelength. This allows to study the ISM under variety of physical conditions which differ by 7 to 8 orders of magnitude in density and 3 orders of magnitude in temperature. RRL allow to determine the main physical conditions in HII and HI-CII regions, to map the galactic distribution of ionized hydrogen, and to obtain the helium abundance of the ISM. Furthermore, the information contained in the RRL allows to estimate the intensity of cosmic rays and to draw conclusions on the galactic evolution. The physical properties of the RRL and the results obtained by observations of RRLs are reviewed.     

不同类别分子区域中的CO辐射巡测

用紫金山天文台青海观测站13．7米毫米波望远镜新安装的3毫米系统,对一组包括大质量恒星形成区、稠密云核、Bok球、主序前发射线星和演化晚期恒星的源进行了12COJ＝1－0的辐射搜寻．结果在不同质量恒星形成区域全部测到了12CO辐射,并发现了大的线宽、红和蓝的线翼、线心速度变化及多重辐射的特征,表明相应源可能具有双极喷流,存在膨胀、旋转或多核斑结构．有两个演化晚期星中已观测到了12COJ＝1－0谱线,说明其具有较浓厚的拱星气体包层．     

Oscillatory propagation of an ionization-shock front

Based on numerical simulations, we show that the oscillatory propagation of a plane-parallel ionization-shock front is possible for a typical dependence of the interstellar-medium cooling function on density and temperature. In this case, the oscillation amplitude of the shock position in the presence of an ionization front can be several times larger than its value for a single shock wave. The variations in neutral and ionized gas velocities attributable to oscillations are comparable in order of magnitude and agree with the random velocities observed in H II regions.     

Statistics of high-velocity outflows in regions of massive star formation

Based on a SO and C¹⁸O survey of dense molecular-cloud cores in regions of massive star formation (selected by the presence of H₂O maser emission), we estimate the frequency of occurrence of high-velocity outflows in these regions and their parameters. The presence of extended SO-line wings (compared to C¹⁸O) is considered to be indicative of outflows. We estimate the outflow parameters (mass, momentum, and kinetic energy) from optically thin C¹⁸O lines, which increases the reliability of these estimates. According to this approach, high-velocity outflows were detected in ～40% of the observed objects, which is a lower limit on the frequency of their occurrence. There is a clear correlation between the outflow mass, momentum, and kinetic energy, on the one hand, and the bolometric luminosity of the associated infrared sources, on the other hand. The slope of the correlations is close to unity. Their comparison with similar correlations of the mass-loss rate, force, and mechanical luminosity with the bolometric luminosity shows that the spread in outflow dynamical age is small and that this age has no systematic correlation with the infrared luminosity. The mean outflow dynamical age that can be obtained from this comparison is ～7×10¹³ yr.     

水脉泽辐射的探测和时变考察

用中科院射电联合实验室上海天文台２５米望远镜,对１９个已知水脉泽源和２０个ＨＩＩ区候选源进行了水脉泽观测和搜寻,共测到水脉泽辐射２１个,包括２个首次测到Ｓ／Ｎ≥３σ的源．结合已知脉泽资料求出了脉泽时变,发现峰值流量的变化比较普遍,包括同一峰强度变化及不同成分置换引起的变化两种情况,峰值速度变化多数由不同成分置换所造成．证认了对应的ＩＲＡＳ源并探讨了脉泽辐射与红外参量的关系,表明红外辐射的强度对脉泽产生率的影响比颜色分布的影响大．     

Low density ionized gas in the inner galaxy — Interpretation of recombination line observations at 325 MHz

The recent survey of H 272α recombination line (324.99 MHz) in the direction of 34 Hn regions, 12 SNRs and 6 regions of continuum minimum (‘blank’ regions) in the galactic plane is used to derive the properties of diffuse ionized gas in the inner Galaxy. The intensity of radio recombination lines at high frequencies is dominated by spontaneous emission in high-density gas and that at low frequencies (325 MHz) by stimulated emission in low-density gas. We have used this property to obtain the electron density in the gas in the direction of blank regions and SNRs, by combining the H 272 α measurements (preceeding paper) with the published data at higher frequencies. Further, we have imposed constraints on the electron temperature and pathlength through this gas using the observed high-frequency continuum emission, average interstellar electron density and geometry of the line-emitting regions. The derived properties of the gas are (i) electron density 0.5–6 cm^-3, (ii) electron temperature 3000–8000 K and (iii) emission measures 500–3000 pc cm^-6 The corresponding pathlengths are 50–200 pc. As the derived sizes of the low-density regions are small compared to the pathlength through the Galaxy, the low-frequency recombination lines cannot be considered as coming from a widely distributed component of the interstellar medium. The Hn regions studied in the above survey cannot themselves produce the H 272α lines detected towards them because of pressure broadening, optical depth, and beam dilution. However, the agreement in velocity of these lines with those seen at higher frequencies suggests that the low-frequency recombination lines arise in low-density envelopes of the Hn regions. Assuming that the temperature of the envelopes are similar to those of the cores and invoking geometrical considerations we find that these envelopes should have electron densities in the range 1–10 cm^-3 and linear sizes of 30–300 pc in order to produce the observed H 272α lines.     

Correlations between parameters of massive cores in interstellar molecular clouds

Based on a CS and C³⁴S survey of dense molecular-cloud cores in regions of high-mass-star formation, we analyze the correlations between line width and size (ΔV-L), as well as between mean density and size (n-L). There is virtually no correlation between ΔV and L (ΔV ∝ L ^0.2±0.1). The velocity dispersion is several times higher in absolute value than that in CO and dark clouds of the same size. The mean density decreases with increasing size considerably faster than L ^?1, so the column density also decreases. Possible effects of selection and of the technique for determining object parameters on these results are discussed. Possible physical causes of the above correlations are considered.     

The density and magnetic field of the dense cores of the molecular cloud L 1630

The density and magnetic field strength of the dense cores in the Orion B molecular cloud are derived from the observed radius and FWHM line width based on the model of a uniformly magnetic sphere. We obtain the average magnetic field strength of 110μG and the average density of 8 × 10⁴/cm³ for the 39 cores, which agree closely with the observations. The method for deriving the density and magnetic field strength is applicable to the cores with R>0.2pc.     

13mm低温制冷谱线接收系统和星际水分子观测研究

为了开拓短厘米波单天线星际分子的观测和研究,在乌鲁木齐天文站２５ｍ射电望远镜１３ｍｍ低温制冷接收机的基础上,配置了声表面波频谱仪和谱线数据采集系统,组成了１３ｍｍ低温致冷谱线接收机．接收机前端是一个工作在低温２０Ｋ的低噪声放大器,本振是２２ＧＨｚ的锁相源．接收机的平均噪声温度为５０Ｋ．后端是一个宽带的（４０ＭＨｚ）高分辨率（４０ｋＨｚ）的声表波频谱仪．利用这套系统观测了一批已知的水脉泽源,观测系统正常,结果合理．观测结果表明,乌鲁木齐天文站良好的站址和２５ｍ射电望远镜给厘米波段星际分子谱线观测提供了一个很好的条件．     

An axisymmetric magnetohydrodynamic model for the interaction of the solar wind with the local interstellar medium

We numerically analyze a magnetohydrodynamic, steady-state model for the interaction of a spherically symmetric solar wind with a three-component local interstellar medium (LISM), which is composed of plasma, hydrogen atoms, and a magnetic field. The magnetic field is assumed to be parallel to the velocity in the LISM. In this case, the model is axisymmetric. We study the effects of magnetic field on the plasma-flow geometry and on the distribution of hydrogen-atom parameters. In particular, we show that the presence of hydrogen atoms does not affect the qualitative change in the shape of the bow shock, the heliopause, and the solar-wind shock with increasing strength of the interstellar magnetic field. The presence of a magnetic field in the LISM can strongly affect the parameters of the energetic hydrogen atoms originated in the solar wind, although its effect on the “hydrogen wall” observed with the GHRS instrument onboard the HST spacecraft (Linsky and Wood 1996) is marginal.     

Two-dimensional spectroscopy of double-barred galaxies

We describe the results of our spectroscopy for a sample of barred galaxies whose inner regions exhibit an isophotal twist commonly interpreted as a secondary bar. The line-of-sight velocity fields of the ionized gas and stars and the light-of-sight velocity dispersion fields of the stars were constructed from two-dimensional spectroscopy with the 6-m Special Astrophysical Observatory telescope. We detected various types of noncircular motions of ionized gas: radial flows within large-scale bars, counterrotation of the gas and stars at the center of NGC 3945, a polar gaseous disk in NGC 5850, etc. Our analysis of the optical and near-infrared galaxy images (both ground-based and those from the Hubble Space Telescope) revealed circumnuclear minispirals in five objects. The presence of an inner (secondary) bar in the galaxy images is shown to have no effect on the circumnuclear kinematics of the gas and stars. Thus, contrary to popular belief, the secondary bar is not a dynamically decoupled galactic structure. We conclude that the so-called double-barred galaxies are not a separate type of galaxy but are a combination of objects with distinctly different morphologies of their circumnuclear regions.     

The pressure of an equilibrium interstellar medium in galactic disks

Based on an axisymmetric galactic disk model, we estimate the equilibrium gas pressure P/k in the disk plane as a function of the galactocentric distance R for several galaxies (MW, M33, M51, M81, M100, M101, M106, and the SMC). For this purpose, we solve a self-consistent system of equations by taking into account the gas self-gravity and the presence of a dark pseudo-isothermal halo. We assume that the turbulent velocity dispersions of the atomic and molecular gases are fixed and that the velocity dispersion of the old stellar disk corresponds to its marginal stability (except for the Galaxy and the SMC). We also consider a model with a constant disk thickness. Of the listed galaxies, the SMC and M51 have the highest pressure at a given relative radius R/R ₂₅, while M81 and the Galaxy has the lowest pressure. The pressure dependence of the relative molecular gas fraction confirms the existence of a positive correlation between these quantities, but it is not so distinct as that obtained previously when the pressure was estimated very roughly. This dependence breaks down for the inner regions of M81 and M106, probably because the gas pressure has been underestimated in the bulge region. We discuss the possible effects of factors other than the pressure affecting the relative content of the molecular gas in the galaxies under consideration.     

The temperature of nonspherical circumstellar dust grains

The temperatures of prolate and oblate spheroidal dust grains in the envelopes of stars of various spectral types are calculated. Homogeneous particles with aspect ratios a/b≤10 composed of amorphous carbon, iron, dirty ice, various silicates, and other materials are considered. The temperatures of spherical and spheroidal particles were found to vary similarly with particle size, distance to the star, and stellar temperature. The temperature ratio T _d(spheroid)/T _d(sphere) depends most strongly on the grain chemical composition and shape. Spheroidal grains are generally colder than spherical particles of the same volume; only iron spheroids can be slightly hotter than iron spheres. At a/b≈2, the temperature differences do not exceed 10%. If a/b≥4, the temperatures can differ by 30–40%. For a fixed dust mass in the medium, the fluxes at wavelengths λ≥100 are higher if the grains are nonspherical, which gives overestimated dust masses from millimeter observations. The effect of grain shape should also be taken into account when modeling Galactic-dust emission properties, which are calculated when searching for fluctuations of the cosmic microwave background radiation in its Wien wing.     

星际尘埃研究现状与进展

由于星际尘埃的广泛存在和其在恒星与行星系统的形成、星系以及整个宇宙演化中的重要作用,星际尘埃的研究成为当今天体物理领域的热点前沿课题。该文从尘埃与电磁场相互作用的观测证据出发,系统地介绍了星际消光(包括吸收和散射)、星际红外辐射、星际偏振等的研究现状,讨论了星际元素减损,以及行星际尘埃和陨石中的前太阳尘埃等问题。从相应的观测证据中,可以得到关于星际尘埃的丰度、化学组成、尺寸和形状的信息。该文还对当前比较流行的三种尘埃模型(硅酸盐-石墨-PAHs模型、硅酸盐核-碳有机耐熔质壳层模型和多孔尘埃模型)进行了讨论与比较,对该研究领域中待解决的问题也作了简要的概括。     

Observation of water masers and a study of their time variation

Using the 25-m telescope of Shanghai Observatory, Joint Radio Astronomy Laboratory, 19 known maser sources and 20 candidates in H II regions were surveyed for water vapour maser emission at 22.2 GHz. 21 sources were detected, of which two are for the first time. Combining with some previous data, the time variations in the flux and velocity are obtained and discussed. Time variation in the peak flux density is common and is of two types, a change in the intensity of the same peak, and a swapping-over of two peaks. The corresponding IRAS sources were identified and the relation between the maser emission and the infrared parameters discussed. It is shown that maser production rate is more sensitive to the infrared flux intensity than the infrared colour distribution.