arXiv subjects

Sandra Brunken

Publications and source records attributed to Sandra Brunken.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Interstellar Aromatic Infrared Bands: IR absorption spectroscopy of the lowest triplet state of naphthalene

The aromatic infrared bands (AIBs), emission features observed ubiquitously across a wide variety of interstellar objects, are commonly attributed to radiative cooling of highly-excited ground-state vibrational levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that are populated after UV absorption and internal conversion. However, for neutral PAHs intersystem crossing to the triplet manifold, followed by radiative cooling of vibrational levels within the lowest excited triplet state is expected to be a competing relaxation channel. This state differs in vibrational frequencies, transition moments and internal energy, and therefore gives rise to different emission spectra. Despite their significance, neutral PAHs in their triplet states have remained largely unexplored, primarily because of the lack of direct spectroscopic access. Here, we report the first measurement of the infrared absorption spectrum of the lowest triplet state of naphthalene. The spectrum is markedly different from the vibrational spectrum of the singlet electronic ground state, displaying features that can help identifying PAHs in the triplet states in astronomical spectra. We also show that experimental spectra are closely reproduced by anharmonic frequency calculations. These findings serve as a stepping stone for detecting triplet-state PAHs in the interstellar medium and provide a basis for developing more accurate infrared emission models.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2023

PDRs4All III: JWST's NIR spectroscopic view of the Orion Bar

(Abridged) We investigate the impact of radiative feedback from massive stars on their natal cloud and focus on the transition from the HII region to the atomic PDR (crossing the ionisation front (IF)), and the subsequent transition to the molecular PDR (crossing the dissociation front (DF)). We use high-resolution near-IR integral field spectroscopic data from NIRSpec on JWST to observe the Orion Bar PDR as part of the PDRs4All JWST Early Release Science Program. The NIRSpec data reveal a forest of lines including, but not limited to, HeI, HI, and CI recombination lines, ionic lines, OI and NI fluorescence lines, Aromatic Infrared Bands (AIBs including aromatic CH, aliphatic CH, and their CD counterparts), CO2 ice, pure rotational and ro-vibrational lines from H2, and ro-vibrational lines HD, CO, and CH+, most of them detected for the first time towards a PDR. Their spatial distribution resolves the H and He ionisation structure in the Huygens region, gives insight into the geometry of the Bar, and confirms the large-scale stratification of PDRs. We observe numerous smaller scale structures whose typical size decreases with distance from Ori C and IR lines from CI, if solely arising from radiative recombination and cascade, reveal very high gas temperatures consistent with the hot irradiated surface of small-scale dense clumps deep inside the PDR. The H2 lines reveal multiple, prominent filaments which exhibit different characteristics. This leaves the impression of a "terraced" transition from the predominantly atomic surface region to the CO-rich molecular zone deeper in. This study showcases the discovery space created by JWST to further our understanding of the impact radiation from young stars has on their natal molecular cloud and proto-planetary disk, which touches on star- and planet formation as well as galaxy evolution.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2022

PDRs4All: A JWST Early Release Science Program on radiative feedback from massive stars

Massive stars disrupt their natal molecular cloud material through radiative and mechanical feedback processes. These processes have profound effects on the evolution of interstellar matter in our Galaxy and throughout the Universe, from the era of vigorous star formation at redshifts of 1-3 to the present day. The dominant feedback processes can be probed by observations of the Photo-Dissociation Regions (PDRs) where the far-ultraviolet photons of massive stars create warm regions of gas and dust in the neutral atomic and molecular gas. PDR emission provides a unique tool to study in detail the physical and chemical processes that are relevant for most of the mass in inter- and circumstellar media including diffuse clouds, proto-planetary disks and molecular cloud surfaces, globules, planetary nebulae, and star-forming regions. PDR emission dominates the infrared (IR) spectra of star-forming galaxies. Most of the Galactic and extragalactic observations obtained with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will therefore arise in PDR emission. In this paper we present an Early Release Science program using the MIRI, NIRSpec, and NIRCam instruments dedicated to the observations of an emblematic and nearby PDR: the Orion Bar. These early JWST observations will provide template datasets designed to identify key PDR characteristics in JWST observations. These data will serve to benchmark PDR models and extend them into the JWST era. We also present the Science-Enabling products that we will provide to the community. These template datasets and Science-Enabling products will guide the preparation of future proposals on star-forming regions in our Galaxy and beyond and will facilitate data analysis and interpretation of forthcoming JWST observations.

astro-ph.GA↗