arXiv subjects

Karl D. Gordon

Publications and source records attributed to Karl D. Gordon.

144 records · Page 8Linked to original sources

arXiv2005

Measuring Extinction Curves of Lensing Galaxies

We critique the method of constructing extinction curves of lensing galaxies using multiply imaged QSOs. If one of the two QSO images is lightly reddened or if the dust along both sightlines has the same properties then the method works well and produces an extinction curve for the lensing galaxy. These cases are likely rare and hard to confirm. However, if the dust along each sightline has different properties then the resulting curve is no longer a measurement of extinction. Instead, it is a measurement of the difference between two extinction curves. This "lens difference curve'' does contain information about the dust properties, but extracting a meaningful extinction curve is not possible without additional, currently unknown information. As a quantitative example, we show that the combination of two Cardelli, Clayton, & Mathis (CCM) type extinction curves having different values of R(V) will produce a CCM extinction curve with a value of R(V) which is dependent on the individual R(V) values and the ratio of V band extinctions. The resulting lens difference curve is not an average of the dust along the two sightlines. We find that lens difference curves with any value of R(V), even negative values, can be produced by a combination of two reddened sightlines with different CCM extinction curves with R(V) values consistent with Milky Way dust (2.1 < R(V) < 5.6). This may explain extreme values of R(V) inferred by this method in previous studies. But lens difference curves with more normal values of R(V) are just as likely to be composed of two dust extinction curves with R(V) values different than that of the lens difference curve. While it is not possible to determine the individual extinction curves making up a lens difference curve, there is information about a galaxy's dust contained in the lens difference curves.

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arXiv2004

Small PAHs in the Red Rectangle

Following our initial discovery of blue luminescence in the spectrum of the Red Rectangle (RR) and its identification as fluorescence by small three- to four-ringed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules, we report on the spatial correlation between the blue luminescence and the 3.3 micron emission, commonly attributed to small, neutral PAH molecules, and on the newly-derived UV/optical attenuation curve for the central source of the RR, HD 44179. Both results provide strong additional evidence for the presence of small PAH molecules with masses of less than 250 a.m.u. in the RR, which supports the attribution of the blue luminescence to fluorescence by the same molecules. We contrast the excellent spatial correlation of the two former emissions with the distinctly different spatial distribution of the extended red emission (ERE) and of the dust-scattered light within the RR. The UV/optical attenuation curve of the central star is unlike any interstellar extinction curve and is interpreted as resulting from circumstellar opacity alone. Major contributions to this opacity are absorptions in broad bands in the mid-UV, contributing to the electronic excitation of the luminescing PAH molecules, and a sharp ionization discontinuity near 7.5 eV in the far-UV, which places a sharp upper limit on the masses of the PAH molecules that are responsible for this absorption. The strength of the far-UV absorption leads to an abundance of the PAH molecules of 10^{-5} relative to hydrogen in the RR. Such small PAHs are perhaps unique to the environment in the RR, where they are shielded from harsh radiation by the dense circmstellar disk.

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arXiv2004

Ultraviolet Extinction Properties in the Milky Way

We have assembled a homogeneous database of 417 ultraviolet (UV) extinction curves for reddened sightlines having International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) spectra. We have combined these with optical and 2MASS photometry allowing estimates of the ratio of total-to-selective extinction, R(V), for the entire sample. Fitzpatrick-Massa (FM) parameters have also been found for the entire sample. This is the largest study of parameterized UV extinction curves yet published and it covers a wide range of environments, from dense molecular clouds to the diffuse interstellar medium (ISM), with extinctions A(V) ranging from 0.50 to 4.80. It is the first to extend far beyond the solar neighborhood and into the Galaxy at large, with 30 sightlines having distances > 5 kpc. Previously, the longest sightlines with FM parameters and R(V) extended ~ 1 kpc. We find that (1.) the CCM extinction law applies for 93% of the sightlines, implying that dust processing in the Galaxy is efficient and systematic; (2.) the central wavelength of the 2175 A bump is constant; (3.) the 2175 A bump width is dependent on environment. Only four sightlines show systematic deviations from CCM, HD 29647, 62542, 204827, and 210121. These sightlines all sample dense, molecule-rich clouds. The new extinction curves and values of R(V) allow us to revise the CCM law.

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arXiv2004

New debris disk candidates: 24 micron stellar excesses at 100 Myr

Sixty three members of the 100 Myr old open cluster M47 (NGC 2422) have been detected at 24 micron with Spitzer. The Be star V 378 Pup shows an excess both in the near-infrared and at 24 micron (K-[24] = 2.4 mag), probably due to free-free emission from the gaseous envelope. Seven other early-type stars show smaller excesses, K-[24] = 0.6-0.9. Among late-type stars, two show large excesses: P922 - a K1V star with K-[24] = 1.08 pm 0.11 and P1121 - an F9V star with K-[24] = 3.72 pm 0.02. P1121 is the first known main-sequence star showing an excess comparable to that of beta Pic, which may indicate the presence of an exceptionally massive debris disk. It is possible that a major planetesimal collision has occurred in this system, consistent with the few hundred Myr time scales estimated for the clearing of the Solar System.

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arXiv2004

Discovery of Blue Luminescence in the Red Rectangle: Possible Fluorescence from Neutral Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Molecules?

Here we report our discovery of a band of blue luminescence (BL) in the Red Rectangle (RR) nebula. This enigmatic proto-planetary nebula is also one of the brightest known sources of extended red emission as well as of unidentified infra-red (UIR) band emissions. The spectrum of this newly discovered BL is most likely fluorescence from small neutral polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules. PAH molecules are thought to be widely present in many interstellar and circumstellar environments in our galaxy as well as in other galaxies, and are considered likely carriers of the UIR-band emission. However, no specific PAH molecule has yet been identified in a source outside the solar system, as the set of mid-infra-red emission features attributed to these molecules between the wavelengths of 3.3 micron and 16.4 micron is largely insensitive to molecular sizes. In contrast, near-UV/blue fluorescence of PAHs is more specific as to size, structure, and charge state of a PAH molecule. If the carriers of this near-UV/blue fluorescence are PAHs, they are most likely neutral PAH molecules consisting of 3-4 aromatic rings such as anthracene (C14H10) and pyrene (C16H10). These small PAHs would then be the largest molecules specifically identified in the interstellar medium.

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arXiv2004

Interstellar Polarization in M31

The wavelength dependence of interstellar polarization due to dust in M31 has been observed along four sightlines. Only one sightline had been measured previously.The globular clusters, S78, S150, S233 and Baade 327 were used as point sources to probe the interstellar dust in M31. The Serkowski law produces good fits for all the sightlines although the relationship between K and lambda(max) may be different from that found in the Galaxy. The results of this study imply that the slope K/lambda(max) may be significantly larger in M31. The Serkowski curves are significantly narrower than those of the same lambda(max) in the Galaxy and may require extreme modifications to the size distributions of silicate particles. The fits for the four sightlines reveal values of lambda(max) ranging from 4800 to 5500 A. These are consistent with average values of lambda(max) measured in the Galaxy and the Magellanic Clouds. The range measured for M31 corresponds to R(V) values of 2.7 to 3.1. The range in R(V) seen in the Galaxy is 2.5 to 5.5 implying, for this small sample, that the average size ofinterstellar grains in M31 is typically smaller than that seen for Galactic grains if the nature of the grains is the same. Also, the polarization efficiency for these sightlines is large although some bias is expected since sightlines known to have significant interstellar polarization were selected for the sample.

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arXiv2003

Interstellar Dust Scattering Properties

Studies of dust scattering properties in astrophysical objects with Milky Way interstellar dust are reviewed. Such objects are reflection nebulae, dark clouds, and the Diffuse Galactic Light (DGL). To ensure their basic quality, studies had to satisfy four basic criteria to be included in this review. These four criteria significantly reduced the scatter in dust properties measurements, especially in the case of the DGL. Determinations of dust scattering properties were found to be internally consistent for each object type as well as consistent between object types. The 2175 A bump is seen as an absorption feature. Comparisons with dust grain models find general agreement with significant disagreements at particular wavelengths (especially in the far-ultraviolet). Finally, unanswered questions and future directions are enumerated.

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arXiv2003

A Quantitative Comparison of SMC, LMC, and Milky Way UV to NIR Extinction Curves

We present an exhaustive, quantitative comparison of all of the known extinction curves in the Small and Large Magellanic Clouds (SMC and LMC) with our understanding of the general behavior of Milky Way extinction curves. The R_V dependent CCM relationship and the sample of extinction curves used to derive this relationship is used to describe the general behavior of Milky Way extinction curves. The ultraviolet portion of the SMC and LMC extinction curves are derived from archival IUE data, except for one new SMC extinction curve which was measured using HST/STIS observations. The optical extinction curves are derived from new (for the SMC) and literature UBVRI photometry (for the LMC). The near-infrared extinction curves are calculated mainly from 2MASS photometry supplemented with DENIS and new JHK photometry. For each extinction curve, we give R_V = A(V)/E(B-V) and N(HI) values which probe the same dust column as the extinction curve. We compare the properties of the SMC and LMC extinction curves with the CCM relationship three different ways: each curve by itself, the behavior of extinction at different wavelengths with R_V, and behavior of the extinction curve FM fit parameters with R_V. As has been found previously, we find that a small number of LMC extinction curves are consistent with the CCM relationship, but majority of the LMC and all of the SMC curves do not follow the CCM relationship. For the first time, we find that the CCM relationship seems to form a bound on the properties of all of the LMC and SMC extinction curves. This result strengthens the picture of dust extinction curves exhibit a continuum of properties between those found in the Milky Way and the SMC Bar. (abridged)

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arXiv2003

The Role of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Ultraviolet Extinction. I. Probing small molecular PAHs

We have obtained new STIS/HST spectra to search for structure in the ultraviolet interstellar extinction curve, with particular emphasis on a search for absorption features produced by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The presence of these molecules in the interstellar medium has been postulated to explain the infrared emission features seen in the 3-13 $μ$m spectra of numerous sources. UV spectra are uniquely capable of identifying specific PAH molecules. We obtained high S/N UV spectra of stars which are significantly more reddened than those observed in previous studies. These data put limits on the role of small (30-50 carbon atoms) PAHs in UV extinction and call for further observations to probe the role of larger PAHs. PAHs are of importance because of their ubiquity and high abundance inferred from the infrared data and also because they may link the molecular and dust phases of the interstellar medium. A presence or absence of ultraviolet absorption bands due to PAHs could be a definitive test of this hypothesis. We should be able to detect a 20 Åwide feature down to a 3$σ$ limit of $\sim$0.02 A$_V$. No such absorption features are seen other than the well-known 2175 Åbump.

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arXiv2003

The Dust in Lyman Break Galaxies

We present our analysis of UV attenuation by internal dust of a large sample (N=906 galaxies) of Lyman Break Galaxies (LBGs). Using spectral energy distributions (SEDs) from the PÉGASE galaxy spectral evolution model we apply dust attenuation corrections to the G-R colors using the Witt & Gordon (2000) models for radiative transfer in dusty galactic environments to arrive at the UV attenuation factors. We show that the dust in the LBGs exhibit SMC-like characteristics rather than MW-like, and that the dust geometry in these systems is most likely to be represented by a clumpy shell configuration. We show that the attenuation factor exhibits a pronounced dependence on the luminosity of the LBG, $a_{1600}\propto (L/L_\sun)^α$, where $0.5\leqα\leq1.5$. The exponent $α$ depends on the initial parameters of the stellar population chosen to model the galaxies and the dust properties. We find that the luminosity weighted average attenuation factor is likely to be in the range from $5.7-18.5$, which is consistent with the upper limits to the star formation rate at $2<z<4$ set by the FIR background. This implies that the current UV/optical surveys do detect the bulk of the star formation during the epoch $2<z<4$, but require substantial correction for internal dust attenuation.

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arXiv2002

A New Feature in the Interstellar Extinction Curve at 2700 A: Diamonds in the Rough?

Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) and archival International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) data were used to search for structure in the ultraviolet interstellar extinction curve. Between 1250 and 3200 A, in addition to the well-known 2175 A bump, there is only one fairly small (10%) absorption feature at 2700 A. The feature is very broad (>400 A). It coincides extremely well in position and shape with laboratory measurements of presolar diamond grains found in meteorites. As this feature appears in both the new STIS and archival IUE data, it is unlikely to be an instrumental effect. This feature appears to be ubiquitous in the ISM as it is seen along sightlines toward various clouds with reddenings in the range of E(B-V) = 0.35 to 1.73 mag. The identification with diamonds remains tentative since it is based on a single, weak feature. If the feature is due to interstellar diamonds then they require an order of magnitude more absorption strength per gram/cm^2 than the presolar meteoritic diamonds measured in the lab.

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arXiv2001

The effects of dust in simple environments: Large Magellanic Cloud HII regions

We investigate the effects of dust on Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) HII region spectral energy distributions using arcminute-resolution far-ultraviolet (FUV), H-alpha, far-infrared (FIR), and radio images. Widely-used indicators of the amount of light lost to dust (attenuation) at H-alpha and in the FUV correlate with each other, although often with substantial scatter. There are two interesting systematic discrepancies. First, H-alpha attenuations estimated from the Balmer decrement are lower than those estimated from the H-alpha-to-thermal radio luminosity ratio. Our data, at this stage, cannot unambiguously identify the source of this discrepancy. Second, the attenuation at 1500 angstroms and UV spectral slope, beta, correlate, although the slope and scatter are substantially different from the correlation first derived for starbursting galaxies by Calzetti et al. Combining our result with those of Meurer et al. for ultra-luminous infrared galaxies and Calzetti et al. for starbursting galaxies, we conclude that no single relation between beta and 1500 angstrom attenuation is applicable to all star-forming systems.

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arXiv2000

The DIRTY Model. I. Monte Carlo Radiative Transfer Through Dust

We present the DIRTY radiative transfer model in this paper and a companion paper. This model computes the polarized radiative transfer of photons from arbitrary distributions of stars through arbitrary distributions of dust using Monte Carlo techniques. The dust re-emission is done self-consistently with the dust absorption and scattering and includes all three important emission paths: equilibrium thermal emission, non-equilibrium thermal emission, and the aromatic features emission. The algorithm used for the radiative transfer allows for the efficient computation of the appearance of a model system as seen from any viewing direction. We present a simple method for computing an upper limit on the output quantity uncertainties for Monte Carlo radiative transfer models which use the weighted photon approach.

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arXiv2000

Magellanic-Cloud-Type Interstellar Dust Along Low Density Sightlines in the Galaxy

We have studied the UV extinction properties along 30 Galactic sightlines using data from the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) archive that have never been previously examined. These distant (d > 1 kpc) sightlines were selected to investigate the distribution and physical conditions of gas located in low density regions of the Galactic disk and halo. The average densities along these sightlines are extremely low. It is likely that they are dominated by the warm intercloud medium and have little contribution from the cold cloud medium. We find that a subsample of these sightlines has extinction curves with weak bumps and very steep far-UV extinction reminiscent of the Magellanic clouds. These sightlines all lie in the region bounded by 325 < l < 0 and -5 > b > -11. The gas along these sightlines shows forbidden velocities which may indicate that the dust has been subject to shocks. This type of low density sightline may mimic the environments found in the Magellanic Clouds. Large values of N(Ca II)/N(Na I) indicating low depletion are associated with steep far-UV extinction. A possible correlation exists between decreasing bump strength and increasing far-UV steepness for extinction curves in the Galaxy and the Magellanic Clouds.

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arXiv1999

The Flux Ratio Method for Determining the Dust Attenuation of Starburst Galaxies

The presence of dust in starburst galaxies complicates the study of their stellar populations as the dust's effects are similar to those associated with changes in the galaxies' stellar age and metallicity. This degeneracy can be overcome for starburst galaxies if UV/optical/near-infrared observations are combined with far-infrared observations. We present the calibration of the flux ratio method for calculating the dust attenuation at a particular wavelength, Att(λ), based on the measurement of F(IR)/F(λ) flux ratio. Our calibration is based on spectral energy distributions (SEDs) from the PEGASE stellar evolutionary synthesis model and the effects of dust (absorption and scattering) as calculated from our Monte Carlo radiative transfer model. We tested the attenuations predicted from this method for the Balmer emission lines of a sample starburst galaxies against those calculated using radio observations and found good agreement. The UV attenuation curves for a handful of starburst galaxies were calculated using the flux ratio method, and they compare favorably with past work. The relationship between Att(λ) and F(IR)/F(λ) is almost completely independent of the assumed dust properties (grain type, distribution, and clumpiness). For the UV, the relationship is also independent of the assumed stellar properties (age, metallicity, etc) accept for the case of very old burst populations. However at longer wavelengths, the relationship is dependent on the assumed stellar properties.

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arXiv1999

Multiple Scattering in Clumpy Media. II. Galactic Environments

We present and discuss the results of new multiple-scattering radiative transfer calculations for three representative types of galactic environments, filled with either homogeneous or two-phase clumpy dust distributions. Extinction and scattering properties for two types of interstellar dust, similar to those found in the average diffuse medium of the Milky Way Galaxy (MW) and the Bar of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), are considered. The wavelength coverage extends from 1000 A to 30,000 A, with particular emphasis on the rest-frame UV. This makes these models especially applicable to starburst galaxies and Lyman-break galaxy samples. The examination of the models concentrates on the study of UV/visual/near-IR reddening effects, the wavelength dependence of attenuation, and on the changes that arise from the transition from homogeneous to clumpy dust distributions in different star/dust geometries. Embedded dust, especially when clumpy, leads to saturation at fairly low reddening values with correspondingly gray attenuation functions. This makes the assessment of the attenuation of the far-UV flux from starburst galaxies difficult, if only UV/visual/near-IR data are available. Existing data for UV-selected starburst galaxies indicate a range of UV attenuation factors of 0-150. Our models reproduce the "Calzetti Attenuation Law", provided one adopts SMC-type dust and a clumpy shell-type dust distribution surrounding the starbursts. The average far-UV attenuation factor for the Calzetti sample is found to be 7.4. The only relatively reliable measure for the UV attenuation factor for single galaxies was found in the ratio of the integrated far-IR flux to the far-UV flux, measured near 1600 A, requiring the measurement of the entire spectral energy distribution of galaxies.

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arXiv1999

The Ever Changing Circumstellar Nebula Around UW Centauri

We present new images of the reflection nebula surrounding the R Coronae Borealis Star, UW Cen. This nebula, first detected in 1990, has changed its appearance significantly. At the estimated distance of UW Cen, this nebula is approximately 0.6 ly in radius so the nebula cannot have physically altered in only 8 years. Instead, the morphology of the nebula appears to change as different parts are illuminated by light from the central star modulated by shifting thick dust clouds near its surface. These dust clouds form and dissipate at irregular intervals causing the well-known declines in the R Coronae Borealis (RCB) stars. In this way, the central star acts like a lighthouse shining through holes in the dust clouds and lighting up different portions of the nebula. The existence of this nebula provides clues to the evolutionary history of RCB stars possibly linking them to the Planetary Nebulae and the final helium shell flash stars.

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arXiv1998

A Reanalysis of theUltraviolet Extinction from Interstellar Dust in the Large Magellanic Cloud

We have reanalyzed the Large Magellanic Cloud's (LMC) ultraviolet (UV) extinction using data from the IUE final archive. Our new analysis takes advantage of the improved signal--to--noise of the IUE NEWSIPS reduction, the exclusion of stars with very low reddening, the careful selection of well matched comparison stars, and an analysis of the effects of Galactic foreground dust. Differences between the average extinction curves of the 30 Dor region and the rest of the LMC are reduced compared to previous studies. We find that there is a group of stars with very weak 2175 Ang. bumps that lie in or near the region occupied by the supergiant shell, LMC 2, on the southeast side of 30 Dor. The average extinction curves inside and outside LMC 2 show a very significant difference in 2175 Ang. bump strength, but their far--UV extinctions are similar. While it is unclear whether or not the extinction outside the LMC 2 region can be fit with the relation of Cardelli, Clayton and Mathis (CCM), sightlines near LMC 2 cannot be fit with CCM due to their weak 2175 Ang. bumps. While the extinction properties seen in the LMC lie within the range of properties seen in the Galaxy, the correlations of UV extinction properties with environment seen in the Galaxy do not appear to hold in the LMC.

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