Detecting the first objects in the mid-infrared with the Next Generation Space Telescope

We calculate the expected mid-infrared (MIR) molecular hydrogen line emission from the first objects in the Universe. As a result of their low masses, the stellar feedback from massive stars is able to blow away their gas content and collect it into a cooling shell where H₂ rapidly forms and IR roto-vibrational (as for example the rest-frame 2.12 μm) lines carry away a large fraction (up to 10 per cent) of the explosion energy. The fluxes from these sources are in the range 10⁻²¹–10⁻¹⁷ erg s⁻¹ cm⁻² . The highest number counts are expected in the 20-μm band, where about 10⁵ sources deg⁻² are predicted at the limiting flux of 3×10⁻¹⁸ erg s⁻¹ cm⁻². Among the planned observational facilities, we find that the best detection perspectives are offered by the Next Generation Space Telescope ( NGST ), which should be able to reveal about 200 first objects in one hour observation time at its limiting flux in the above band. Therefore, mid-IR instruments appear to represent perfect tools to trace star formation and stellar feedback in the high ( z ≳5) redshift Universe.     

Time-dependent photoionization opacities in dense gamma-ray burst environments

The recent detection of a transient absorption feature in the X-ray prompt emission of GRB 990705 showed the importance of such observations in the understanding of gamma-ray bursts and their progenitors. We investigate the time dependence of photoionization edges during the prompt emission of bursts in different environments. We show that their variability can be used to infer the density and geometry of the surrounding medium, giving important clues to unveil the nature of the burst progenitor.     

Effective collision strengths with inclusion of resonance for hyperfine-structure transitions in H- and Li-like ions

Calculations are made of the resonance contribution to electron-impact excitation of H-like ¹³C and Li-like ²³Na, ²⁵Mg, ²⁷Al and ²⁹Si to the upper hyperfine levels that produce millimetre (mm) lines of likely astrophysical interest. The resonance contribution is found to be very important for these Li-like ions, considerably more important than for Li-like ⁵⁷Fe considered previously. However, resonances are found to be rather unimportant for H-like ¹³C. The effect of radiative decay on the resonance contribution is found to be insignificant in all of the present calculations.     

On water ice formation in interstellar clouds

A model is proposed for the formation of water ice mantles on grains in interstellar clouds. This occurs by direct accretion of monomers from the gas, be they formed by gas or surface reactions. The formation of the first monolayer requires a minimum extinction of interstellar radiation, sufficient to lower the grain temperature to the point where thermal evaporation of monomers is just offset by monomer accretion from the gas. This threshold is mainly determined by the adsorption energy of water molecules on the grain material; for hydrocarbon material, chemical simulation places this energy between 0.5 and 2 kcal mol⁻¹, which sets the (true) visible extinction threshold at a few magnitudes. However, realistic distributions of matter in a cloud will usually add to this an unrelated amount of cloud core extinction, which can explain the large dispersion of observed (apparent) thresholds. Once the threshold is crossed, all available water molecules in the gas are quickly adsorbed, because the grain cools down and the adsorption energy on ice is higher than on bare grain. The relative thickness of the mantle, and, hence, the slope of  τ₃( A _v)  depend only on the available water vapour, which is a small fraction of the oxygen abundance. Chemical simulation was also used to determine the adsorption sites and energies of O and OH on hydrocarbons and study the dynamics of formation of water molecules by surface reactions with gaseous H atoms, as well as their chances to stick in situ.     

On model predictions of the power spectral density of radial solar p modes

We investigate the frequency dependence of the power spectral density of low-degree solar p modes by comparing measurements with the results of a stochastic-excitation model. In the past it was common practice to use the total power in such investigations. Using the maximum of the power spectral density instead provides a direct comparison with the measured mode heights in the observed power spectrum. This method permits a more careful calibration of the adjustable parameters in the excitation model, a model which we present here, for the first time, in a format that precisely and unambiguously relates the amplitudes of the modes of oscillation to the Reynolds stress in the equilibrium model. We find that errors in the theory of the linear mode damping rates, particularly at low frequency, have a dramatic impact on the predictions of the mode heights in the spectral density, whereas parameter changes in the stochastic excitation model, within a plausible domain of parameter space, have a comparatively small effect.     

The effects of Population III stars on the chemical and photometrical evolution of ellipticals

We have studied the effects of a hypothetical initial generation containing very massive stars [   M > 100 M_⊙  , pair-creation supernovae] on the chemical and photometric evolution of elliptical galaxies. To this purpose, we have computed the evolution of a typical elliptical galaxy with luminous mass of the order of  10¹¹ M_⊙  and adopted chemical evolution models already tested to reproduce the main features of ellipticals. We have tested several sets of yields for very massive zero-metallicity stars: these stars should produce quite different amounts of heavy elements than lower-mass stars. We found that the effects of Population III stars on the chemical enrichment is negligible if only one or two generations of such stars occurred, whereas they produce quite different results from the standard models if they continuously formed for a period not shorter than 0.1 Gyr. In this case, the results are at variance with the main observational constraints of ellipticals such as the average  [〈α/ Fe〉_*]  ratio in stars and the integrated colours. Therefore, we conclude that if Population III stars ever existed they must have been present for a very short period of time and their effects on the following evolution of the parent galaxy must have been negligible. This effect is minimum if a more realistic model with initial infall of gas rather than the classic monolithic model is adopted. Ultimately, we conclude that there is no need to invoke a generation of very massive stars in ellipticals to explain their chemical and photometric properties.     

Contact Binaries: A Study of the Proximity Effects and Gravity Darkening Based on Kopal’s Fourier Method

A new method for the determination of the proximity effects and gravity darkening exponents in contact binaries of W UMa type is presented. The method is based on Kopal’s method of Fourier analysis of the light changes of eclipsing variables in the Frequency Domain. The method was applied to 36 W UMa systems for which geometric and photometric elements have been derived by the most powerful techniques. The derived values are very close to those predicted by the existing theory of radiative transfer or convective equilibrium.     

A Unified Model for Black Hole X-Ray Binary Jets?

We have recently put forward a ‘unified’ semi-empirical model for the coupling between accretion and jet production in galactic black hole X-ray binaries. In this paper, we summarise this model and briefly discuss relevant considerations that have arisen since its publication.     

Yields of Nucleosynthesis from massive and intermediate mass stars and constraints on their final evolution

Nucleosynthetic yields and production rates of helium and heavy elements are derived using new initial mass functions which take into account the recent revisions in O star counts and the stellar models of Maeder (1981a, b) which incorporate the effects of massloss on evolution. The current production rates are significantly higher than the earlier results due to Chiosi & Caimmi (1979) and Chiosi (1979), and a near-uniform birthrate operating over the history of the galactic disc explains the currently observed abundances. However, the yields are incompatibly high, and to obtain agreement it is necessary to assume that stars above a certain mass do not explode but proceed to total collapse. Further confirmation of this idea comes from the consideration of the specific yields and production rates of oxygen, carbon and iron and the constraints imposed by the observational enrichment history in the disc as discussed by Twarog & Wheeler (1982). Substantial amounts of⁴He and¹⁴C, amongst the primary synthesis species, are contributed by the intermediate mass stars in their wind phases. If substantial numbers of them exploded as Type I SN, their contribution to the yields of¹²C and⁵⁶Fe would be far in excess of the requirements of galactic nucleosynthesis. Either efficient massloss precludes such catastrophic ends for these stars, or the current stellar models are sufficiently in error to leave room for substantial revisions in the specific yields. The proposed upward revision of the¹²C (α,γ)¹⁶O rate may produce the necessary changes in stellar yields to provide a solution to this problem. Stars that produce most of the metals in the Galaxy are the same ones that contribute most to the observed supernova rate.