Viktor Zubko

INTERSTELLAR DUST MODELS CONSISTENT WITH EXTINCTION, EMISSION, AND ABUNDANCE CONSTRAINTS

We present new interstellar dust models that have been derived by simultaneously fitting the far-ultraviolet to near-infrared extinction, the diffuse infrared (IR) emission and, unlike previous models, the elemental abundance constraints on the dust for different interstellar medium abundances, including solar, F and G star, and B star abundances. The fitting problem is a typical ill-posed inversion problem, in which the grain size distribution is the unknown, which we solve by using the method of regularization. The dust model contains various components: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), bare silicate, graphite, and amorphous carbon particles, as well as composite particles containing silicate, organic refractory material, water ice, and voids. The optical properties of these components were calculated using physical optical constants. As a special case, we reproduce the Li & Draine results; however, their model requires an excessive amount of silicon, magnesium, and iron to be locked up in dust: about 50 ppm (atoms per million of H atoms), significantly more than the upper limit imposed by solar abundances of these elements, about 34, 35, and 28 ppm, respectively. A major conclusion of this paper is that there is no unique interstellar dust model that simultaneously fits the observed extinction, diffuse IR emission, and abundance constraints. We find several classes of acceptable interstellar dust models that comply with these constraints. The first class is identical in composition to the Li & Draine model, consisting of PAHs, bare graphite and silicate grains, but with a different size distribution that is optimized to comply with the abundance constraints. The second class of models contains in addition to PAHs bare graphite and silicate grains also composite particles. Other classes contain amorphous carbon instead of graphite particles, or no carbon at all, except for that in PAHs. All classes are consistent with solar and F and G star abundances but have greater difficulty fitting the B star carbon abundance, which is better fitted with the latter (no carbon) models. Additional observational constraints, such as the interstellar polarization, or X-ray scattering may be able to discriminate between the various interstellar dust models.

OBSERVATIONS OF WATER VAPOR OUTFLOW FROM NML CYGNUS

We report new observations of the far-infrared and submillimeter water vapor emission of NML Cygnus based on data gathered with the Infrared Space Observatory and the Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite. We compare the emission from NML Cyg to that previously published for VY CMa and W Hya in an attempt to establish the validity of recently proposed models for the outflow from evolved stars. The data obtained support the contention by Ivezic & Elitzur that the atmospheres of evolved stars obey a set of scaling laws in which the optical depth of the outflow is the single most significant scaling parameter, affecting both the radiative transfer and the dynamics of the outflow. Specifically, we provide observations comparing the water vapor emission from NML Cyg, VY CMa, and W Hya and find, to the extent permitted by the quality of our data, that the results are in reasonable agreement with a model developed by Zubko & Elitzur. Using this model we derive a mass loss based on the dust opacities, spectral line fluxes, and outflow velocities of water vapor observed in the atmospheres of these oxygen-rich giants. For VY CMa and NML Cyg, we also obtain an estimate of the stellar mass.

RAPID DUST FORMATION IN NOVAE: THE SPEED CLASS—FORMATION TIMESCALE CORRELATION EXPLAINED

Observations show that the time of onset of dust formation in classical novae depends strongly on their speed class, with dust typically taking longer to form in slower novae. Using empirical relationships between speed class, luminosity and ejection velocity, it can be shown that dust formation timescale is expected to be essentially independent of speed class. However, following a nova outburst the spectrum of the central hot source evolves, with an increasing proportion of the radiation being emitted short-ward of the Lyman limit. The rate at which the spectrum evolves also depends on the speed class. We have therefore refined the simple model by assuming photons at energies higher than the Lyman limit are absorbed by neutral hydrogen gas internal to the dust formation sites, therefore preventing these photons reaching the nucleation sites. With this refinement the dust formation timescale is theoretically dependent on speed class and the results of our theoretical modification agree well with the observational data. We consider two types of carbon-based dust, graphite and amorphous carbon, with both types producing similar relationships. Our results can be used to predict when dust will form in a nova of a given speed class and hence when observations should optimally be taken to detect the onset of dust formation.

Spatial aspects of multi-sensor data fusion: Aerosol optical thickness

The Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC) investigated the applicability and limitations of combining multi-sensor data through data fusion, to increase the usefulness of the multitude of NASA remote sensing data sets, and as part of a larger effort to integrate this capability in the GES-DISC Interactive Online Visualization and Analysis Infrastructure (Giovanni). This initial study focused on merging daily mean Aerosol Optical Thickness (AOT), as measured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) onboard the Terra and Aqua satellites, to increase spatial coverage and produce complete fields to facilitate comparison with models and station data. The fusion algorithm used the maximum likelihood technique to merge the pixel values where available. The algorithm was applied to two regional AOT subsets (with mostly regular and irregular gaps, respectively) and a set of AOT fields that differed only in the size and location of artificially created gaps. The Cumulative Semivariogram (CSV) was found to be sensitive to the spatial distribution of gap areas and, thus, useful for assessing the sensitivity of the fused data to spatial gaps.

Erratum: “Observations of Water Vapor Outflow from NML Cygnus” (ApJ, 610, 427 [2004])

For the values of the outflow velocities vinner and radius Rinner that we adopted at the inner edge of the outflows, and vf , the final velocities we cited for large radial distances from the stars, this requires revision of the calculated stellar masses. The corrected masses for NML Cyg and VY CMa become MNML 53 M and MVY 27 M , respectively. If we assume parabolic outflow, instead of FWHM velocities, the terminal velocities vf can be taken to be 26 and 20 km s , respectively, instead of 19 and 17 km s , and the corresponding stellar masses become MNML 41 M and MVY 22 M . Neither the calculated mass-loss rates that we cite in our paper, ṀNMLk 2:4 ; 10 4 M yr 1 and ṀVYk 3:3 ; 10 4 M yr , nor any other aspects or conclusions of the paper are affected by this correction.