arXiv subjects

B. Mookerjea

Publications and source records attributed to B. Mookerjea.

67 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2004

The Giant Molecular Cloud associated with RCW 106 -- A 1.2 mm continuum mapping study

We have mapped the dust continuum emission from the molecular cloud covering a region of 28pcx94pc associated with the well-known HII region RCW 106 at 1.2 mm using SIMBA on SEST. The observations, having an HPBW of 24" (0.4 pc), reveal 95 clumps. Owing to the higher sensitivity to colder dust and higher angular resolution the present observations identify new emission features and also show that most of the IRAS sources in this region consist of multiple dust emission peaks. The detected millimeter sources (MMS) include on one end the exotic MMS5 (associated with IRAS 16183-4958, one of the brightest infrared sources in our Galaxy) and the bright (and presumably cold) source MMS54, with no IRAS or MSX associations on the other end. Around 10% of the sources are associated with signposts of high mass star formation activity. Assuming a uniform dust temperature of 20 K we estimate the total mass of the GMC associated with RCW 106 to be ~10^5\msun. The constituent millimeter clumps cover a range of masses and radii between 40 to 10^4 \msun and 0.3 to 1.9 pc. Densities of the clumps range between (0.5-6) 10^4 cm^{-3}. We have decomposed the continuum emission into gaussian and arbitrary shaped clumps using the two independent structure analysis tools gaussclumps and clumpfind respectively. The clump mass spectrum was found to have an index of 1.6+-0.3, independent of the decomposition algorithm used. The index of the mass spectrum for the mass and length scales covered here are consistent with results derived from large scale CO observations.

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arXiv2004

Emission of CO, CI, and CII in W3Main

We used the KOSMA 3m telescope to map the core 7'x5' of the Galactic massive star forming region W3Main in the two fine structure lines of atomic carbon and four mid-J transitions of CO and 13CO. The maps are centered on the luminous infrared source IRS5 for which we obtained ISO/LWS data comprising four high-J CO transitions, CII, and OI at 63 and 145 micron. In combination with a KAO map of integrated line intensities of CII (Howe et al. 1991), this data set allows to study the physical structure of the molecular cloud interface regions where the occurence of carbon is believed to change from C+ to C0, and to CO. The molecular gas in W3Main is warmed by the far ultraviolet (FUV) field created by more than a dozen OB stars. Detailed modelling shows that most of the observed line intensity ratios and absolute intensities are consistent with a clumpy photon dominated region (PDR) of a few hundred unresolved clumps per 0.84pc beam, filling between 3 and 9% of the volume, with a typical clump radius of 0.025pc (2.2"), and typical mass of 0.44Msun. The high-excitation lines of CO stem from a 100-200K layer, as also the CI lines. The bulk of the gas mass is however at lower temperatures.

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arXiv2003

CII, CI, and CO in the massive star forming region W3 Main

We have used the KOSMA 3m telescope to map the core 7'x5' of the Galactic massive star forming region W3Main in the two fine structure lines of atomic carbon and four mid-J transitions of CO and 13CO. In combination with a map of singly ionized carbon (Howe et al. 1991), and FIR fine structure line data observed by ISO/LWS at the center position, these data sets allow to study in detail the physical structure of the photon dominated cloud interface regions (PDRs) where the occurance of carbon changes from CII to CI, and to CO.

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arXiv2003

The Carbon content in the Galactic CygnusX/DR21 star forming region

Observations of Carbon bearing species are among the most important diagnostic probes of ongoing star formation. CO is a surrogate for H$_2$ and is found in the vicinity of star formation sites. There, [CI] emission is thought to outline the dense molecular cores and extend into the lower density regions, where the impinging interstellar UV radiation field plays a critical role for the dissociation and ionization processes. Emission of ionized carbon ([CII]) is found to be even more extended than [CI] and is linking up with the ionized medium. These different tracers emphasize the importance of multi-wavelength studies to draw a coherent picture of the processes driving and driven by high mass star formation. Until now, large scale surveys were only done with low resolution, such as the COBE full sky survey, or were biased to a few selected bright sources (e.g. Yamamoto et al. 2001, Schneider et al. 2003). A broader basis of unbiased, high-resolution observations of [CI], CO, and [CII] may play a key role to probe the material processed by UV radiation.

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arXiv2003

Mapping of Large Scale 158 micron [CII] Line Emission: Orion A

We present the first results of an observational programme undertaken to map the fine structure line emission of singly ionized carbon ([CII] 157.7409 micron) over extended regions using a Fabry Perot spectrometer newly installed at the focal plane of a 100cm balloon-borne far-infrared telescope. This new combination of instruments has a velocity resolution of ~200 km/s and an angular resolution of 1.5'. During the first flight, an area of 30'x15' in Orion A was mapped. The observed [CII] intensity distribution has been compared with the velocity-integrated intensity distributions of 13CO(1-0), CI(1-0) and CO(3-2) from the literature. The observed line intensities and ratios have been analyzed using the PDR models by Kaufman et al. 1999 to derive the incident UV flux and volume density at a few selected positions.

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arXiv2002

Dust properties of the dark cloud IC5146 - Submillimeter and NIR imaging

We present the results of a submillimeter dust continuum study of a molecular ridge in IC5146 carried out at 850micron and 450micron with SCUBA on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT). The mapped region is 14'x2.5' in size (2pc x 0.3pc) and consists of at least four dense cores which are likely to be prestellar in nature. To study the dust properties of the ridge and its embedded cores, we combined the dust emission data with dust extinction data obtained by Lada et al. (1999) from the NIR colors of background giant stars. The ridge shows dust extinctions above ~10mag, rising up to 35mag in the cores. A map of dust temperatures, constructed from the continuum flux ratios, shows significant temperature gradients: we find temperatures of up to ~20K in the outskirts and between the cores, and down to ~10K in the cores themselves. The cores themselves are almost isothermal. We used the extinction data to derive in addition a map of the dust emissivity. Its average value agrees well with the canonical value of Mathis (1990). We find that the dust emissivity parametrized by kappa_850/kappa_V increases by a factor of about 4 when the dust temperature decreases from ~20K to ~12K. A Monte Carlo simulation shows that this change is significant with regard to the estimated calibration uncertainties. This is consistent with models of dust evolution in prestellar cores by Ossenkopf & Henning (1994) and with the previous detection of gas-phase depletion of CO in one of the IC5146 cores by Kramer et al. 1999.

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arXiv2002

Far and mid infrared observations of two ultracompact H II regions and one compact CO clump

Two ultracompact H II regions (IRAS 19181+1349 and 20178+4046) and one compact molecular clump (20286+4105) have been observed at far infrared wavelengths using the TIFR 1 m balloon-borne telescope and at mid infrared wavelengths using ISO. Far infrared observations have been made simultaneously in two bands with effective wavelengths of ~ 150 and ~ 210 micron, using liquid 3He cooled bolometer arrays. ISO observations have been made in seven spectral bands using the ISOCAM instrument; four of these bands cover the emission from Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules. In addition, IRAS survey data for these sources in the four IRAS bands have been processed using the HIRES routine. In the high resolution mid infrared maps as well as far infrared maps multiple embedded energy sources have been resolved. There are structural similarities between the images in the mid infrared and the large scale maps in the far infrared bands, despite very different angular resolutions of the two. Dust temperature and optical depth (tau_150 um) maps have also been generated using the data from balloon-borne observations. Spectral energy distributions (SEDs) for these sources have been constructed by combining the data from all these observations. Radiation transfer calculations have been made to understand these SEDs. Parameters for the dust envelopes in these sources have been derived by fitting the observed SEDs. In particular, it has been found that radial density distribution for three sources is diffrent. Whereas in the case of IRAS 20178+4046, a steep distribution of the form r^-2 is favoured, for IRAS 20286+4105 it is r^-1 and for IRAS 19181+1349 it the uniform distribution (r^0). Line ratios for PAH bands have generally been found to be similar to those for other compact H II regions but different from general H II regions.

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arXiv2001

Far infrared mapping of three Galactic star forming regions : W3(OH), S 209 & S 187

Three Galactic star forming regions associated with W3(OH), S209 and S187 have been simultaneously mapped in two trans-IRAS far infrared (FIR) bands centered at ~ 140 and 200 micron using the TIFR 100 cm balloon borne FIR telescope. These maps show extended FIR emission with structures. The HIRES processed IRAS maps of these regions at 12, 25, 60 & 100 micron have also been presented for comparison. Point-like sources have been extracted from the longest waveband TIFR maps and searched for associations in the other five bands. The diffuse emission from these regions have been quantified, which turns out to be a significant fraction of the total emission. The spatial distribution of cold dust (T < 30 K) for two of these sources (W3(OH) & S209), has been determined reliably from the maps in TIFR bands. The dust temperature and optical depth maps show complex morphology. In general the dust around S209 has been found to be warmer than that in W3(OH) region.

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arXiv2000

Far infrared observations of the southern Galactic star forming complex around IRAS 09002-4732

The Galactic star forming region in the southern sky, associated with IRAS 09002-4732 has been mapped simultaneously in two far infrared bands (148 & 209 um), with ~ 1' angular resolution. Fifteen sources including IRAS 08583-4719, 08589-4714, 09002-4732 and 09014-4736 have been detected, some of which are well resolved. Taking advantage of similar beams in the two bands, a reliable dust temperature [T(148/209)] map has been obtained, which detects colder dust (< 30 K) in this region. The HIRES processed IRAS maps at 12, 25, 60 & 100 um have also been used for comparison. The optical depth maps at 200 um & 100 um, generated from these FIR data quantify the spatial distribution of the dust. The diffuse emission from this entire region has been found to be 35 % of the total FIR luminosity. The slope of the IMF in the mass range 4-16 M_sun has been estimated to be -1.25^+0.75_-0.65 for this star forming complex. Radiative transfer models have been explored to fit available observations of the 4 IRAS sources and extract various physical parameters for corresponding dust-gas clouds. Whereas a constant radial density distribution is favoured in IRAS 08583-4719, 08589-4714 & 09002-4732, the r^-1 law is inferred for IRAS 09014-4736. The dust composition is found to be similar (Silicate dominated) in all the 4 sources. The luminosity per unit mass is found to be in the narrow range of 44-81 L_sun/M_sun for these star forming regions.

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arXiv2000

Distribution of Cold dust in Orion A and B

Large scale far-infrared (FIR) observations of the Orion complex at 205 and 138 micron are presented with an aim of studying the distribution of cold (< 25 K) dust. The maps in these FIR bands extend over approximately 3600 sq. arcmin and cover regions around OMC-1, 2, 3 in Orion A and NGC 2023 and NGC 2024 in Orion B. Some limited regions have also been mapped at 57 micron. A total of 15 sources in Orion A and 14 in Orion B (south) have been identified from our FIR maps. Dust temperature distribution in both Orion A and Orion B (south) have been determined reliably using the maps at 205 & 138 micron obtained from simultaneous observations using almost identical beams (1.6 dia). These temperatures have been used to generate map of the optical depth at 150 micron, for the Orion B region. The coldest source detected is in OMC-3 and has a temperature of about 15 K. The diffuse FIR emission in the different sub-regions is found to vary between 25% to 50% of the total FIR emission from that sub-region.

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arXiv2000

Far Infrared Study of IRAS 00494+5617 & IRAS 05327-0457

High angular resolution far-infrared observations at 143 & 185 \micron, using the TIFR 1-m balloon borne telescope, are presented for two Galactic star forming complexes associated with IRAS 00494+5617 and 05327-0457. The latter map also reveals the cold dust in OMC-3. The HIRES processed IRAS maps at 12, 25, 60 & 100 micron have also been presented for comparison. Both these regions are illuminated at the edges by high mass stars with substantial UV flux.The present study is aimed at quantifying the role of the nearby stars vis-a-vis embedded young stellar objects in the overall heating of these sources. Based on the FIR observations at 143 & 185 micron carried out simultaneously with almost identical angular resolution, reliable dust temperature and optical depth maps have been generated for the brighter regions of these sources. Radiative transfer modeling in spherical geometry has been carried out to extract physical parameters of these sources by considering the observational constraints like : spectral energy distribution, angular size at different wavelengths, dust temperature distribution etc. It has been concluded that for both IRAS 00494+5617 and IRAS 05327-0457, the embedded energy sources play the major role in heating them with finite contribution from the nearby stars. The best fit model for IRAS 00494+5617 is consistent with a simple two phase clump-interclump picture with $\sim$ 5% volume filling factor (of clumps) and a density contrast of $\approx$ 80.

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arXiv1999

Efficient absolute aspect determination of a balloon borne far infrared telescope using a solid state optical photometer

The observational and operational efficiency of the TIFR 1 meter balloon borne far infrared telescope has been improved by incorporating a multielement solid state optical photometer (SSOP) at the Cassegrain focus of the telescope. The SSOP is based on a 1-D linear photo diode array (PDA). The online and offline processing schemes of the PDA signals which have been developed, lead to improvement in the determination of absolute telescope aspect ($\sim$ 0\farcm8), which is very crucial for carrying out the observations as well as offline analysis. The SSOP and its performance during a recent balloon flight are presented here.

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arXiv1999

Far Infrared Observations of the Galactic Star Forming Regions associated with IRAS 00338+6312 & RAFGL 5111

Two Galactic star forming regions, one in a very early phase of evolution and another evolved one, associated with the IRAS sources 00338+6312 and 03595+5110 (RAFGL 5111) respectively have been studied in detail. These sources have been mapped simultaneously in two far infrared bands at 143 & 185 \micron), with about 1.5 arcmin angular resolution, using the TIFR 100 cm balloon borne telescope. The HIRES processed IRAS maps at 12, 25, 60 & 100 \micron, have been used for comparison. Whereas IRAS 00338+6312 is resolved only in the TIFR bands, RAFGL 5111 is very well resolved in both the TIFR bands, as well as in at least 3 IRAS bands. The neighbouring fainter source IRAS 04004+5114 has also been resolved in the TIFR bands. Taking advantage of the identical beams in the two TIFR bands at 143 & 185 \micron, dust colour temperature, $T(143/185)$, and optical depth, $τ_{150}$, maps have been generated for RAFGL 5111. These maps show interesting structural details. Radiative transfer modelling in spherical geometry has been carried out for individual sources. The best fit models are in good agreement with the observed spectral energy distribution (SED), radio continuum data etc. Another scheme of radiative transfer through the interstellar dust-gas cloud including the heavier elements has been used to predict ionic nebular line emission, which are in reasonable agreement with the measurements for RAFGL 5111. An important conclusion from the present study is that, for all the three sources (IRAS 00338+6312; 03595+5110; and 04004+5114, a faint source in the neighbourhood of RAFGL 5111), the best fit to the observed SED is obtained for a uniform density ($n(r) \sim r^0$) cloud.

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