High resolution spectroscopy of the disk chromosphere

Two independent sets of high resolution time series spectra of the CaII H and K emission obtained at the Solar Tower and at the Big Dome of the Sacramento Peak Observatory on September 11th, 1971 are reported. The evolutionary behaviour of the emission first reported by Wilson and Evans is confirmed but the detail of the evolution is found to be more complex. In one case, a doubly peaked feature showing some K₃ emission evolves into a single K₂ (red) peak with no K₃ emission. Coincidentally, a neighbouring doubly peaked feature evolves to a very strong blue peak. In an entirely independent sequence a doubly peaked feature evolves into a single red peak. The K₂ emission then fades completely although the continuum threads are still strong. Finally a strong K₂ blue peak appears. These developments are confirmed by intensity profiles obtained from the spectra.Image motion during the sequences is measured using slit-jaw photographs and changes in the overall pattern of the spectra. It is found to be less than the size of the individual features, i.e. 1–2.While considering that the evolution can be explained by the relative motion of one feature with respect to another during the sequence, it is shown that it is possible to account for all these examples in this way only by invoking coincidence of a very high order.It is concluded that in these cases the observed evolution of the K₂ emission is due to temporal variations in the physical conditions which give rise to them.     

2MASS observation of BL Lac objects II

In this paper, we have searched for the Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) counterparts of 1434 BL Lacs. Eight hundred and thirty-three of 1434 BL Lacs (～58%) have spatially coincident 2MASS counterparts. Fermi-detected BL Lacs (FBLs) have a much higher 2MASS detection rate than non-Fermi-detected BL Lacs (non-FBLs) (～95% vs 49%). We compare the near-infrared (NIR) apparent magnitudes, monochromatic luminosities and spectral indices of different subclasses of BL Lacs: (i) FBLs are significantly brighter and more luminous than non-FBLs; (ii) low-energy peaked BL Lacs (LBLs) are significantly more luminous than high-energy peaked BL Lacs (HBLs); (iii) the NIR spectral index, α_IR, shows a sequence of decrease from LBLs to intermediate-energy peaked BL Lacs (IBLs) then to HBLs. The K_S band luminosity and NIR spectral index are both strongly anti-correlated with the synchrotron peak frequency (ν_peak). About 66% of BL Lacs in our sample are located close to the power law line in the J-H–H-K_S diagram, which implies predominantly non-thermal radiation in the NIR range. We label 218 BL Lacs whose NIR spectra show convex curvatures probably due to the significant contaminations of host-galaxy starlight. Finally we investigate the correlation between NIR and gamma-ray emission using the 2MASS observational data.     

Emission cores in H and K lines

Enhancement of the violet K₂ emission peak results when the atmospheric layers at heights where K₃ forms are moving downward with velocities of 10–20 km/sec or when the K₂ layers and those immediately below are moving upward with velocities of 3–7 km/sec. Evidence favoring the former alternative is cited.The National Center for Atmospheric Research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.     

1984年2月14日大角星色球活动的CaⅡ H,K线观测

我们用云台一米望远镜Coudé摄谱仪得到大量的大角星(αBoo)的高分辨率光谱,从中找到1984年2月14日一组随时间变化的CallH,K线光谱。经对比分析,我们认为这可能是一次大角星的色球爆发,其特征如下:在连续观测近四小时中获得5张光谱片,可看出CallH,K线轮廓的变化。它们变化的顺序是:开始出现轮廓的不对称一轮廓仍然不对称并伴随着峰值发射增强一轮廓恢复到对称状况;K_2线中K_(2V)与K_(2r)最大不对称为20％。发射极大时K_(2S2)峰值增强20％左右。K_(1r)和K_(1V)的变化也明显。特别是K_3线在K_2线峰值增强时出现吸收线反转出发射线核。     

The iron emission lines Kα and Kβ in active galactic nuclei — A further piece of evidence for the Cerenkov line-like radiation

It has been recently observed by XMM-Newton that besides the emission line of iron Kα at 6.4 keV there also exists in the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 3783 the very intense emission line of iron Kβ at 7.0 keV. Moreover, the ratio of equivalent widths (EWs) of these two lines can hardly be interpreted with the traditional mechanism of “photoelectric absorption — fluorescence emission”. By using the mechanism of Cerenkov line-like radiation proposed by YOU Jun-hian et al., the ratio of EW_Kα/EW_Kβ may be reasonably interpreted by means of a detailed model theoretical computation. As shown by the results, the iron K lines in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are formed not only by the fluorescence mechanism, but also by the Cerenkov line-like radiation. Both coexist in AGNs, with the latter playing the dominant role.     

Jovian auroral spectroscopy with FUSE: analysis of self-absorption and implications for electron precipitation

High-resolution (∼0.22 Å) spectra of the north jovian aurora were obtained in the 905-1180 Å window with the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) on October 28, 2000. The FUSE instrument resolves the rotational structure of the H₂ spectra and the spectral range allows the study of self-absorption. Below 1100 Å, transitions connecting to the v^″?2 levels of the H₂ ground state are partially or totally absorbed by the overlying H₂ molecules. The FUSE spectra provide information on the overlying H₂ column and on the vibrational distribution of H₂. Transitions from high-energy H₂ Rydberg states and treatment of self-absorption are considered in our synthetic spectral generator. We show comparisons between synthetic and observed spectra in the 920-970, 1030-1080, and 1090-1180 Å spectral windows. In a first approach (single-layer model ), the synthetic spectra are generated in a thin emitting layer and the emerging photons are absorbed by a layer located above the source. It is found that the parameters of the single-layer model best fitting the three spectral windows are 850, 800, and 800 K respectively for the H₂ gas temperature and 1.3×¹⁰¹⁸, 1.5×¹⁰²⁰, and 1.3×¹⁰²⁰ cm−2 for the H₂ self-absorbing vertical column respectively. Comparison between the H₂ column and a 1-D atmospheric model indicates that the short-wavelength FUV auroral emission originates from just above the homopause. This is confirmed by the high H₂ rovibrational temperatures, close to those deduced from spectral analyses of H⁺₃ auroral emission. In a second approach, the synthetic spectral generator is coupled with a vertically distributed energy degradation model, where the only input is the energy distribution of incoming electrons (multi-layer model ). The model that best fits globally the three FUSE spectra is a sum of Maxwellian functions, with characteristic energies ranging from 1 to 100 keV, giving rise to an emission peak located at 5 μbar, that is ∼100 km below the methane homopause. This multi-layer model is also applied to a re-analysis of the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (HUT) auroral spectrum and accounts for the H₂ self-absorption as well as the methane absorption. It is found that no additional discrete soft electron precipitation is necessary to fit either the FUSE or the HUT observations.     

High resolution spectroscopy of R Coronae Borealis during the 1988— 1989 minimum

Moderate-resolution spectra of the C₂ Swan 0-1 bandhead, the Na I D lines and the K_I resonance lines near 7660 Å obtained at minimum light during the 1988–1989 decline of R CrB are discussed and interpreted in terms of a popular model for R CrB declines. High-resolution spectra obtained at maximum light show blue-shifted chromospheric emission in the cores of the Na I D and the Sc π 4246.8 Å lines     

A near‐infrared/optical/X‐ray survey in the centre of σ Orionis

Because of the intense brightness of the OB‐type multiple star system σ Ori, the low‐mass stellar and substellar populations close to the centre of the very young σ Orionis cluster is poorly know. I present an IJHK_s survey in the cluster centre, able to detect from the massive early‐type stars down to cluster members below the deuterium burning mass limit. The near‐infrared and optical data have been complemented with X‐ray imaging. Ten objects have been found for the first time to display high‐energy emission. Previously known stars with clear spectroscopic youth indicators and/or X‐ray emission define a clear sequence in the I vs. I – K_s diagram. I have found six new candidate cluster members that follow this sequence. One of them, in the magnitude interval of the brown dwarfs in the cluster, displays X‐ray emission and a very red J – K_s colour, indicative of a disc. Other three low‐mass stars have excesses in the K_s band as well. The frequency of X‐ray emitters in the area is 80±20 %. The spatial density of stars is very high, of up to 1.6±0.1 arcmin^–2. There is no indication of lower abundance of substellar objects in the cluster centre. Finally, I also report two cluster stars with X‐ray emission located at only 8000–11000 AU to σ Ori AB, two sources with peculiar colours and an object with X‐ray emission and near‐infrared magnitudes similar to those of previously‐known substellar objects in the cluster. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

EUV Spectra of the Full Solar Disk: Analysis and Results of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cosmic Hot Interstellar Plasma Spectrometer</Emphasis> (CHIPS)

We analyze EUV spectra of the full solar disk from the Cosmic Hot Interstellar Plasma Spectrometer (CHIPS) spanning a period of two years. The observations were obtained via a fortuitous off-axis light path in the 140?–?275 Å passband. The general appearance of the spectra remained relatively stable over the two-year time period, but did show significant variations of up to 25% between two sets of Fe lines that show peak emission at 1 MK and 2 MK. The variations occur at a measured period of 27.2 days and are caused by regions of hotter and cooler plasma rotating into, and out of, the field of view. The CHIANTI spectral code is employed to determine plasma temperatures, densities, and emission measures. A set of five isothermal plasmas fit the full-disk spectra well. A 1?–?2 MK plasma of Fe contributes 85% of the total emission in the CHIPS passband. The standard Differential Emission Measures (DEMs) supplied with the CHIANTI package do not fit the CHIPS spectra well as they over-predict emission at temperatures below log?₁₀ T=6.0 and above log?₁₀ T=6.3. The results are important for cross-calibrating TIMED, SORCE, SOHO/EIT, and CDS/GIS, as well as the recently launched Solar Dynamics Observatory.     

Titan: Far-infrared and microwave remote sensing of methane clouds and organic haze

It is shown that Titan's surface and plausible atmospheric thermal opacity sources—gaseous N₂, CH₄, and H₂, CH₄ cloud, and organic haze—are sufficient to match available Earth-based and Voyager observations of Titan's thermal emission spectrum. Dominant sources of thermal emission are the surface for wavelenghts λ ? 1 cm, atmospheric N₂ for 1 cm ? λ ? 200 μm,, condensed and gaseous CH₄ for 200 μm ? λ ? 20 μm, and molecular bands and organic haze for λ ? 20 μm. Matching computed spectra to the observed Voyager IRIS spectra at 7.3 and 52.7° emission angles yields the following abundances and locations of opacity sources: CH₄ clouds: 0.1 g cm^? at a planetocentric radius of 2610–2625 km, 0.3 g cm^?2 at 2590–2610 km, total 0.4 ± 0.1 g cm^–2 above 2590 km; organic haze: $\text{4 ± 2 × 10}{}^{\mathrm{?6}}\text{,}\text{g cm}\text{,}{}^{\mathrm{?2}}$ above 2750 km; tropospheric H₂: 0.3 ± 0.1 mol%. This is the first quantitative estimate of the column density of condensed methane (or CH₄/C₂H₆) on Titan. Maximum transparency in the middle to far IR occurs at 19 μm where the atmospheric vertical absorption optical depth is $\text{?0.6}$ A particle radius $\text{r}\text{? 2 μ}\text{m}$ in the upper portion of the CH₄ cloud is indicated by the apparent absence of scattering effects.     

C2 imagery of the inner coma of comet IRAS-Araki-Alcock

We analyze observations of Comet IRAS-Araki-Alcock taken on 1983 May 10 to determine the spatial molecular abundance of C₂ in the inner coma via the Δν = +1 Swan band sequence near 4690 Å; total molecular abundance for C₂ is ～6 × 10²⁷ molecules across a projected linear diameter of ～9700 km centered on the nucleus. These observations show a deficiency of C₂ emission across a projected diameter of ～2000 km centered on the peak of continuum emission. Comet imagery reveals a sunward-pointing coma suggestive of an outburst of subsurface volatile ices through a nonvolatile surface crust as predicted for periodic comets. Moreover, such imagery suggests that Haser model scale lengths for C₂ and its parent molecule, as derived from our observations, do not fit the data very well. Our results are discussed in terms of the then-developing instrument and observational constraints which applied at the time.     

An XMM‐Newton survey of broad iron lines in AGN

We report on the iron Kα line properties of a sample of Seyfert galaxies observed with the XMM‐Newton EPIC pn instrument. Using a systematic and uniform analysis, we find that complexity at iron‐K is extremely common in the XMM‐Newton spectra. Once appropriate soft X‐ray absorption, narrow 6.4 keV emission and associated Compton reflection are accounted for, ∼75% of the sample show an improvement when a further component is introduced. The typical properties of the broad emission are both qualitatively and quantitatively consistent with previous results from ASCA. The complexity is in general very well described by relativistic accretion disk models. In most cases the characteristic emission radius is constrained to be within ∼50R _g, where strong gravitational effects become important. We find in about 1/3 of the sample the accretion disk interpretation is strongly favoured over competing models. In a few objects no broad line is apparent. We find evidence for emission within 6R _g in only two cases, both of which exhibit highly complex absorption. Evidence for black hole spin based on the X‐ray spectra therefore remains tentative. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Temporally varying ethylene emission on Jupiter

Ethylene (C₂H₄) emission has been measured in the poles and equator of Jupiter. The 949 cm⁻¹ spectra were recorded with a high resolution spectrometer at the McMath-Pierce telescope at Kitt Peak in October-November 1998 and at the Infrared Telescope Facility at Mauna Kea in June 2000. C₂H₄ is an important product of methane chemistry in the outer planets. Knowledge of its abundance can help discriminate among the various proposed sets of CH₄ photolysis branching ratios at Ly-α, and determine the relative importance of the reaction pathways that produce C₂H₂ and C₂H₆. In the equatorial region the C₂H₄ emission is weak, and we were only able to detect it at high air-mass, near the limb. We derive a peak equatorial molar abundance of C₂H₄ of 4.5×¹⁰⁻⁷-1.7×¹⁰⁻⁶ near 2.2×¹⁰⁻³ mbar, with a total column of 5.7×¹⁰¹⁴-2.2×¹⁰¹⁵ molecules cm⁻² above 10 mbar depending upon choice of thermal profile. We observed enhanced C₂H₄ emission from the poles in the regions where auroras are seen in X-ray, UV, and near infrared images. In 2000 we measured a short-term change in the distribution of polar C₂H₄ emission; the emission in the north IR auroral “hot spot” decreased by a factor of three over a two-day interval. This transient behavior and the sensitivity of C₂H₄ emission to temperature changes near its contribution peak at 5-10 microbar suggests that the polar enhancement is primarily a thermal effect coupled with vertical transport. Comparing our observations from Kitt Peak and Mauna Kea shows that the C₂H₄ emission of the northern non-“hot spot” auroral regions did not change over the three-year period while that in the southern polar regions decreased.     

XMM‐Newton monitoring observations of Mrk 3

We present monitoring analysis of 8 XMM‐Newton observations of the Seyfert 2 galaxy Mrk 3, spanning a period of ∼19 months. The continuum flux in the 3–12 keV band remains constant during this observing period. The X‐ray spectrum is well described, in agreement with previous works, by a highly absorbed (N _H > 10²⁴ cm^–2) power law model, with a photon index Γ = 1.9 and a strong reflection component. A strong Fe Kα line at 6.4 keV with an equivalent width of ∼500 eV is detected in the X‐ray spectrum. When we consider the co‐added spectrum we also detect a weaker emission line at 7.4 keV corresponding to neutral Ni Kα emission and weak evidence for the presence of an ionized Fe Kα line at 6.7 keV. Direct comparison with the results obtained from an earlier XMM‐Newton observation of Mrk 3, shows a decrease in the continuum flux of ∼30 per cent followed by a similar decrease in the reflected component. Both emission line components at 6.4 and 6.7 keV do not vary. However we find that an alternative model where the N _H varies by 20 per cent is also plausible. In this case both the continuum and the reflected emission do not change. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

CH Cygni in 2004 – II: Nebular spectrum features

We report in a series on the spectra of CH Cygni obtained in October 2004 in this paper. The spectra showed emission lines of H I, [O I], [O III], [N II], [Ne III] and Fe II: most of them became stronger than those obtained in April 2004. In order to retrieve the intrinsic emission profile, we removed the underlying M-type spectrum and telluric lines of O₂ from the spectra. Then, we deconvoluted the resulting Hα and [O III] profiles into several Gaussian functions. Radial velocities of all lines observed in October 2004 were measured.Results are compared with those in April 2004, and are discussed by way of an accretion disk and a circumstellar model.     

Differences between the two types Seyfert 2 galaxies - With and without polarized broad lines

Based on spectropolarimetric observations Seyfert 2 (Sy2) galaxies are generally divided into two populations. Some Sy2s show polarized broad emission lines (PBLs) which is an evidence for the hypothesis of the Unified model while others do not. In order to determine the properties of these two apparently different populations we compiled a sample of 66 Sy2 objects with and without detected PBLs. We used a (J − H) − (H − K_s) diagram based on 2MASS J, H, K_s magnitudes in 14 arcsec aperture, the F_[OIII] emission line flux and the infrared emission flux F_Ks using the K_s filter. From the (J − H) − (H − K_s) diagram we determined that one third of the Sy2 objects with PBLs have a power-law infrared component which could be a result of both a non-thermal AGN component scattered by free electrons (or dust) and emission from hot dust near its sublimation temperature. The rest of the objects (with PBLs) are significantly dominated by a dust thermal re-emission. The Sy2s without PBLs show infrared emission dominated by a host galaxy stellar component and also by thermal dust re-emission. The Sy2s with PBLs tend to have a few times larger L_[OIII] luminosities than those without. Following the median values of F_[OIII]/F_Ks, it seems that this ratio is sensitive enough to separate our sample of Sy2 galaxies into two types - with and without PBLs. There are no Sy2s with PBLs having Eddington ratio below 10⁻³ which confirms the results of Nicastro et al. (2003).     

A survey of 10-μm silicate emission from dust around young sun-like stars

We obtained low resolution (R=100) mid-infrared (8–13 μm wavelengths) spectra of 8 nearby young main sequence stars with the Keck 1 telescope and Long-Wavelength Spectrometer (LWS) to search for 10 μm silicate (Si–O stretch) emission from circumstellar dust. No stars exhibited readily apparent emission: Spectra were then analyzed by least-squares fitting of a template based on a spectrum of Comet Hale-Bopp. Using this technique, we were able to constrain the level of silicate emission to a threshold 10 times below what was previously possible from space. We found one star, HD 17925, with a spectrum statistically different from its calibrator and consistent with a silicate emission peak of 7% of the photosphere at a wavelength of 10 μm. Excess emission at 60 μm from this star has already been reported.     

Diagnostics of the early explosion phase of a classical nova using its X-ray emission: A model for the X-ray outburst of CI Camelopardalis in 1998

We have computed a spherically symmetric model for the interaction of matter ejected during the outburst of a classical nova with the stellar wind from its optical component. This model is used to describe the intense X-ray outburst (the peak 3–20 keV flux was ～2 Crab) of the binary system CI Camelopardalis in 1998. According to our model, the stellar wind from the optical component heated by a strong shock wave produced when matter is ejected from the white dwarf as the result of a thermonuclear explosion on its surface is the emission source in the standard X-ray band. Comparison of the calculated and observed time dependences of the mean radiation temperature and luminosity of the binary system during its outburst has yielded very important characteristics of the explosion. We have been able to measure the velocity of the ejected matter immediately after the onset of the explosion for the first time: it follows from our model that the ejected matter had a velocity of ～2700 km s^?1 even on 0.1–0.5 day after the outburst onset and it flew with such a velocity for the first 1–1.5 day under an external force, possibly, the radiation pressure from the white dwarf. Subsequently, the matter probably became transparent and began to decelerate. The time dependence of the mean radiation temperature at late expansion phases has allowed us to estimate the mass of the ejected matter, ～10^?7–10^?6 M _⊙. The mass loss rate in the stellar wind required to explain the observed peak luminosity of the binary system during its outburst has been estimated to be \(\dot M\) ～ (1 ? 2) × 10^?6 M _⊙ yr^?1.     

Flares of the H<Subscript>2</Subscript>O maser in W31(2)

We analyze our monitoring data for the water-vapor maser in the source W31(2), associated with a region of vigorous star formation, a cluster of OB stars. The monitoring was performed with the 22-m radio telescope at Pushchino Radio Astronomy Observatory during 1981–2004. The variability of the H₂O maser in W31(2) was found to be cyclic, with a mean period of 1.9 yr. Two flares were most intense (superflares): in 1985–1986 and 1998–1999. In each activity cycle, we observed up to several short flares, subpeaks. The fluxes of many emission features during the flares were correlated. We also observed successive activation of individual emission features in order of increasing or decreasing radial velocity, suggesting an ordered structure and, hence, a radial-velocity gradient of the medium. There is a clear correlation of the emission peaks of the main components in the spectra at radial velocities of ?1.7, ?1.3, 0.5, and 1.3 km s^?1 with activity cycles and of the emission at V_LSR < ?8 km s^?1 with short flares. During the superflares, the emission in the low-velocity part of the H₂O spectrum and a number of other phenomena related to coherent maser-emission properties were suppressed. The maser spots are assumed to form a compact structure, to have a common pumping source, and to be associated with an accretion flow onto the cluster of OB stars.     

Center limb observations of inhomogeneities in the solar atmosphere

High resolution Ca II K-line spectra obtained at Kitt Peak National Observatory in September 1970 at a dispersion of 20 mm/Å and a spatial resolution approaching 1 arc sec are described.We first investigate the claim made by Zirin, Pasachoff and others that, at high spatial resolution, the K₂ emission occurs either in the red wing or the blue but not both. In fact, it is shown that although some spectra exhibit predominantly singly-peaked emission features, other spectra, at equally high spatial resolution, show mainly doubly-peaked structures. We suggest that both types of spectra may be regarded as normal.Secondly, time series studies reveal at least two cases in which features exhibiting single emission peaks in either the red or the blue wings evolve into doubly-peaked structures in a time scale of 15sec.Finally, two features on the slit are observed to separate in a manner which implies velocities of order 50 km/sec. Other alternative explanations of the phenomena are discussed but are found to be even more implausible than velocities of this magnitude. Nevertheless, we urge the need for independent confirmation of this result.The implications of these observations for inhomogeneous models for the formation of the Caii K-line are discussed.Operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under contract with the National Science Foundation.