CaII Absorption Research Articles

Keplerian Rotation of Our Galaxy?

It is common to attribute a flat rotation curve to our Galaxy. However, in a recent paper, Galazutdinov et al. obtained a Keplerian rotation curve for interstellar clouds in the outer parts of the Galaxy. They calculated the distances from equivalent widths of interstellar CaII lines. The radial velocity was also measured on the interstellar CaII absorption line. We verify the results of Galazutdinov et al. based on observations of old open clusters. We propose that the observations of flat and Keplerian rotation curves may be caused by the assumption of circular orbits. The application of formulas derived with the assumption of circular orbits to elliptical ones may mimics the flat rotation curve. The interstellar clouds with cross-sections larger than stars may have almost circular orbits, and the derived rotation curve will be Keplerian.

Circumgalactic gas absorption in extremely metal-poor dwarf dalaxies

AbstractAccretion of metal-poor gas via cold accretion flows has been recently proposed as a means to trigger/sustain star formation in extremely metal-poor dwarf galaxies (XMPs), a scenario in agreement with theoretical predictions. We report on the tentative detection of CaII absorption used to trace the conditions of the gas clouds in the halo of the XMP UGCA 20.

Mapping kiloparsec-scale structures in the extended H i disc of the galaxy UGC 000439 by H i 21-cm absorption

We study the properties of HI gas in the outer regions (~2r_25) of a spiral galaxy, UGC 00439 (z = 0.01769), using HI 21-cm absorption towards different components of an extended background radio source, J0041$-$0043 (z = 1.679). The radio source exhibits a compact core coincident with the optical quasar and two lobes separated by ~7 kpc, all at an impact parameter ~25 kpc. The HI 21-cm absorption detected towards the southern lobe is found to extend over ~2 kpc^2. The absorbing gas shows sub-kpc-scale structures with the line-of-sight velocities dominated by turbulent motions. Much larger optical depth variations over 4-7 kpc-scale are revealed by the non-detection of HI 21-cm absorption towards the radio core and the northern lobe, and the detection of NaI and CaII absorption towards the quasar. This could reflect a patchy distribution of cold gas in the extended HI disc. We also detect HI 21-cm emission from UGC 00439 and two other galaxies within ~150 kpc to it, that probably form an interacting group. However, no HI 21-cm emission from the absorbing gas is detected. Assuming a linear extent of ~4 kpc, as required to cover both the core and the southern lobe, we constrain the spin temperature <~300 K for the absorbing gas. The kinematics of the gas and the lack of signatures of any ongoing in situ star formation are consistent with the absorbing gas being at the kinematical minor axis and corotating with the galaxy. Deeper HI 21-cm observations would help to map in greater detail both the large- and small-scale structures in the HI gas associated with UGC 00439.

CaII Quasar Absorbers: Statistics, Metals, Dust, and Associated Galaxies

AbstractWe summarize results from our recent SDSS survey for CaII quasar absorbers. The survey finds 435 absorbers at z&lt;1.34, which corresponds to ~9 Gyrs of the Universe's history. Two CaII absorber populations are identified, which we call weak and strong. Metal abundance ratios derived from normalized composite spectra show that weak absorbers can be identified with halo-like gas, while strong absorbers are a mix of halo+disk-like gas. Consistent with these abundance ratio results, fluxed composites show that strong absorbers are ~6 times more reddened than weak absorbers (i.e., they contain more dust). Four individual examples of galaxies associated with CaII absorption are found in the SDSS images, and three are star forming galaxies (SFGs). Image composites show that galaxies associated with strong absorbers have mean luminosity-weighted impact parameters, b, which are ~2.4 times smaller than the weak absorbers (bstrong ~ 19 kpc versus bweak 45 kpc). Studies of CaII absorbers suggest links to molecular clouds, SFGs, and circumgalactic gas (CGG).

Local ISM 3D distribution and soft X-ray background

3D maps of the ISM can be used to locate not only IS clouds, but also IS bubbles between the clouds that are blown by stellar winds and supernovae. We compare our 3D maps of the IS dust to the ROSAT diffuse X-ray background maps. In the Plane, there is a good correspondence between the locations and extents of the mapped nearby cavities and the 0.25 keV background emission distribution, showing that most of these nearby cavities contribute to this soft X-ray emission. Assuming a constant dust to gas ratio and homogeneous 1MK hot gas filling the cavities, we modeled in a simple way the 0.25 keV surface brightness along the Galactic plane as seen from the Sun, taking into account the absorption by the mapped clouds. The data-model comparison favors the existence of hot gas in the Local Bubble (LB). The average mean pressure in the local cavities is found to be on the order of about 10,000 cm-3K, in agreement with previous studies. The model overestimates the emission from the huge cavities in the 3rd quadrant. Using CaII absorption data, we show that the dust to CaII ratio is very small in this region, implying the presence of a large quantity of lower temperature (non-X-ray emitting) ionized gas, explaining at least part of the discrepancy. In the meridian plane, the two main brightness enhancements coincide well with the chimneys connecting the LB to the halo. No nearby cavity is found towards the bright North Polar Spur (NPS) at high latitude. We searched in the maps for the source regions of the 0.75 keV enhancements in the 4th and 1st quadrants. Tunnels and cavities are found to coincide with the main bright areas, however no tunnel nor cavity is found to match the low-latitude, brightest part of the NPS. In addition, the comparison between the maps and published spectra do not favor the nearby cavities located within about 200pc as potential source regions for the NPS.

GEMINI SPECTROSCOPY OF THE SHORT-HARD GAMMA-RAY BURST GRB 130603B AFTERGLOW AND HOST GALAXY

We present early optical photometry and spectroscopy of the afterglow and host galaxy of the bright short-duration gamma-ray burst GRB 130603B discovered by the Swift satellite. Using the Gemini South telescope, our prompt optical spectra reveal a strong trace from the afterglow superimposed on continuum and emission lines from the $z = 0.3568 \pm 0.0005$ host galaxy. The combination of a relatively bright optical afterglow (r' = 21.52 at $\Delta_t $= 8.4hr), together with an observed offset of 0\farcs9 from the host nucleus (4.8kpc projected distance at z=0.3568), allow us to extract a relatively clean spectrum dominated by afterglow light . The spatially resolved spectrum allows us to constrain the properties of the explosion site directly, and compare these with the host galaxy nucleus, as well as other short-duration GRB host galaxies. We find that while the host is a relatively luminous ($L \approx 0.8 L^{*}_{B}$), star-forming galaxy with solar metallicity, the spectrum of the afterglow exhibits weak CaII absorption features but negligible emission features. The explosion site therefore lacks evidence of recent star formation, consistent with the relatively long delay time distribution expected in a compact binary merger scenario. The star formation rate (both in an absolute sense and normalized to the luminosity) and metallicity of the host are both consistent with the known sample of short-duration GRB hosts and with recent results which suggest GRB130603B emission to be the product of the decay of radioactive species produced during the merging process of a NS-NS binary ("kilonova"). Ultimately, the discovery of more events similar to GRB130603B and their rapid follow-up from 8-m class telescopes will open new opportunities for our understanding of the final stages of compact-objects binary systems.

SPECTROPOLARIMETRY OF THE TYPE Ia SN 2007sr TWO MONTHS AFTER MAXIMUM LIGHT

We present late time spectropolarimetric observations of SN 2007sr, obtained with the VLT telescope at ESO Paranal Observatory when the object was 63 days after maximum light. The late time spectrum displays strong line polarization in the CaII absorption features. SN 2007sr adds to the case of some normal Type Ia SNe that show high line polarization or repolarization at late times, a fact that might be connected with the presence of high velocity features at early times.

The neutral gas extent of galaxies as derived from weak intervening Ca ii absorbers

(Abridged) We present a systematic study of weak intervening CaII absorbers at low redshift (z<0.5), based on the analysis of archival high resolution (R>45,000) optical spectra of 304 quasars and active galactic nuclei observed with VLT/UVES. Along a total redshift path of Dz~100 we detected 23 intervening CaII absorbers in both the CaII H & K lines, with rest frame equivalent widths W_r,3934=15-799 mA and column densities log N(CaII)=11.25-13.04. We obtain a bias corrected number density of weak intervening CaII absorbers of dN/dz=0.117+-0.044 at z=0.35 for absorbers with log N(CaII)>11.65. This is ~2.6 times the value obtained for damped Lyman alpha absorbers (DLAs) at low redshift. From ionization modeling we conclude that intervening CaII absorption with log N(CaII)>11.5 arises in optically thick neutral gas in DLAs, sub-DLAs and Lyman limit systems (LLS) at HI column densities of log N(HI)>17.4. The relatively large cross section of these absorbers together with the frequent detection of CaII absorption in high velocity clouds (HVCs) in the halo of the Milky Way suggests that a considerable fraction of the intervening CaII systems trace dusty neutral gas structures in the halos and circumgalactic environment of galaxies (i.e., they are HVC analogs). Considering all galaxies with luminosities L>0.05L* we calculate that the characteristic radial extent of (partly) neutral gas clouds with log N(HI)>17.4 around low-redshift galaxies is R_HVC ~ 55 kpc.

A HIGH SIGNAL-TO-NOISE RATIO COMPOSITE SPECTRUM OF GAMMA-RAY BURST AFTERGLOWS

We present a composite spectrum of 60 long duration gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglows with redshifts in the range 0.35<z<6.7 observed with low resolution optical spectra. The composite spectrum covers the wavelength range 700-6600 A in the rest frame and has a mean signal-to-noise ratio of 150 per 1 A pixel and reaches a maximum of ~300 in the range 2500-3500 A. Equivalent widths are measured from metal absorption lines from the Lya line to ~5200 A, and associated metal and hydrogen lines are identified between the Lyman break and Lya line. The average transmission within the Lyman forest is consistent with that found along quasar lines of sight. We find a temporal variation in fine structure lines when dividing the sample into bursts observed within 2 hours from their trigger and those observed later. Other lines in the predominantly neutral gas show variations too, but this is most likely a random effect caused by weighting of individual strong absorption lines and which mimics a temporal variation. Bursts characterized with high or low prompt GRB energy release produce afterglows with similar absorption line strengths, and likewise for bursts with bright or faint optical afterglows. Bursts defined as dark from their optical to X-ray spectral index have stronger absorption lines relative to the optically bright bursts. The composite spectrum has strong CaII and MgII absorption lines as commonly found in dusty galaxies, however, we find no evidence for dust or a significant molecular content based on the non-detection of diffuse interstellar bands. Compared to starburst galaxy spectra, the GRB composite has much stronger fine structure lines, while metal absorption lines are weaker.

GALAXIES PROBING GALAXIES: COOL HALO GAS FROM Az= 0.47 POST-STARBURST GALAXY

We study the cool gas around a galaxy at z = 0.4729 using Keck/LRIS spectroscopy of a bright (B = 21.7) background galaxy at z = 0.6942 at a transverse distance of 16.5/h_70 kpc. The background galaxy spectrum reveals strong FeII, MgII, MgI, and CaII absorption at the redshift of the foreground galaxy, with a MgII 2796 rest equivalent width of 3.93 +/- 0.08 Angstroms, indicative of a velocity width exceeding 400 km/s. Because the background galaxy is large (> 4/h_70 kpc), the high covering fraction of the absorbing gas suggests that it arises in a spatially extended complex of cool clouds with large velocity dispersion. Spectroscopy of the massive (log M_*/M_sun = 11.15 +/- 0.08) host galaxy reveals that it experienced a burst of star formation about 1 Gyr ago and that it harbors a weak AGN. We discuss the possible origins of the cool gas in its halo, including multiphase cooling of hot halo gas, cold inflow, tidal interactions, and galactic winds. We conclude the absorbing gas was most likely ejected or tidally stripped from the interstellar medium of the host galaxy or its progenitors during the past starburst event. Adopting the latter interpretation, these results place one of only a few constraints on the radial extent of cool gas driven or stripped from a galaxy in the distant Universe. Future studies with integral field unit spectroscopy of spatially extended background galaxies will provide multiple sightlines through foreground absorbers and permit analysis of the morphology and kinematics of the gas surrounding galaxies with a diverse set of properties and environments.

H I OBSERVATIONS OF THE Ca II ABSORBING GALAXIES Mrk 1456 AND SDSS J211701.26–002633.7

In an effort to study Damped Lyman Alpha galaxies at low redshift, we have been using the Sloan Digital Sky Survey to identify galaxies projected onto QSO sightlines and to characterize their optical properties. For low redshift galaxies, the HI 21cm emission line can be used as an alternate tool for identifying possible DLA galaxies, since HI emitting galaxies typically exhibit HI columns that are larger than the classical DLA limit. Here we report on follow-up HI 21 cm emission line observations of two DLA candidates that are both low-redshift spiral galaxies, Mrk 1456 and SDSS J211701.26-002633.7. The observations were made using the Green Bank and Arecibo Telescopes, respectively. Analysis of their HI properties reveal the galaxies to be about one and two M_HI* galaxies, respectively, and to have average HI mass, gas-richness, and gas mass fraction for their morphological types. We consider Mrk 1456 and SDSS J211701.26-002633.7 to be candidate DLA systems based upon the strength of the CaII absorption lines they cause in their QSO's spectra, and impact parameters to the QSO that are smaller than the stellar disk. Compared to the small numbers of other HI-detected DLA and candidate DLA galaxies, Mrk 1456 and SDSS J211701.26-002633.7 have high HI masses. When compared with the expected properties of low-z DLAs from an HI-detected sample of galaxies, Mrk 1456 and SDSS J211701.26-002633.7 fall within the ranges for impact parameter and B-band absolute magnitude; and the HI mass distribution for the HI-detected DLAs agrees with that of the expected HI mass distribution for low-z DLAs. Our observations support galaxy-evolution models in which high mass galaxies make up an increasing contribution to the DLA cross-section at lower redshifts. [abridged]

NaI and CaII absorption components observed towards the Orion-Eridanus Superbubble

We present medium-resolution spectra (R ∼ 7.5 km s −1 ) of the interstellar NaI and CaII interstellar absorption lines observed towards 16 early-type stars with distances of 160-1 kpc in the line-of-sight towards the Orion-Eridanus Superbubble (OE-S). These data have been supplemented with measurements of NaI absorption towards a further 13 stars with similar sight-lines taken from the literature. We detect two major absorption components with velocities of Vlsr ∼ +7.0 and −8.0 km s −1 . The former component, seen in 70% of the sight-lines is associated with the boundary to the Local Bubble cavity located at a distance of 140-150 pc. The other absorption component is only detected towards a limited region of the sky bounded by (190 ◦ 220 pc within an area coincident with that of the 0.75 keV X-ray enhancement of the OE-S. Column density ratios, N(NaI)/N(CaII), for the most negative velocity components have values 500 pc. Finally, we place a similar distance limit for any coherently structured rear shell of neutral gas associated with expansion of the OE-S towards the galactic halo.

Probing the inner halo and IVC gas through the Local Interstellar Chimney

We present an absorption study of the interstellar gas at high positive galactic latitudes in the direction close to the axis of the Local Chimney (LC), which is an extension of the rarefied local cavity that reaches out from the galactic disk to a z-distance of at least 250 pc into the lower halo region. Our study includes high-resolution (R ∼ 1. 7k m s −1 ) spectral observations of the interstellar NaI and CaII absorption lines seen towards 6 early-type stars with distances ranging from 225 to 500 pc contained within a radius of ∼6 ◦ along the sight-line (l = 160 ◦ , b =+ 55 ◦ ). These visible data are supplemented with far-ultraviolet absorption measurements of the interstellar sight-lines towards two hot white dwarf stars, RE J1043+490 (d = 230 pc) and RE J1059+512 (d = 315 pc), taken with the NASA Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) satellite. Our observations reveal interstellar gas clouds with velocities in the −20 to −60 km s −1 range that appear to be falling towards the galactic disk. In particular, we have detected absorption with a velocity of Vhelio ∼− 55 km s −1 towards two sight-lines (HD 89501 and HD 88545) that can be associated with an intermediate velocity (IV) cloud called the IV Arch. Our observations place a probable z-distance to this IVC of 275-320 pc, this being much nearer than previously thought. The far UV spectra of the two hot white dwarfs show only a few (∼10) interstellar absorption lines, which is indicative of the very low density phase of the interstellar gas contained within the LC region. We have derived relative elemental abundance ratios for C, N, O, Si, Ar and Fe for these two sight-lines and find that the abundance patterns are very similar to those found for other sight-lines in the local cavity. The high ionization line of OVIλ1032 A has been detected towards RE J1043+490 with a column density of 7 × 10 12 cm −2 , which is consistent with the average space density of this ion recently found in the Local Bubble region. Finally, we (tentatively) propose a possible connection between the formation of the Gould Belt, the Local Bubble cavity, the Local Chimney and the overlying IV Arch clouds.

Evidence for high accretion rates in weak-line T Tauri stars?

We have discovered T Tauri stars which show startling spectral variability between observations seperated by 20 years. In spectra published by Bouvier & Appenzeller (1992) these objects showed very weak H-alpha emission, broad CaII absorption and so called ``composite spectra'', where the spectral type inferred from the blue region is earlier than that inferred from the red. We present here new spectroscopy which shows that all four stars now exhibit strong H-alpha emission, narrow CaII emission and a spectral type which is consistent at all wavelengths. We propose a scheme to understand these changes whereby the composite spectra of these stars can be explained by a period of active accretion onto the central, young star. In this scheme the composite spectrum consists of a contribution from the stellar photosphere and a contribution from a hot, optically thick, accretion component. The optically thick nature of the accretion flow explains the weakness of the H-alpha emission during this phase. Within this scheme, the change to a single spectral type at all wavelengths and emergence of strong H-alpha emission are consistent with the accretion columns becoming optically thin, as the accretion rate drops. There is a strong analogy here with the dwarf novae class of interacting binaries, which show similar behaviour during the decline from outbursts of high mass-transfer rate. The most important consequence of this interpretation is that these objects bring into question the association of Weak-Line T Tauri stars (WTTs) with non-accreting or discless objects. In light of this result we consider the justification for this paradigm.

High-velocity NaI and CaII absorption components observed towards the IC 443 SNR

We present high-resolution spectra ( km s-1) of the interstellar NaI and CaII interstellar absorption lines observed towards 4 early-type stars with distances of 900–1500 pc in the line-of-sight towards the IC 443 Supernova Remant (SNR). The spectra of two of these stars (HD 43582 and HD 254577) exhibit a very complex pattern of absorption with cloud components covering a total velocity range of -100 km s-1 to +50 km s-1. The relative absorption strength of many of the higher velocity components is highly variable between these two stars, suggesting that the disturbed interstellar gas in this region possesses significant density gradients and/or large differences in ionization and element depletion. In addition, we have detected three additional high-velocity components at , -84.0 and -67.6 km s-1 solely in their CaII lines, suggesting that the very highest velocity gas is more ionized and/or warmer than the lower velocity components or it has a highly variable level of gas phase element abundances. The column density ratios of NaI/CaII for the higher velocity cloud components are all <0.2, which is consistent with appreciable levels of dust grain destruction due to interstellar shocks caused by interaction of the expanding SNR blast-wave with the ambient interstellar medium. The distance to IC 443 is confirmed at ~1500 pc, which places the remnant at a similar distance to the Gem OB1 stellar association. Finally we note that the model of Chevalier (1999), in which the SNR is expanding into a clumpy interstellar medium, can best reproduce the observed patterns of both emission and absorption.

Interstellar NaI and CaII absorption observed towards the Cygnus Loop SNR

We present high resolution spectra ( km s-1) of the interstellar NaI and CaII absorption lines observed towards 9 early-type stars with distances ranging from 250 to 2300 pc in the line-of-sight towards the Cygnus Loop Supernova Remnant (SNR). All but one of these absorption profiles can be fit using a combination of one or more of three absorption components with average best-fit (lsr) velocities of km s-1, km s-1 and km s-1. An additional velocity component at km s-1 is required in order to fit the NaI profile recorded towards the star HD 198946, whose distance of 794 pc places it well in excess of the nominal 440 pc distance to the SNR. The NaI/CaII column density ratios for the three higher velocity components are typically <1.0, which are similar to values found for high-velocity gas components detected towards other evolved SNRs. Even though we have detected the three higher velocity components solely along the sight-lines towards stars with distance estimates greater than that of the Cygnus Loop, we are unable to definitely associate these components with an interaction between the expansion of the SN shock wave and the ambient interstellar medium. We suggest a more likely origin for these absorption components is that of an old pre-cursor SN neutral gas shell, within whose interstellar cavity the Cygnus Loop supernova explosion occured some 20 000 years ago.

A Search for Warm Neutral Gas Associated with the Giant HII Region NGC 604

The characteristics of the halo gas and its interaction with the galactic disk in spiral galaxies are poorly known; this is particularly true for the warm neutral gas associated with HVCs and galactic chimneys. The detection of absorption features such as the NaI D or the CaII (H,K)lines is instrumental to study its detailed physical properties but requires very long integration times. In this work very deep optical spectra of NGC 604, the brightest giant HII region among the nearby spirals, are presented. The detection of two absorption components at LSR velocities -255 km/s and −20 km/s respectively, is reported; the first component is associated with the HII region. The inferred line width after deconvolution is 155 km/s; this large width is produced by the blending of the multiple absorption components produced by the diverse sources of internal motion (expanding shells and general turbulence). The radial velocity of the CaII absorption is slightly larger than the measured in the HII emission lines suggesting a possible flow of gas into the halo above the young star cluster. The large ratio x = Wλ(NaID_2)/Wλ(CaIIK) = 0.7indicates the probable presence of shocks which release Ca from the dust grains into the gas phase. The lower velocity component most likely trace galactic gas.

The High-Velocity Clouds: Galactic or Intergalactic?

Nature and origin of the high-velocity clouds (HVCs) remain enigmatic after thirty years (Wakker &amp; van Woerden 1997,ARA&amp;A,35, 217), owing to lack of distance information. Hypotheses range from supernova shells at 100 pc to intergalactic clouds at 1 Mpc. On statistical grounds, Blitz et al. (1996,BAAS,28, 1349) claim that the HVCs are “remnants of Local Group formation, best explained as members of the Local Group of galaxies”. Reliable distances must come from the presence or absence of absorption at the HVC's velocity in spectra of stars at different distances. For Complex A, MgII absorption is seen inHSTspectra of the Seyfert galaxy Mrk 106, but not in the star PG0859+593 at 4 kpc (Wakker et al. 1996,ApJ,473, 834). La Palma spectra of the RR Lyr star AD UMa at 11 kpc distance show CaII absorption by Complex A at both K and H, which is lacking at 4 kpc. These absorptions are not confused with stellar metal lines. Our distance bracket 4 &lt;d&lt; 11 kpc places Complex A in the Galactic Halo, at 2.5 &lt;z&lt; 7.5 kpc above the plane; a distance similar to Local Group galaxies is excluded. The HI mass implied lies between 0.15 and 1.2 times 106M⊙. Our result precludes local origins for this HVC. It allows an origin in a Galactic Fountain, or in interaction of infalling intergalactic material (from the Magellanic System or the Local Group) with the Galactic Halo.

Subfuors in Orion association

Results of spectral and photometric observations of Sugano star = V1143 Ori in brightness minimum and near it are given. Emission lines of HI, CaII, FeI, TiI, TiII and TiO absorption bands are detected. The appearing envelope is observed also in minimum. A brightness increase of Shanalstar V1118 Ori is observed. In its spectrum lines of HI, CaII, FeI, FeII are found, testifying to formation of an envelope.During the last ten years data on T Tau type stars which have fuor-like outburst-subfuors were obtained. Two such stars were found in Orion association. These are V1118 Ori [1] and V 1143 Ori [2,3]. In recent years, in Byurakan observatory observations of these stars have been made.

Distance and Chemical Composition of High-Velocity Clouds

AbstractThis contribution reports results of recent absorption-line studies on La Palma and reviews earlier work done elsewhere. CaII has been found in absorption in five HVCs, mostly against extragalactic background sources. The CaII/HI ratios differ strongly, from 0.002 to 0.1 times solar, suggesting different origins of HVCs. Nondetections of CaII absorption in stellar spectra may provide lower limits to HVC distances, or be caused by small-scale structure or a low CaII/HI ratio in the HVC. Proper interpretation requires comparison of CaII/HI ratios in stellar and extragalactic probes, and use of high-resolution HI maps. No solid direct distance determinations of HVCs are available yet. The distance of Complex C is controversial.