arXiv subjects

Edward B. Jenkins

Publications and source records attributed to Edward B. Jenkins.

80 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv2000

Where are the absorbers towards Q2302+029?

We present images and spectroscopy of objects close to the sightline of Q2302+029 in order to search for galaxies responsible for the remarkable z=0.7 high-ionization absorption line system found by Jannuzi et al (1996). This system shows `normal' narrow OVI, NV, and CIV lines superimposed on broader (3,000-5,000 km/s wide), unsaturated absorption troughs some 56,000 km/s away from the QSO emission redshift (z=1.052). Despite reaching sensitivities sufficient to detect 1/10 L* galaxies in the optical and 1/20 L* in the infra-red, we are unable to detect any obvious bright galaxies which might be responsible for the absorption beyond ~ 6 h-1 kpc of the sightline. This supports the hypotheses that the absorption is either intrinsic to the QSO, or arises in intracluster gas. Adopting either explanation is problematic: in the first case, `associated' absorption at such high ejection velocities is hard to understand, and challenges the conventional discrimination between intrinsic and intervening absorbers; in the second case, the gas must reside in a ~ 40 h-1 Mpc long filament aligned along the line of sight in order to reproduce the broad absorption. Spectroscopy of objects beyond the immediate vicinity of the QSO sightline reveals a galaxy cluster at z=0.59, which coincides with strong Lya and more narrow high ionization lines in the quasar spectrum. Here too, the lack of galaxies at distances comparable to those found for, e.g., Lya-absorbing galaxies, suggests that the absorption may arise from intracluster gas unassociated with any individual galaxies.

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arXiv2000

Spatial Variability in the Ratio of Interstellar Atomic Deuterium to Hydrogen. II. Observations toward Gamma2 Velorum and Zeta Puppis by the Interstellar Medium Absorption Profile Spectrograph

To measure interstellar atomic deuterium abundances, we used the Interstellar Medium Absorption Profile Spectrograph (IMAPS) to obtain spectra of gamma2 Vel and zeta Pup over the wavelength interval 930-1150 A at a resolving power of 80,000. The interstellar D I features are resolved and cleanly separated from interstellar H I in the Ly-delta and Ly-epsilon profiles of both sight lines, and also in the Ly-gamma profile of zeta Pup. The D I profiles were modeled using a velocity template derived from several N I lines in the IMAPS spectra recorded at higher S/N. To find the best D I column density, we minimized chi-squares for model D I profiles that included not only the N(D I) as a free parameter, but also the effects of several potential sources of systematic error which could also be varied. For both stars, H I column densities were measured by analyzing Ly-alpha absorption profiles in a large number of IUE high dispersion spectra. Ultimately we found that D/H = 2.18(+0.36,-0.31)e-5 for gamma2 Vel and 1.42(+0.25,-0.23)e-5 for zeta Pup, values that contrast markedly with D/H derived in Paper I for delta Ori (the stated errors are 90% confidence limits). Evidently, the atomic D/H ratio in the ISM, averaged over path lengths of 250 to 500 pc, exhibits significant spatial variability. Furthermore, variations in D/H do not appear to be anticorrelated with N/H. Within the framework of standard Big Bang Nucleosynthesis, the large value of D/H found toward gamma2 Vel is equivalent to a cosmic baryon density of Omega_B h^2 = 0.023 (+-0.002), which we regard as an upper limit since there is no correction for the destruction of deuterium in stars.

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arXiv2000

The Properties of Molecular Hydrogen toward the Orion Belt Stars from Observations by the Interstellar Medium Absorption Profile Spectrograph

Absorption features from the Lyman and Werner bands of interstellar molecular hydrogen were recorded by the Interstellar Medium Absorption Profile Spectrograph (IMAPS) at a wavelength resolving power R=80,000 in the spectra of delta Ori and epsilon Ori. The objective was to find and study more examples of an unusual phenomenon found for one of the velocity components of H2 in the spectrum of zeta Ori by Jenkins & Peimbert (1997). Specifically, they detected a gradual shift in velocity and broadening for features arising from progressively higher rotational excitations J. This effect appears to be absent in the spectra of both delta and epsilon Ori, which are only a few degrees away in the sky from zeta Ori. The absence of atomic material at a large negative velocity in the spectra of delta and epsilon Ori (and its presence in zeta Ori) supports a proposal by Jenkins & Peimbert that the line of sight to zeta intercepts a bow shock facing away from us, perhaps created by the collision of wind-like material with some foreground obstruction. For both stars, the H2 absorption features are separated into two velocity components. Total H2 column densities toward delta and epsilon Ori are 5.5e14 and 1.9e16 cm^-2, respectively. The rotation temperatures of the molecules with J > 2 toward epsilon Ori indicate that the gas is in the general vicinity of the stars that emit UV fluxes capable of rotationally pumping the molecules. For the strongest component of H2 toward delta Ori, the pumping rate is lower and consistent with a general UV flux level in the plane of the Galaxy.

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arXiv2000

Electron densities, temperatures and ionization rates in two interstellar clouds in front of beta Canis Majoris, as revealed by UV absorption lines observed with IMAPS

The spectrum of beta CMa (Mirzam) between 1000 and 1200 A was recorded at a wavelength resolving power ~ 60 000 by the Interstellar Medium Absorption Profile Spectrograph (IMAPS) during its orbital flight on the ORFEUS-SPAS II mission in 1996. New information about interstellar absorption lines of CII, CII*, NI and OI from this spectrum are combined with the HST results reported by Dupin & Gry (1998) to arrive at new conclusions about the physical properties of the absorbing gas in front of beta CMa. For two prominent velocity components centered at heliocentric velocities of +20.0 and +30.5 km/s, designated by Dupin & Gry as Components C and D respectively, we use determinations of N(CII*)/N(CII) and N(MgI)/N(MgII) to solve for temperatures and electron densities. From our knowledge that oxygen and nitrogen have their ionizations coupled to that of hydrogen through charge exchange reactions, we can derive the hydrogen ionizations by comparing these elements to sulfur, which is likely not to be depleted onto dust grains. For Component C with an approximate column density of neutral and ionized hydrogen N(Htotal)=6 10^{18} cm^-2, we find that the neutral fraction n(HI)/n(Htotal)=0.25, 400<T<6500 K, and 0.08<n(e)<0.6 cm^-3, while for Component D with N(Htotal)=1.2 10^{19}cm^-2, we arrive at n(HI)/n(Htotal)=0.035, 8000<T<14000 K, and 0.09<n(e)<0.2cm^-3. The relatively large ionization fractions of H can arise if the clouds are about 130 pc away from us, so that they are exposed to the strong, ionizing radiation fields from epsilon and beta CMa. The presence of SiIII indicates the existence of additional gas with even higher levels of ionization.

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arXiv1999

Spatial Variability in the Ratio of Interstellar Atomic Deuterium to Hydrogen. I. Observations toward delta Orionis by the Interstellar Medium Absorption Profile Spectrograph

Studies of the abundances of deuterium in different astrophysical sites are of fundamental importance to answering the question about how much deuterium was produced during big bang nucleosynthesis and what fraction of it was destroyed later. With this in mind, we used the Interstellar Medium Absorption Profile Spectrograph (IMAPS) on the ORFEUS-SPAS II mission to observe at a wavelength resolution of 4 km/s (FWHM) the L-delta and L-epsilon absorption features produced by interstellar atomic deuterium in the spectrum of delta Ori A. A chi-square analysis indicated that 0.96 < N(D I)< 1.45e15 cm^{-2} at a 90% level of confidence, and the gas is at a temperature of about 6000K. To obtain an accurate value of N(H I) needed for a determination of the atomic ratio of D to H, we measured the L-alpha absorption features in 57 spectra of delta Ori in the IUE archive. From our measurement of N(H I)= 1.56e20 cm^{-2}, we found that N(D I)/N(H I)= 7.4(+1.9,-1.3)e-6 (90% confidence). Our result for D/H contrasts with the more general finding along other lines of sight that D/H is approximately 1.5e-5. The underabundance of D toward delta Ori A is not accompanied by an overabundance of N or O relative to H, as one might expect if the gas were subjected to more stellar processing than usual.

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arXiv1997

IMAPS Observations of Interstellar Neutral Argon and the Implications for Partially Ionized Gas

We use the absorption features from neutral argon at 1048 and 1066 A to determine interstellar abundances or their lower limits toward nine early-type stars. These features were observed with the Interstellar Medium Absorption Profile Spectrograph (IMAPS) along sight lines with low reddening and low fractional abundances of molecular hydrogen. We find that the interstellar Ar I is below its solar and B-star abundance with respect to hydrogen toward zeta Pup, gamma2 Vel and beta Cen A with (logarithmic) reduction factors -0.37+/-0.09, -0.18+/-0.10, and -0.61+/-0.12 dex, respectively. While Ar can condense onto the surfaces of dust grains in the interiors of dense clouds, it is unlikely that argon atoms are depleted by this process in the low-density lines of sight considered in this study. Instead, we propose that the relatively large photoionization cross section of Ar makes it much easier to hide in its ionized form than H. In regions that are about half ionized, this effect can lower Ar I/H I by -0.11 to -0.96 dex, depending on the energy of the photoionizing radiation and its intensity divided by the local electron density. We apply this interpretation for the condition of the gas in front of beta Cen A, which shows the largest deficiency of Ar. Also, we determine the expected magnitudes of the differential ionizations for He, N, O, Ne and Ar in the partly ionized, warm gas in the local cloud around our solar system. For the local cloud and others that can be probed by UV studies, the observed Ar I to H I ratio may be a good discriminant between two possible alternatives, collisional ionization or photoionization, for explaining the existence of partly ionized regions.

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arXiv1996

Molecular Hydrogen in the Direction of zeta Ori A

Lyman and Werner band absorption features from interstellar molecular hydrogen in rotational levels J = 0, 1, 2, 3 and 5 were observed in the spectrum of zeta Ori A by the Interstellar Medium Absorption Profile Spectrograph (IMAPS). Most of the molecules are found in two distinct velocity components, with one of them showing profile shapes that become broader and show small displacements toward more negative velocities as J increases. This change in profile shapes, along with evidence from atomic lines at high negative velocities, supports an interpretation that the molecules are initially created by associative detachment of H- in a partially ionized, warm gas that is cooling and recombining behind a stationary shock front. The front probably arises from an interaction of high speed gas from the Orion stars and the ambient medium. These molecules are most conspicuous in the high J levels. Later, when the gas becomes much cooler, mostly neutral, and more compressed as it comes nearly to a halt, the H2 is primarily created by reactions on the surfaces of dust grains and is more easily seen in the lowest J levels.

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arXiv1996

A Procedure for Correcting the Apparent Optical Depths of Moderately Saturated Interstellar Absorption Lines

Most observations of absorption lines from interstellar and intergalactic matter have sufficient resolution to show most of the structure at differing radial velocities of the absorber. In analyzing the lines, however, it is important to sense and correct for the fact that some parts of a profile may have some very narrow structures that are saturated and then degraded by the convolution of the true spectrum by the instrumental profile. This can be done by comparing at each velocity the apparent optical depths of two lines that have significantly different transition probabilities. If their ratio is smaller than the ratio of the lines' values of f(lambda), the actual saturation is more severe than that indicated by the raw optical depths. This paper describes a simple procedure for selectively boosting apparent optical depth of the weaker of the two lines at each velocity value, so that unresolved saturated structure is accounted for, thus yielding a very nearly correct answer for the column density per unit velocity. Some test examples that demonstrate the use of the correction method are given, along with a simple recipe for invoking it.

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