Dust in the diffuse interstellar medium Siebenmorgen, R; Voshchinnikov, N V; Bagnulo, S
Astronomy and astrophysics (Berlin),
1/2014, Volume:
561
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
We present a model for the diffuse interstellar dust that explains the observed wavelength-dependence of extinction, emission, and the linear and circular polarisation of light. The model is set up ...with a small number of parameters. It consists of a mixture of amorphous carbon and silicate grains with sizes from the molecular domain of 0.5 up to about 500 nm. Mass estimates derived from submillimetre observations that ignore this effect are overestimated by the same amount. In the presence of a magnetic field, spheroids may be partly aligned and polarise light. We find that polarisation spectra help to determine the upper particle radius of the otherwise rather unconstrained dust size distribution. Stochastically heated small grains of graphite, silicates, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are included. Using prolate rather than oblate grains gives a better fit to observed spectra; the axial ratio of the spheroids is typically two and aligned silicates are the dominant contributors to the polarisation.
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The dust content of the universe is primarily explored via its interaction with stellar photons, which are absorbed or scattered by the dust, producing the effect known as interstellar extinction. ...However, owing to the physical extension of the observing beam, real observations may detect a significant number of dust-scattered photons. This may result in a change in the observed (or effective) extinction with a dependence on the spatial distribution of the dust and the spatial resolution of the instrument. We investigate the influence of clumpy dust distributions on the effective extinction toward both embedded sources and those seen through the diffuse interstellar medium (ISM). We use a Monte Carlo radiative transfer code to examine the effective extinction for various geometries. By varying the number, optical depth and volume-filling factor of clumps inside the model for spherical shells and the diffuse interstellar medium (ISM), we explore the evolution of the extinction curve and effective optical depth. Depending on the number of scattering events in the beam, the extinction curve is observed to steepen in homogeneous media and flatten in clumpy media. As a result, clumpy dust distributions are able to reproduce extinction curves with arbitrary RV,eff, the effective ratio of total-to-selective extinction. The flattening is also able to “wash out” the 2175 Å bump and results in a shift of the peak to shorter wavelengths. The mean RV,eff of a shell is shown to correlate with the optical depth of an individual clump and the wavelength at which a clump becomes optically thick. Similar behaviour is seen for edge-on discs or tori. However, at grazing inclinations the combination of extinction and strong forward scattering results in chaotic behaviour. Caution is therefore advised when attempting to measure extinction in AGN tori for example or toward SNIa or GRB afterglows. In face-on discs, the shape of the scattered continuum is observed to change significantly with clumpiness, however, unlike absorption features, individual features in the scattering cross-sections are preserved. Finally, we show that diffuse interstellar extinction is not significantly modified by scattering on distance scales of a few kpc.
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Polarization is an important tool to further the understanding of interstellar dust and the sources behind it. In this paper we describe our implementation of polarization that is due to scattering ...of light by spherical grains and electrons in the dust Monte Carlo radiative transfer code SKIRT. In contrast to the implementations of other Monte Carlo radiative transfer codes, ours uses co-moving reference frames that rely solely on the scattering processes. It fully supports the peel-off mechanism that is crucial for the efficient calculation of images in 3D Monte Carlo codes. We develop reproducible test cases that push the limits of our code. The results of our program are validated by comparison with analytically calculated solutions. Additionally, we compare results of our code to previously published results. We apply our method to models of dusty spiral galaxies at near-infrared and optical wavelengths. We calculate polarization degree maps and show them to contain signatures that trace characteristics of the dust arms independent of the inclination or rotation of the galaxy.
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The precise characteristics of clouds and the nature of dust in the diffuse interstellar medium can only be extracted by inspecting the rare cases of single-cloud sightlines. In our nomenclature such ...objects are identified by interstellar lines, such as K
I
, that show at a resolving power of
λ
∕Δ
λ
~ 75 000 one dominating Doppler component that accounts for more than half of the observed column density. We searched for such sightlines using high-resolution spectroscopy towards reddened OB stars for which far-UV extinction curves are known. We compiled a sample of 186 spectra, 100 of which were obtained specifically for this project with UVES. In our sample we identified 65 single-cloud sightlines, about half of which were previously unknown. We used the CH/CH
+
line ratio of our targets to establish whether the sightlines are dominated by warm or cold clouds. We found that CN is detected in all cold (CH/CH
+
> 1) clouds, but is frequently absent in warm clouds. We inspected the WISE (3−22
μ
m) observed emission morphology around our sightlines and excluded a circumstellar nature for the observed dust extinction. We found that most sightlines are dominated by cold clouds that are located far away from the heating source. For 132 stars, we derived the spectral type and the associated spectral type-luminosity distance. We also applied the interstellar Ca
II
distance scale, and compared these two distance estimates with
Gaia
parallaxes. These distance estimates scatter by ~40%. By comparing spectral type-luminosity distances with those of
Gaia
, we detected a hidden dust component that amounts to a few mag of extinction for eight sightlines. This dark dust is populated by ≳ 1
μ
m large grains and predominately appears in the field of the cold interstellar medium.
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Dark dust Siebenmorgen, R.
Astronomy and astrophysics (Berlin),
02/2023, Volume:
670
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Distance estimates derived from spectroscopy or parallax have been unified by considering extinction by large grains. The addition of such a population of what is called dark dust to models of the ...diffuse interstellar medium is tested against a contemporary set of observational constraints. By respecting representative solid-phase element abundances, the dark dust model simultaneously explains the typical wavelength-dependent reddening, extinction, and emission of polarised and unpolarised light by interstellar dust particles between far-UV and millimeter wavelengths. The physical properties of dark dust were derived. Dark dust consists of micrometer-sized particles. These particles have recently been detected in situ. Dark dust provides significant wavelength-independent reddening from the far-UV to the near-infrared. Light absorbed by dark dust is re-emitted in the submillimeter region by grains at dust temperatures of 8–12 K. This very cold dust has frequently been observed in external galaxies. Dark dust contributes to the polarisation at ≳1 mm to ~35% and marginally at shorter wavelengths. Optical constants for silicate dust analogous were investigated. By mixing 3% in mass of Mg
0.8
Fe
0.2
2+
SiO
3
to MgO−0.5 SiO
2
, a good fit to the data was derived that can still accommodate up to 5–10% of mass in dark dust. The additional diming of light by dark dust is unexplored when supernova Ia light curves are discussed and in other research. Previous models that ignored dark dust do not account for the unification of the distance scales.
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Massive stars live short lives, losing large amounts of mass through their stellar wind. Their mass is a key factor determining how and when they explode as supernovae, enriching the interstellar ...medium with heavy elements and dust. During the red supergiant phase, mass-loss rates increase prodigiously, but the driving mechanism has proven elusive. Here we present high-contrast optical polarimetric-imaging observations of the extreme red supergiant VY Canis Majoris and its clumpy, dusty, mass-loss envelope, using the new extreme-adaptive-optics instrument SPHERE at the VLT. These observations allow us to make the first direct and unambiguous detection of submicron dust grains in the ejecta; we derive an average grain radius ~0.5 μm, 50 times larger than in the diffuse ISM, large enough to receive significant radiation pressure by photon scattering. We find evidence for varying grain sizes throughout the ejecta, highlighting the dynamical nature of the envelope. Grains with 0.5 μm sizes are likely to reach a safe distance from the eventual explosion of VY Canis Majoris; hence it may inject upwards of 10-2 M⊙ of dust into the ISM.
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We study the structure of passively heated disks around T Tauri and Herbig Ae stars, and present a vectorized Monte Carlo dust radiative transfer model of protoplanetary disks. The vectorization ...provides a speed up factor of ~100 when compared to a scalar version of the code. Disks are composed of either fluffy carbon and silicate grains of various sizes or dust of the diffuse ISM. The IR emission and the midplane temperature derived by the MC method differ from models where the radiative transfer is solved in slab geometry of small ring segments. In the MC treatment, dusty halos above the disks are considered. Halos lead to an enhanced IR emission and warmer midplane temperature than do pure disks. Under the assumption of hydrostatic equilibrium we find that the disk in the inner rim puffs up, followed by a shadowed region. The shadow reduces the temperature of the midplane and decreases the height of the extinction layer of the disk. It can be seen as a gap in the disk unless the surface is again exposed to direct stellar radiation. There the disk puffs up a second time, a third time, and so forth. Therefore several gaps and ring-like structures are present in the disk surface and appear in emission images. They result from shadows in the disks and are present without the need to postulate the existence of any companion or planet. As compared to Herbig Ae stars, such gaps and ring-like structures are more pronounced in regions of terrestrial planets around T Tauri stars.
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Giant exoplanets on wide orbits have been directly imaged around young stars. If the thermal background in the mid-infrared can be mitigated, then exoplanets with lower masses can also be imaged. ...Here we present a ground-based mid-infrared observing approach that enables imaging low-mass temperate exoplanets around nearby stars, and in particular within the closest stellar system, α Centauri. Based on 75-80% of the best quality images from 100 h of cumulative observations, we demonstrate sensitivity to warm sub-Neptune-sized planets throughout much of the habitable zone of α Centauri A. This is an order of magnitude more sensitive than state-of-the-art exoplanet imaging mass detection limits. We also discuss a possible exoplanet or exozodiacal disk detection around α Centauri A. However, an instrumental artifact of unknown origin cannot be ruled out. These results demonstrate the feasibility of imaging rocky habitable-zone exoplanets with current and upcoming telescopes.
Aims. We provide a library of some 7000 SEDs for the nuclei of starburst and ultra luminous galaxies. Its purpose is to quickly obtain estimates of the basic parameters, such as luminosity, size and ...dust or gas mass and to predict the flux at yet unobserved wavelengths. The procedure is simple and consists of finding an element in the library that matches the observations. The objects may be in the local universe or at high z. Methods. We calculate the radiative transfer in spherical symmetry for a stellar cluster permeated by an interstellar medium with standard (Milky Way) dust properties. The cluster contains two stellar populations: old bulge stars and OB stars. Because the latter are young, a certain fraction of them will be embedded in compact clouds which constitute hot spots that determine the MIR fluxes. Results. We present SEDs for a broad range of luminosities, sizes and obscurations. We argue that the assumption of spherical symmetry and the neglect of clumpiness of the medium are not severe shortcomings for computing the dust emission. The validity of the approach is demonstrated by matching the SED of seven of the best studied galaxies, including M 82 and Arp 220, by library elements. In all cases, one finds an element which fits the observed SED very well, and the parameters defining the element are in full accord with what is known about the galaxy from detailed studies. We also compare our method of computing SEDs with other techniques described in the literature.
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Far-infrared emission of massive stars Siebenmorgen, R.; Scicluna, P.; Krełowski, J.
Astronomy and astrophysics (Berlin),
12/2018, Volume:
620
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
We present results of the analysis of a sample of 22 stars of spectral types from O7 to B5 and luminosity classes I–V for which spectra from the Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) of Spitzer are available. ...The IRS spectra of these stars are examined for signs of excess infrared (IR) emission by comparison with stellar atmospheric spectra. We find that the spectra of half of the studied stars are dominated by excess emission in the far-IR, including all six super- and bright giants. In order to examine the origin of the far-IR excess, we supplement the Spitzer data with optical high-resolution echelle spectroscopy (λ∕Δλ ~ 105), near-IR high-contrast coronagraphic imaging taken with the SPHERE instrument at VLT with a spatial resolution of 0.′′05, and WISE and Herschel photometry. In the optical region, we detect various absorption and emission lines (H α, C III, and N III) irrespective of the far-IR excess. Pfund α and Humphrey α lines are observed at the same time as the far-IR excess. These lines are stronger in stars with far-IR excess than in stars without excess. A scattered-light disk in the central r ≲ 2.5′′ region of the far-IR excess stars HD 149404, HD 151804, and HD 154368 can be excluded from H band imaging down to a 1σ contrast of F(r)∕F∗~ 10−6. The far-IR excess is fit either by a free–free component from ionized gas as for the winds of hot stars or a large (1 pc) circumstellar dust shell. The putative dust envelopes required to explain the excess have a visual extinction as low as a few hundred μ-mag.
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