arXiv subjects

Raghvendra Sahai

Publications and source records attributed to Raghvendra Sahai.

70 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2008

A Study of H2 Emission in Three Bipolar Proto-Planetary Nebulae: IRAS 16594-4656, Hen 3-401, and Rob 22

We have carried out a spatial-kinematical study of three proto-planetary nebulae, IRAS 16594-4656, Hen 3-401, and Rob 22. High-resolution H2 images were obtained with NICMOS on the HST and high-resolution spectra were obtained with the Phoenix spectrograph on Gemini-South. IRAS 16594-4656 shows a "peanut-shaped" bipolar structure with H2 emission from the walls and from two pairs of more distant, point-symmetric faint blobs. The velocity structure shows the polar axis to be in the plane of the sky, contrary to the impression given by the more complex visual image and the visibility of the central star, with an ellipsoidal velocity structure. Hen 3-401 shows the H2 emission coming from the walls of the very elongated, open-ended lobes seen in visible light, along with a possible small disk around the star. The bipolar lobes appear to be tilted 10-15 deg with respect to the plane of the sky and their kinematics display a Hubble-like flow. In Rob 22, the H2 appears in the form of an "S" shape, approximately tracing out the similar pattern seen in the visible. H2 is especially seen at the ends of the lobes and at two opposite regions close to the unseen central star. The axis of the lobes is nearly in the plane of the sky. Expansion ages of the lobes are calculated to be approximately 1600 yr (IRAS 16594-4656), 1100 yr (Hen 3-401), and 640 yr (Rob 22), based upon approximate distances.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2008

High-Velocity Interstellar Bullets in IRAS05506+2414: A Very Young Protostar

We have made a serendipitous discovery of an enigmatic outflow source, IRAS 05506+2414 (hereafter IRAS 05506), as part of a multi-wavelength survey of pre-planetary nebulae (PPNs). The HST optical and near-infrared images show a bright compact central source with a jet-like extension, and a fan-like spray of high-velocity (with radial velocities upto 350 kms/s) elongated knots which appear to emanate from it. These structures are possibly analogous to the near-IR "bullets" seen in the Orion nebula. Interferometric observations at 2.6 mm show the presence of a high-velocity CO outflow and a continuum source also with a faint extension, both of which are aligned with the optical jet structure. IRAS 05506 is most likely not a PPN. We find extended NH3 (1,1) emission towards IRAS 05506; these data together with the combined presence of far-IR emission, H2O and OH masers, and CO and CS J=2-1 emission, strongly argue for a dense, dusty star-forming core associated with IRAS 05506. IRAS 05506 is probably an intermediate-mass or massive protostar, and the very short time-scale (200 yr) of its outflows indicates that it is very young. If IRAS 05506 is a massive star, then the lack of radio continuum and the late G -- early K spectral type we find from our optical spectra implies that in this object we are witnessing the earliest stages of its life, while its temperature is still too low to provide sufficient UV flux for ionisation.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2008

The LMC's Top 250: Classification of the Most Luminous Compact 8 micron Sources in the Large Magellanic Cloud

To ascertain the nature of the brightest compact mid-infrared sources in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), we have applied an updated version of the Buchanan et al. (2006) 2MASS-MSX color classification system, which is based on the results of Spitzer Space Telescope spectroscopy, to a mid-infrared (8 micron) flux-limited sample of 250 LMC objects for which 2MASS and MSX photometry is available. The resulting 2MASS-MSX ("JHK8") color-based classifications of these sources, which constitute the most mid-IR-luminous objects in the LMC, were augmented, cross-checked, and corrected where necessary via a variety of independent means, such that only 47 sources retain tentative classifications and only 10 sources cannot be classified at all. The sample is found to consist primarily of carbon-rich AGB stars (~35%), red supergiants (~18%), and compact H II regions (~30%), with additional, small populations of oxygen-rich AGB stars (~4%), dusty, early-type emission-line stars (~3%), and foreground, O-rich AGB stars in the Milky Way (~3%). The very large ratio of C-rich to O-rich objects among the luminous and heavily dust-enshrouded AGB stars in our LMC IR source sample is consistent with the hypothesis that carbon stars form easily in lower metallicity environments. We demonstrate that very luminous C-rich and O-rich AGB stars and red supergiants, identified here primarily on the basis of their JHK8 colors, also appear as distinct clusters in Spitzer IRAC/MIPS color-color diagrams. Thus, in principle, the IRS-based IR photometric classification techniques applied here to the LMC can be applied to any external galaxy whose most luminous IR point sources are detectable and resolvable by 2MASS and Spitzer.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2007

Preplanetary Nebulae: An HST Imaging Survey and a New Morphological Classification System

Using the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), we have carried out a survey of candidate preplanetary nebulae (PPNs). We report here our discoveries of objects having well-resolved geometrical structures, and use the large sample of PPNs now imaged with HST (including previously studied objects in this class) to devise a comprehensive morphological classification system for this category of objects. The wide variety of aspherical morphologies which we have found for PPNs are qualitatively similar to those found for young planetary nebulae in previous surveys. We also find prominent halos surrounding the central aspherical shapes in many of our objects -- these are direct signatures of the undisturbed circumstellar envelopes of the progenitor AGB stars. Although the majority of these have surface-brightness distributions consistent with a constant mass-loss rate with a constant expansion velocity, there are also examples of objects with varying mass-loss rates. As in our surveys of young planetary nebulae (PNs), we find no round PPNs. The similarities in morphologies between our survey objects and young PNs supports the view that the former are the progenitors of aspherical planetary nebulae, and that the onset of aspherical structure begins during the PPN phase (or earlier). Thus, the primary shaping of a PN clearly does not occur during the PN phase via the fast radiative wind of the hot central star, but significantly earlier in its evolution.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2007

The spatio-kinematical structure and distance of the pre-planetary nebula IRAS 19134+2131

Using the VLBA, we have observed H2O maser emission in the pre-planetary nebula IRAS 19134+2131(I19134), in which the H2O maser spectrum has two groups of emission features separated in radial velocity by ~100 km/s. We also obtained optical images of I19134 with the HST to locate the bipolar reflection nebula in this source for the first time. The spatio-kinematical structure of the H2O masers indicates the existence of a fast, collimated (precessing) flow having a projected extent of ~140 mas and an expansion rate of ~1.9 mas/yr on the sky plane, which gives a dynamical age of only ~40 yr. The two detected optical lobes are also separated by ~150 mas in almost the same direction as that of the collimated flow. The good agreement between the extent and orientation of the H2O maser outflow and optical lobes suggests that the lobes have been recently formed along the collimated fast flow. The positions of all of the detected maser features have been measured with respect to the reference source J1925+2106 over one year. Therefore we analyzed maser feature motions that consist of the combination of an annual parallax, a secular motion following Galactic rotation, and the intrinsic motions within the flow. We obtain an annual-parallax distance to I19134 of D~8 kpc kpc and estimate its location in the Galaxy to be (R, theta, z)=(7.4 kpc, 62 deg, 0.65 kpc). From the mean motion of the blue-shifted and red-shifted clusters of maser features, we estimate the 3-D secular motion of I19134 to be (V_{R}, V_{theta}, V_{z})=(3, 125, 8) [km/s]. From the height from the Galactic plane, z, and the velocity component perpendicular to the Galactic plane, V_{z}, we estimate a rough upper limit of ~9 M_{sun} to the stellar mass of I19134's progenitor.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2007

A Spitzer Study of the Mass Loss Histories of Three Bipolar Pre-Planetary Nebulae

We present the results of far-infrared imaging of extended regions around three bipolar pre-planetary nebulae, AFGL 2688, OH 231.8+4.2, and IRAS 16342$-$3814, at 70 and 160 $μ$m with the MIPS instrument on the Spitzer Space Telescope. After a careful subtraction of the point spread function of the central star from these images, we place constraints on the existence of extended shells and thus on the mass outflow rates as a function of radial distance from these stars. We find no apparent extended emission in AFGL 2688 and OH 231.8+4.2 beyond 100 arcseconds from the central source. In the case of AFGL 2688, this result is inconsistent with a previous report of two extended dust shells made on the basis of ISO observations. We derive an upper limit of $2.1\times10^{-7}$ M$_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$ and $1.0\times10^{-7}$ M$_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$ for the dust mass loss rate of AFGL 2688 and OH 231.8, respectively, at 200 arcseconds from each source. In contrast to these two sources, IRAS 16342$-$3814 does show extended emission at both wavelengths, which can be interpreted as a very large dust shell with a radius of $\sim$ 400 arcseconds and a thickness of $\sim$ 100 arcseconds, corresponding to 4 pc and 1 pc, respectively, at a distance of 2 kpc. However, this enhanced emission may also be galactic cirrus; better azimuthal coverage is necessary for confirmation of a shell. If the extended emission is a shell, it can be modeled as enhanced mass outflow at a dust mass outflow rate of $1.5\times10^{-6}$ M$_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$ superimposed on a steady outflow with a dust mass outflow rate of $1.5\times10^{-7}$ M$_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$. It is likely that this shell has swept up a substantial mass of interstellar gas during its expansion, so these estimates are upper limits to the stellar mass loss rate.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2007

Hydrodynamical simulations of the jet in the symbiotic star MWC 560 III. Application to X-ray jets in symbiotic stars

In papers I and II in this series, we presented hydrodynamical simulations of jet models with parameters representative of the symbiotic system MWC 560. These were simulations of a pulsed, initially underdense jet in a high density ambient medium. Since the pulsed emission of the jet creates internal shocks and since the jet velocity is very high, the jet bow shock and the internal shocks are heated to high temperatures and should therefore emit X-ray radiation. In this paper, we investigate in detail the X-ray properties of the jets in our models. We have focused our study on the total X-ray luminosity and its temporal variability, the resulting spectra and the spatial distribution of the emission. Temperature and density maps from our hydrodynamical simulations with radiative cooling presented in the second paper are used together with emissivities calculated with the atomic database ATOMDB. The jets in our models show extended and variable X-ray emission which can be characterized as a sum of hot and warm components with temperatures that are consistent with observations of CH Cyg and R Aqr. The X-ray spectra of our model jets show emission line features which correspond to observed features in the spectra of CH Cyg. The innermost parts of our pulsed jets show iron line emission in the 6.4 - 6.7 keV range which may explain such emission from the central source in R Aqr. We conclude that MWC 560 should be detectable with Chandra or XMM-Newton, and such X-ray observations will provide crucial for understanding jets in symbiotic stars.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2006

X-ray emission from Planetary Nebulae. I. Spherically symmetric numerical simulations

(abridged) The interaction of a fast wind with a spherical Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) wind is thought to be the basic mechanism for shaping Pre-Planetary Nebulae (PPN) and later Planetary Nebulae (PN). Due to the large speed of the fast wind, one expects extended X-ray emission from these objects, but X-ray emission has only been detected in a small fraction of PNs and only in one PPN. Using numerical simulations we investigate the constraints that can be set on the physical properties of the fast wind (speed, mass-flux, opening angle) in order to produce the observed X-ray emission properties of PPNs and PNs. We combine numerical hydrodynamical simulations including radiative cooling using the code FLASH with calculations of the X-ray properties of the resulting expanding hot bubble using the atomic database ATOMDB. In this first study, we compute X-ray fluxes and spectra using one-dimensional models. Comparing our results with analytical solutions, we find some agreements and many disagreements. In particular, we test the effect of different time histories of the fast wind on the X-ray emission and find that it is determined by the final stage of the time history during which the fast wind velocity has its largest value. The disagreements which are both qualitative and quantitative in nature argue for the necessity of using numerical simulations for understanding the X-ray properties of PNs.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2006

First Evidence of a Precessing Jet Excavating a Protostellar Envelope

We present new, sensitive, near-infrared images of the Class I protostar, Elias 29, in the Ophiuchus cloud core. To explore the relationship between the infall envelope and the outflow, narrowband H2 1-0 S(1), Br-gamma, and narrowband K-continuum filters were used to image the source with the Wide-Field Infrared Camera on the Hale 5m telescope and with Persson's Auxiliary Nasmyth Infrared Camera on the Baade 6.5 m telescope. The source appears as a bipolar, scattered light nebula, with a wide opening angle in all filters, as is typical for late-stage protostars. However, the pure H2 emission-line images point to the presence of a heretofore undetected precessing jet. It is argued that high-velocity, narrow, precessing jets provide the mechanism for creating the observed wide-angled outflow cavity in this source.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2006

A Spitzer IRS Spectral Atlas of Luminous 8 micron Sources in the Large Magellanic Cloud

We present an atlas of Spitzer Space Telescope Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) spectra of highly luminous, compact mid-infrared sources in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Sources were selected on the basis of infrared colors and 8 micron (MSX) fluxes indicative of highly evolved, intermediate- to high-mass stars with current or recent mass loss at large rates. We determine the chemistry of the circumstellar envelope from the mid-IR continuum and spectral features and classify the spectral types of the stars. In the sample of 60 sources, we find 21 Red Supergiants (RSGs), 16 C-rich Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars, 11 HII regions, 4 likely O-rich AGB stars, 4 Galactic O-rich AGB stars, 2 OH/IR stars, and 2 B[e] supergiants with peculiar IR spectra. We find that the overwhelming majority of the sample AGB stars (with typical IR luminosities ~1.0E4 L_sun) have C-rich envelopes, while the O-rich objects are predominantly luminous RSGs with L_IR ~ 1.0E5 L_sun. We determine mean bolometric corrections to the stellar K-band flux densities and find that for carbon stars, the bolometric corrections depend on the infrared color, whereas for RSGs, the bolometric correction is independent of IR color. Our results reveal that objects previously classified as PNe on the basis of IR colors are in fact compact HII regions with very red IRS spectra that include strong atomic recombination lines and PAH emission features. We demonstrate that the IRS spectral classes in our sample separate clearly in infrared color-color diagrams that use combinations of 2MASS data and synthetic IRAC/MIPS fluxes derived from the IRS spectra. On this basis, we suggest diagnostics to identify and classify, with high confidence levels, IR-luminous evolved stars and HII regions in nearby galaxies using Spitzer and near-infrared photometry.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2006

Spitzer IRS Spectra of Luminous 8 micron Sources in the Large Magellanic Cloud

We have produced an atlas of Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) spectra of mass-losing, evolved stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud. These stars were selected to have high mass-loss rates and so contribute significantly to the return of processed materials to the ISM. Our high-quality spectra enable the determination of the chemistry of the circumstellar envelope from the mid-IR spectral features and continuum. We have classified the spectral types of the stars and show that the spectral types separate clearly in infrared color-color diagrams constructed from 2MASS data and synthetic IRAC/MIPS fluxes derived from our IRS spectra. We present diagnostics to identify and classify evolved stars in nearby galaxies with high confidence levels using Spitzer and 2MASS photometry. Comparison of the spectral classes determined using IRS data with the IR types assigned based on NIR colors also revealed a significant number of misclassifications and enabled us to refine the NIR color criteria resulting in more accurate NIR color classifications of dust-enshrouded objects.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2006

The dust envelope of the pre-planetary nebula IRAS19475+3119

We present the spectral energy distribution (SED) of the pre-planetary nebula, IRAS 19475+3119 (I19475), from the optical to the far-infrared. We identify emission features due to crystalline silicates in the ISO SWS spectra of the star. We have fitted the SED of I19475 using a 1-D radiative transfer code, and find that a shell with inner and outer radii of 8.8X10^{16} and 4.4X10^{17}cm, and dust temperatures ranging from about 94K to 46K provide the best fit. The mass of this shell is greater than/equal to 1[34cm^{2}g^{-1}/kappa(100micron)][delta/200]M_Sun, where kappa(100micron) is the 100micron dust mass absorption coefficient (per unit dust mass), and delta is the gas-to-dust ratio. In agreement with results from optical imaging and millimeter-wave observations of CO emission of I19475, our model fits support an r^{-3} density law for its dust shell, with important implications for the interaction process between the fast collimated post-AGB winds and the dense AGB envelopes which results in the observed shapes of PPNs and PNs. We find that the observed JCMT flux at sub-millimeter wavelengths (850micron) is a factor ~ 2 larger than our model flux, suggesting the presence of large dust grains in the dust shell of I19475 which are not accounted for by our adopted standard MRN grain size distribution.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2003

X-Ray Emission from the Pre-Planetary Nebula Henize 3-1475

We report the first detection of X-ray emission in a pre-planetary nebula, Hen 3-1475. Pre-planetary nebulae are rare objects in the short transition stage between the Asymptotic Giant Branch and planetary nebula evolutionary phases, and Hen 3-1475, characterised by a remarkable S-shaped chain of optical knots, is one of the most noteworthy members of this class. Observations with the Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer (ACIS) onboard the Chandra X-Ray observatory show the presence of compact emission coincident with the brightest optical knot in this bipolar object, which is displaced from the central star by 2.7 arcsec along the polar axis. Model fits to the X-ray spectrum indicate an X-ray temperature and luminosity, respectively, of (4.3-5.7) 10^6 K and (4+/-1.4) 10^{31} (D/5 kpc)^2 erg s^{-1}, respectively. Our 3-sigma upper limit on the luminosity of compact X-ray emission from the central star in Hen 3-1475 is ~5 10^{31} (D/5 kpc)^2 erg s^{-1}. The detection of X-rays in Hen 3-1475 is consistent with models in which fast collimated post-AGB outflows are crucial to the shaping of planetary nebulae; we discuss such models in the context of our observations.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2003

High-Resolution Near-Infrared Imaging and Polarimetry of Four Proto-Planetary Nebulae

High-resolution near-infrared HST NICMOS (F160W, F222M) images and polarization (2 um) observations were made of four bipolar proto-planetary nebulae (PPNs): IRAS 17150-3224, IRAS 17441-2411, IRAS 17245-3951, and IRAS 16594-4656. The first three of these are viewed nearly edge-on, and for the first time the central stars in them are seen. Color maps reveal a reddened torus between the bipolar lobes in the edge-on cases, with bluer lobes. The polarization values are high, with maximum values ranging from 40 to 80%. The polarization patterns are basically centrosymmetric, with some deviations in the low polarization equatorial regions. For IRAS 17150-3224, circumstellar arcs are seen at 1.6 um, along with a newly-discovered loop in the equatorial region. Bright caps are seen at the end of the lobes, indicating that they are not open-ended. A distinct point-symmetric pattern is seen in the strengths of the polarization vectors, especially in IRAS 17150-3224. HST NICMOS observations provide a valuable complement to the WFPC2 visible images in deriving the basic structure of bipolar PPNs.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2002

Shaping Proto-Planetary and Young Planetary Nebulae with Collimated Fast Winds

Using two-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations, we investigate the interaction of a collimated fast wind (CFW) interacting with a spherical asymptotic giant branch (AGB) wind as the mechanism for shaping proto-planetary nebulae and young planetary nebulae. In particular, we compare our simulations to the observations of an evolved PPN with multiple, highly collimated lobes, CRL 618.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2000

Pinpointing the Position of the Post-AGB Star at the Core of RAFGL 2688 using Polarimetric Imaging with NICMOS

We have used infrared polarimetric imaging with NICMOS to determine precisely the position of the star that illuminates (and presumably generated) the bipolar, pre-planetary reflection nebula RAFGL 2688 (the Egg Nebula). The polarimetric data pinpoint the illuminating star, which is not detected directly at wavelengths less than or equal to 2 microns, at a position well within the dark lane that bisects the nebula, 0.55" (about 550 AU) southwest of the infrared peak which was previously detected at the southern tip of the northern polar lobe. The inferred position of the central star corresponds to the geometric center of the tips of the four principle lobes of near-infrared H2 emission; identifying the central star at this position also reveals the strong point symmetric structure of the nebula, as seen both in the intensity and polarization structure of the polar lobes. The polarimetric and imaging data indicate that the infrared peak directly detected in the NICMOS images is a self-luminous source and, therefore, is most likely a distant binary companion to the illuminating star. Although present theory predicts that bipolar structure in pre-planetary and planetary nebulae is a consequence of binary star evolution, the separation between the components of the RAFGL 2688 binary system, as deduced from these observations, is much too large for the presence of the infrared companion to have influenced the structure of the RAFGL 2688 nebula.

astro-ph↗