ISO observations of molecular hydrogen in the DR 21 bipolar outflow

We demonstrate that a wide range of molecular hydrogen excitation can be observed in protostellar outflows at wavelengths in excess of 5 μm. Cold H₂ in DR 21 is detected through the pure rotational transitions in the ground vibrational level (0–0). Hot H₂ is detected in pure rotational transitions within higher vibrational levels (1–1, 1–2, etc.). Although this emission is relatively weak, we have detected two 1–1 lines in the DR 21 outflow with the ISO SWS instrument. We thus investigate molecular excitation over energy levels corresponding to the temperature range 1015–15 722 K, without the uncertainty introduced by differential extinction when employing near-infrared data.
This gas is thermally excited. We uncover a rather low H₂ excitation in the DR 21 West Peak. The line emission cannot be produced from single C-shocks or J-shocks; a range of shock strengths is required. This suggests that bow shocks and/or bow-generated supersonic turbulence is responsible. We are able to distinguish this shock-excited gas from the fluoresced gas detected in the K band, providing support for the dual-excitation model of Fernandes, Brand & Burton.     

Effective collision strengths for fine-structure forbidden transitions among the 3s23p4 levels of Cl ii

The ab initio R -matrix method is used to calculate effective collision strengths for electron-impact excitation of the sulphur-like ion Cl  ii in the close-coupling approximation. All 10 astrophysically important fine-structure forbidden transitions within the 3s²3p⁴     ,     ,     ground configuration levels are considered. The 12 lowest LS target states are included in the calculation. Effective collision strengths are obtained by averaging the electron collision strengths over a Maxwellian distribution of electron velocities. Results are presented for electron temperatures in the range  log  T (K)=3.3  to  log  T (K)=5.5  , appropriate for astrophysical applications. These are the only effective collision strength data that are currently available.     

Electron-impact rotational excitation of linear molecular ions

Molecular R -matrix calculations are performed to give rotational excitation rates for electron collisions with linear molecular ions. Results are presented for CO⁺, HCO⁺, NO⁺ and H₂⁺ up to electron temperatures of 10 000 K. De-excitation rates and critical electron densities are also given. It is shown that the widely used Coulomb–Born approximation is valid for Δ j =1 transitions when the molecular ion has a dipole greater than about 2D, but otherwise is not reliable for studying electron-impact rotational excitation. In particular, transitions with Δ j >1 are found to have appreciable rates and are found to be entirely dominated by short-range effects.     

Effective collision strengths for fine-structure forbidden transitions among the 2s22p3 levels of Ne iv

Effective collision strengths for electron-impact excitation of the N-like ion Ne  iv are calculated in the close-coupling approximation using the multichannel R-matrix method. Specific attention is given to the 10 astrophysically important fine-structure forbidden transitions among the ⁴S^o, ²D^o and ²P^o levels in the 2s²2p³ ground-state configuration. The expansion of the total wavefunction incorporates the lowest 11 LS eigenstates of Ne  iv , consisting of eight n  = 2 terms with configurations 2s²2p³, 2s2p⁴ and 2p⁵, together with three n  = 3 states of configuration 2s²2p²3s. We present in graphical form the effective collision strengths obtained by thermally averaging the collision strengths over a Maxwellian distribution of velocities, for all 10 fine-structure transitions, over the range of electron temperatures log T (K) = 3.6 to log T (K) = 6.1 (the range appropriate for astrophysical applications). Comparisons are made with the earlier, less sophisticated close-coupling calculation of Giles, and excellent agreement is found in the limited temperature region where a comparison is possible [log T (K) = 3.7 to log T (K) = 4.3]. At higher temperatures the present data are the only reliable results currently available.     

IRAS 12311−3509: a carbon star with SiC2 emission

The optical spectrum of the carbon star IRAS 12311−3509 is dominated by the Merrill–Sanford emission bands of SiC₂, by absorption and emission in the Swan system of C₂, and by resonance emission lines of neutral metals. The infrared energy distribution is flat from 1 to 60 μm. These observations are interpreted as arising from a star with a cool dusty disc which is edge-on to the observer and obscures direct starlight. The infrared continuum is caused predominantly by absorption of stellar light by dust in the disc and re-emission at longer wavelengths. The optical stellar spectrum is seen by reflection off dusty material which lies out of the plane of the disc, and the molecular and atomic emission arises in the same geometry through resonance fluorescence. The object has similarities to the J-silicate stars, but may have a carbon-rich rather than oxygen-rich disc. A full spectroscopic assignment and discussion of the SiC₂ bands and their intensities are given. Modelling of the rotational contours of the     band yields a rotational temperature of 250 K, indicating very cool gas.     

Water in the near-infrared spectrum of comet 8P/Tuttle

High-resolution spectra of comet 8P/Tuttle were obtained in the frequency range 3449.0–3462.2 cm⁻¹ on 2008 January 3 ut using CGS4 with echelle grating on United Kingdom Infrared Telescope. In addition to observing solar pumped fluorescent lines of H₂O, the long integration time (152 min on target) enabled eight weaker H₂O features to be assigned, most of which had not previously been identified in cometary spectra. These transitions, which are from higher energy upper states, are similar in character to the so-called SH lines recorded in the post Deep Impact spectrum of comet Tempel 1. We have identified certain characteristics that these lines have in common, and which in addition to helping to define this new class of cometary line give some clues to the physical processes involved in their production. Finally, we derive an H₂O rotational temperature of     and a water production rate of  (1.4 ± 0.3) × 10²⁸  molecules s⁻¹.     

Fe xiii emission lines in active region spectra obtained with the Solar Extreme-Ultraviolet Research Telescope and Spectrograph

Recent fully relativistic calculations of radiative rates and electron impact excitation cross-sections for Fe  xiii are used to generate emission-line ratios involving 3s²3p²–3s3p³ and 3s²3p²–3s²3p3d transitions in the 170–225 and 235–450 Å wavelength ranges covered by the Solar Extreme-Ultraviolet Research Telescope and Spectrograph (SERTS). A comparison of these line ratios with SERTS active region observations from rocket flights in 1989 and 1995 reveals generally very good agreement between theory and experiment. Several new Fe  xiii emission features are identified, at wavelengths of 203.79, 259.94, 288.56 and 290.81 Å. However, major discrepancies between theory and observation remain for several Fe  xiii transitions, as previously found by Landi and others, which cannot be explained by blending. Errors in the adopted atomic data appear to be the most likely explanation, in particular for transitions which have 3s²3p3d ¹D₂ as their upper level. The most useful Fe  xiii electron-density diagnostics in the SERTS spectral regions are assessed, in terms of the line pairs involved being (i) apparently free of atomic physics problems and blends, (ii) close in wavelength to reduce the effects of possible errors in the instrumental intensity calibration, and (iii) very sensitive to changes in N _e over the range  10⁸–10¹¹ cm⁻³  . It is concluded that the ratios which best satisfy these conditions are 200.03/202.04 and 203.17/202.04 for the 170–225 Å wavelength region, and 348.18/320.80, 348.18/368.16, 359.64/348.18 and 359.83/368.16 for 235–450 Å.     

Emission lines of Fe xv in spectra obtained with the Solar Extreme-Ultraviolet Research Telescope and Spectrograph

Recent R-matrix calculations of electron impact excitation rates in Mg-like Fe  xv are used to derive theoretical emission-line ratios involving transitions in the 243–418 Å  wavelength range. A comparison of these with a data set of solar active region, subflare and off-limb spectra, obtained during rocket flights by the Solar Extreme-Ultraviolet Research Telescope and Spectrograph (SERTS), reveals generally very good agreement between theory and observation, indicating that most of the Fe  xv emission lines may be employed with confidence as electron density diagnostics. In particular, the 312.55-Å  line of Fe  xv is not significantly blended with a Co  xvii transition in active region spectra, as suggested previously, although the latter does make a major contribution in the subflare observations. Most of the Fe  xv transitions which are blended have had the species responsible clearly identified, although there remain a few instances where this has not been possible. We briefly address the long-standing discrepancy between theory and experiment for the intensity ratio of the  3s^2 1S–3s3p ³P₁  intercombination line at 417.25 Å  to the  3s^2 1S–3s3p ¹P  resonance transition at 284.16 Å.     

Effective collision strengths for fine-structure forbidden transitions among the 2s22p3 levels of S x

Effective collision strengths for electron-impact excitation of the N-like ion S  x are calculated in the close-coupling approximation using the multichannel R -matrix method. Specific attention is given to the 10 astrophysically important fine-structure forbidden transitions among the ⁴S^o, ²D^o and ²P^o levels in the 2s²2p³ ground configuration. The total (e⁻+ion) wavefunction is expanded in terms of the 11 lowest LS eigenstates of S  x , and each eigenstate is represented by extensive configuration-interaction wavefunctions. The collision strengths obtained are thermally averaged over a Maxwellian distribution of velocities, for all 10 fine-structure transitions, over the range of electron temperatures log  T (K)=4.6–6.7 (the range appropriate for astrophysical applications). The present effective collision strengths are the only results currently available for these fine-structure transition rates.     

The aperiodic broad-band X-ray variability of Cygnus X-3

We study the soft X-ray variability of Cygnus X-3. By combining data from the All-Sky Monitor and Proportional Counter Array instruments on the RXTE satellite with EXOSAT /Medium Energy (ME) detector observations, we are able to analyse the power density spectrum (PDS) of the source from 10⁻⁹ to 0.1 Hz, thus covering time-scales from seconds to years. As the data on the longer time-scales are unevenly sampled, we combine traditional power spectral techniques with simulations to analyse the variability in this range. The PDS at higher frequencies  (≳10⁻³ Hz)  are for the first time compared for all states of this source. We find that it is for all states well described by a power law, with index  ∼−2  in the soft states and a tendency for a less steep power law in the hard state. At longer time-scales, we study the effect of the state transitions on the PDS, and find that the variability below  ∼10⁻⁷ Hz  is dominated by the transitions. Furthermore, we find no correlation between the length of a high/soft-state episode and the time since the previous high/soft state. On intermediate time-scales, we find evidence for a break in the PDS at time-scales of the order of the orbital period. This may be interpreted as evidence for the existence of a tidal resonance in the accretion disc around the compact object, and constraining the mass ratio to   M ₂/ M ₁≲ 0.3  .     

Rovibrational excitation of HD in collisions with atomic and molecular hydrogen

We have computed cross-sections and rate coefficients for rovibrational transitions in HD, induced by collisions with atomic and molecular hydrogen. We employed fully quantum-mechanical methods and the potential of Boothroyd et al. for H–HD, and that of Schwenke for H₂–HD. The rate coefficients for vibrational relaxation v =1→0 of HD are compared with the corresponding values for H₂. The influence of vibrationally excited channels on the rate coefficients for rotational transitions within the v =0 vibrational ground state of HD is shown to be small at T =500 K, where T is the kinetic temperature. The rate coefficients, for 100 T 2000 K, are available from http://ccp7.dur.ac.uk/.     

High-resolution spectroscopy of V854 Cen in decline – absorption and emission lines of C2 molecules

High-resolution optical spectra of the R Coronae Borealis (RCB) star V854 Centauri in the early stages of a decline show, in addition to the features reported for other RCBs in decline, narrow absorption lines from the C₂ Phillips system. The low rotational temperature, T _rot=1150 K, of the C₂ ground electronic state suggests the cold gas is associated with the developing shroud of carbon dust. These absorption lines were not seen at a fainter magnitude on the rise from minimum light, nor at maximum light. This is the first detection of cold gas around an RCB star.     

Detection of X-ray emission from the host clusters of 3CR quasars

We report the detection of extended X-ray emission around several powerful 3CR quasars with redshifts out to 0.73. The ROSAT HRI images of the quasars have been corrected for spacecraft wobble and compared with an empirical point-spread function. All the quasars examined show excess emission at radii of 15 arcsec and more, the evidence being strong for the more distant objects and weak only for the two nearest ones, which are known from other wavelengths not to lie in strongly clustered environments. The spatial profile of the extended component is consistent with thermal emission from the intracluster medium of moderately rich host clusters to the quasars. The total luminosities of the clusters are in the range ∼4×10⁴⁴–3×10⁴⁵ erg s⁻¹, assuming a temperature of 4 keV. The inner regions of the intracluster medium are, in all cases, dense enough to be part of a cooling flow.     

The K-band luminosity function at z = 1: a powerful constraint on galaxy formation theory

We report the first detection of an inverse Compton X-ray emission, spatially correlated with a very steep spectrum radio source (VSSRS), 0038-096, without any detected optical counterpart, in cluster Abell 85. The ROSAT PSPC data and its multiscale wavelet analysis reveal a large-scale (linear diameter of the order of 500 h ⁻¹₅₀ kpc), diffuse X-ray component, in addition to the thermal bremsstrahlung, overlapping an equally large-scale VSSRS. The primeval 3 K background photons, scattering off the relativistic electrons, can produce the X-rays at the detected level. The inverse Compton flux is estimated to be (6.5 ± 0.5) × 10⁻¹³ erg s⁻¹ cm⁻² in the 0.5–2.4 keV X-ray band. A new 327-MHz radio map is presented for the cluster field. The synchrotron emission flux is estimated to be (6.6 ± 0.90) × 10⁻¹⁴ erg s⁻¹ cm⁻² in the 10–100 MHz radio band. The positive detection of both radio and X-ray emission from a common ensemble of relativistic electrons leads to an estimate of (0.95 ± 0.10) × 10⁻⁶ G for the cluster-scale magnetic field strength. The estimated field is free of the 'equipartition' conjecture, the distance, and the emission volume. Further, the radiative fluxes and the estimated magnetic field imply the presence of 'relic' (radiative lifetime ≳ 10⁹ yr) relativistic electrons with Lorentz factors γ ≈ 700–1700; this would be a significant source of radio emission in the hitherto unexplored frequency range ν ≈ 2–10 MHz.     

Extreme ultraviolet transitions of Fe xxi in solar, stellar and laboratory spectra

Recent R -matrix calculations of electron impact excitation rates for transitions among the 2s²2p², 2s2p³ and 2p⁴ levels of Fe  xxi are used to derive theoretical electron density ( N _e) sensitive emission-line ratios involving 2s²2p²–2s2p³ transitions in the ∼98–146Å wavelength range. A comparison of these with observations from the PLT tokamak plasma, for which the electron density has been independently determined, reveals generally very good agreement between theory and experiment, and in some instances removes discrepancies found previously. The observed Fe  xxi ratios for a solar flare, obtained with the OSO–5 satellite, imply electron densities which are consistent, with discrepancies that do not exceed 0.2 dex. In addition, the derived values of N _e are similar to those estimated for the high-temperature regions of other solar flares. The good agreement between theory and observation, in particular for the tokamak spectra, provides experimental support for the accuracy of the present line-ratio calculations, and hence for the atomic data on which they are based.     

Multiwavelength observations of serendipitous Chandra X-ray sources in the field of A 2390

We present optical spectra and near-infrared imaging of a sample of 31 serendipitous X-ray sources detected in the field of Chandra observations of the A 2390 cluster of galaxies. The sources have  0.5–7 keV  fluxes of  (0.6–8)×10^-14 erg cm^-2 s^-1  and lie around the break in the  2–10 keV  source counts. They are therefore typical of sources dominating the X-ray Background in that band. 12 of the 15 targets for which we have optical spectra show emission lines at a range of line luminosities, and half of these show broad lines. These active galaxies and quasars have soft X-ray spectra. Including photometric redshifts and published spectra, we have redshifts for 17 of the sources, ranging from   z ∼0.2  up to   z ∼3  , with a peak between   z =1–2  . 10 of our sources have hard X-ray spectra indicating a spectral slope flatter than that of a typical unabsorbed quasar. Two hard sources that are gravitationally lensed by the foreground cluster are obscured quasars, with intrinsic  2–10 keV  luminosities of  (0.2–3)×10⁴⁵ erg s^-1  , and absorbing columns of   N _H>10²³ cm^-2  . Both of these sources were detected in the mid-infrared by ISOCAM on the Infrared Space Observatory , which when combined with radiative transfer modelling leads to the prediction that the bulk of the reprocessed flux emerges at ∼100 μm.     

Experimental and theoretical radiative decay rates for highly excited ruthenium atomic levels and the solar abundance of ruthenium

The solar photospheric abundance of ruthenium is revised on the basis of a new set of oscillator strengths derived for Ru  i transitions with wavelengths in the spectral range 2250–4710 Å. The new abundance value (in the usual logarithmic scale where the solar hydrogen abundance is equal to 12.00),   A _Ru= 1.72 ± 0.10  , is in agreement with the most recent meteoritic result,   A _Ru= 1.76 ± 0.03  . The accuracy of the transition probabilities, obtained using a relativistic Hartree–Fock model including core-polarization effects, has been assessed by comparing the theoretical lifetimes with previous experimental results. A comparison is also made with new measurements performed in this work by the time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy for 10 highly excited odd-parity levels of Ru  i .     

The structure of the Galactic halo: SDSS versus SuperCOSMOS

The halo structure at high Galactic latitudes near both the north and south poles is studied using Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and SuperCOSMOS data. For the south cap halo, the archive of the SuperCOSMOS photographic photometry sky survey is used. The coincident source rate between SuperCOSMOS data in B _J band from 16.5 to 20.5 mag and SDSS data is about 92 per cent, in a common sky area in the south. While that in the R _F band is about 85 per cent from 16.5 to 19.5 mag. Transformed to the SuperCOSMOS system and downgraded to the limiting magnitudes of SuperCOSMOS, the star counts in the North Galactic Cap from SDSS show up to an  16.9 ± 6.3  per cent  asymmetric ratio (defined as relative fluctuations over the rotational symmetry structure) in the B _J band, and up to  13.5 ± 6.7  per cent  asymmetric ratio in the R _F band. From SuperCOSMOS B _J and R _F bands, the structure of the Southern Galactic hemisphere does not show the same obvious asymmetric structures as the northern sky does in both the original and downgraded SDSS star counts. An axisymmetric halo model with n = 2.8 and q = 0.7 can fit the projected number density from SuperCOSMOS fairly well, with an average error of about 9.17 per cent. By careful analysis of the difference of star counts between the downgraded SDSS northern halo data and SuperCOSMOS southern halo data, it is shown that no asymmetry can be detected in the South Galactic Cap at the accuracy of SuperCOSMOS, and the Virgo overdensity is likely a foreign component in the Galactic halo.     

On the robustness of the ammonia thermometer

Ammonia inversion lines are often used as probes of the physical conditions in the dense interstellar medium. The excitation temperature between the first two para-metastable (rotational) levels is an excellent probe of the gas kinetic temperature. However, the calibration of this ammonia thermometer depends on the accuracy of the collisional rates with H₂. Here, we present new collisional rates for ortho- and para-NH₃ colliding with  para-H₂( J = 0)  , and investigate the effects of these new rates on the excitation of ammonia. Scattering calculations employ a new, high-accuracy, potential energy surface computed at the coupled-cluster CCSD(T) level with a basis set extrapolation procedure. Rates are obtained for all transitions involving ammonia levels with   J ≤ 3  and for kinetic temperatures in the range 5–100 K. We find that the calibration curve of the ammonia thermometer – which relates the observed excitation temperature between the first two para-metastable levels to the gas kinetic temperature – does not change significantly when these new rates are used. Thus, the calibration of ammonia thermometer appears to be robust. Effects of the new rates on the excitation temperature of inversion and rotation–inversion transitions are also found to be small.