Measuring the level of interstellar inheritance in the solar protoplanetary disk

The timing and extent to which the initial interstellar material was thermally processed provide fundamental constraints for models of the formation and early evolution of the solar protoplanetary disk. We argue that the nonsolar (solar Δ¹⁷O ≈ ?29‰) and near‐terrestrial (Δ¹⁷O ≈ 0‰) O‐isotopic compositions of the Earth and most extraterrestrial materials (Moon, Mars, asteroids, and comet dust) were established very early by heating of regions of the disk that were modestly enriched (dust/gas ≥ 5–10 times solar) in primordial silicates (Δ¹⁷O ≈ ?29‰) and water‐dominated ice (Δ¹⁷O ≈ 24‰) relative to the gas. Such modest enrichments could be achieved by grain growth and settling of dust to the midplane in regions where the levels of turbulence were modest. The episodic heating of the disk associated with FU Orionis outbursts were the likely causes of this early thermal processing of dust. We also estimate that at the time of accretion the CI chondrite and interplanetary dust particle parent bodies were composed of ~5–10% of pristine interstellar material. The matrices of all chondrites included roughly similar interstellar fractions. Whether this interstellar material avoided the thermal processing experienced by most dust during FU Orionis outbursts or was accreted by the disk after the outbursts ceased to be important remains to be established.     

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.     

Maser Mapping and Dust Properties of Red Supergiant Winds

Maser emission from the circumstellar envelopes of four late-type red supergiants has been mapped with milli-arcsecond resolution using MERLIN1. The wind is driven by radiation pressure on dust and the structure and kinematics of the masing regions reflect the dust properties. The unbeamed radius of water maser blobs, ∼ 10¹² m, has been measured for the first time. The velocity gradient is used to derive the dust absorption coefficient which increases with radius from ≤ 0.1 to ≤ 1.0 m² kg⁻¹. Comparison with laboratory studies suggests that small crystalline grains are formed near the star and are annealed into astronomical silicates at larger distances. This revised version was published online in September 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Interaction of a nonstationary ionization-shock front with an inhomogeneous interstellar medium

We consider the interaction of an ionization-shock front with isothermal waves in an H I region. Based on a two-front model in the linear approximation, we have detected a significant (approximately by an order of magnitude) periodic amplification of perturbations as they penetrate from the interstellar medium into an H II region. Numerical simulations have revealed that even when the shock-and ionization-front velocities differ and the relative density perturbations in the interstellar medium are ～10^?1, the variations in gas parameters near the ionization front are comparable to those observed at the boundaries of H II regions.     

Infrared photometry of Nova Delphini 2013 (=V339 Del) in the first sixty days after its outburst

The results of JHKLM photometry for Nova Delphini 2013 obtained in the first sixty days after its outburst are analyzed. Analysis of the energy distribution in a wide spectral range (0.36–5 µm) has shown that the source mimics the emission of normal supergiants of spectral types B5 and A0 for two dates near its optical brightness maximum, August 15.94 UT and August 16.86 UT, respectively. The distance to the nova has been estimated to be D ≈ 3 kpc. For these dates, the following parameters have been estimated: the source’s bolometric fluxes ～9 × 10^?7 and ～7.2 × 10^?7 erg s^?1 cm^?2, luminosities L ≈ 2.5 × 10⁵ L _⊙ and ≈2 × 10⁵ L _⊙, and radii R ≈ 6.3 × 10¹² and ≈1.2 × 10¹³ cm. The nova’s expansion velocity near its optical brightness maximum was ～700 km s^?1. An infrared (IR) excess associated with the formation of a dust shell is shown to have appeared in the energy distribution one month after the optical brightness maximum. The parameters of the dust component have been estimated for two dates of observations, JD2456557.28 (September 21, 2013) and JD2456577.18 (October 11, 2013). For these dates, the dust shell parameters have been estimated: the color temperatures ≈1500 and ≈1200 K, radii ≈6.5 × 10¹³ and 1.7 × 10¹⁴ cm, luminosities ～4 × 10³ L _⊙ and ～1.1 × 10⁴ L _⊙, and the dust mass ～1.6 × 10²⁴ and ～10²⁵ g. The total mass of the material ejected in twenty days (gas + dust) could reach ～1.1 × 10^?6 M _⊙. The rate of dust supply to the nova shell was ～8 × 10^?8 M _⊙ yr^?1. The expansion velocity of the dust shell was about 600 km s^?1.     

Planetesimal growth in turbulent discs before the onset of gravitational instability

It is difficult to imagine a planet formation model that does not at some stage include a gravitationally unstable disc. Initially unstable gas–dust discs may form planets directly, but the high surface density required has motivated the alternative that gravitational instability occurs in a dust sub-layer only after grains have grown large enough by electrostatic sticking. Although such growth up to the instability stage is efficient for laminar discs, previous research concluded that realistic disc turbulence catastrophically increases the settling time, thereby requiring additional processes to facilitate planet formation on the needed time scales. We develop a different model for the influence of turbulence on the collisional velocity of grains and on the scale height of the dust layer and find that the earlier conclusions must be revisited. The model produces a disc-radius dependent time scale to reach a gravitationally unstable phase of planet formation. For a range of dust sticking and disc parameters, we find that for viscosity parameters α ⩽ 10⁻³, this time scale is short enough over a significant range in radii R that turbulence does not catastrophically slow the early phases of planet formation, even in the absence of agglomeration enhancement agents like vortices.     

The interstellar chemistry of protostellar disks

A study has been undertaken of the gas-grain chemistry of protostellar disks which are sufficiently cool that in the outer regions, where the gas density is less than 10¹³ cm^–3 and the ionization rate highest, a bimolecular chemistry resembling that of dark clouds can occur. Since the gas-grain collision rate is so high, outgassing mantle molecules effectively determine the gas phase composition at any position in the disk. In contrast to previous work, a detailed gas phase chemistry is considered along with the accretion and desorption of mantle species which is controlled locally by the dust temperature.     

Surface thermoelastic erosion of atmosphereless solar system bodies under bombardment by multicharge cosmic ray ions

The mechanism of ion-stimulated erosion of atmosphereless solar system bodies is suggested and investigated. A theoretical model for the brittle surface erosion resulting under the effect of multicharge ion cosmic rays is analyzed. It is shown that the thermoelastic waves originated in the energetic track of a very heavy ion can result in the near-surface stresses exceeding the dynamic tensile strength of the surface material for any atmosphereless solar system body. The thermoelastic wave surface arrival yields brittle erosion of the material and ejection of this latter fragments (the track-breaking process). Thus ejected dust grains have plano-oblong shape, average mass on the order of 10^–17 g and velocity up to 400 m/sec providing the surface erosion rate of 10^–1 ÷ 3 · 10² »/year (near the Earth orbit) which depends upon the surface material (rock or ice). Possible track-breaking consequences, in particular, presence of the dust fraction of ultramicron grains and their aggregates on the lunar surface are discussed. Near the bodies with the radii from 10 to 300 km predicted is the existence of extended dust cocoons consisting of ultramicron and submicron grains. Smaller objects (asteroids, comets, smallest satellites of planets, meteoroids, etc.) can serve sources of permanent dust wind of ultramicron and submicron sized grains escaping from their surfaces. The interplanetary dust yield owing to the ion-stimulated erosion of these bodies is not less than 10¹² g/year. Possible interpreting in the frames of track-breaking process some observational data and effects, including existence of dust grains with the mass of 10^–18 ÷ 10^–17 g near the Halley's comet and the nature of 2060 Chiron dust coma is discussed. To prove the theory, observational identification and investigation of dust phenomena complex related to the ion-stimulated erosion of atmosphereless bodies, suggested is employing extreme ultraviolet and far infrared/submillimeter wavelengths, as well as polarimetric methods.     

Effect of temperature gradient on the wave propagation in a self-gravitating medium and its role in the central region of our Galaxy

The wave propagation in a finitely conducting, self-gravitating, non-relativistic hydromagnetic medium with temperature gradient and a heat-energy transport into it has been considered. Firstly, a General Dispersion Relation (G.D.R.) has been derived. The interest has been kept limited for the study of one dimensional wave propagation in a typical medium where magnetic field and it's gradient, density gradient, temperature gradient are all along the direction of wave propagation. The D.R. of such a medium follows from G.D.R. In particular, the effect of temperature gradient on the wave propagation has been studied. Analytical expressions for the wave parameters have been derived under different conditions. It has been found that the longitudinal waves could be sufficiently energetic for being unstable by the temperature gradient. Further, the modified Jeans' criterion (depending on temperature gradient), a criterion important for stability, has also been obtained.On assuming the gas medium in the central region ( 10 pc) of our Galaxy to behave like hydromagnetic fluid, and the direction of wave propagation (z-direction) as the direction perpendicular to the Galactic plane, few numerical estimations for the wave parameters (like wave lengths, phase velocity, etc.) have been made (as application of the above theoretical discussions). It has been found that the phase velocity of longitudinal waves at 1 pc level is at least 170 kms^–1 while at the 10 pc level the longitudinal waves of length less than a parsec may propagate smoothly through the medium. It has been suggested that (i) in the central region ( 10 pc) of our Galaxy the temperature gradient could be one of the major causes of the mass-outflow along the direction perpendicular to the Galactic plane (ii) outside the central region ( 10 pc) of our Galaxy, there may be long term consequences of such mass-outflow like Halo formation.     

The post-explosion shock propagation in the central region of our Galaxy

Immediate consequences of nuclear explosions on the structure and physical state of a galactic disk are considered in this paper. Explosions in the nucleus of a Galaxy generate strong shock waves which, when propagating onward heat and condensing the gas, form thin dense ring-like gaseous features behind it. Such rings and dense gaseous complexes have been observed in the central region of the Galaxy. These features have been treated here as the remnants of galactic shocks generated by nuclear explosions. We have estimated the time elapsed since the corresponding explosion, the energy released by explosion and the initial temperature and the velocity of the shock wave thus generated. The cooling of the gas heated by strong shocks has also been considered. The time taken by shock-heated gas to cool to its original temperature has been estimated to be of the order of 10⁵ to 10⁶ yr, according to the initial shock temperature which is about 9×10⁶ K or 6.4×10⁷ K. The rate of emission of energy and the total amount of energy dissipated away in the form of radiation in the cooling process, have been calculated for different values of initial shocktemperatures and also for different field intensities. The high-energy radiation emitted in the cooling process is suggested here as a source for the heating of dust grains, which ultimately are radiated in the infrared spectrum. Thus, a part of the infrared radiation, as measured by many authors, in the central region of the Galaxy, may originate ultimately from the cooling of the shock-heated gas there.     

Meter wavelength pulsating bursts during the May 21, 1972, solar noise storm

During the May 21, 1972, noise storm, flux density measurements were made, at a frequency of 140 MHz, of 14 pulsating bursts. These comprised trains of up to 20 pulses, having pulse repetition rates of up to 15 s^–1.A model for the burst mechanism is described, based upon the hypothesis that the pulsations are generated by the modulation of a thermally damped plasma wave source by periodic trains of whistler packets originating in unstable regions deep in the corona and passing through the meter wavelength source. These whistler packets further enhance the emissions by increasing the efficiency of the conversion of the plasma waves into electromagnetic waves.     

Infrared emission of dust grains in the clusters of galaxies

The observations of the reddening of the distant galaxies and the weak diffuse radiation in the clusters of galaxies can be interpreted as a consequence of the presence of dust grains in the intergalactic medium. When allowance is made for the destruction of the grains in collision with particles of the hot gas, its lifetime is about 10⁷–10⁸ yr at a gas concentrationn _g 10^–3 cm^–3. The detection of the infrared (IR) emission from the galaxy clusters might be the test for the proof of the presence of dust grains in the intergalactic medium. In this paper the estimates of the expected intensities and fluxes of IR emission for the spectral region 50–300 are presented for two galaxy clusters in Coma and Perseus. The parameters of the hot gas spatial distribution are chosen from X-ray observations. Having assumed that intergalactic dust can be ejected only from the galaxies, we used such a model for intergalactic dust grains which explains very well the interstellar dust effects. It is shown that the dust temperature, which is determined from the general energetic balance of the dust grains, can achieve some scores of degrees of Kelvin. Two models of the dust spatial distribution are considered. It is found that the maximum of IR flux for the Coma cluster lies near =100 and the same for the Perseus cluster near 50–70. The total fluxes of IR emission from these clusters are about 10⁵–10⁶ Jy and can be detected by modern observational methods.     

Local kinematics of OB stars

Analysis of observational data of OB stars show an, excellent agreement of the density distributions in space ?(x, y, z) as well as in velocity space \(\rho (\dot x,\dot y,\dot z)\) with the predictions of the density wave theory, the values for the density and velocity fluctuations are explained only by the non-linear theory. These theoretical calculations predict perturbations greater than ±10 km s^?1, consistent with the observations for the velocity field. Thus one should disregard analytical treatments of the linearized equations since they predict maximum perturbations of ±5km s^?1. Another consequence of this is the fact that the Gould's Belt is not a local anomaly, but a local feature of the density waves. The analysis of observational data show that the wave pattern is similar to that of the gas and dust.     

Role of HD Molecules in the Cooling of the Primordial Gas

This paper examines the effect of HD molecules on the thermochemical evolution of the primordial gas behind the fronts of shock waves that may develop during the epoch of galaxy formation. A critical shock velocity is found at which deuterium efficiently converts to HD molecules and the contribution of HD molecules to cooling is dominant. Above this value of the shock velocity the gas can cool to temperatures close to that of the cosmic background radiation. In this case the Jeans mass will depend only on the red shift and the initial density, with M_J ∝ δ _c ^−0.5 (1 + z)^0.5. For z≳45, HD molecules heat the gas and for large red shifts they generally cease to play a significant role in the thermal evolution of the gas. __________ Translated from Astrofizika, Vol. 48, No. 4, pp. 585–601 (November 2005).     

Sudden grain nucleation and growth in supernova and nova ejecta

The thermal conditions leading to the rapid nucleation and growth of dust in astronomical explosions are examined. The contribution herein to nucleation physics lies only in the clarification of the ambient conditions where it apparently occurs. In both nova and interior shells of supernovae, dust precipitates in gas densities of order of 10^–14 g cm^–3 a few months after the explosion. The ambient conditions differ widely, however. Supernova condensation occurs in a thermal equilibrium, with photons, ions, electrons and grains having equal temperatures. In novae huge disequilibria exist, with photon and electron temperatures near 5×10⁴ K, photon energy density near 750 K, and forming refractory grains near 1800 K. In neither type of explosion can the condensed matter easily maintain chemical equilibrium with the total system. Interesting isotopic anomalies are trapped in both types of refractory condensate in the interstellar medium. The nova provides the best astronomical laboratory for observing the condensation.Invited contribution to the Proceedings of a Workshop onThermodynamics and Kinetics of Dust Formation in the Space Medium, held at the Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, 6–8 September, 1978.     

MHD Simulations of the ISM: The Importance of the Galactic Magnetic Field on the ISM “Phases”

We have carried out 1.25 pc resolution MHD simulations of the ISM, on a Cartesian grid of 0 ≤ (x, y) ≤ 1 kpc size in the galactic plane and ?10 ≤ z ≤ 10 kpc into the halo, thus being able to fully trace the time-dependent evolution of the galactic fountain. The simulations show that large scale gas streams emerge, driven by SN explosions, which are responsible for the formation and destruction of shocked compressed layers. The shocked gas can have densities as high as 800 cm^?3 and lifetimes up to 15 Myr. The cold gas is distributed into filaments which tend to show a preferred orientation due to the anisotropy of the flow induced by the galactic magnetic field. Ram pressure dominates the flow in the unstable branch 10² < T ≤ 10^3.9 K, whereas for T ≤ 100 K (stable branch) magnetic pressure takes over. Near supernovae thermal and ram pressures determine the dynamics of the flow. Up to 80% of the mass in the disk is concentrated in the thermally unstable regime 10² < T ≤ 10^3.9 K with ～30% of the disk mass enclosed in the T ≤ 10³ K gas. The hot gas in contrast is controlled by the thermal pressure, since magnetic field lines are swept towards the dense compressed walls.     

Existence and amount of intergalactic dust

The existence of intergalactic dust has been proved by the following observational facts: the decrease of the numbers of distant galaxies and clusters of galaxies behind the central regions of near clusters of galaxies; the different distributions of RR Lyrae stars and galaxies near ι Microscopii (Hoffmeister's cloud); the dependence of colour excesses of galaxies on supergalactic coordinates as well as on the surface density of bright galaxies; the colour index vs redshift correlation of quasistellar objects. The densities of intergalactic dust are estimated to be between 5×10^?30 g cm^?3 (near the centers of clusters of galaxies) and 2×10^?34 g cm^?3 (in general intergalactic space). The grains may be formed either in the early phases of the Universe (25相似文献   

Swift ultraviolet photometry of the Deep Impact encounter with Comet 9P/Tempel 1

We report time-resolved imaging UV photometry of Comet 9P/Tempel 1 during the interval 2005 June 29-2005 July 21, including intensive coverage of the collision with the Deep Impact probe and its immediate aftermath. The nuclear flux of the comet begins to rise within minutes of the collision, and peaks about 3 h after impact. There is no evidence for a prompt flash at the time of impact. The comet exhibits a significant re-brightening about 40 h after the initial outburst, consistent with the rotation period of the comet, with evidence for further periodic re-brightenings on subsequent rotations. Modelling of the brightness profile of the coma as a function of time suggests two distinct velocity systems in the ejecta, at de-projected expansion speeds of 190 and 550 m/s, which we suggest are due to dust and gas, respectively. There is a distinct asymmetry in the slower-moving (dust) component as a function of position angle on the sky. This is confirmed by direct imaging analysis, which reveals an expanding plume of material concentrated in the impact hemisphere. The projected expansion velocity of the leading edge of this plume, measured directly from the imaging data, is 190 m/s, consistent with the velocity of the dust component determined from the photometric analysis. From our data we determine that a total of (1.4±0.2)×¹⁰³² water molecules were ejected in the impact, together with a total scattering area of dust at 300 nm of 190±20 km².     

Alfvén waves in umbral flux tubes

Savage has suggested that an energy flux of 2 × 10¹⁰ erg cm^–2 s^–1 passes through the umbra of a sunspot in the form of hydromagnetic waves. In this paper some of the consequences of this flux are considered. It is first shown that it is not inconsistent with the energy requirements for the heating of umbral dots and for solar wind storms, assuming in the latter case that the flux tubes emerging from about one tenth of the area of a large spot are open-ended.However, the hypothesis also requires that Alfvén waves travel along the closed flux tubes linking the umbra either with the umbra of another spot or with the surrounding faculae and passing through regions of variable field strength and density. It is shown that, for a very simplified model, standing waves are possible in a symmetrical field configuration. For velocities of 3 km/s in the umbra, the maximum particle velocity in the loop is of order 80 km/s which strains the perturbation assumption severely. However, it is pointed out that periodic velocities of this order are observed in the chromosphere near sunspots.It is further shown that mechanical dissipation of these waves in local regions of the flux tube may contribute to the heating of faculae.     

Spatial heterogeneity of 26Al/27Al and stable oxygen isotopes in the solar nebula

Abstract— The degree of isotopic spatial heterogeneity in the solar nebula has long been a puzzle, with different isotopic systems implying either large‐scale initial spatial homogeneity (e.g., ²⁶Al chronometry) or a significant amount of preserved heterogeneity (e.g., ratios of the three stable oxygen isotopes, ¹⁶O, ¹⁷O, and ¹⁸O). We show here that in a marginally gravitationally unstable (MGU) solar nebula, the efficiency of large‐scale mixing and transport is sufficient to spatially homogenize an initially highly spatially heterogeneous nebula to dispersions of ?10% about the mean value of ²⁶Al/²⁷Al on time scales of thousands of years. A similar dispersion would be expected for ¹⁷O/¹⁶O and ¹⁸O/¹⁶O ratios produced by ultraviolet photolysis of self‐shielded molecular CO gas at the surface of the outer solar nebula. In addition to preserving a chronological interpretation of initial ²⁶Al/²⁷Al ratios and the self‐shielding explanation for the oxygen isotope ratios, these solar nebula models offer a self‐consistent environment for achieving large‐scale mixing and transport of thermally annealed dust grains, shock‐wave processing of chondrules and refractory inclusions, and giant planet formation.