Interstellar polarization: New approximation

A new, physically valid, approximation of the wavelength dependences of the degree of linear interstellar polarization P _λ observed in a wavelength range from 0.2 to 4 μm is suggested. The data obtained from the ground-based observations and the HPOL and WUPPE space missions on P _λ of 104 stars located in a galactic latitude range B from ?20° to +20° are used. This approximation provides better agreement with the observational P _λ data than the models by Serkowski (1973) and Whittet et al. (1992) proposed before.     

On the optical properties of bacterial grains,I

We compute the detailed optical properties over the waveband 0.8 μm^?1?λ?10 μm^?1 for the bacterial grain model which we have discussed earlier. A model comprised of three biologically derived components, modified under interstellar conditions, is shown to be in close correspondence with the observed properties of interstellar dust. Data on interstellar extinction and polarization may be accounted for by this model.     

Broad-band optical polarimetric study of IC 1805

We present the BVR broad-band polarimetric observations of 51 stars belonging to the young open cluster IC 1805. Along with the photometric data from the literature, we have modelled and subtracted the foreground dust contribution from the maximum polarization ( P _max) and colour excess [ E ( B − V )]. The mean value of the P _max for intracluster medium and the foreground are found to be 5.008 ± 0.005 and 4.865 ± 0.022 per cent, respectively. Moreover, the mean value of the wavelength of maximum polarization (λ_max) for intracluster medium is 0.541 ± 0.003 μ m, which is quite similar as the general interstellar medium (ISM). The resulting intracluster dust component is found to have negligible polarization efficiency as compared to interstellar dust. Some of the observed stars in IC 1805 have shown the indication of intrinsic polarization in their measurements.     

The distribution of interstellar matter in IC 5146

The very young star cluster IC 5146 is studied using star counts, with a view to determining the distribution of interstellar matter in a region where star formation recently occurred. IC 5146 is embedded in a dark nebula which is very dense near its centre. The total mass of interstellar dust in the nebula is found to be about 4.5M _⊙. Comparison of radio and optical observations of the region indicates that gas and dust are not separated to any great degree by radiation from the embedded stars. A gas/dust ratio of about 150/1 by mass is found. This ratio varies with the dust grain model used.     

On the interstellar extinction law toward young stars

We have determined the atomic hydrogen column density N _HI toward all of the young stars from the Taurus-Auriga-Perseus star-forming complex for which the corresponding spectra are available in the Hubble Space Telescope archive (nine stars) by analyzing the Lyα line profile. We show that the stars studied, except DR Tau, lie not far from the edge of the gaseous cloud of the star-forming region closest to us or, more precisely, inside the outer H I shell of the cloud. This shell with a column density of N _HI ? 6 × 10²⁰ cm^?2 surrounds the molecular gas of the cloud composed of a diffuse component (the so-called diffuse screen) in which dense, compact TMC-1 cores are embedded. The properties of the dust grains toward the stars that lie at the front edge of the cloud most likely differ only slightly from those of the interstellar dust outside star-forming regions. This casts doubt on the validity of the hypothesis that the extinction curve toward young stars has an anomalously low amplitude of the 2175 Å bump—such an extinction curve is observed for the field stars HD 29647 and HD 283809 toward which the line of sight passes through the TMC-1 core.     

The material of the interstellar dust and the surface of asteroids: A comparison of the spectral properties in the 0.3–1.1-μm range

From the data on bright stars of different spectral and luminosity classes from the 13-color photometry catalog, the selective extinction of light by the interstellar dust has been studied. The stars from the 1000-pc vicinity of the Sun were investigated. In the optical spectral range, the interstellar extinction curves show systematic deviations from the “λ^?1” law, which allows one to sort them into three types. The observed curves of the interstellar dust extinction were compared with the theoretical curves calculated from the reflectance spectra of the asteroids under the approximation of the Rayleigh particles. The calculated extinction curves for the surface material of D-type asteroids and the Tagish Lake carbonaceous chondrite agree rather well with the observed curves of the interstellar extinction of the first type.     

Stars with discrepant v sin i as derived from Ca II λ 3933 Å and Mg II λ 4481 Å lines. III. Stars with v sin i (λ 3933 Å) < v sin i (λ 4481 Å)

Axial rotation of a star plays an important role in its evolution, physical conditions in its atmosphere and the appearance of its spectrum. We analyzed CCD spectra of nine stars for which the projected rotational velocity derived from the Ca II line at λ 3933 Å was remarkably lower than the one derived from the MgII line at λ 4481 Å. We derived effective temperatures and surface gravities using published uvbyβ photometries, and computed synthetic spectra. Comparing the observed line profiles of the two lines with the computed ones, we estimated the values of v sin i. One of the stars, HD44783, is a Be-star which, besides the narrow absorptions in the spectrum originating in its circumstellar envelope, also has lines of interstellar origin. We also found indications of circumstellar matter in the spectrum of HD25152. In the spectra of the remaining seven stars the narrow components in the Ca II λ 3933 Å line as well as narrow absorptions in the Na I λ 5889.951 Å (D1) and λ 5895.924 Å (D2) lines are of interstellar origin. In HD114376 there are two systems of interstellar components, thus disclosing two different interstellar clouds in the direction of the star. In the spectrum of HD138527 signs of a possible companion were detected, the emission of which contributes 15% to the total light of the system.     

Effects of shock processing on Serkowski polarization curves

This paper presents a semi-empirical model for variations of interstellar polarization curves based upon the Serkowski-Wilking law for optical and near-infrared wavebands. The model assumes that nonspherical dust grains producing interstellar polarization are core-mantle particles shaped like oblate spheroids. The physical picture is one in which large (a ₀ 0.1µm) particles in the dense cloud phase are deposited into the diffuse cloud medium and thereafter undergo mantle processing by galactic shocks and UV starlight. It is shown that polarization curves vary their widths mainly as a consequence of the nonthermal sputtering of mantles by low-velocity shocks. Mantle sputtering by shocks in low density clouds tends to broaden the curves, whereas mantle sputtering by shocks in denser clouds produce narrow curves. Hence, shock processing of grain mantles can explain the observed correlation between the width of polarization curves and the dust grain environment.     

Polarization in the young cluster NGC 6611: circumstellar, interstellar, or ... both?

We obtained linear polarization observations of 82 A/B-type stars in the young cluster NGC 6611, in order to probe the circumstellar material and to search for any evidence of intracluster or interstellar material that could also contribute to the polarization. We found linear polarization values that reach up to 14%. We consider the distribution of the polarization, its position angle, correlations with extinction and membership probability, polarization variability and wavelength distribution to identify the origin of the polarization toward NGC 6611. The polarization is found to be dominated by interstellar polarization, although some stars also have some circumstellar polarization. There is no evidence for intracluster dust. Rather, the dust must be located in a low density cloud toward the general line of sight to NGC 6611 and in front of it. The depth of that cloud along the line of sight increases slowly from the south–east to the north–west. The cloud is threaded by a very uniform magnetic field.     

Photoelectric photometry of the stars HD 29647 and HDE 283809 in the Taurus dark cloud

Photoelectric Vilnius photometry of the B-type stars HD 29 647 and HDE 283 809 in the direction of the Taurus molecular cloud indicates their brightness and energy distribution to be constant within 1–2%. The interstellar extinction law is determined for the star HDE 283 809 from the photometry data in the Vilnius andUBVRJHKL systems, which yield the ratioR=A _V/E_B-V=3.5 and grain sizes exceeding the average by approximately 10%. The interstellar extinction law for the two stars is found to be the same in the infrared, however, it is very different in the near ultraviolet. The new spectra of HDE 283 809 confirm the earlier classification and indicate an absence of emission in the hydrogen lines. The interstellar band at 443 nm is observed but its intensity is a half of what is expected forE _B-V=1.61. The observed peculiarities of the energy distribution in the spectrum of HDE 283 809 apparently originate in interstellar or circumstellar dust, not in the star itself.Operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under contract with the National Science Foundation.     

Production of dust by massive stars at high redshift

The large amounts of dust detected in sub-millimeter galaxies and quasars at high redshift pose a challenge to galaxy formation models and theories of cosmic dust formation. At z>6 only stars of relatively high mass (>3 M_⊙) are sufficiently short-lived to be potential stellar sources of dust. This review is devoted to identifying and quantifying the most important stellar channels of rapid dust formation. We ascertain the dust production efficiency of stars in the mass range 3–40 M_⊙ using both observed and theoretical dust yields of evolved massive stars and supernovae (SNe) and provide analytical expressions for the dust production efficiencies in various scenarios. We also address the strong sensitivity of the total dust productivity to the initial mass function. From simple considerations, we find that, in the early Universe, high-mass (>3 M_⊙) asymptotic giant branch stars can only be dominant dust producers if SNe generate ≲3×10⁻³ M_⊙ of dust whereas SNe prevail if they are more efficient. We address the challenges in inferring dust masses and star-formation rates from observations of high-redshift galaxies. We conclude that significant SN dust production at high redshift is likely required to reproduce current dust mass estimates, possibly coupled with rapid dust grain growth in the interstellar medium.     

Interstellar gas depletion and dust parameters

It is shown that on theoretical grounds the relative abundances of the elements in the interstellar gas phase should be correlated with the wavelength of maximum interstellar polarization _max. If these correlations can be determined by observations, then there is the possibility to determine the relative abundances of the heavier elements within the mantles as well as within the cores of interstellar dust grains, at least in principle.The observational data available up to now confirm the existence of such correlations between _max and the interstellar gas phase abundances of titanium, iron, magnesium, and carbon. Statements about the chemical composition of the dust particles are not yet possible. For this there are observations of the interstellar gas depletion needed, especially in such lines of sight where _max has extreme values.Paper presented at a Workshop on The Role of Dust in Dense Regions of Interstellar Matter, held at Georgenthal, G.D.R., in March 1986.     

Applicability of Broad-Band Photometry for Determining the Properties of Stars and Interstellar Extinction

The feasibility of the determination of the physical conditions in star’s atmosphere and the parameters of interstellar extinction from broad-band photometric observations in the 300–3000 nm wavelength interval is studied using SDSS and 2MASS data. The photometric accuracy of these surveys is shown to be insufficient for achieving in practice the theoretical possibility of estimating the atmospheric parameters of stars based on ugriz and JHK_s photometry exclusively because such determinations result in correlations between the temperature and extinction estimates. The uncertainty of interstellar extinction estimates can be reduced if prior data about the temperature are available. The surveys considered can nevertheless be potentially valuable sources of information about both stellar atmospheric parameters and the interstellar medium.     

A Study of the [OII]λ3727/Hα Flux Ratio of Emission Line Galaxies

With the sample of 10⁵ emission line galaxies selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 4 (SDSS DR4), we have investigated the relations of the [O_II]λ3727/H_α flux ratio with the dust extinction, the ionization state of interstellar gas and the metal abundance of galaxies. It is found that the dust extinction correction has a significant effect on the [O_II]λ3727/H_α flux ratio. Before and after the dust distinction correction is made, the mean [O_II]λ3727/H_α flux ratios are 0.48 and 0.89, respectively. After the dust extinction is corrected, the dispersion of the distribution of F([O_II]λ3727) as a function of F(H_α) is obviously reduced. The [O_II]λ3727/H_α flux ratio of metal-poor galaxies decreases with the increasing ionization degree of interstellar gas, but this relation does not exist in metal-rich galaxies. Besides, it is found that the [O_II]λ3727/H_α flux ratio is correlated with the metal abundance. When 12 + lg(O/H) > 8.5, the [O_II]λ3727/H_α flux ratio decreases with the increasing metal abundance; for the galaxies of 12 + lg(O/H) > 8.5, the spectral flux ratio correlates positively with the metal abundance. Finally, by using the parameters of gas ionization degree and metal abundances of galaxies, the formulae for calculating the [O_II]λ3727/H_α flux ratios of different types of galaxies are given. With the [O_II]λ3727/H_α flux ratio given by these formulae, the star formation rate can be derived by using the [O_II]λ3727-line flux, for the galaxies of the redshift z > 0.4, such as the large number of galaxies to be observed by the LAMOST telescope.     

The Umov effect for single irregularly shaped particles with sizes comparable with wavelength

The Umov effect manifests itself as an inverse correlation between the linear polarization maximum of an object’s scattered light P_max and its geometric albedo A. This effect is observed for the Moon, Mercury and Mars, and there are data suggesting this effect is valid for asteroids. The Umov effect is due to the contribution of interparticle multiple scattering that increases albedo and decreases polarization. We here study if the Umov effect can be extended to the case of single irregularly shaped particles with sizes comparable with the wavelength. This, in particular, is important for cometary dust polarimetry. We show the Umov effect being valid for weakly absorbing irregular particles (Im(m) ? 0.02) almost through the entire range of size parameters x considered. Highly absorbing particles (Im(m) > 0.02) follow the Umov effect only if x exceeds 14. In the case of weakly absorbing particles, the inverse correlation is essentially non-linear, which is caused by the contribution of particles with small x. However, averaging over many different types of irregularly shaped particles could make it significantly more linear. The size averaging does not change qualitatively the diagram log(P_max)-log(A) for weakly absorbing particles. For single irregular particles whose sizes are comparable with wavelength, there is no reliable correlation between the slope of the polarization curve h near the inversion phase angle and geometric albedo A. Using the extended Umov Law, we estimate the geometric albedo of dust particles forming cometary circumnuclear haloes A = 0.1 − 0.2, which is a few times larger than the average geometric albedo over the entire comae. Note that, using the obtained values for A of cometary particles, one can derive their number density in circumnuclear haloes from photometric observations.     

Laboratory light-scattering measurements with Titan's aerosols analogues produced by a dusty plasma

The chemistry leading to the formation of solid aerosols (tholins) in Titan's atmosphere is simulated by a capacitively coupled plasma in a N₂-CH₄ gas mixture. The solid grains are produced in volume directly in the gas phase and studied ex-situ by SEM imaging and by light scattering on clouds of particles. The scattered light properties depend on the physical properties of the particles (morphologies, size distribution), as well as on the phase angle and the wavelength of the light. The particles may be aggregated or agglomerated grains. The grains size distribution is studied as a function of plasma parameters such as initial methane concentration introduced into the discharge, gas flow, absorbed RF power and plasma duration. The average grain size increases when the amount of CH₄ increases, when the gas flow decreases, and when the plasma duration increases up to a limit for each production condition.For all the samples, the absorption decreases with increasing wavelength in the visible domain. As usually found for irregular particles, the polarization phase curves have a bell-shaped positive branch and a shallow negative branch. The maximum of polarization (P_max) increases when the average grain size decreases (sub-μm-sized grains). To obtain P_max values within the range of those measured in Titan's atmosphere; the average grains diameter has to be smaller than 100 nm, in agreement with the space observations results. In the light-scattering experiment, the size of the agglomerates in the clouds is in the 40-80 μm range in equivalent diameter. As a consequence P_max increases with decreasing wavelength due to the increasing absorption, in agreement with observations of Titan from outside the atmosphere.     

The formation of comets in wind-driven shells around protostars

It is shown that the dense, turbulent, decelerating shells produced by protostellar flows around young stars are a probable site for rapid grain growth by coalescing collisions. The growth of grains occurs in a thin dust layer at the leading edge of the gas shell until a critical grain size on the order of 1−10 μm is reached. Grains larger than this decouple from the turbulence and eventually reach sizes of ≈100 μm. These large grains form a thin dust shell with low-velocity dispersion, in which ultimately local gravitational instability takes place. This causes the accumulation of comet-sized aggregations of dust, assuming that the dust velocity dispersion is on the order of 10⁻² m sec⁻¹. It is proposed that the mechanism could lead to a high space density of comets in molecular clouds. The efficient formation of “giant” grains, and even comet nuclei, in the regions around young stars has important implications both for cometary astronomy and for understanding the dynamical and chemical evolution of molecular clouds and the interstellar medium.     

Comet C/2002 T7 (LINEAR): Polarimetric and photometric studies

We present the results of polarimetric and photometric observations of dynamically new comet C/2002 T7 (LINEAR) at phase angles from 6° to 26°. During the observations, the comet was at a distance of 2.7–1.3 AU from the Sun and 1.7–2.0 AU from the Earth. The aperture polarimetry was made with the 2.6-m Shain telescope and the 1.25-m AZT-11 telescope of the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory and with the 0.7-m telescope of the Astronomical Institute of the Kharkiv National University during the period from November 21, 2003, to February 21, 2004. The wideband UBVRI and WRC (λ7228/1142 Å) filters and the narrowband GC (λ5260/56 Å) filter were used. The photometric observations of the comet were carried out on February 21, 2004, with narrowband filters isolated the BC (λ4845/65 Å) and RC (λ6840/90 Å) continuum and the C₂ emission (λ5140/90 Å). The phase-angle dependence of linear polarization of the comet has been obtained, and its parameters, such as the minimal polarization P _min = ?1.63%, the phase angle of the minimal polarization α_min = 10.6°, the inversion angle α_inv = 22.7°, and the slope of the phase curve at the inversion angle h = 0.24% per degree, were found. From the photometric observations, the following quantities have been obtained: the column density of molecules C₂ in the line of sight logN (C₂) = ?9.15 mol/cm² and their production rate log Q (C₂) = 27.11 mol/s, the spectral gradient of reflectivity for the dust S′(BC, RC) ≈ 3%/1000 Å, and the dust production parameter Afρ equal to 371 and 273 cm for the blue and red continuum ranges, respectively. According to these results, the physical parameters of comet C/2002 T7 are close to the average characteristics of typical dusty comets.     

Cloudy circumstellar dust shells around young variable stars

A number of variable stars of the Orion population has been identified with IRAS point sources by us. This finding supports the conclusion that the prominent Algol-like minima in the lightcurves of these stars originate from obscurations by dust clouds in a circumstellar shell. The discussion of the existingUBVR data leads to the remarkable conclusion that the extinction properties of the grain populations contained in individual dust clouds moving in one and the same circumstellar shell are quite different.From the multicolour photometric data of the different Algol-like minima we derived individual values of the reddening parameterR = A _v /E(B - V). It covers a remarkable wide range of values from that one typical of the interstellar extinction law up to 7. In the case of SV Cep one of the grain populations produces a virtually neutral extinction. The large values ofR speak in favour of larger than normal (interstellar) dust grains, which may have grown by coagulation processes. The cloudy circumstellar dust shell provides a natural explanation for the observed infrared excess. The properties derived from the optical light variations are fully compatible with the properties deduced from the infrared radiation. The irregularity of the light variations indicates that many clouds are involved and may sometimes superimpose themselves.Paper presented at the Conference onPlanetary Systems: Formation, Evolution, and Detection held 7–10 December, 1992 at CalTech, Pasadena, California, U.S.A.     

Three-component dust models for interstellar extinction

Interstellar extinction curves obtained from the ‘extinction without standard’ method were used to constrain the dust characteristics in the mean ISM (R _V = 3.1), along the lines of sight through a high latitude diffuse molecular cloud towards HD 210121 (R _V = 2.1) and in a dense interstellar environment towards the cluster NGC 1977 (R _V = 6.42). We have used three-component dust models comprising silicate, graphite and very small carbonaceous grains (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) following the grain size distributions introduced by Li & Draine in 2001. It is shown that oxygen, carbon and silicon abundances derived from our models are closer with the available elemental abundances for the dust grains in the ISM if F & G type stars atmospheric abundances are taken for the ISM than the solar. The importance of very small grains in modelling the variation of interstellar extinction curves has been investigated. Grain size distributions and elemental abundances locked up in dust are studied and compared at different interstellar environments using these three extinction curves. We present the albedo and the scattering asymmetry parameter evaluated from optical to extreme-UV wavelengths for the proposed dust models.