Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 3 of 3

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

On The Size Distribution Of Newly Formed Grains In Red Supergiant Atmospheres, C Gregory Seab, Theodore P. Snow Jan 1989

On The Size Distribution Of Newly Formed Grains In Red Supergiant Atmospheres, C Gregory Seab, Theodore P. Snow

Physics Faculty Publications

Theoretical ultraviolet extinction curves have been calculated for comparison with observed curves for circumstellar dust in M supergiants. The theoretical curves assumed a silicate grain composition, because silicate grains are expected in the oxygen-rich environments that are observed. Calculations were performed with and without the inclusion of scattering into the beam, with largely similar results. A comparison of the computed curves with the observed ultraviolet extinction curve for circumstellar dust in Scorpii indicates that the size distribution of the circumstellar grains must cut off near 800 Å that is, there are few or no grains smaller than this. Our conclusion …


Predicting Peculiar Interstellar Extinction From Gaseous Abundances, Charles L. Joseph, Theodore P. Snow, C Gregory Seab Jan 1989

Predicting Peculiar Interstellar Extinction From Gaseous Abundances, Charles L. Joseph, Theodore P. Snow, C Gregory Seab

Physics Faculty Publications

Molecular and atomic abundances are examined for 19 lines of sight through dense clouds, each with a peculiar selective extinction curve. The interstellar clouds in the present study appear to fall into two distinct categories: CN-rich, with relatively small amounts of neutral iron, or CN-poor, with large amounts of neutral iron. Lines of sight, having a CN/(Fe i) abundance ratio about two (~ 0.3 dex) or greater, are found to have a shallow (2.57 ± 0.55 mag) 2175 Å feature relative to the underlying extinction, while the strength of the bump is 3.60 ± 0.36 for the other dense clouds …


A Search For Interstellar And Circumstellar C60, T P. Sno, C G. Seab Jan 1989

A Search For Interstellar And Circumstellar C60, T P. Sno, C G. Seab

Physics Faculty Publications

It has recently been suggested that the diffuse interstellar bands may be formed by ionized polyhedral carbon molecules such as C60(+). While specific laboratory measurements of absorption bands of this molecular ion have not been made, a feature due to the neutral molecule C60 has been discovered at 3860A. Examination of spectra of several reddened stars, as well as one star known to have circumstellar carbonaceous dust, shows no sign of the feature, leading to upper limits of the order of 10 to the 14th/sq cm for the column density of C60. These limits are not yet sensitive enough to …