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NASA NTRS1980

Observations of quasars with the International Ultraviolet Explorer satellite

The paper deals with the spectra of six quasars, ranging in redshift from 0.23 to 2.04, obtained with the 45-cm telescope mounted on the IUE satellite. The average emission-line intensity ratio for L-alpha to H beta and the detection of higher-order Lyman emission lines in two objects are found to be inconsistent with a simple optically thick recombination model. The Lyman and Balmer line velocity profiles are identical. The emission lines in 3C 351 can be decomposed into sharp and broad components, with the sharp lines consistent with the recombination model.

Green, R. F.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Gamma ray line astronomy

The interpretations and implications of the astrophysical observations of gamma-ray lines are reviewed. At the Galactic Center e(+)-e(-) pairs from a compact object produce an annihilation line that shows no redshift, indicating an annihilation site far removed from this object. In the jets of SS433, gamma-ray lines are produced by inelastic excitations, probably in dust grains, although line emission from fusion reactions has also been considered. Observations of diffuse galactic line emission reveal recently synthesized radioactive aluminum in the interstellar medium. In gamma-ray bursts, redshifted pair annihilation lines are consistent with a neutron star origin for the bursts. In solar flares, gamma-ray line emission reveals the prompt acceleration of protons and nuclei, in close association with the flare energy release mechanism.

Ramaty, R.↗

NASA NTRS1982

On the structure of the outer layers of cool carbon stars

Exposures on the spectra of four late C-type stars have been made with the IUE satellite in the wavelength range of the LWR camera (1900-3200 A). Two Mira variables near maximum light and two semiregular variables were observed. Although the exposure times used, which range up to 240 min in the low-resolution mode, were more than sufficient to record the continuum and emission lines of Mg II, Fe II, and Al II in normal M stars of similar magnitude and temperature, no light was recorded. It is concluded that the far-ultraviolet continuum is strongly depressed in these cool carbon stars. The absence of UV emission lines implies either that the chromospheric lines observed in M stars require an ultraviolet flux for their excitation, or that cool carbon stars have no chromosphere at all or that the opacity source is located above even the emission-line-forming region. This opacity source, which is probably some carbon condensate since it is weak or absent in M stars while absorbing strongly in C stars, is discussed both in terms of the chromospheric interpretation of the emission lines and in terms of their shock-wave interpretation.

Querci, F.↗

DOE OSTI2024

Application of helium line intensity ratio spectroscopy to xenon plasma in E × B Penning discharge

Here, we propose the application of helium line intensity ratio spectroscopy in a low-pressure (0.3 mTorr) xenon E × B discharge with an electron temperature of ~2 eV and a density of 10 10 –10 11 cm –3 . We successfully identified the helium atom line emissions at 388.9, 447.1, 501.6, 504.8, and 706.5 nm with helium pressures of up to ~20 mTorr. The measured electron temperature, density, and I–V characteristics of the discharge remained almost constant in all helium pressures in the present experiment, indicating the suitability of the helium gas as a diagnostic gas. The results of helium line intensity ratio spectroscopy using the line emissions at 388.9, 447.1, and 504.8 nm showed fair agreement with the Langmuir probe measurement. Considering the trade-off relationship between the disturbance introduced by the helium gas and the signal-to-noise ratio, we conclude that a helium pressure of approximately 4 mTorr (approximately 13 times the partial pressure of xenon) represents the optimal pressure range for the application of the helium line emission intensity ratio method to this xenon plasma. It is found that the use of the line emissions at 501.6 and 706.5 nm result in a significant disturbance in the helium line intensity ratio method due to the radiation trapping effect.

helium line intensity ratio spectroscopy↗

NASA NTRS1994

Multicolor eclipse studies of UU Aquarii. 1: Observations and system parameters

A study of the eclipses in UU Aqr from multicolor high-speed photometry is presented. A revised ephemeris for the times of minimum and an upper limit for orbital period variations are obtained. We use measurements of contact phases in the eclipse light curve to derive the binary geometry and to estimate masses and relevant dimensions. We find a mass ratio of q = 0.30 +/- 0.07 and an inclination of i = 78 deg +/- 2 deg. The masses of the component stars are M(sub 1) = 0.67 +/- 0.14 solar mass and M(sub 2) = 0.20 +/- 0.07 solar mass. Our photometric model predicts K(sub 1) = 84 +/- 26 km/s, which is approximately 30% smaller than the velocity amplitude obtained from the emission lines. From the white dwarf fluxes we estimate T(sub wd) approximately = 34,000 K and a distance of d = 270 +/- 50 pc if the inner disk is opaque. UU Aqr has long term brightness variations of approximately = 0.3 m on timescales of approximately 4 yr. The system was in a 'high' state in 1989 and 1990 and in a 'low' state in 1988 and 1992. The high state results from an increase in the brightness of the outer and cooler parts of the disk, mainly due to the appearance of a bright spot at disk rim. Based on the smooth and gradual eclipse shape and on the absence of a prominent hump in the light curve we suggest that UU Aqr is a high mass-transfer nova-like system with a relatively bright and optically thick accretion disk. We find no perceptible eclipse in the H-alpha emission line. The fluxes at mid-eclipse can be fitted by a compostion of a late-type spectrum plus an optically thin hydrogen emission-line spectrum. These evidences suggest that the emission lines are formed in an extended region only partially occulted during eclipse.

Baptista, R.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Electron densities and the excitation of CN in molecular clouds

In molecular clouds of modest density and relatively high fractional ionization, the rotational excitation of CN is controlled by a competition among electron impact, neutral impact and the interaction with the cosmic background radiation. The degree of excitation can be measured through optical absorption lines and millimeter-wave emission lines. The available, accurate data on CN in diffuse and translucent molecular clouds are assembled and used to determine electron densities. The derived values, n(e) = roughly 0.02 - 0.5/cu cm, imply modest neutral densities, which generally agree well with determinations by other techniques. The absorption- and emission-line measurements of CN both exclude densities higher than n(H2) = roughly 10 exp 3.5/cu cm on scales varying from 0.001 to 60 arcsec in these clouds.

Black, John H.↗

NASA NTRS2011

HST-COS Observations on Hydrogen, Helium, Carbon, and Nitrogen Emission from the SN 1987A Reverse Shock

We present the most sensitive ultraviolet observations of Supernova 1987 A to date. Imaging spectroscopy from the Hubble Space Telescope-Cosmic Origins Spectrograph shows many narrow (Delta v approximates 300 km/s) emission lines from the circumstellar ring, broad Delta v approximates 10-20 x 10(exp 3) km/s) emission lines from the reverse shock, and ultraviolet continuum emission. The high signal-to-noise ratio (>40 per resolution element) broad Ly-alpha emission is excited by soft X-ray and EUV heating of mostly neutral gas in the circumstellar ring and outer supernova debris. The ultraviolet continuum at lambda > 1350 A can be explained by H-I two-photon (2s(exp 2)S(sub 1/2)-l(exp 2)S(sub 1/2)) emission from the same region. We confirm our earlier, tentative detection of N V lambda 1240 emission from the reverse shock and present the first detections of broad He II lambda1640, C IV lambda 1550, and N IV ] lambda1486 emission lines from the reverse shock. The helium abundance in the high-velocity material is He/H = 0.14 +/- 0.06. The N V /H alpha line ratio requires partial ion-electron equilibration (T(sub e)/T(sub p) approximately equal to 0.14-0.35). We find that the N/C abundance ratio in the gas crossing the reverse shock is significantly higher than that in the circumstellar ring, a result that may be attributed to chemical stratification in the outer envelope of the supernova progenitor. The N/C abundance may have been stratified prior to the ring expUlsion, or this result may indicate continued CNO processing in the progenitor subsequent to the expUlsion of the circumstellar ring.

France, Kevin↗

DOE OSTI2020

High-resolution Near-infrared Spectroscopic Study of Galactic Supernova Remnants. I. Kinematic Distances

We have carried out high-resolution near-infrared spectroscopic observations toward 16 Galactic supernova remnants (SNRs) showing strong H 2 emission features. A dozen bright H 2 emission lines are clearly detected for individual SNRs, and we have measured their central velocities, line widths, and fluxes. For all SNRs except one (G9.9–0.8), the H 2 line ratios are well consistent with that of thermal excitation at T ~ 2000 K, indicating that the H 2 emission lines are most likely from shock-excited gas and therefore that they are physically associated with the remnants. The kinematic distances to the 15 SNRs are derived from the central velocities of the H 2 lines using a Galactic rotation model. We derive for the first time the kinematic distances to four SNRs: G13.5+0.2, G16.0–0.5, G32.1–0.9, and G33.2–0.6. Among the remaining 11 SNRs, the central velocities of the H 2 emission lines for six SNRs are well consistent (±5 km s -1 ) with those obtained in previous radio observations, while for the other five SNRs (G18.1–0.1, G18.9–1.1, Kes 69, 3C 396, W49B) they are significantly different. We discuss the velocity discrepancies in these five SNRs. In G9.9–0.8, the H 2 emission shows nonthermal line ratios and narrow line width (~4 km s -1 ), and we discuss its origin.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2022

The Time Domain Spectroscopic Survey: Changing-look Quasar Candidates from Multi-epoch Spectroscopy in SDSS-IV

Active galactic nuclei (AGN) can vary significantly in their rest-frame optical/UV continuum emission, and with strong associated changes in broad line emission, on much shorter timescales than predicted by standard models of accretion disks around supermassive black holes. Most such changing-look or changing-state AGN—and at higher luminosities, changing-look quasars (CLQs)—have been found via spectroscopic follow-up of known quasars showing strong photometric variability. The Time Domain Spectroscopic Survey of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey IV (SDSS-IV) includes repeat spectroscopy of large numbers of previously known quasars, many selected irrespective of photometric variability, and with spectral epochs separated by months to decades. Our visual examination of these repeat spectra for strong broad line variability yielded 61 newly discovered CLQ candidates. We quantitatively compare spectral epochs to measure changes in continuum and Hβ broad line emission, finding 19 CLQs, of which 15 are newly recognized. The parent sample includes only broad line quasars, so our study tends to find objects that have dimmed, i.e., turn-off CLQs. However, we nevertheless find four turn-on CLQs that meet our criteria, albeit with broad lines in both dim and bright states. We study the response of Hβ and Mg ii emission lines to continuum changes. The Eddington ratios of CLQs are low, and/or their Hβ broad line width is large relative to the overall quasar population. Repeat quasar spectroscopy in the upcoming SDSS-V black hole Mapper program will reveal significant numbers of CLQs, enhancing our understanding of the frequency and duty cycle of such strong variability, and the physics and dynamics of the phenomenon.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

NASA NTRS2005

Unveiling the Engines in QSOs: Multi-Wavelength Study

UV/optical emission lines offer some of the most detailed information obtainable about the intrinsic properties of quasars. Studies of the density, ionization and metal abundance of gas near the accreting black hole are probed through an intriguing but poorly understood complex of correlations between emission lines and overall quasar spectral energy distributions that has long suffered from a lack of large, consistently measured samples. As part of a broader effort to expand and systematize the data upon which these studies are built, we proposed to NASA to model, fit, and measure UV/optical emission line parameters in large samples of quasar spectra. As part of the project, we developed an automated measurement technique that accounts for galactic reddening, includes iron emission blends, galactic and intrinsic absorption lines, and performs multi-component fits to the emission line profiles. We present measured line parameters (equivalent width and FWHM) for a large number of (28) different UV/optical lines, including upper limits for undetected lines.

Green, Paul↗

NASA NTRS1997

Continuing Studies in Support of Ultraviolet Observations of Planetary Atmospheres

This program was a one-year extension of an earlier Planetary Atmospheres program grant, covering the period 1 August 1996 through 30 September 1997. The grant was for supporting work to complement an active program observing planetary atmospheres with Earth-orbital telescopes, principally the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The recent concentration of this work has been on HST observations of Jupiter's upper atmosphere and aurora, but it has also included observations of Io, serendipitous observations of asteroids, and observations of the velocity structure in the interplanetary medium. The observations of Jupiter have been at vacuum ultraviolet wavelengths, including imaging and spectroscopy of the auroral and airglow emissions. The most recent HST observations have been at the same time as in situ measurements made by the Galileo orbiter instruments, as reflected in the meeting presentations listed below. Concentrated efforts have been applied in this year to the following projects: The analysis of HST WFPC 2 images of Jupiter's aurora, including the Io footprint emissions. We have performed a comparative analysis of the lo footprint locations with two magnetic field models, studied the statistical properties of the apparent dawn auroral storms on Jupiter, and found various other repeated patterns in Jupiter's aurora. Analysis and modeling of airglow and auroral Ly alpha emission line profiles from Jupiter. This has included modeling the aurora] line profiles, including the energy degradation of precipitating charged particles and radiative transfer of the emerging emissions. Jupiter's auroral emission line profile is self-absorbed, since it is produced by an internal source, and the resulting emission with a deep central absorption from the overlying atmosphere permits modeling of the depth of the emissions, plus the motion of the emitting layer with respect to the overlying atmospheric column from the observed Doppler shift of the central absorption. By contrast the airglow emission line, which is dominated by resonant scattering of solar emission, has no central absorption, but displays rapid time variations and broad wings, indicative of a superthermal component (or corona) in Jupiter's upper atmosphere. Modeling of the observed motions of the plumes produced after the impacts of the fragments of Comet S/L-9 with Jupiter in July 1994, from the HST WFPC 2 imaging series.

Clark, John↗

NASA NTRS1984

NGC 7213 - A key to the nature of liners?

New optical spectra of the nearby S0 galaxy NGC 7213 are analyzed. The observations are described and a brief overview of the spectrum is given. The subtraction of the stellar component is presented, and the measurement of various emission lines is discussed in detail. Important physical parameters are derived, including those pertaining to atomic data, line widths, physical conditions, geometry and kinematics, the Balmer decrement, and ultraviolet emission lines. The Seyfert characteristics of NGC 7213 are reviewed, and the galaxy's shock features are reconciled with photoionization models. The presented arguments may apply to classical liners as well. Theoretical models that can help explain the relationships discovered among the emission lines are examined.

Filippenko, A. V.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Absolute spectrophotometry of very large redshift quasars

Absolute spectrophotometric observations of 19 quasars with redshifts greater than 2.66 are reported. Observations were made with a multichannel spectrometer covering wavelengths from 3200 to 10000 A at low resolution and allowing accurate absolute fluxes to be determined for continuum and emission lines. Analysis of energy distribution measurements indicates the continuum spectral index redward of Lyman alpha to vary from -0.2 to -1.2. Average flux levels drop by 29% between Lyman alpha and Lyman beta, and by a further 10% below Lyman beta, and a drop or change of slope occurs near the Lyman limit, all of which are attributed to absorbing clouds at different redshifts. Estimations of a covering factor of 0.08 based on the Lyman alpha and He II 1640 lines are consistent with the production of these lines by recombination. The measured emission lines are observed to have intensities proportional to the continuum flux, with the exception of C IV, which shows the luminosity effect similar to that found by Baldwin (1977).

Oke, J. B.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Observations of accretion and angular momentum regulation in young circumstellar disks and the implications for planetary formation

Accretion disks around young stars produce excess infrared continuum associated with the disk and excess optical and ultraviolet continua associated with the boundary layer or 'hot spot' as material falls from the disk onto the stellar photosphere. When we subtract the excess continuum and photospheric contributions to the total spectrum, we can obtain high-quality emission line profiles of the Balmer lines as well as permitted lines from other elements. These emission lines often exhibit redshifted absorption, indicative of infalling material. Remarkably, objects with large accretion rates tend to rotate slower than their counterparts that lack accretion disks. Hence, there must be some process, probably involving magnetic fields, that allows the star to accrete large amounts of material from the disk without increasing its rotational velocity. Young stars typically do not have optically thick inner disks that do not accrete. Hence, either planets form within accretion disks, or the timescale for planetary formation is considerably shorter than approx. 3 x 10(exp 6) yr, the duration of the classical T Tauri star phase of young stellar evolution.

Hartigan, P.↗

DOE OSTI2022

Modeling the Spectral Diversity of Quasars in the Sixteenth Data Release from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

Abstract We present a new approach to capturing the broad diversity of emission-line and continuum properties in quasar spectra. We identify populations of spectrally similar quasars through pixel-level clustering on 12,968 high signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) spectra from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) in the redshift range of 1.57 < z < 2.4. Our clustering analysis finds 396 quasar spectra that are not assigned to any population, 15 misclassified spectra, and 6 quasars with incorrect redshifts. We compress the quasar populations into a library of 684 high-S/N composite spectra, anchored in redshift space by the Mg ii emission line. Principal component analysis on the library results in an eigenspectrum basis spanning 1067–4007 Å. We model independent samples of SDSS quasar spectra with the eigenbasis, allowing for a free redshift parameter. Our models achieve a median reduced χ 2 on non–broad absorption line quasar spectra that is reduced by 8.5% relative to models using the eigenspectra from the SDSS spectroscopic pipeline. A significant contribution to the relative improvement is from the ability to reconstruct the range of emission-line variation. The redshift estimates from our model are consistent with the Mg ii emission-line redshift with an average offset that displays 51.4% less redshift-dependent variation relative to the SDSS eigenspectra. Our method for developing quasar spectra models can improve automated classification and predict the intrinsic spectrum in regions affected by intervening absorbers such as Ly α , C iv , and Mg ii , thus benefiting studies of large-scale structure.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

NASA NTRS2021

A Search for the 3.5 keV Line from the Milky Way's Dark Matter Halo with HaloSat

Previous detections of an X-ray emission line near 3.5 keV in galaxy clusters and other dark-matter-dominated objects have been interpreted as observational evidence for the decay of sterile neutrino dark matter. Motivated by this, we report on a search for a 3.5 keV emission line from the Milky Way's galactic dark matter halo with HaloSat. As a single pixel, collimated instrument, HaloSat observations are impervious to potential systematic effects due to grazing incidence reflection and CCD pixelization, and thus may offer a check on possible instrumental systematic errors in previous analyses. We report nondetections of a ~3.5 keV emission line in four HaloSat observations near the Galactic center. In the context of the sterile neutrino decay interpretation of the putative line feature, we provide 90% confidence level upper limits on the 3.5 keV line flux for a field centered 18.6 degrees from the Galactic center and the corresponding 7.1 keV sterile neutrino mixing angle: F ≤ 0.077 ph/((sq. cm)(s)(sr)) and sin^2(2θ) ≤ 4.25 x 10^(-11). The HaloSat mixing angle upper limit was calculated using a modern parameterization of the Milky Way's dark matter distribution, and in order to compare with previous limits, we also report the limit calculated using a common historical model. The HaloSat mixing angle upper limit places constraints on a number of previous mixing angle estimates derived from observations of the Milky Way's dark matter halo and galaxy clusters, and excludes several previous detections of the line. The upper limits cannot, however, entirely rule out the sterile neutrino decay interpretation of the 3.5 keV line feature.

E. M. Silich↗

NASA NTRS1999

GHRS Observations of Cool, Low-Gravity Stars: The Outer Atmosphere and Wind of the Nearby K Supergiant Lambda Velorum - 5

UV spectra of lambda Velorum taken with the Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph (GHRS) on the Hubble Space Telescope are used to probe the structure of the outer atmospheric layers and wind and to estimate the mass-loss rate from this K5 lb-II supergiant. VLA radio observations at lambda = 3.6 cm are used to obtain an independent check on the wind velocity and mass-loss rate inferred from the UV observations, Parameters of the chromospheric structure are estimated from measurements of UV line widths, positions, and fluxes and from the UV continuum flux distribution. The ratios of optically thin C II] emission lines indicate a mean chromospheric electron density of log N(sub e) approximately equal 8.9 +/- 0.2 /cc. The profiles of these lines indicate a chromospheric turbulence (v(sub 0) approximately equal 25-36 km/s), which greatly exceeds that seen in either the photosphere or wind. The centroids of optically thin emission lines of Fe II and of the emission wings of self-reversed Fe II lines indicate that they are formed in plasma approximately at rest with respect to the photosphere of the star. This suggests that the acceleration of the wind occurs above the chromospheric regions in which these emission line photons are created. The UV continuum detected by the GHRS clearly traces the mean flux-formation temperature as it increases with height in the chromosphere from a well-defined temperature minimum of 3200 K up to about 4600 K. Emission seen in lines of C III] and Si III] provides evidence of material at higher than chromospheric temperatures in the outer atmosphere of this noncoronal star. The photon-scattering wind produces self-reversals in the strong chromospheric emission lines, which allow us to probe the velocity field of the wind. The velocities to which these self-absorptions extend increase with intrinsic line strength, and thus height in the wind, and therefore directly map the wind acceleration. The width and shape of these self-absorptions reflect a wind turbulence of approximately equal 9-21 km/s. We further characterize the wind by comparing the observations with synthetic profiles generated with the Lamers et al. Sobolev with Exact Integration (SEI) radiative transfer code, assuming simple models of the outer atmospheric structure. These comparisons indicate that the wind in 1994 can be described by a model with a wind acceleration parameter beta approximately 0.9, a terminal velocity of 29-33 km/s, and a mass-loss rate approximately 3 x 10(exp -9) solar M/yr. Modeling of the 3.6 cm radio flux observed in 1997 suggests a more slowly accelerating wind (higher beta) and/or a higher mass-loss rate than inferred from the UV line profiles. These differences may be due to temporal variations in the wind or from limitations in one or both of the models. The discrepancy is currently under investigation.

Carpenter, Kenneth G.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Relations between the photospheric magnetic field and the emission from the outer atmospheres of cool stars. I - The solar Ca II K line core emission

Observations of a solar active region complex and its surroundings are used to establish a quantitative relation between the Ca II K line core intensity and magnetic flux density. The Ca II K line core intensity is transformed to a Ca II H + K line core flux density to facilitate a comparison of solar and stellar data. A new absolute calibration for the Mount Wilson Ca II H + K fluxes for G-type dwarfs is derived. The minimum Ca II K flux, found in the centers of supergranulation cells in quiet regions on the sun, is identical to the minimum flux that is observed for solar-type stars. An expression is presented for the nonlinear trend between the Ca II H + K line core excess flux density and the absolute value of the magnetic flux density. Models that explain the nonlinearity of the mean trend and the large intrinsic scatter about it are discussed. The solar data define a relation that is similar to the relation between stellar hemisphere-average magnetic flux densities and Ca II H + K excess flux densities.

Schrijver, C. J.↗