Low-resolution spectra of the Io plasma torus 2 days after the Ulysses encounter

Low-resolution spectra of the Io plasma torus have been obtained on 10 and 11 February 1992 (2 days after the Ulysses encounter) using the 2 m telescope of the Bulgarian National Observatory. The spectra show the forbidden line emissions of S⁺ (λλ 6716, 6731 Å) and S²⁺ (λ 6312 Å). Measured intensities are compared with a Voyager-type model. The intensity distribution of [SII] is found to deviate from the model predictions which indicates a change in the torus at the Ulysses encounter when compared with the Voyager epoch. A corotating structure was observed, both in [SII] and [SIII], at λ_III = 170°, showing that the torus was not azimuthally symmetric. The λ 6716/λ 6731 and λ 6731/ λ 6312 line ratios indicate a higher electron density at the time of the Ulysses observations. Additionally, the shift of the torus caused by the dawn-dusk electric field could be observed. Peak intensities in [SII] were found at 5.66 ± 0.02 R_J on the West ansa and 5.91 ± 0.04 R_J on the East.     

Models of the Io Torus

Three-dimensional models of the Io torus are employed to analyze the spectroscopic data reported by J.S. Morgan (1985, Icarus62, 389–414). These models are used to compare Morgan's ground-based spectroscopic data with R.J. Oliversen's (1983, The Io Plasma Torus: Its Structure and Sulfur Emission Spectra. Ph.D. thesis, University of Wisconsin-Madison) nearly simultaneous [SII] images and with the in situ measurements made by Voyager 1. The models are also used to investigate whether the observed [SII] longitudinal intensity variations were caused by intrinsic or geometric effects, and to test the hypothesis that the observed optical east-west variations are consistent with the convective motions suggested by D.D. Barbosa and M.G. Kivelson (1983, Geophys. Res. Lett.10, 210–213) and W.-H. Ip and C. K. Goertz (1983, Nature302, 232–233). Oliversen's images are found to be in good agreement with Morgan's spectroscopic measurements. Three significant differences exist between these data and the torus described in the Voyager 1 experiments: (1) the torus beyond ～5.7R_J was found to be at least 1.5 to 2 times denser in 1981 than at the time of the Voyager 1 measurements in 1979, (2) the outer torus SII ion temperatures were approximately two times cooler than those measured by Voyager 1, and (3) in 1981, the outer torus OII mixing ratios were lower than were suggested by the Voyager 1 experiments. The 1981 ground-based OII/SII intensity ratios are found to be consistent with a radial peak near 6.0R_J in the ratio of oxygen to sulfur. At its maximum this ratio is ～2, and it falls to ～1 within ～0.5R_J inside and outside of this radius. Viewing geometry variations were found to be inadequate to account for the longitudinal variations observed by Morgan (1984). Intrinsic longitudinal intensity changes of about a factor of 2 are required to match the 1981 observations. Convective motions were found to adequately explain the observed optical east-west intensity asymmetry, but problems in interpreting the [OII] doublet line ratios still remain. It is suggested that systematic errors are present in the measurements of the [OII] line ratios.     

The variations of the electron density throughout the Orion Nebula

New measurements are reported of the [OII] brightness ratio across the Orion Nebula. These are compared to all previous measurements of this ratio. The variations of the local electron density throughout the volume of Orion, predicted by the [SII] and [OII] ratios, are then compared to the variations of the rms electron density.     

Density structure of the giant HII region NGC 2363

We perform a detailed measurement of the electron density along two slit position angles in the bright, low metallicity extragalactic HII region NGC 2363. A comparison of the density structures obtained with the two independent diagnostics given by [AIV]4711/4740 and [SII]6716/6731, show that they present both different absolute values and different radial dependencies, with the [AIV] densities reaching up to 1000 cm^-3. We explore the implications for the computation of the He abundance.     

Monte Carlo modeling of Io’s [OI] 6300 Å and [SII] 6716 Å auroral emission in eclipse

We present a Monte Carlo (MC) model of [OI] 6300 Å and [SII] 6716 Å emission from Io entering eclipse. The simulation accounts for the 3-D distribution of SO₂, O, SO, S, and O₂ in Io’s atmosphere, several volcanic plumes, and the magnetic field around Io. Thermal electrons from the jovian plasma torus are input along the simulation domain boundaries and move along the magnetic field lines distorted by Io, occasionally participating in collisions with neutrals. We find that the atmospheric asymmetry resulting from varying degrees of atmospheric collapse across Io (due to eclipse ingress) and the presence of volcanoes contributes significantly to the unique morphology of the [OI] 6300 Å emission. The [OI] radiation lifetime of ∼134 s limits the emission to regions that have a sufficiently low neutral density so that intermolecular collisions are rare. We find that at low altitudes (typically <40 km) and in volcanic plumes (Pele, Prometheus, etc.) the number density is large enough (>4 × 10⁹ cm⁻³) to collisionally quench nearly all (>95%) of the excited oxygen for reasonable quenching efficiencies. Upstream (relative to the plasma flow), Io’s perturbation of the jovian magnetic field mirrors electrons with high pitch angles, while downstream collisions can trap the electrons. This magnetic field perturbation is one of the main physical mechanisms that results in the upstream/downstream brightness asymmetry in [OI] emission seen in the observation by Trauger et al. (Trauger, J.T., Stapelfeldt, K.R., Ballester, G.E., Clarke, J.I., 1997. HST observations of [OI] emissions from Io in eclipse. AAS-DPS Abstract (1997DPS29.1802T)). There are two other main causes for the observed brightness asymmetry. First, the observation’s viewing geometry of the wake spot crosses the dayside atmosphere and therefore the wake’s observational field of view includes higher oxygen column density than the upstream side. Second, the phased entry into eclipse results in less atmospheric collapse and thus higher collisional quenching on the upstream side relative to the wake. We compute a location (both in altitude and latitude) for the intense wake emission feature that agrees reasonably well with this observation. Furthermore, the peak intensity of the simulated wake feature is less than that observed by a factor of ∼3, most likely because our model does not include direct dissociation-excitation of SO₂ and SO. We find that the latitudinal location of the emission feature depends not so much on the tilt of the magnetic field as on the relative north/south flux tube depletion that occurs due to Io’s changing magnetic latitude in the plasma torus. From 1-D simulations, we also find that the intensity of [SII] 6716 and 6731 Å emission is much weaker than that of [OI] even if the [SII] excitation cross section is 10³ times larger than excitation to [OI]. This is because the density of S⁺ is much less than that of O and because the Einstein-A coefficient of the [SII] emission is a factor of ∼10 smaller than that of [OI].     

The [Sii] electron density distribution over the planetary nebula NGC 7009

Electron densities have been measured from [Sii] 6716/6731 Å line ratios for a grid of points over the surface of the planetary nebula NGC 7009 using a photon counting detector. The radial dependence of the electron density has been modelled, and the relationship provides possible evidence that the planetary nebula shell is driven by a strong stellar wind.     

Panoramic spectroscopy of galaxies with star-formation regions. a study of SBS 1202?+?583

The methods of panoramic (3D) spectroscopy are used by us in a detailed study of galaxies with ongoing star formation chosen from among objects in seven selected fields of the Second Byurakan Survey (SBS). This article deals with the irregular galaxy SBS 1202 + 583, which our classification scheme identifies as being in a continuous phase of star formation. Observations were made with the panoramic spectrographs MPFS at the 6-m telescope of the Special Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) of the Russian Academy of Sciences and VAGR at the 2.6-m telescope of the Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory (BAO) in Armenia. The data are used to construct maps of the radiative fluxes in the continuum and various emission lines. Special attention is devoted to analyzing the emission in the Hα hydrogen recombination line and in the forbidden low-ionization doublets of nitrogen [NII] λλ6548, 6583 and sulfur [SII] λλ6716, 6731, and the ratios of the intensities of the forbidden lines to Hα. The observable characteristics (size, Hα fluxes, etc.) of nine HII regions are studied. The estimated current rates of star formation in the individual HII regions based on the Hα fluxes lie within the range of 0.3-1.2_⨀ M /year. The dependence of the ratio of the intensities of the emission in these above mentioned forbidden doublets on the rate of star formation in the HII regions is found.     

Optical imaging and spectroscopic observation of the galactic supernova remnant G85.9-0.6

Optical CCD imaging with Hα and [SII] filters and spectroscopic observations of the galactic supernova remnant G85.9-0.6 have been performed for the first time. The CCD image data are taken with the 1.5 m Russian-Turkish Telescope (RTT150) at TüBİTAK National Observatory (TUG) and spectral data are taken with the Bok 2.3 m telescope on Kitt Peak, AZ. The images are taken with narrow-band interference filters Hα, [SII] and their continuum. [SII]/Hα ratio image is performed. The ratio obtained from [SII]/Hα is found to be ∼0.42, indicating that the remnant interacts with HII regions. G85.9-0.6 shows diffuse-shell morphology. [SII]λ λ6716/6731 average flux ratio is calculated from the spectra, and the electron density N _e is obtained to be 395 cm⁻³. From [OIII]/Hβ ratio, shock velocity has been estimated, pre-shock density of n _c =14 cm⁻³, explosion energy of E=9.2×10⁵⁰ ergs, interstellar extinction of E(B−V)=0.28, and neutral hydrogen column density of N(HI)=1.53×10²¹ cm⁻² are reported.     

Variability of the spectrum of the galaxy kaz 701

Results from a spectrophotometric study of the galaxy Kaz 701 are presented. Spectra of this galaxy were obtained on the 2.6-m telescope at the Byurakan Observatory with the SCORPIO spectral camera. In the spectra of Kaz 701, strong Hα, [OIII] λλ5007, 4959, and Hβ emission were observed, and the [SII]λλ6731, 6717 lines were observed with moderate intensities, while the [NII]λ6584 line was scarcely noticeable in the spectra obtained in 2004, but was much more intense in the spectra of 2009. The lines observed in the spectrum of this galaxy are typical of type Sy2 galaxies. A component was observed in the red wings of both the Hα and Hβ lines in the data of 2004, but, although these lines were stronger, these components were absent in the spectra taken in 2009. The relative intensities, equivalent widths, and half widths of these lines are given. These data, obtained in different observation periods (2004 and 2009), differ greatly; that is, the emission is variable.     

The ionization mechanism in low level emission galaxy nuclei: Shocks

We analyze the emission component of galaxy nuclei at very low intensity levels (W(H)2Å). This emission level is considerably lower than that of classical LINERS like NGC 1052. We have access to weaker emission lines by averaging spectra with similar line ratios for H [NII], and [SII]. From the resulting spectrum for very low level emission nuclei, the [SII] 6717, 6731/[SIII] 9069, 9532 line ratio criterion (Diazet al., 1985a) unambiguously shows that shock-wave heating is the mechanism responsible for the ionization in such objects.     

Optical observations of the galactic supernova remnants G59.5+0.1, G84.9+0.5 and G67.7+1.8

We present here the optical CCD observations and long slit spectra of the galactic supernova remnants G59.5+0.1, G84.9+0.5 and G67.7+1.8, the first two being observed for the first time. The observations were carried out with the 1.5 m Russian-Turkish joint Telescope (RTT150) at TÜB?TAK National Observatory (TUG). The images were taken with Hα, [SII] and their continuum filters. After subtracting the continuum from Hα and [SII], [SII]/Hα ratio is obtained. The average ratio is found to be 0.41 for G59.5+0.1 and 0.44 for G84.9+0.5, in a very good agreement with the ratios obtained from the optical spectra, namely 0.46 and 0.40, respectively, indicating that these remnants are close to, or interacting with, HII regions. G59.5+0.1 and G84.9+0.5 remnants show diffuse-shell morphology while G67.7+1.8 shows arc-shell morphology. From the emission lines of the spectra, the electron density N _e , pre-shock density n _c , explosion energy E, interstellar extinction E(B-V), and neutral hydrogen column density N(HI) are calculated and shock velocity V _s is estimated for these remnants.     

Ionized gas characteristics in the cavities of the gas and dust disc of the spiral galaxy NGC 6946

The parameters of the ionized gas in NGC 6946 (in the [NII] λλ6548, 6583, H _α and [SII] λλ6717, 6731 lines) are investigated with the SAO RAS BTA telescope along three positions of the long slit of the SCORPIO focal reducer, passing through a number of large and small cavities of the gaseous disc of the galaxy. These cavities correspond exactly to the cavities in warm dust, visible at 5 − 8μm. We found that everywhere in the direction of NGC 6946 the lines of ionized gas are decomposed into two Gaussians, one of which shows almost constant [SII]/H _α and [NII]/H _α ratios, as well as an almost constant radial velocity within the measurement errors (about −35… − 50 km/s). This component is in fact the foreground radiation from the diffuse ionized gas of our Galaxy, which is not surprising, given the low (12°) latitude of NGC 6946; a similar component is also present in the emission of neutral hydrogen. The analysis of the component of ionized gas, occurring inNGC 6946, has revealed that it shows signs of shock excitation in the cavities of the gaseous disc of the galaxy. This shock excitation is as well typical for the extraplanar diffuse ionized gas (EDIG), observed in a number of spiral galaxies at their high Z-coordinates. This can most likely be explained by low density of the gas in the NGC 6946 disc (with the usual photoionization) inside the cavities, due to what we see the spectral features of the EDIG gas of NGC 6946, projected onto them, and located outside the plane of the galaxy. In the absence of separation of ionized gas into two components by radial velocities, there is an increasing contribution to the integral line parameters by the EDIG of our Galaxy when the gas density in NGC 6946 decreases, which explains some strange results, obtained in the previous studies. Themorphology of warmdust, visible in the infrared range and HI is almost the same (except for the peripheral parts of the galaxy, where there are no sources of dust heating).Moreover, the shock excitation of the ionized gas is detected in the smallest holes, distinguishable only in the IR images.     

Synchrotron superbubble in the galaxy IC 10: The ionized gas structure,kinematics, and emission spectrum

We have investigated the structure, kinematics, and emission spectrum of the ionized gas in the synchrotron superbubble in the irregular galaxy IC 10 based on observations with the 6-m Special Astrophysical Observatory telescope with the SCORPIO focal reducer in three modes: direct imaging in the [S II] λ(6717 + 6731) Å lines, long-slit spectroscopy, and spectroscopy with a scanning Fabry-Perot interferometer. We have identified a bright (in the [S II] lines) filamentary optical shell and determined its expansion velocity, mass, and kinetic energy. The nature of the object is discussed.     

Analysis of the HST ultraviolet spectra for T Tauri stars: RY Tau and HD 115043

The ultraviolet spectra of the stars RY Tau and HD 115043 from the Hubble Space Telescope are analyzed. RY Tau belongs to the classical T Tauri stars, while HD 115043 is a young (t~3×10⁸ years), chromospherically active star. The most intense emission lines were identified, and their fluxes were measured. Low-resolution spectra of RY Tau and HD 115043 in the wavelength range 1160–1760 Å exhibit almost the same set of emission lines. However, first, the luminosity of RY Tau in these lines is approximately a factor of 300 higher than that of HD 115043, and, second, the relative line intensities differ greatly. The intensity ratio of the C IV λ1550, Si IV λ1400, and NV λ1240 doublet components is close to 1: 2 in the spectra of both stars. Judging by the continuum energy distribution, the spectral type of RY Tau is later than that of HD 115043. Synchronous flux variability in the C IV λ1550 and He II λ1640 lines in a time of ~20 min was detected in RY Tau. The flux rise in these lines was accompanied by a redshift of the intensity peak in the profiles by~50 km s^?1. Intermediate-resolution spectra are used to study line profiles in the spectrum of RY Tau. In particular, the profiles of (optically thin) Si III]λ1892 and C III]λ1909 lines were found to be asymmetric and about 300 km s^?1 in width. The (optically thick) C IV λ1550 doublet lines have similar profiles. The Mg II λ2800 doublet lines are also asymmetric, but their shape is different: they consist of a broad (?750 km s^?1 at the base) emission component on which an interstellar absorption line shifted from the line symmetry center by about 20 km s^?1 is superimposed. The intensity ratio of the Mg II λ2800 doublet components is?1.4. Whether there are molecular hydrogen lines in the spectrum of RY Tau is still an open question. It is shown that the emission lines in the ultraviolet spectrum of RY Tau cannot originate in a hydrostatically equilibrium chromosphere. It is argued that quasi-steady accretion of circumstellar matter is responsible for the emission.     

EUV analysis of an active region

A sequence of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) spectroheliograms of McMath region No. 10283 were obtained by the Harvard College Observatory experiment on OSO-6. The lines Ovi λ1032 Mg × λ625, Si xii λ499 and Fe xvi λ 335 were used to determine coronal temperatures and densities above the active region. A comparison of theoretical and observed line ratios yielded coronal temperatures of 2.2 to 2.3 × 10⁶K above the active region and 2.0 to 2.1 × 10⁶K in the surrounding area. The temperatures derived from ratios involving the O vi intensities are systematically higher than the others. This is attributed to an error in the theoretical O vi intensities. The intensities observed above the limb are compared with intensities predicted with a simple model based on cylindrical geometry. The overall agreement shows that the assumption of an iso-thermal corona in hydrostatic equilibrium above the active region is a reasonable working hypothesis and that the adopted geometrical model for the electron density distribution is adequate.     

Density studies of giant extragalacticHII regions

We have studied the variation of the electron density with position in a selected group of bright giant extragalacticHII regions with the use of long slit spectrophotometry at high spectral and spatial resolution. Density values for the ionized gas of the regions have been obtained from the measurement of the [SII] 6717, 6731 ratio. We conclude that the regions are not homogeneous; the density varies with position, with the zones of high density frequently associated to high surface brightness.Paper presented at the 11th European Regional Astronomical Meetings of the IAU on New Windows to the Universe, held 3–8 July, 1989, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.     

Overpressured emission-line clouds in the haloes of powerful radio galaxies

We present accurate measurements of the physical conditions in five powerful radio galaxies, as derived from deep, long-slit spectroscopic observations. All five objects show prominent extended line emission, and have X-ray luminosities similar to those of isolated elliptical galaxies. The data are high enough quality that the electron density and temperature can be measured at several positions across the emission-line nebulae.
We subtract a model continuum comprising a combination of a 15-Gyr stellar template, a young stellar template and a power law, so as to be better able to measure faint diagnostic lines. Electron temperatures measured from the [O  iii ](4959+5007)/4363 line ratio are in the range  10 000< T _e<20 000 K  , whilst  [S  ii ](6716/6731)  densities fall between  100–500 cm^-3.  Using these values, we find pressures within the line-emitting clouds a factor of  10–100  times higher than expected for pressure balance with the hot X-ray haloes of the host galaxies.
Previous studies of sources that show significant evidence of jet–cloud interactions, both in terms of their kinematics and ionization, have concluded that the overpressure is a result of the warm, line-emitting gas being compressed by the radio cocoon; however, there is no evidence that the radio jet is influencing the emission-line regions in four of our five objects.
We suggest that it is plausible that the line-emitting clouds have not yet relaxed into pressure equilibrium from their initial photoionization by the central active galactic nucleus.     

Spectrophotometric observations of a peculiar nitrogen-rich planetary nebula NGC 2440

By using the Boller and Chivens spectrograph with a moderate dispersion (59 å mm^-1) in the red spectral region, we obtained 65 spectra covering the whole surface of the planetary nebula NGC 2440. Intensities of Hα, [N II] λλ 6548–6584 and [S II] λλ 6717–6731 lines are derived using the IDS system available at the ESO in La Silva (Chile). The nebula is known to be a nitrogen-rich nebula (Peimbert 1978) surrounded by secondary structures (Minkowski 1964). The unusual high value of the [N II]/Hα in the central core (~ 30) is certainly due to the nitrogen overabundance occurring in that part of the nebula. Its variations from scale ionization structure (Capriotti, Cromwell and Williams 1971). The observations show clearly an outward increase of both [NII]/Hα andI(6717)/I(6713) ratios.     

Giant bow shock pairs associated with herbig-haro jets

Two pairs of giant (linear size 1 pc) bow shock structures have been discovered, each located symmetrically about HH 1/2 and HH 124. Their Herbig-Haro (HH) natures have been confirmed by narrow band CCD imaging on and off [SII] 6717/6731 and/or slit spectroscopy. Multiple bow shocks are known associated with a few HH objects such as HH 34, and are interpreted as evidence for recurrent outflow activity of the exciting sources. The giant bow shocks associated with HH 1/2 or HH 124 provide further, beautiful examples of this phenomenon and, with dynamical ages of nearly 20000 yr in both pairs, extend its timescale by more than an order of magnitude.     

Cassini UVIS observations of Europa's oxygen atmosphere and torus

Observations of the Europa environment using the Cassini UltraViolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS) show the presence of an extended atomic oxygen atmosphere in addition to the bound molecular oxygen atmosphere first detected by Hubble Space Telescope in 1994 [D.T. Hall, D.F. Strobel, P.D. Feldman, M.A. McGrath, H.A. Weaver, 1995, Detection of an oxygen atmosphere on Jupiter's moon Europa, Nature 373, 677-679]. The atomic oxygen measurement provides a direct constraint on the sputtering and loss of Europa's water ice surface and the interaction of Europa's atmosphere with Jupiter's magnetosphere. We derive a loss rate for O₂ based on the emission rate of the OI 1356 Å multiplet. UVIS detected substantial variability in the oxygen emission from Europa's oxygen atmosphere that we attribute to the viewing geometry. B.H. Mauk, D.G. Mitchell, S.M. Krimigis, E.C. Roelof, C.P. Paranicas [2003, Energetic neutral atoms from a trans-Europa gas torus at Jupiter, Nature 421, 920-922] inferred the presence of a torus of neutral gas at Europa's orbit based on Cassini's energetic neutral atom (ENA) image of the Jupiter system acquired with the Magnetospheric Imaging Instrument (MIMI), with the most likely torus constituents being hydrogen and oxygen species sputtered from Europa. Cassini UVIS data rule out O and O₂ as the possible torus species reported by Mauk et al. however, unless the torus density is so low that it is undetectable by UVIS (less than 8 atoms / cm³). The UVIS observations indicate the presence of atomic hydrogen and possibly other species, but a full analysis is deferred to a following paper. The hydrogen in the present observations shows a local-time asymmetry and complex spatial distribution.