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At least 19 records

Spectroscopic measurements of the far-ultraviolet dust attenuation curve at z ∼ 3

We present the first spectroscopic measurements of the shape of the far-ultraviolet (far-UV; λ=950--1500 Å) dust attenuation curve at high redshift (z∼3). Our analysis employs rest-frame UV spectra of 933 galaxies at z∼3, 121 of which have very deep spectroscopic observations (≳7 hr) at λ=850--1300 A-ring , with the Low Resolution Imaging Spectrograph on the Keck Telescope. By using an iterative approach in which we calculate the ratios of composite spectra in different bins of continuum color excess, E(B−V), we derive a dust curve that implies a lower attenuation in the far-UV for a given E(B−V) than those obtained with standard attenuation curves. We demonstrate that the UV composite spectra of z∼3 galaxies can be modeled well by assuming our new attenuation curve, a high covering fraction of H i, and absorption from the Lyman–Werner bands of H{sub 2} with a small (≲20%) covering fraction. The low covering fraction of H{sub 2} relative to that of the H I and dust suggests that most of the dust in the ISM of typical galaxies at z∼3 is unrelated to the catalysis of H{sub 2}, and is associated with other phases of the ISM (i.e., the ionized and neutral gas). The far-UV dust curve implies a factor of ≈2 lower dust attenuation of Lyman continuum (ionizing) photons relative to those inferred from the most commonly assumed attenuation curves for L* galaxies at z∼3. Our results may be utilized to assess the degree to which ionizing photons are attenuated in H ii regions or, more generally, in the ionized or low column density (N(H I)≲10{sup 17.2} cm{sup −2}) neutral ISM of high-redshift galaxies.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Rapid low-temperature processing of metal-oxide thin film transistors with combined far ultraviolet and thermal annealing

We propose a combined far ultraviolet (FUV) and thermal annealing method of metal-nitrate-based precursor solutions that allows efficient conversion of the precursor to metal-oxide semiconductor (indium zinc oxide, IZO, and indium oxide, In{sub 2}O{sub 3}) both at low-temperature and in short processing time. The combined annealing method enables a reduction of more than 100 °C in annealing temperature when compared to thermally annealed reference thin-film transistor (TFT) devices of similar performance. Amorphous IZO films annealed at 250 °C with FUV for 5 min yield enhancement-mode TFTs with saturation mobility of ∼1 cm{sup 2}/(V·s). Amorphous In{sub 2}O{sub 3} films annealed for 15 min with FUV at temperatures of 180 °C and 200 °C yield TFTs with low-hysteresis and saturation mobility of 3.2 cm{sup 2}/(V·s) and 7.5 cm{sup 2}/(V·s), respectively. The precursor condensation process is clarified with x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements. Introducing the FUV irradiation at 160 nm expedites the condensation process via in situ hydroxyl radical generation that results in the rapid formation of a continuous metal-oxygen-metal structure in the film. The results of this paper are relevant in order to upscale printed electronics fabrication to production-scale roll-to-roll environments.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

THE NATURE AND FREQUENCY OF THE GAS OUTBURSTS IN COMET 67P/CHURYUMOV–GERASIMENKO OBSERVED BY THE ALICE FAR-ULTRAVIOLET SPECTROGRAPH ON ROSETTA

ALICE is a far-ultraviolet imaging spectrograph on board Rosetta that, among multiple objectives, is designed to observe emissions from various atomic and molecular species from within the coma of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. The initial observations, made following orbit insertion in 2014 August, showed emissions of atomic hydrogen and oxygen spatially localized close to the nucleus and attributed to photoelectron impact dissociation of H{sub 2}O vapor. Weaker emissions from atomic carbon were subsequently detected and also attributed to electron impact dissociation, of CO{sub 2}, the relative H i and C i line intensities reflecting the variation of CO{sub 2} to H{sub 2}O column abundance along the line of sight through the coma. Beginning in 2015 mid-April, Alice sporadically observed a number of outbursts above the sunward limb characterized by sudden increases in the atomic emissions, particularly the semi-forbidden O i λ 1356 multiplet, over a period of 10–30 minutes, without a corresponding enhancement in long-wavelength solar reflected light characteristic of dust production. A large increase in the brightness ratio O i λ 1356/O i λ 1304 suggests O{sub 2} as the principal source of the additional gas. These outbursts do not correlate with any of the visible images of outbursts taken with either OSIRIS or the navigation camera. Beginning in 2015 June the nature of the Alice spectrum changed considerably with CO Fourth Positive band emission observed continuously, varying with pointing but otherwise fairly constant in time. However, CO does not appear to be a major driver of any of the observed outbursts.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

THE EMISSION, LIFETIMES, AND FORMATION THRESHOLD OF THE VEGARD–KAPLAN TRANSITION OF SOLID NITROGEN EXPOSED TO FAR-ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION

Irradiation of solid nitrogen at 4 K with far-ultraviolet light from a synchrotron caused excitation to the upper state of the Vegard–Kaplan (VK) system; the emission in that system was simultaneously recorded in wavelength region 200–440 nm. The lifetimes of emission lines for VK (0, 1) to (0, 12) transitions were measured in the range of 2.12 ∼ 2.65 s. The threshold wavelength to observe the VK emission was 175.0 ± 3.5 nm, corresponding to energy 7.08 ± 0.14 eV. This investigation of the generation of icy VK nitrogen enhances our understanding of its photochemistry in space.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Far-ultraviolet Spectroscopy of Recent Comets with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph on the Hubble Space Telescope

Since its launch in 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) has served as a platform with unique capabilities for remote observations of comets in the far-ultraviolet region of the spectrum. Successive generations of imagers and spectrographs have seen large advances in sensitivity and spectral resolution enabling observations of the diverse properties of a representative number of comets during the past 25 years. To date, four comets have been observed in the far-ultraviolet by the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS), the last spectrograph to be installed in HST, in 2009: 103P/Hartley 2, C/2009 P1 (Garradd), C/2012 S1 (ISON), and C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy). COS has unprecedented sensitivity, but limited spatial information in its 2.″5 diameter circular aperture, and our objective was to determine the CO production rates from measurements of the CO Fourth Positive system in the spectral range of 1400–1700 Å. In the two brightest comets, 19 bands of this system were clearly identified. The water production rates were derived from nearly concurrent observations of the OH (0,0) band at 3085 Å by the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph. The derived CO/H{sub 2}O production rate ratio ranged from ∼0.3% for Hartley 2 to ∼22% for Garradd. In addition, strong partially resolved emission features due to multiplets of S i, centered at 1429 Å and 1479 Å, and of C i at 1561 Å and 1657 Å, were observed in all four comets. Weak emission from several lines of the H{sub 2} Lyman band system, excited by solar Lyα and Lyβ pumped fluorescence, were detected in comet Lovejoy.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

A Far-ultraviolet Fluorescent Molecular Hydrogen Emission Map of the Milky Way Galaxy

We present the far-ultraviolet (FUV) fluorescent molecular hydrogen (H{sub 2}) emission map of the Milky Way Galaxy obtained with FIMS/SPEAR covering ∼76% of the sky. The extinction-corrected intensity of the fluorescent H{sub 2} emission has a strong linear correlation with the well-known tracers of the cold interstellar medium (ISM), including color excess E(B–V) , neutral hydrogen column density N (H i), and H α emission. The all-sky H{sub 2} column density map was also obtained using a simple photodissociation region model and interstellar radiation fields derived from UV star catalogs. We estimated the fraction of H{sub 2} ( f {sub H2}) and the gas-to-dust ratio (GDR) of the diffuse ISM. The f {sub H2} gradually increases from <1% at optically thin regions where E(B–V) < 0.1 to ∼50% for E(B–V) = 3. The estimated GDR is ∼5.1 × 10{sup 21} atoms cm{sup −2} mag{sup −1}, in agreement with the standard value of 5.8 × 10{sup 21} atoms cm{sup −2} mag{sup −1}.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Shedding far-ultraviolet light on the donor star and evolutionary state of the neutron-star LMXB Swift J1858.6−0814

ABSTRACT The evolution of accreting X-ray binary systems is closely coupled to the properties of their donor stars. Consequently, we can constrain the evolutionary track a system is by establishing the nature of its donor. Here, we present far-ultraviolet (far-UV) spectroscopy of the transient neutron-star low-mass X-ray binary J1858 in different accretion states (low-hard, high-hard, and soft). All of these spectra exhibit anomalous N v, C iv, Si iv, and He ii lines, suggesting that its donor star has undergone CNO processing. We also determine the donor’s effective temperature, Td ≃ 5700 K, and radius, Rd ≃ 1.7 R⊙, based on photometric observations obtained during quiescence. Lastly, we leverage the transient nature of the system to set an upper limit of $\dot{M}_{\rm acc} \lesssim 10^{-8.5}~{\rm M}_{\odot }~\mathrm{ yr}^{-1}$ on the present-day mass-transfer rate. Combining these with the orbital period of the system, Porb = 21.3 h, we search for viable evolution paths. The initial donor masses in the allowed solutions span the range 1 M⊙ ≲ Md,i ≲ 3.5 M⊙. All but the lowest masses in this range are consistent with the strong CNO-processing signature in the UV line ratios. The present-day donor mass in the permitted tracks are 0.5 M⊙ ≲ Md,obs ≲ 1.3 M⊙, higher than suggested by eclipse modelling. Since Porb is close to the so-called bifurcation period, both converging and diverging binary tracks are permitted. If the former is confirmed, J1858 will end its life as an ultracompact system with a substellar donor.

Castro Segura, N. (ORCID:0000000258700443)↗

Far-ultraviolet spectroscopy of old novae. I. V603 Aquila

We present the results of a synthetic spectral analysis of the far-ultraviolet archival International Ultraviolet Explorer, Hubble Space Telescope (HST), and FUSE observations of the fast old nova V603 Aql, obtained some 90 years after its 1918 nova outburst. Our analysis utilizes the new Hubble fine guidance sensor parallax distance for this nearly face-on old nova, a high white dwarf (WD) mass, and a low reddening. Our analysis includes non-truncated optically thick accretion disks since V603 Aql is neither a polar nor an intermediate polar. Our synthetic spectral modeling of the FUSE and HST spectra analyzed separately indicate a mass transfer rate of M-dot =1.5−2.2×10{sup −9}M{sub ⊙} yr{sup −1} for the FUSE and HST spectra, respectively, assuming a WD mass of 1.2M{sub ⊙}. The mass accretion rate also depends on the assumed WD mass and increases by a factor of two for a WD mass of 0.8M{sub ⊙}. Combining the FUSE and HST spectra lead to the same results. Potential implications are discussed.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Stellar Occultation by Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko Observed with Rosetta's Alice Far-ultraviolet Spectrograph

Following our previous detection of ubiquitous H{sub 2}O and O{sub 2} absorption against the far-ultraviolet continuum of stars located near the nucleus of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, we present a serendipitously observed stellar occultation that occurred on 2015 September 13, approximately one month after the comet’s perihelion passage. The occultation appears in two consecutive 10-minute spectral images obtained by Alice, Rosetta’s ultraviolet (700–2100 Å) spectrograph, both of which show H{sub 2}O absorption with column density >10{sup 17.5} cm{sup −2} and significant O{sub 2} absorption (O{sub 2}/H{sub 2}O ≈ 5%–10%). Because the projected distance from the star to the nucleus changes between exposures, our ability to study the H{sub 2}O column density profile near the nucleus (impact parameters <1 km) is unmatched by our previous observations. We find that the H{sub 2}O and O{sub 2} column densities decrease with increasing impact parameter, in accordance with expectations, but the O{sub 2} column decreases ∼3 times more quickly than H{sub 2}O. When combined with previously published results from stellar appulses, we conclude that the O{sub 2} and H{sub 2}O column densities are highly correlated, and O{sub 2}/H{sub 2}O decreases with the increasing H{sub 2}O column.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Far-ultraviolet to Near-infrared Spectroscopy of a Nearby Hydrogen-poor Superluminous Supernova Gaia16apd

We report the first maximum-light far-ultraviolet (FUV) to near-infrared (NIR) spectra (1000 Å − 1.62 μm, rest) of a hydrogen-poor superluminous supernova, Gaia16apd. At z = 0.1018, it is the second closest and the UV brightest SLSN-I, with 17.4 mag in Swift UVW2 band at −11 days pre-maximum. The coordinated observations with HST, Palomar, and Keck were taken at −2 to +25 days. Assuming an exponential (or t {sup 2}) form, we derived the rise time of 33 days and the peak bolometric luminosity of 3 × 10{sup 44} erg s{sup −1}. At the maximum, the photospheric temperature and velocity are 17,000 K and 14,000 km s{sup −1}, respectively. The inferred radiative and kinetic energy are roughly 1 × 10{sup 51} and 2 × 10{sup 52} erg. Gaia16apd is extremely UV luminous, and emits 50% of its total luminosity at 1000–2500 Å. Compared to the UV spectra (normalized at 3100 Å) of well studied SN1992A (Ia), SN2011fe (Ia), SN1999em (IIP), and SN1993J (IIb), it has orders of magnitude more FUV emission. This excess is interpreted primarily as a result of weaker metal-line blanketing due to a much lower abundance of iron group elements in the outer ejecta. Because these elements originate either from the natal metallicity of the star, or have been newly produced, our observation provides direct evidence that little of these freshly synthesized material, including {sup 56}Ni, were mixed into the outer ejecta, and the progenitor metallicity is likely sub-solar. This disfavors Pair-instability Supernova models with helium core masses ⩾90 M{sub ⊙}, where substantial {sup 56}Ni material is produced. A higher photospheric temperature definitely contributes to the FUV excess from Gaia16apd. Compared with Gaia16apd, we find PS1-11bam is also UV luminous.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

ORIGIN OF THE DIFFUSE, FAR ULTRAVIOLET EMISSION IN THE INTERARM REGIONS OF M101

We present images from the Solar Blind Channel on the Hubble Space Telescope that resolve hundreds of far-ultraviolet (FUV) emitting stars in two ∼1 kpc{sup 2} interarm regions of the grand-design spiral M101. The luminosity functions of these stars are compared with predicted distributions from simple star formation histories, and are best reproduced when the star formation rate has recently declined (past 10–50 Myr). This pattern is consistent with stars forming within spiral arms and then streaming into the interarm regions. We measure the diffuse FUV surface brightness after subtracting all of the detected stars, clusters, and background galaxies. A residual flux is found for both regions, which can be explained by a mix of stars below our detection limit and scattered FUV light. The amount of scattered light required is much larger for the region immediately adjacent to a spiral arm, a bright source of FUV photons.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

FAR-ULTRAVIOLET STUDY OF THE ζ-OPHIUCHI H II REGION

We report the results of our analysis of the H II region around ζ Oph based on far-ultraviolet (FUV) spectral imaging observations, together with data made in other wavelengths. We found that scattering by dust grains of the FUV photons, which originate mostly from ζ Oph, dominates the FUV emission in this region, while contributions from the two-photon effects and molecular hydrogen fluorescence are not negligible. Unlike the Hα image, which shows dark shadows of the molecular clouds on the extended diffuse background, the FUV continuum image is featureless with a smooth intensity that decreases outward from the center, which is attributed to multiple scattering of photons originating from a single star that smears out the shape of the scattering dust clouds. Molecular hydrogen fluorescence emission is enhanced at the boundary of the H II region, especially in LDN 204 at its closest region facing ζ Oph. The region has a high temperature of ∼1000 K as well as high atomic and molecular hydrogen content with n {sub H} = ∼10{sup 1.8} cm{sup –3} and N(H{sub 2}) = ∼10{sup 22} cm{sup –2}, respectively. Photoionization and dust-scattering simulations are conducted with the effects of molecular clouds included, and the results are compared with the corresponding Hα and FUV observations. The results suggest that the molecular clouds reside close to the H II region in front of ζ Oph and that they may partially overlap with the H II region.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

The far-ultraviolet UPS and downs of Alpha Centauri

Four years (2010–2014) of semiannual pointings by the Hubble Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) on nearby Alpha Centauri have yielded a detailed time history of far-ultraviolet (FUV: 1150–1700 Å) emissions of the solarlike primary (A: G2 V) and the cooler but more active secondary (B: K1 V). This period saw A climbing out of a prolonged coronal X-ray minimum, as documented contemporaneously by Chandra, while B was rising to, then falling from, a peak of its long-term (∼8 year) starspot cycle. The FUV fluxes of the primary were steady over most of the STIS period, although the [Fe xii] λ1242 coronal forbidden line (T∼1.5 MK) partly mirrored the slowly rising X-ray fluxes. The FUV emissions of the secondary more closely tracked the rise and fall of its coronal luminosities, especially the “hot lines” Si iv, C iv, and N v (T∼0.8–2 × 10{sup 5} K), and coronal [Fe xii] itself. The hot lines of both stars were systematically redshifted, relative to narrow chromospheric emissions, by several km s{sup −1}, showing little change in amplitude over the four-year period, especially for α Cen B, despite the significant evolution of its coronal activity. Further, the hot lines of both stars, individually and epoch-averaged, displayed non-Gaussian shapes, which most trivially could be decomposed into two components, one narrow (FWHM ∼25–45 km s{sup −1}), the other broad (60–80 km s{sup −1}). A bimodal Gaussian strategy had been applied previously to the α Cen stars, but this was the first opportunity to evaluate any time dependence. In fact, not much variation of the component properties was seen, even over the major cycle changes of B. Curiously, the line fluxes were about equally divided between the narrow and broad components for both stars. The fact that there is minimal activity dependence of the narrow/broad flux partition, as well as densities derived from O iv] line ratios, either during the cycle evolution of B or between A and B, suggests that there is a dominant “quantum” of FUV surface activity that is relatively unchanged during the cycle, aside from the fractional area covered.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Room temperature plasma-etching and surface passivation of far-ultraviolet Al mirrors using electron beam generated plasmas

The development of optical systems operating in the far ultraviolet range (FUV, λ=100-200 nm) is limited by the efficiency of passivated aluminum (Al) mirrors. Although it is presently possible to obtain high-reflectivity FUV mirrors through physical vapor deposition, the process involves deposition with substrates at high temperatures, which is technically challenging for large optical elements. A novel passivation procedure for bare Al mirrors is reported. The treatment consisted of using a low-temperature electron-beam generated plasma produced in a gas mixture of Ar and SF6 to etch away the native oxide layer from the Al film, while simultaneously promoting the generation of a thin aluminum tri-fluoride (AlF3) layer on the Al surface. In the first section we analyze the effect of varying both ion energy and SF6 concentration on the FUV reflectance, thickness, composition, and surface morphology of the resulting AlF3 protective layers. In the second section, the reflectivity of samples is optimized at selected important FUV wavelengths for astronomical observations. Notably, samples attained state-of-the-art reflectances of 75% at 108.5 nm (He Lyman γ), 91% at 121.6 nm (H Lyman α), 90% at 130.4 nm (OI), and of 95% at 155.0 nm (C IV). The stability over time of these passivated mirrors is also investigated.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopy of Old Novae. II. RR Pic, V533 Her, and DI Lac

The old novae V533 Her (Nova Her 1963), DI Lac (Nova Lac 1910), and RR Pic (Nova Pic 1891) are in (or near) their quiescent stage, following their nova explosions, and continue to accrete at a high rate in the aftermath of their explosions. They exhibit continua that are steeply rising into the FUV, as well as absorption lines and emission lines of uncertain origin. All three have Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) spectra that offer not only higher spectral resolution but also wavelength coverage extending down to the Lyman Limit. For DI Lac, we have matched these FUSE spectra with existing archival International Ultraviolet Explorer spectral coverage to broaden the FUV wavelength coverage. We adopted the newly determined interstellar reddening corrections of Selvelli and Gilmozzi. The dereddened FUV spectra have been modeled with our grids of optically thick accretion disks and hot, NLTE white dwarf (WD) photospheres. The results of our modeling analysis indicate that the hot components in RR Pic and V533 Her are likely to be accretion disks with mass accretion rates of 10{sup −8} M {sub ⊙} yr{sup −1} and 10{sup −9} M {sub ⊙} yr{sup −1} respectively. However, the disk cannot produce the observed absorption lines. For the WD to be the source of the absorption lines in these two systems, it must be very hot, with a radius several times its expected size (because the WD in these systems is massive, it has a smaller radius). For DI Lac, we find the best fit to be a disk with M-dot =10{sup −10} M{sub ⊙} yr{sup −1} with a 30,000 K WD.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Far-ultraviolet to FIR Spectral-energy Distribution Modeling of the Stellar Formation History of the M31 Bulge

M31 is being surveyed at far- and near-ultraviolet with the UVIT telescope on AstroSat. The central bulge of M31 was observed in the N279N (275–280 nm), N219M (200–240 nm), F172M (160–185 nm), F169M (145–175 nm), and F148W (120–180 nm) filters. These images are made publicly available here. The UVIT data are supplemented with Sloan Digital Sky Survey data in optical, Spitzer data in near-infrared and Herschel data in mid- and far-infrared. The resulting far-ultraviolet to IR spectral-energy distributions for the bulge and for 10 subregions, are modeled using combinations of simple stellar populations and with CIGALE models. We find a dominant old (10–12 Gyr) metal-rich ([Z/H] ~ 0.3) population and a younger (600 Myr) solar abundance ([Z/H] ~ 0) population throughout the bulge. For the innermost 120" we find an additional very young (25 Myr) metal-poor ([Z/H] ~ –0.7) population. The results are consistent with the most recent stellar population studies of the bulge, which find the two populations for the whole bulge and a third young population in the innermost bulge.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

FAR-ULTRAVIOLET OBSERVATIONS OF COMET C/2012 S1 (ISON) FROM FORTIS

We have used the unique far-UV imaging capability offered by a sounding-rocket-borne instrument to acquire observations of C/2012 S1 (ISON) when its angular separation with respect to the Sun was 26.°3 on 2013 November 20.49. At the time of observation, the comet’s heliocentric distance and velocity relative to the Sun were r {sub h} = 0.43 au and r-dot {sub h} = −62.7 km s{sup −1}. Images dominated by C i λ1657 and H i λ1216 were acquired over a 10{sup 6} × 10{sup 6} km{sup 2} region. The water production rate implied by the Lyα observations is constrained to be Q{sub H{sub 2O}}≈ 8 × 10{sup 29} s{sup −1} while the neutral carbon production rate was Q{sub C} ≈ 4 ×10{sup 28} s{sup −1}. The radial profile of C i was consistent with it being a dissociation product of a parent molecule with a lifetime τ ∼ 5 × 10{sup 4} s, favoring a parent other than CO. We constrain the Q {sub CO} production rate to 5{sub −7.5}{sup +1.5} × 10{sup 28} s{sup −1} with 1σ errors derived from photon statistics. The upper limit on the Q {sub CO}/Q{sub H{sub 2O}} is ≲6%.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Far-ultraviolet study of the local supershell GSH 006–15+7

We have analyzed the archival data of far-UV (FUV) observations for the region of GSH 006–15+7, a large shell-like structure discovered by Moss et al. from the H i velocity maps. FUV emission is seen to be enhanced in the lower supershell region. The FUV emission is considered to come mainly from the scattering of interstellar photons by dust grains. A corresponding Monte Carlo simulation indicates that the distance to the supershell is 1300 ± 800 pc, which is similar to the previous estimation of 1500 ± 500 pc based on kinematic considerations. The spectrum at lower Galactic latitudes of the supershell exhibits molecular hydrogen fluorescence lines; a simulation model for this candidate photodissociation region yields an H{sub 2} column density of N(H{sub 2}) = 10{sup 18.0−20.0} cm{sup −2} with a rather high total hydrogen density of n{sub H} ∼ 30 cm{sup −3}.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗