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Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons

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Astrophysics and Astronomy

Swarthmore College

2001

Articles 1 - 6 of 6

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

A Robotic Wide-Angle Hα Survey Of The Southern Sky, John E. Gaustad, P. R. Mccullough, W. Rosing, D. Van Buren Nov 2001

A Robotic Wide-Angle Hα Survey Of The Southern Sky, John E. Gaustad, P. R. Mccullough, W. Rosing, D. Van Buren

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Works

We have completed a robotic wide-angle imaging survey of the southern sky (delta = +15 degrees to -90 degrees) at 656.3 nm wavelength, the H alpha emission line of hydrogen. Each image of the resulting Southern H alpha Sky Survey Atlas (SHASSA) covers an area of the sky 13 degrees square at an angular resolution of approximately 0.'8 and reaches a sensitivity level of 2 R (1.2 x 10(-17) ergs cm(-2) s(-1) arcsec(-2)) pixel(-1), corresponding to an emission measure of 4 cm(-6) pc and to a brightness temperature for microwave free-free emission of 12 muK at 30 GHz. Smoothing over …


X-Ray Line Profiles From Parameterized Emission Within An Accelerating Stellar Wind, S. P. Owocki, David H. Cohen Oct 2001

X-Ray Line Profiles From Parameterized Emission Within An Accelerating Stellar Wind, S. P. Owocki, David H. Cohen

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Works

Motivated by recent detections by the XMM and Chandra satellites of X-ray line emission from hot, luminous stars, we present synthetic line profiles for X-rays emitted within parameterized models of a hot-star wind. The X-ray line emission is taken to occur at a sharply defined comoving-frame resonance wavelength, which is Doppler-shifted by a stellar wind outflow parameterized by a "beta" velocity law, nu (r) = nu (infinity)(1-R-*/r)(beta). Above some initial onset radius for R-o X-ray emission, the radial variation of the emission filling factor is assumed to decline as a power law in radius, f (r) similar tor(-q). The computed …


Chandra Detection Of Doppler-Shifted X-Ray Line Profiles From The Wind Of Zeta Puppis (O4f), J. P. Cassinelli, N. A. Miller, W. L. Waldron, J. J. Macfarlane, David H. Cohen Jun 2001

Chandra Detection Of Doppler-Shifted X-Ray Line Profiles From The Wind Of Zeta Puppis (O4f), J. P. Cassinelli, N. A. Miller, W. L. Waldron, J. J. Macfarlane, David H. Cohen

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Works

We report on a 67 ks High-Energy Transmission Grating observation of the optically brightest early O star zeta Puppis (O4 f). Many resolved X-ray lines are seen in the spectra over a wavelength range of 5-25 Angstrom. Chnndra has sufficient spectral resolution to study the velocity structure of isolated X-ray line profiles and to distinguish the individual forbidden, intercombination, and resonance (fir) emission lines in several He-like ions, even where the individual components are strongly Doppler-broadened. In contrast to X-ray line profiles in other hot stars, zeta Pup shows blueshifted and skewed line profiles, providing the dearest and most direct …


Disk Clearing In The Young Binary Ak Sco, Eric L.N. Jensen Jan 2001

Disk Clearing In The Young Binary Ak Sco, Eric L.N. Jensen

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Works

The pre-main-sequence spectroscopic binary AK Sco is surrounded by a circumbinary disk. Yet while this disk must be somewhat disturbed by the binary at its center, there is no evidence from current data that it has a cleared central hole like those seen in some young binaries, nor that accretion from the outer disk has been cut off. Indeed, most of its spectral and photometric diagnostics are indistinguishable from those of young single stars. Why doesn't this system show any evidence of disturbance of its disk? It may be that the center of the disk is indeed largely cleared, but …


Disks In Young Binary Systems: Unresolved Millimeter-Wave Observations, Eric L.N. Jensen Jan 2001

Disks In Young Binary Systems: Unresolved Millimeter-Wave Observations, Eric L.N. Jensen

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Works

Observations at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths are sensitive to the total mass of circumstellar and circumbinary dust in a multiple system, and in some cases single-dish observations can help constrain the location of disk material in spite of their lack of spatial resolution. Young binary stars show a great diversity of disk properties, with a large part of the variation accounted for by binary separation. Many of the closest binaries (those with separations a less than a few AU) harbor massive circumbinary disks. Binaries with a greater than or equal to 100 AU tend to have massive circumstellar disks. In …


Can Post T Tauri Stars Be Found? Yes!, Eric L.N. Jensen Jan 2001

Can Post T Tauri Stars Be Found? Yes!, Eric L.N. Jensen

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Works

I review the observational challenges of finding post T Tauri stars (PTTS), defined here as low-mass, pre-main-sequence stars with ages of 10(7)-10(8) yr. Such stars are difficult to find because they are less active than younger T Tauri stars, and they may not be associated with molecular gas. They are useful for studying the evolution of circumstellar disks and stellar activity between the 10(6)-yr ages of nearby star-forming regions and the main sequence. However, care must be taken in the search process so that the selection criteria used to locate such stars do not bias the sample used for subsequent …