Neal R. Erickson

The Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite: Science Objectives and Instrument Description

The Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite (SWAS), launched in 1998 December, is a NASA mission dedicated to the study of star formation through direct measurements of (1) molecular cloud composition and chemistry, (2) the cooling mechanisms that facilitate cloud collapse, and (3) the large-scale structure of the UV-illuminated cloud surfaces. To achieve these goals, SWAS is conducting pointed observations of dense [n(H2) > 103 cm-3] molecular clouds throughout our Galaxy in either the ground state or a low-lying transition of five astrophysically important species: H2O, H218O, O2, C I, and 13CO. By observing these lines SWAS is (1) testing long-standing theories that predict that these species are the dominant coolants of molecular clouds during the early stages of their collapse to form stars and planets and (2) supplying previously missing information about the abundance of key species central to the chemical models of dense interstellar gas. SWAS carries two independent Schottky barrier diode mixers—passively cooled to ~175 K—coupled to a 54 × 68 cm off-axis Cassegrain antenna with an aggregate surface error ~11 μm rms. During its baseline 3 yr mission, SWAS is observing giant and dark cloud cores with the goal of detecting or setting an upper limit on the water and molecular oxygen abundance of 3 × 10-6 (relative to H2). In addition, advantage is being taken of SWASs relatively large beam size of 33 × 45 at 553 GHz and 35 × 50 at 490 GHz to obtain large-area (~1° × 1°) maps of giant and dark clouds in the 13CO and C I lines. With the use of a 1.4 GHz bandwidth acousto-optical spectrometer, SWAS has the ability to simultaneously observe either the H2O, O2, C I, and 13CO lines or the H218O, O2, and C I lines. All measurements are being conducted with a velocity resolution less than 1 km s-1.

Implications of Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite Observations for Interstellar Chemistry and Star Formation

A long-standing prediction of steady state gas-phase chemical theory is that H2O and O2 are important reservoirs of elemental oxygen and major coolants of the interstellar medium. Analysis of Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite (SWAS) observations has set sensitive upper limits on the abundance of O2 and has provided H2O abundances toward a variety of star-forming regions. Based on these results, we show that gaseous H2O and O2 are not dominant carriers of elemental oxygen in molecular clouds. Instead, the available oxygen is presumably frozen on dust grains in the form of molecular ices, with a significant portion potentially remaining in atomic form, along with CO, in the gas phase. H2O and O2 are also not significant coolants for quiescent molecular gas. In the case of H2O, a number of known chemical processes can locally elevate its abundance in regions with enhanced temperatures, such as warm regions surrounding young stars or in hot shocked gas. Thus, water can be a locally important coolant. The new information provided by SWAS, when combined with recent results from the Infrared Space Observatory, also provides several hard observational constraints for theoretical models of the chemistry in molecular clouds, and we discuss various models that satisfy these conditions.

A 1.7-1.9 THz local oscillator source

We report on the design and performance of a /spl times/2/spl times/3/spl times/3 frequency multiplier chain to the 1.7-1.9 THz band. GaAs-based planar Schottky diodes are utilized in each stage. A W-band power amplifier, driven by a commercially available synthesizer, was used to pump the chain with 100 mW of input power. The peak measured output power at room temperature is 3 /spl mu/W at 1740 GHz. When cooled to 120 K, the chain provides more than 1.5 /spl mu/W from 1730 to 1875 GHz and produced a peak of 15 /spl mu/W at 1746 GHz.

A high-power fixed-tuned millimeter-wave balanced frequency doubler

We report on the design and evaluation of a 40-80-GHz (40/80-GHz) high-power wide-band fixed-tuned balanced doubler. The active device is a single GaAs chip comprising a linear array of six planar Schottky varactors. The varactors and a quartz microstrip circuit are embedded in a split waveguide block. We have achieved a measured 3-dB fixed-tuned bandwidth of 17% and measured flange-to-flange peak efficiency of 48% at an input-power level of 200 mW. The doubler operates at near-peak efficiency (45%) at an input power of 250 mW. We have cooled the block to 14 K and achieved an efficiency of 61% at an input-power level of 175 mW and an efficiency of 48% at an input-power level of 365 mW. Emphasis has been placed on making the design easy to fabricate and scalable to higher frequencies.

A 15 element focal plane array for 100 GHz

A focal plane imaging array receiver is described which covers the 86-115 GHz frequency range for radio astronomical observations. The 3*5 element array uses cryogenic Schottky diode mixers with integrated HEMT IF amplifiers. A cold quasi-optical filter selects the desired sideband, and terminates the image at 20 K. Polarization interleaving is used to minimize the array size on the sky. LO power is provided by a frequency tripled YIG tuned oscillator. The average receiver noise temperature of the array pixels varies from 250-350 K SSB depending on the frequency. Only three mechanical tuners are used in the system and all functions are under computer control. >

EVIDENCE FOR 1000 km s–1 MOLECULAR OUTFLOWS IN THE LOCAL ULIRG POPULATION

The feedback from galactic outflows is thought to play an important role in shaping the gas content, star formation history, and ultimately the stellar mass function of galaxies. Here we present evidence for massive molecular outflows associated with ultra-luminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) in the co-added Redshift Search Receiver {sup 12}CO (1-0) spectrum. Our stacked spectrum of 27 ULIRGs at z = 0.043-0.11 ({nu}{sub rest} = 110-120 GHz) shows broad wings around the CO line with {Delta}V(FWZI) {approx} 2000 km s{sup -1}. Its integrated line flux accounts for up to 25% {+-} 5% of the total CO line luminosity. When interpreted as a massive molecular outflow wind, the associated mechanical energy can be explained by a concentrated starburst with star formation rate (SFR) {>=}100 M{sub sun} yr{sup -1}, which agrees well with their SFR derived from the FIR luminosity. Using the high signal-to-noise stacked composite spectrum, we also probe {sup 13}CO and {sup 12}CN emission in the sample and discuss how the chemical abundance of molecular gas may vary depending on the physical conditions of the nuclear region.

Observations of Water Vapor toward Orion BN/KL

We have obtained spectra of the rotational ground-state 110-101 556.936 GHz ortho-H216O and 110-101 547.676 GHz ortho-H218O transitions toward Orion BN/KL using the Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite (SWAS). The ortho-H216O spectrum shows strong evidence for both a broad (Δv 48 km s-1) and a narrow (Δv 7.5 km s-1) component, while the ortho-H218O shows evidence for only a broad (Δv 24 km s-1) component. The broad component emission in both ortho-H216O and ortho-H218O arises primarily from gas heated within the low- and high-velocity outflows and shocked gas surrounding IRc2 in which the ortho-H216O and ortho-H218O fractional abundances are estimated to be 3.5 × 10-4 and 7 × 10-7, respectively. This finding provides further confirmation that water is efficiently and abundantly produced within warm shock-heated gas. We estimate that the hot core plus the compact ridge contribute 10% to the ortho-H216O integrated intensity within the SWAS beam. The narrow component seen in the ortho-H216O spectrum is best fitted by ortho-water emission from the extended ridge (ER) and the higher temperature core of the extended ridge (CER) with a common fractional abundance of 3.3 × 10-8. The absence of any discernible narrow component in the ortho-H218O spectrum is used to set 3 σ upper limits on the ortho-water fractional abundance within the ER of 7 × 10-8 and within the CER of 5.2 × 10-7. This implies that within the dense extended quiescent region, gas-phase water is neither a major repository of oxygen nor a major coolant in Orion BN/KL.

Observations of Absorption by Water Vapor toward Sagittarius B2

We have observed the 110-101 pure rotational transitions of both H216O and H218O toward Sagittarius B2 using the Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite. The spectra thereby obtained show a complex pattern of absorption and—in the case of H216O—emission, with numerous features covering a wide range of LSR velocities (-130 to 130 km s-1) and representing absorption both in gas associated with Sgr B2 as well as by several components of foreground gas along the line of sight. The ortho-water abundance derived for the absorbing foreground gas is ~6 × 10-7 relative to H2.

Strong CH+ J = 1-0 emission and absorption in DR21

We report the first detection of the ground-state rotational transition of the methylidyne cation CH^+ towards the massive star-forming region DR 21 with the HIFI instrument onboard the Herschel satellite. The line profile exhibits a broad emission line, in addition to two deep and broad absorption features associated with the DR 21 molecular ridge and foreground gas. These observations allow us to determine a ^(12)CH^(+)J = 1–0 line frequency of ν = 835 137 ± 3 MHz, in good agreement with a recent experimental determination. We estimate the CH^+ column density to be a few 10^(13) cm^(-2) in the gas seen in emission, and >10^(14) cm^(-2) in the components responsible for the absorption, which is indicative of a high line of sight average abundance [CH^+] /[H] > 1.2 × 10^(-8). We show that the CH^+ column densities agree well with the predictions of state-of-the-art C-shock models in dense UV-illuminated gas for the emission line, and with those of turbulent dissipation models in diffuse gas for the absorption lines.

Herschel/HIFI measurements of the ortho/para ratio in water towards Sagittarius B2(M) and W31C

We present Herschel/HIFI observations of the fundamental rotational transitions of ortho- and para-H 16 Oa nd H 18 O in absorption towards Sagittarius B2(M) and W31C. The ortho/para ratio in water in the foreground clouds on the line of sight towards these bright continuum sources is generally consistent with the statistical high-temperature ratio of 3, within the observational uncertainties. However, somewhat unexpectedly, we derive a low ortho/para ratio of 2.35± 0.35, corresponding to a spin temperature of ∼27 K, towards Sagittarius B2(M) at velocities of the expanding molecular ring. Water molecules in this region appear to have formed with, or relaxed to, an ortho/para ratio close to the value corresponding to the local temperature of the gas and dust.