Amy Jean Lovell

Chemical processing in the coma as the source of cometary HNC

The discovery of hydrogen isocyanide (HNC) in comet Hyakutake with an abundance (relative to hydrogen cyanide, HCN) similar to that seen in dense interstellar clouds raised the possibility that these molecules might be surviving interstellar material. The preservation of material from the Suns parent molecular cloud would provide important constraints on the processes that took place in the protostellar nebula. But another possibility is that HNC is produced by photochemical processes in the coma, which means that its abundance could not be used as a direct constraint on conditions in the early Solar System. Here we show that the HNC/HCN ratio determined for comet Hale–Bopp varied with heliocentric distance in a way that matches the predictions of models of gas-phase chemical production of HNC in the coma, but cannot be explained if the HNC molecules were coming from the comets nucleus. We conclude that HNC forms mainly by chemical reactions in the coma, and that such reactions need to be considered when attempting to deduce the composition of the nucleus from observations of the coma.

On the effect of electron collisions in the excitation of cometary HCN

The electron-HCN collision rate for the excitation of rotational transitions of the HCN molecule is evaluated in comets C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) and C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake). Based on theoretical models of the cometary atmosphere, we show that collisions with electrons can provide a significant excitation mechanism for rotational transitions in the HCN molecule. Computed values of the cross sectione-HCN can be as high as 1:3 ; 10 � 12 cm 2 , more than 2 orders of magnitude greater than the commonly assumed HCN-H2O cross section. For the ground rotational transitions of HCN, the electron-HCN collision rate is found to exceed the HCN-H2 Oc ollision rate at distances greater than 3000 km from the cometary nucleus of Hale-Bopp and 1000 km from that of Hyakutake. Collisional excitation processes dominate over radiative excitation processes up to a distance of 160,000 km from the cometary nucleus of Hale-Bopp and 50,000 km from that of Hyakutake. Excitation models that neglect electron collisions can underestimate the HCN gas production rates by as much as a factor of 2. Subject headingg comets: general — molecular processes

Chemistry in cometary comae

Recent developments in the chemical modelling of cometary comae aredescribed. We discuss the cyanide chemistry and present new HCNobservations of the recent comet C/2002 C1 (Ikeya–Zhang). Theconnection between interstellar and cometary organic molecules isdiscussed from the perspective of recent theories of interstellargas-grain chemistry.

The HNC/HCN ratio in comets.

The abundance ratio of the isomers HCN and HNC has been investigated in comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) through observations of the J = 4−3 rotational transitions of both species for heliocentric distances 0.93 < r < 3 AU, both pre- and post-perihelion. After correcting for the optical depth of the stronger HCN line, we find that the column density ratio of HNC/HCN in our telescope beam increases significantly as the comet approaches the Sun. We compare this behavior to that predicted from an ion-molecule chemical model and conclude that the HNC is produced insignificant measure by chemical processes in the coma; i.e., for comet Hale-Bopp, HNC is not a parent molecule sublimating from the nucleus.

HCO+ Imaging of Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1)

The HCO+ J = 1-0 rotational transition at 89.189 GHz has been mapped in comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) over a total of 38 individual days spanning the period 1997 March 10-June 20 with the Five College Radio Astronomy Observatory 14 m antenna. HCO+ is detectable over an extended region of the comet, with the peak emission commonly located 50,000-100,000 km in the antisolar direction. Maps made throughout the apparition show significant variability in the structure of the HCO+ coma, sometimes on timescales of several hours. The HCO+ brightness is usually depressed at the nucleus position, and on some occasions, the emission is spread into a ring around the position of the nucleus. Individual spectra within the maps display broad (approximately 4 km s-1) lines redshifted by 1-2 km s-1 or more from the nominal velocity of the nucleus, with the redshift typically increasing in the antisolar direction. The spectra and maps may be generally explained by models in which the ions are accelerated tailward at a rate on the order of 10 cm s-2, provided that HCO+ is destroyed within 50,000-100,000 km of the nucleus.

Collisional Quenching of OH Radio Emission from Comet Hale-Bopp

Observations of comets in the 18-cm OH transitions offer a means to probe gas production, kinematics, and OH excitation in comets. We present initial results of OH observations of comet Hale-Bopp obtained with the NRAO 43 m antenna located in Greenbank, WV. Maps of the emission provide strong constraints on the amount of quenching of the inversion of the OH ground state Λ-doublet in the coma. Analysis of the total radio OH flux and maps of its radial brightness distribution indicate a quenched region on the order of ∼500,000 km during March and April 1997. This large value is generally consistent with previous observations of radio OH quenching in lower production rate comets when the high production rate of comet Hale-Bopp is considered.

HCO+ in the coma of comet Hale-Bopp

Maps of comet C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) in the millimeter-wave emission of the ion HCO+ revealed a local minimum near the nucleus position, with a maximum about 100,000 km in the antisolar direction. These observed features of the HCO+ emission require a low abundance of HCO+ due to enhanced destruction in the inner coma of the comet, within a region of low electron temperature (Te). To set constraints on the formation of HCO+ in the coma, as well as the location and magnitude of the transition to higher Te, the data are compared with the results of ion-molecule chemistry models.

Measurements of dynamic pointing variations of a large radio telescope

Next generation radio telescope designs face two serious technical challenges in pointing accuracy. The first is that improved resolution requires more precise pointing, and the second is that increased size makes that pointing accuracy even harder to achieve. New telescopes, such as the 50 m LMT/GTM, require sub-arcsecond pointing in significant wind, whereas current large radio telescopes point only to a couple of arcseconds without wind. A commonly proposed solution to the pointing problem is laser metrology. In this approach, structural deformations are measured, enabling correction of the resulting pointing errors. These measurements are typically slow, allowing only quasi-static effects to be removed. However, the low natural frequencies of large structures allow a significant response to the frequency content of the wind. This effect is difficult to calculate accurately because of both the limited knowledge of the actual wind power spectrum and the complex interaction of the wind with the structure. To investigate the dynamic behavior of large radio telescope in the wind, we conducted pointing measurements with the Nobeyama Radio Observatory (NRO) 45 m telescope. We measured the pointing error in elevation and cross-elevation as a function of time and wind speed, and examined the frequency content of the results. We present results which confirm that the dominant wind effects are at low frequencies, suitable for elimination via a laser-based system. However, the resonant behavior of the telescope is clearly visible in the data, and these dynamic errors are the dominant effects above about 0.1 Hz, even in modest (approximately 4 m/s) wind. As a result, an understanding of this dynamic behavior will be essential for the design of future large telescopes and metrology systems.

Potential impacts of WRC-2019 agenda items on scientific services

The next World Radio Conference (WRC) will be held in November 2019 in Geneva, Switzerland. This paper discusses WRC-19 agenda items that could impact scientific uses in Earth satellite remote sensing and radio astronomy.

Using an active primary surface to correct for low-order manufacturing errors in secondary mirrors of large reflector antennas

In the fabrication of high-performance, low-cost secondary reflectors for radio telescopes, it is a significant challenge to avoid introduction of low-order surface errors such as astigmatism or coma. This arises primarily because low-order surface errors are easily induced by support structure placement or simple thermal variations in the manufacturing process. It is, of course, possible to bring these errors to within the required tolerance, but if an active primary reflector is present, it may be possible to relax the requirements on the secondary and perhaps lower its cost. In this paper, we take the Large Millimeter-wave Telescope (LMT/GTM) as an example system. We model the effects of correcting a deformed sub-reflector by using the existing segmented active primary. The sub-reflector deformation patterns employed are low-order (e.g., astigmatism or coma), but are allowed significant excursions from the nominal surface figure. For each case, we demonstrate the best theoretical performance, using the active primary to correct for the errors. Additionally, to determine whether such an approach would be practical, we also demonstrate the likely performance improvement that could be achieved using brief measurements on an astronomical source. In this approach, we introduce varying amounts of known low-order deformation patterns into the active primary and seek the combination that results in the maximum signal. Finally, we compare this result to the theoretical maximum and make recommendations on the practical utility of the approach.