arXiv subjects

B. T. Draine

Publications and source records attributed to B. T. Draine.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv2010

User Guide for the Discrete Dipole Approximation Code DDSCAT 7.1

DDSCAT 7.1 is an open-source Fortran-90 software package applying the discrete dipole approximation to calculate scattering and absorption of electromagnetic waves by targets with arbitrary geometries and complex refractive index. The targets may be isolated entities (e.g., dust particles), but may also be 1-d or 2-d periodic arrays of "target unit cells", allowing calculation of absorption, scattering, and electric fields around arrays of nanostructures. The theory of the DDA and its implementation in DDSCAT is presented in Draine (1988) and Draine & Flatau (1994), and its extension to periodic structures (and near-field calculations) in Draine & Flatau (2008). DDSCAT 7.1 includes support for MPI, OpenMP, and the Intel Math Kernel Library (MKL). DDSCAT supports calculations for a variety of target geometries. Target materials may be both inhomogeneous and anisotropic. It is straightforward for the user to "import" arbitrary target geometries into the code. DDSCAT automatically calculates total cross sections for absorption and scattering and selected elements of the Mueller scattering intensity matrix. This User Guide explains how to use DDSCAT 7.1 to carry out electromagnetic scattering calculations. DDfield, a Fortran-90 code to calculate E and B at user-selected locations near the target, is included in the distribution. A number of changes have been made since the last release, DDSCAT 7.0 .

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2009

Radial distribution of stars, gas and dust in SINGS galaxies. II. Derived dust properties

We present a detailed analysis of the radial distribution of dust properties in the SINGS sample, performed on a set of UV, IR and HI surface brightness profiles, combined with published molecular gas profiles and metallicity gradients. The internal extinction, derived from the TIR-to-FUV luminosity ratio, decreases with radius, and is larger in Sb-Sbc galaxies. The TIR-to-FUV ratio correlates with the UV spectral slope beta, following a sequence shifted to redder UV colors with respect to that of starbursts. The star formation history (SFH) is identified as the main driver of this departure. We have also derived radial profiles of the total dust mass surface density, the fraction of the dust mass contributed by PAHs, the fraction of the dust mass heated by very intense starlight and the intensity of the radiation field heating the grains. The dust profiles are exponential, their radial scale-length being constant from Sb to Sd galaxies (only ~10% larger than the stellar scale-length). Many S0/a-Sab galaxies have central depressions in their dust radial distributions. The PAH abundance increases with metallicity for 12+\log(O/H)<9, and at larger metallicities the trend flattens and even reverses, with the SFH being a plausible underlying driver for this behavior. The dust-to-gas ratio is also well correlated with metallicity and therefore decreases with galactocentric radius.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2009

The Discovery of Vibrationally-Excited H_2 in the Molecular Cloud near GRB 080607

GRB 080607 has provided the first strong observational signatures of molecular absorption bands toward any galaxy hosting a gamma-ray burst. Despite the identification of dozens of features as belonging to various atomic and molecular (H_2 and CO) carriers, many more absorption features remained unidentified. Here we report on a search among these features for absorption from vibrationally-excited H_2, a species that was predicted to be produced by the UV flash of a GRB impinging on a molecular cloud. Following a detailed comparison between our spectroscopy and static, as well as dynamic, models of H_2* absorption, we conclude that a column density of 10^{17.5+-0.2} cm^{-2} of H_2* was produced along the line of sight toward GRB 080607. Depending on the assumed amount of dust extinction between the molecular cloud and the GRB, the model distance between the two is found to be in the range 230--940 pc. Such a range is consistent with a conservative lower limit of 100 pc estimated from the presence of Mg I in the same data. These distances show that substantial molecular material is found within hundreds of pc from GRB 080607, part of the distribution of clouds within the GRB host galaxy.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2009

User Guide for the Discrete Dipole Approximation Code DDSCAT 7.0

DDSCAT 7.0 is an open-source Fortran-90 software package applying the discrete dipole approximation to calculate scattering and absorption of electromagnetic waves by targets with arbitrary geometries and complex refractive index. The targets may be isolated entities (e.g., dust particles), but may also be 1-d or 2-d periodic arrays of "target unit cells", allowing calculation of absorption, scattering, and electric fields around arrays of nanostructures. The theory of the DDA and its implementation in DDSCAT is presented in Draine (1988) and Draine & Flatau (1994), and its extension to periodic structures (and near-field calculations) in Draine & Flatau (2008). DDSCAT 7.0 includes support for MPI, OpenMP, and the Intel Math Kernel Library (MKL). DDSCAT supports calculations for a variety of target geometries. Target materials may be both inhomogeneous and anisotropic. It is straightforward for the user to "import" arbitrary target geometries into the code. DDSCAT automatically calculates total cross sections for absorption and scattering and selected elements of the Mueller scattering intensity matrix. This User Guide explains how to use DDSCAT 7.0 to carry out electromagnetic scattering calculations. DDfield, a Fortran-90 code DDfield to calculate E and B at user-selected locations near the target, is included in the distribution.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2009

Interstellar Dust Models and Evolutionary Implications

The wavelength dependences of interstellar extinction and polarization, supplemented by observed elemental abundances and the spectrum of infrared emission from dust heated by starlight, strongly constrain dust models. One dust model that appears to be consistent with observations is presented. To reproduce the observed extinction, the model consumes the bulk of interstellar Mg, Si, and Fe (in amorphous silicates), and a substantial fraction of C (in carbonaceous material), with size distributions and alignment adjusted to match observations. The composition, structure, and size distribution of interstellar grains is the result of injection of dust from stellar outflows into the interstellar medium (ISM), followed by destruction, growth, coagulation, and photoprocessing of interstellar grains. The balance among these poorly-understood processes is responsible for the mix of solid material present in the ISM. Most interstellar grain material present in the diffuse ISM must be grown in the ISM. The amorphous silicate and carbonaceous materials that form the bulk of interstellar dust must therefore be the result of grain growth in the presence of ultraviolet radiation. Dust in high-z systems such as J1148+5251 is also produced primarily in the ISM, with supernova-produced dust contributing only a small fraction of the total dust mass.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2009

Modeling Porous Dust Grains with Ballistic Aggregates. II. Light Scattering Properties

We study the light scattering properties of random ballistic aggregates constructed in Shen et al. (Paper I). Using the discrete-dipole-approximation, we compute the scattering phase function and linear polarization for random aggregates with various sizes and porosities, and with two different compositions: 100% silicate and 50% silicate-50% graphite. We investigate the dependence of light scattering properties on wavelength, cluster size and porosity using these aggregate models. We find that while the shape of the phase function depends mainly on the size parameter of the aggregates, the linear polarization depends on both the size parameter and the porosity of the aggregates, with increasing degree of polarization as the porosity increases. Contrary to previous studies, we argue that monomer size has negligible effects on the light scattering properties of ballistic aggregates, as long as the constituent monomer is smaller than the incident wavelength up to 2*pi*a_0/lambda\sim 1.6 where a_0 is the monomer radius. Previous claims for such monomer size effects are in fact the combined effects of size parameter and porosity. Finally, we present aggregate models that can reproduce the phase function and polarization of scattered light from the AU Mic debris disk and from cometary dust, including the negative polarization observed for comets at scattering angles 160<theta<180 deg. These aggregates have moderate porosities, P\sim 0.6, and are of sub-micron-size for the debris disk case, or micron-size for the comet case.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2008

CMBPol Mission Concept Study: Foreground Science Knowledge and Prospects

We report on our knowledge of Galactic foregrounds, as well as on how a CMB satellite mission aiming at detecting a primordial B-mode signal (CMBPol) will contribute to improving it. We review the observational and analysis techniques used to constrain the structure of the Galactic magnetic field, whose presence is responsible for the polarization of Galactic emissions. Although our current understanding of the magnetized interstellar medium is somewhat limited, dramatic improvements in our knowledge of its properties are expected by the time CMBPol flies. Thanks to high resolution and high sensitivity instruments observing the whole sky at frequencies between 30 GHz and 850 GHz, CMBPol will not only improve this picture by observing the synchrotron emission from our galaxy, but also help constrain dust models. Polarized emission from interstellar dust indeed dominates over any other signal in CMBPol's highest frequency channels. Observations at these wavelengths, combined with ground-based studies of starlight polarization, will therefore enable us to improve our understanding of dust properties and of the mechanism(s) responsible for the alignment of dust grains with the Galactic magnetic field. CMBPol will also shed new light on observations that are presently not well understood. Morphological studies of anomalous dust and synchrotron emissions will indeed constrain their natures and properties, while searching for fluctuations in the emission from heliospheric dust will test our understanding of the circumheliospheric interstellar medium. Finally, acquiring more information on the properties of extra-Galactic sources will be necessary in order to maximize the cosmological constraints extracted from CMBPol's observations of CMB lensing. (abridged)

astro-ph↗

arXiv2008

Perspectives on Interstellar Dust Inside and Outside of the Heliosphere

Measurements by dust detectors on interplanetary spacecraft appear to indicate a substantial flux of interstellar particles with masses exceeding 10^{-12}gram. The reported abundance of these massive grains cannot be typical of interstellar gas: it is incompatible with both interstellar elemental abundances and the observed extinction properties of the interstellar dust population. We discuss the likelihood that the Solar System is by chance located near an unusual concentration of massive grains and conclude that this is unlikely, unless dynamical processes in the ISM are responsible for such concentrations. Radiation pressure might conceivably drive large grains into "magnetic valleys". If the influx direction of interstellar gas and dust is varying on a ~10 yr timescale, as suggested by some observations, this would have dramatic implications for the small-scale structure of the interstellar medium.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2008

The discrete dipole approximation for periodic targets I. theory and tests

The discrete-dipole approximation (DDA) is a powerful method for calculating absorption and scattering by targets that have sizes smaller than or comparable to the wavelength of the incident radiation. The DDA can be extended to targets that are singly- or doubly-periodic. We generalize the scattering amplitude matrix and the 4 x 4 Mueller matrix to describe scattering by singly- and doubly-periodic targets, and show how these matrices can be calculated using the DDA. The accuracy of DDA calculations using the open-source code DDSCAT is demonstrated by comparison to exact results for infinite cylinders and infinite slabs. A method for using the DDA solution to obtain fields within and near the target is presented, with results shown for infinite slabs.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2008

Modeling Porous Dust Grains with Ballistic Aggregates I: Geometry and Optical Properties

We investigate the scattering and absorption of light by random ballistic aggregates of spherical monomers. We present a general measure for the porosity of an irregular particle. Three different classes of ballistic aggregates are considered, with different degrees of porosity. Scattering and absorption cross sections are calculated, using the discrete dipole approximation (DDA), for grains of three compositions (50% silicate and 50% graphite; 50% silicate and 50% amorphous carbon; and 100% silicate), for wavelengths from 0.1 micron to 4 micron. For fixed particle mass, increased porosity increases the extinction at short wavelengths, but decreases the extinction at wavelengths long compared to the overall aggregate size. Scattering and absorption cross sections are insensitive to monomer size as long as the constituent monomers are small compared with the incident wavelength. We compare our accurate DDA results with two other approximations: the analytical multi-layer sphere (MLS) model and effective medium theory (EMT). For high porosity and/or absorptive materials, the MLS model does not provide a good approximation for scattering and absorption by ballistic aggregates. The EMT method provides a much better approximation than the MLS model for these aggregates, with a typical difference less than 20% in extinction and scattering cross sections compared with DDA results, for all types, compositions and wavelengths probed in this study.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2008

The relations among 8, 24, and 160 micron dust emission within nearby spiral galaxies

We investigate the relations among the stellar continuum-subtracted 8 micron polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH 8 micron) emission, 24 micron hot dust emission, and 160 micron cold dust emission in fifteen nearby face-on spiral galaxies in the Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxies Survey sample. The relation between PAH 8 and 24 micron emission measured in ~2 kpc regions is found to exhibit a significant amount of scatter, and strong spatial variations are observed in the (PAH 8 micron)/24 micron surface brightness ratio. In particular, the (PAH 8 micron)/24 micron surface brightness ratio is observed to be high in the diffuse interstellar medium and low in bright star-forming regions and other locations with high 24 micron surface brightness. PAH 8 micron emission is found to be well-correlated with 160 micron emission on spatial scales of ~2 kpc, and the (PAH 8 micron)/160 micron surface brightness ratio is generally observed to increase as the 160 micron surface brightness increases. These results suggest that the PAHs are associated with the diffuse, cold dust that produces most of the 160 micron emission in these galaxies, and the variations in the (PAH 8 micron)/160 micron ratio may generally be indicative of either the intensity or the spectrum of the interstellar radiation field that is heating both the PAHs and the diffuse interstellar dust.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2007

The Calibration of Mid-Infrared Star Formation Rate Indicators

With the goal of investigating the degree to which the mid-infrared emission traces the star formation rate (SFR), we analyze Spitzer 8 um and 24 um data of star-forming regions in a sample of 33 nearby galaxies with available HST/NICMOS images in the Paschen-alpha (1.8756 um) emission line. The galaxies are drawn from the Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxies Survey (SINGS) sample, and cover a range of morphologies and a factor ~10 in oxygen abundance. Published data on local low-metallicity starburst galaxies and Luminous Infrared Galaxies are also included in the analysis. Both the stellar-continuum-subtracted 8 um emission and the 24 um emission correlate with the extinction-corrected Pa-alpha line emission, although neither relationship is linear. Simple models of stellar populations and dust extinction and emission are able to reproduce the observed non-linear trend of the 24 um emission versus number of ionizing photons, including the modest deficiency of 24 um emission in the low metallicity regions, which results from a combination of decreasing dust opacity and dust temperature at low luminosities. Conversely, the trend of the 8 um emission as a function of the number of ionizing photons is not well reproduced by the same models. The 8 um emission is contributed, in larger measure than the 24 um emission, by dust heated by non-ionizing stellar populations, in agreement with previous findings. Two SFR calibrations, one using the 24 um emission and the other using a combination of the 24 um and H-alpha luminosities (Kennicutt et al. 2007), are presented. No calibration is presented for the 8 um emission, because of its significant dependence on both metallicity and environment. The calibrations presented here should be directly applicable to systems dominated by on-going star formation.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2007

Warm molecular hydrogen in the Spitzer SINGS galaxy sample

(simplified) Results on the properties of warm H2 in 57 normal galaxies are derived from H2 rotational transitions, obtained as part of SINGS. This study extends previous extragalactic surveys of H2, the most abundant constituent of the molecular ISM, to more common systems (L_FIR = e7 to 6e10 L_sun) of all morphological and nuclear types. The S(1) transition is securely detected in the nuclear regions of 86% of SINGS galaxies with stellar masses above 10^9.5 M_sun. The derived column densities of warm H2 (T > ~100 K), even though averaged over kiloparsec-scale areas, are commensurate with those of resolved PDRs; the median of the sample is 3e20 cm-2. They amount to between 1% and >30% of the total H2. The power emitted in the sum of the S(0) to S(2) transitions is on average 30% of the [SiII] line power, and ~4e-4 of the total infrared power (TIR) within the same area for star-forming galaxies, which is consistent with excitation in PDRs. The fact that H2 emission scales tightly with PAH emission, even though the average radiation field intensity varies by a factor ten, can also be understood if both tracers originate predominantly in PDRs, either dense or diffuse. A large fraction of the 25 LINER/Sy targets, however, strongly depart from the rest of the sample, in having warmer H2 in the excited states, and an excess of H2 emission with respect to PAHs, TIR and [SiII]. We propose a threshold in H2 to PAH power ratios, allowing the identification of low-luminosity AGNs by an excess H2 excitation. A dominant contribution from shock heating is favored in these objects. Finally, we detect, in nearly half the star-forming targets, non-equilibrium ortho to para ratios, consistent with FUV pumping combined with incomplete ortho-para thermalization by collisions, or possibly non-equilibrium PDR fronts advancing into cold gas.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2007

Dust Masses, PAH Abundances, and Starlight Intensities in the SINGS Galaxy Sample

Physical dust models are presented for 65 galaxies in the SINGS survey that are strongly detected in the four IRAC bands and three MIPS bands. For each galaxy we estimate (1) the total dust mass, (2) the fraction of the dust mass contributed by PAHs, and (3) the intensity of the starlight heating the dust grains. We find that spiral galaxies have dust properties resembling the dust in the local region of the Milky Way, with similar dust-to-gas ratio, and similar PAH abundance. The observed SEDs, including galaxies with SCUBA photometry, can be reproduced by dust models that do not require "cold" (T<10K) dust. The dust-to-gas ratio is observed to be dependent on metallicity. In the interstellar media of galaxies with A_O=12+log(O/H)>8.1, grains contain a substantial fraction of interstellar Mg, Si and Fe. Galaxies with A_O<8.1 and extended HI envelopes in some cases appear to have global dust-to-gas ratios that are low for their measured oxygen abundance, but in the regions where infrared emission is detected, the dust-to-gas ratio generally appears to be consistent with a substantial fraction of interstellar Mg, Si, and Fe being contained in dust. The PAH index q_PAH -- the fraction of the dust mass in the form of PAHs -- correlates with metallicity. The nine galaxies in our sample with A_O<8.1 have a median q_PAH=1.0%, whereas galaxies with A_O>8.1 have a median q_PAH=3.55%. The derived dust masses favor a value X_CO approx 4e20 cm^{-2}(K kms)^{-1} for the CO to H_2 conversion factor. Except for some starbursting systems (Mrk33, Tolo89, NGC3049), dust in the diffuse ISM dominates the IR power.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2006

Infrared Emission from Interstellar Dust. IV. The Silicate-Graphite-PAH Model in the Post-Spitzer Era

Infrared (IR) emission spectra are calculated for dust composed of mixtures of amorphous silicate and graphitic grains, including varying amounts of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) particles. The models are constrained to reproduce the average Milky Way extinction curve. The calculations include the effects of single-photon heating. Updated IR absorption properties for the PAHs are presented, that are consistent with observed emission spectra, including those newly obtained by Spitzer Space Telescope. We find a size distribution for the PAHs that results in emission band ratios consistent with observed spectra of the Milky Way and other galaxies. Emission spectra are presented for various intensities of the illuminating starlight. We calculate how the efficiency of emission into different IR bands depends on PAH size; the strong 7.7um emission feature is produced mainly by PAH particles containing <1000 C atoms. We show how the emission spectrum depends on U, the starlight intensity relative to the local interstellar radiation field. The submm and far-infrared emission is compared to the observed emission from the local interstellar medium. Using a simple distribution function, we calculate the emission spectrum for dust heated by a distribution of starlight intensities, such as occurs within galaxies. The models are parameterized by the PAH mass fraction qpah, the lower cutoff Umin, and the fraction gamma of the dust heated by starlight with U>Umin. We present graphical procedures using IRAC and MIPS photometry to estimate qpah, Umin, and gamma, the fraction f_PDR of the dust luminosity coming from photodissociation regions with U>100, and the total dust mass Mdust.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2006

The Mid-Infrared Spectrum of Star-Forming Galaxies: Global Properties of PAH Emission

We present a sample of low-resolution 5-38um Spitzer IRS spectra of the inner few square kiloparsecs of 59 nearby galaxies spanning a large range of star formation properties. A robust method for decomposing mid-infrared galaxy spectra is described, and used to explore the behavior of PAH emission and the prevalence of silicate dust extinction. Evidence for silicate extinction is found in ~1/8 of the sample, at strengths which indicate most normal galaxies undergo A_V < ~3 magnitudes averaged over their centers. The contribution of PAH emission to the total infrared power is found to peak near 10% and extend up to ~20%, and is suppressed at metallicities Z < ~Z_sun/4, as well as in low-luminosity AGN environments. Strong inter-band PAH feature strength variations (2-5x) are observed, with the presence of a weak AGN and, to a lesser degree, increasing metallicity shifting power to the longer wavelength bands. A peculiar PAH emission spectrum with markedly diminished 5-8um features arises among the sample solely in systems with relatively hard radiation fields harboring low-luminosity AGN. The AGN may modify the emitting grain distribution and provide the direct excitation source of the unusual PAH emission, which cautions against using absolute PAH strength to estimate star formation rates in systems harboring active nuclei. Alternatively, the low star formation intensity often associated with weak AGN may affect the spectrum. The effect of variations in the mid-infrared spectrum on broadband infrared surveys is modeled, and points to more than a factor of two uncertainty in results which assume a fixed PAH emission spectrum, for redshifts z=0-2.5.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2006

The Effect of Star Formation on the Far-Infrared--Radio Correlation within Galaxies

Using data obtained for twelve galaxies as part of the {\it Spitzer} Infrared Nearby Galaxies Survey (SINGS) and the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope (WSRT)-SINGS radio continuum survey, we study how star formation activity affects the far-infrared (FIR)--radio correlation {\it within} galaxies by testing a phenomenological model, which describes the radio image as a smeared version of the FIR image. The physical basis of this description is that cosmic-ray (CR) electrons will diffuse measurably farther than the mean free path of dust-heating photons before decaying by synchrotron radiation. This description works well in general. Galaxies with higher infrared surface brightnesses have best-fit smoothing scale-lengths of a few hundred parsecs, substantially shorter than those for lower surface brightness galaxies. We interpret this result to suggest that galaxies with higher disk averaged star formation rates have had a recent episode of enhanced star formation and are characterized by a higher fraction of young CR electrons that have traveled only a few hundred parsecs from their acceleration sites in supernova remnants compared to galaxies with lower star formation activity.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2006

X-Ray Scattering by Nonspherical Grains. I. Oblate Spheroids

We calculate the scattering of X-rays by interstellar dust, for a dust model that reproduces the observed wavelength-dependent extinction and polarization of starlight. On interstellar sightlines that produce appreciable starlight polarization, we predict that the dust-scattered X-ray halo around point sources will have measurable azimuthal asymmetry due to scattering by partially-aligned nonspherical grains. We calculate the expected halo asymmetry. X-ray halo asymmetry provides a new test of interstellar dust models.

astro-ph↗