Dust Morphology Research Articles

Real-time observational evidence of changing Asian dust morphology with the mixing of heavy anthropogenic pollution

Natural mineral dust and heavy anthropogenic pollution and its complex interactions cause significant environmental problems in East Asia. Due to restrictions of observing technique, real-time morphological change in Asian dust particles owing to coating process of anthropogenic pollutants is still statistically unclear. Here, we first used a newly developed, single-particle polarization detector and quantitatively investigate the evolution of the polarization property of backscattering light reflected from dust particle as they were mixing with anthropogenic pollutants in North China. The decrease in observed depolarization ratio is mainly attributed to the decrease of aspect ratio of the dust particles as a result of continuous coating processes. Hygroscopic growth of Calcium nitrate (Ca(NO3)2) on the surface of the dust particles played a vital role, particularly when they are stagnant in the polluted region with high RH conditions. Reliable statistics highlight the significant importance of internally mixed, ‘quasi-spherical’ Asian dust particles, which markedly act as cloud condensation nuclei and exert regional climate change.

High-Resolution Observations of Dust in SN 1987A

AbstractThe dust produced by supernovae is an important topic for understanding supernova physics and the chemical evolution of galaxies. Recent ALMA observations of SN 1987A have allowed us to peer into the inner ejecta to the cool dust, with spatial resolution from 0.″3 at ~300 GHz down to 0.″09 at ~680 GHz – an improvement over the previous 300 GHz Cycle 0 observations at 0.″69. Comparison of the dust location and morphology with other multiwavelength emission presents an interesting picture of the role dust plays in the ejecta. The mm-FIR SED is compared to radiative models to study the dust composition 30 years after the initial explosion. Fits to the ring emission also probe the drift of the center of the system over time.

Radiative transfer modelling of parsec-scale dusty warped discs

Warped discs have been found on (sub-)parsec scale in some nearby Seyfert nuclei, identified by their maser emission. Using dust radiative transfer simulations we explore their observational signatures in the infrared in order to find out whether they can partly replace the molecular torus. Strong variations of the brightness distributions are found, depending on the orientation of the warp with respect to the line of sight. Whereas images at short wavelengths typically show a disc-like and a point source component, the warp itself only becomes visible at far-infrared wavelengths. A similar variety is visible in the shapes of the spectral energy distributions. Especially for close to edge-on views, the models show silicate feature strengths ranging from deep absorption to strong emission for variations of the lines of sight towards the warp. To test the applicability of our model, we use the case of the Circinus galaxy, where infrared interferometry has revealed a highly elongated emission component matching a warped maser disc in orientation and size. Our model is for the first time able to present a physical explanation for the observed dust morphology as coming from the AGN heated dust. As opposed to available torus models, a warped disc morphology produces a variety of silicate feature shapes for grazing lines of sight, close to an edge-on view. This could be an attractive alternative to a claimed change of the dust composition for the case of the nearby Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 1068, which harbours a warped maser disc as well.

Morphology of Cometary Dust at the Nanometre Scale Detected with MIDAS

Morphology of Cometary Dust at the Nanometre Scale Detected with MIDAS

Morphology and kinematics of the gas envelope of the Mira binary W Aquilae**This paper makes use of the following ALMA data: ADS/JAO.ALMA#. ALMA is a partnership of ESO (representing its member states), NSF (USA) and NINS (Japan), together with NRC (Canada) and NSC and ASIAA (Taiwan), and KASI (Republic of Korea), in cooperation with the Republic of Chile. The Joint

We analyse ALMA observations of the 12CO(3-2) emission of the circumstellar envelope (CSE) of the Mira variable binary star W Aql. These provide, for the first time, spatially resolved Doppler velocity spectra of the CSE up to angular distances to the central star of ∼ 5″ (meaning some 2000 AU). The exploratory nature of the observations (only five minutes in each of two different configurations) does not allow for a detailed modelling of the properties of the CSE but provides important qualitative information on its morphology and kinematics. Emission is found to be enhanced along an axis moving from east/west to north-east/south-west when the angular distance from the central star projected on the plane of the sky increases from zero to four arcseconds. In parallel, the Doppler velocity distribution displays asymmetry along an axis moving from east/west to north-west/south-east. The results are discussed in the context of earlier observations, in particular of the dust morphology.

PrekotAC AS A NEW FILTER AIDS MATERIAL FOR FABRIC FILTER IN AIR FILTRATION SYSTEM

Fabric filter has a short life span due to wear and tear influenced by the operating conditions of the system. Treatment of fabric filter using pre-coating material is one of the simplest technique to overcome this problem where it works as a filtration aids that will coat a layer of inert material onto the surface of the fabric. Pre-coating acts as a barrier to block and remove undesired particles from gas stream but allowing a uniform air flow passing through the filter media. The morphology of dust cake that accumulated on the surface of the filter media depends on several properties of the particles such as shape and size. Hence, study presents the characterization of a newly formulated filtration aids known as PrekotAC consisting of a different combination of pre-coating material PreKot™ and activated carbon. The aim is to determine the best combination of PrekotAC admixtures as a filtration aids suitable for a fabric filtration system. Various characteristics of the formulated admixtures such as its particle size distribution, bulk density, moisture content as well as its morphology were investigated and presented in this paper.

Tungsten dust in fusion tokamaks: relevant dust laser production, characterization and behaviour under tritium loading

In this paper, production and study of tokamak relevant W particles is presented. Existing tokamak-produced dust being very scarce, extensive study of such nano-particles with high specific surface area (SSA) and sub micron size requires a specific and efficient alternative production technique, in order to obtain relevant particles to study. We present our production and collection setup based on pulsed laser ablation on bulk ITER-grade tungsten, and the various parameters impacting on the collected dust morphology and properties. We observed that optimum gas pressure is required to control the laser-induced plasma properties and favour the production of tungsten nano-particles with high SSA. The laser pulse duration is also a key parameter to limit the generation of tungsten liquid droplets during the ablation process. The nano-particules structure and general aspect are characterized via scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Lastly, this dust produced by laser ablation is loaded with tritium by gas exposure, and its retention capability and long-term evolution addressed and compared to metallurgically produced W powders with homogeneous size distribution.

TRAPPIST photometry and imaging monitoring of comet C/2013 R1 (Lovejoy): Implications for the origin of daughter species

We report the results of the narrow band photometry and imaging monitoring of comet C/2013 R1 (Lovejoy) with the robotic telescope TRAPPIST (La Silla observatory). We gathered around 400 images over 8 months pre- and post-perihelion between September 12, 2013 and July 6, 2014. We followed the evolution of the OH, NH, CN, C3 , and C2 production rates computed with the Haser model as well as the evolution of the dust production. All five gas species display an asymmetry about perihelion, the rate of brightening being steeper than the rate of fading. The study of the coma morphology reveals gas and dust jets which indicate one or several active zone(s) on the nucleus. The dust, C2 , and C3 morphologies present some similarities while the CN morphology is different. OH and NH are enhanced in the tail direction. The study of the evolution of the comet activity shows that the OH, NH, and C2 production rates evolution with the heliocentric distance is correlated to the dust evolution. The CN and, to a lesser extent, the C3 do not display such a correlation with the dust. These evidences and the comparison with parent species production rates indicate that C2 and C3 on one side and OH and NH on the other side could be -at least partially- released from organic-rich grains and icy grains. On the contrary, all evidences point to HCN being the main parent of CN in this comet.

Scientific assessment of the quality of OSIRIS images

OSIRIS, the scientific imaging system on board the ESA Rosetta spacecraft, has been imaging the nucleus of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko and its dust and gas environment since March 2014. The images serve different scientific goals, from morphology and composition studies of the nucleus surface, to the motion and trajectories of dust grains, the general structure of the dust coma, the morphology and intensity of jets, gas distribution, mass loss, and dust and gas production rates. Aims. We present the calibration of the raw images taken by OSIRIS and address the accuracy that we can expect in our scientific results based on the accuracy of the calibration steps that we have performed. Methods. We describe the pipeline that has been developed to automatically calibrate the OSIRIS images. Through a series of steps, radiometrically calibrated and distortion corrected images are produced and can be used for scientific studies. Calibration campaigns were run on the ground before launch and throughout the years in flight to determine the parameters that are used to calibrate the images and to verify their evolution with time. We describe how these parameters were determined and we address their accuracy. Results. We provide a guideline to the level of trust that can be put into the various studies performed with OSIRIS images, based on the accuracy of the image calibration.

The warm molecular gas and dust of Seyfert galaxies: two different phases of accretion?

The distribution of warm molecular gas (1000--3000 K), traced by the near-IR H$_2$ 2.12 $\mu$m line, has been imaged with a resolution $<0.5$ arcsec in the central 1 kpc of seven nearby Seyfert galaxies. We find that this gas is highly concentrated towards the central 100 pc and that its morphology is often symmetrical. Lanes of warm H$_2$ gas are observed only in three cases (NGC\,1068, NGC\,1386 and Circinus) for which the morphology is much wider and extended than the dust filaments. We conclude that there is no one-to-one correlation between dust and warm gas. This indicates that, if the dust filaments and lanes of warm gas are radial streaming motions of fuelling material, they must represent \textit{two different phases of accretion}: the dust filaments represent a colder phase than the gas close to the nucleus (within $\sim$100 pc). We predict that the morphology of the nuclear dust at these scales should resemble that of the cold molecular gas (e.g. CO at 10--40 K), as we show for CenA and NGC\,1566 by Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations, whereas the inner H$_2$ gas traces a much warmer phase of material identified with warmer (40-500 K) molecular gas such as CO(6-5) or HCN (as shown by ALMA for NGC\,1068 and NGC\,1097). We also find that X-ray heating is the most likely dominant excitation mechanism of the H$_{2}$ gas for most sources.

Combining microscopy with spectroscopic and chemical methods for tracing the origin of atmospheric fallouts from mining sites

Populations living close to mining sites are often exposed to important heavy metal concentrations, especially through atmospheric fallouts. Identifying the main sources of metal-rich particles remains a challenge because of the similarity of the particle signatures from the polluted sites. This work provides an original combination of physical and chemical methods to determine the main sources of airborne particles impacting inhabited zones. Raman microspectrometry (RMS), X-ray diffraction (DRX), morphology analyses by microscopy and chemical composition were assessed. Geochemical analysis allowed the identification of target and source areas; XRD and RMS analysis identified the main mineral phases in association with their metal content and speciation. The characterization of the dominant minerals was combined with particle morphology analysis to identify fallout sources. The complete description of dust morphologies permitted the successful determination of a fingerprint of each source site. The analysis of these chemical and morphological fingerprints allowed identification of the mine area as the main contributor of metal-rich particles impacting the inhabited zone. In addition to the identification of the main sources of airborne particles, this study will also permit to better define the extent of polluted zones requiring remediation or protection from eolian erosion inducing metal-rich atmospheric fallouts.

MORPHOLOGICAL FEATURES OF THE ELECTRIC STEEL DUST

Dispersed composition and morphology of the electric steel dust have been studied by optical scanning electron microscopy. Possibility of allocating ultrafine particles and separation of large mechanical stirring in water was considered. Sedimentation separation of particles into three fractions was conducted and dust particles characterization from each fraction was determined.

Morphology of Atmospheric Particles over Semi-Arid Region (Jaipur, Rajasthan) of India: Implications for Optical Properties

The regional dust morphology and spectral refractive indices (RIs; governed by hematite, Fe2O3 content at short wavelengths) are key elements for ascertaining direct radiative forcing of mineral dust aerosols. To provide morphological features of background mineral dust from a semi-arid zone in the vicinity of the Thar Desert, we carried out an expedition to the Jaipur city during late winter of 2012. Morphological analysis reveals the predominance of “Layered”, “Angular” and “Flattened” particles, while the frequency distribution of a total of 235 dust particles shows the aspect ratio, AR and circularity parameter, CIR (measures of particle’s non-sphericity) typically ~1.4 and ~0.8, respectively. Sensitivity analysis at 550 nm wavelength reveals the equivalent sphere model may underestimate Single Scattering Albedo, SSA for the dust with low (~1.1%) hematite by ~3.5%. Both underestimation (by ~5.6%) and overestimation (up to 9.1%) are probable in case of dust with high hematite content (~5.68%). In addition, the effect of AR on the dust scattering is significant in case of dust with high hematite content. More such regionally representative dust morphological data are required for better estimation of regional radiative forcing of mineral dust aerosols.

OBSERVATIONS OF COMET ISON (C/2012 S1) FROM LOWELL OBSERVATORY

We observed dynamically new sungrazing comet ISON (C/2012 S1) extensively at Lowell Observatory throughout 2013 in order to characterize its behavior prior to perihelion. ISON had "typical" abundances for an Oort Cloud comet. Its dust production, as measured by Afrho, remained nearly constant during the apparition but its CN gas production increased by ~50x. The minimum active area necessary to support observed water production rates exceeded the likely surface area of the nucleus and suggests a population of icy grains in the coma. Together with the flattening of the dust radial profile over time, this is consistent with ejection of a large quantity of slow moving dust and icy grains in the coma at large heliocentric distance. The dust morphology was dominated by the tail, but a faint sunward dust fan was detected in March, April, May, and September. We imaged multiple gas species in September, October, and November. Excess CN signal was observed in the sunward hemisphere in September and early October. In November the excess CN signal was in the tailward hemisphere and two faint CN features appeared approximately orthogonal to the tail with position angles varying by about +/-20 degrees from night to night. Using numerical modeling, we best reproduced the orientation and shape of these features as well as the bulk brightness with a pole oriented approximately towards the Sun and a single source located within ~35 degrees of the equator. The production rates and coma morphology suggest a nucleus that was active over nearly its entire sunward facing hemisphere in September and October but which underwent a significant mass loss event, potentially including fragmentation, shortly before November 1. Significant mass loss likely continued at the same site over subsequent days/weeks and may have catastrophically weakened the nucleus prior to perihelion.

DUSTY CRADLES IN A TURBULENT NURSERY: THE SGR A EAST H II REGION COMPLEX AT THE GALACTIC CENTER

We present imaging at 19, 25, 31, and 37 {\mu}m of the compact HII region complex G-0.02-0.07 located 6 pc in projection from the center of the Galaxy obtained with SOFIA using FORCAST. G-0.02-0.07 contains three compact HII regions (A, B, and C) and one ultra-compact HII region (D). Our observations reveal the presence of two faint, infrared sources located 23'' and 35'' to the east of region C (FIRS 1 and 2) and detect dust emission in two of the three "ridges" of ionized gas west of region A. The 19/37 color temperature and 37 {\mu}m optical depth maps of regions A - C are used to characterize the dust energetics and morphology. Regions A and B exhibit average 19/37 color temperatures of ~105 K, and regions C and D exhibit color temperatures of ~115 K and ~130 K, respectively. Using the DustEM code we model the SEDs of regions A - D and FIRS 1, all of which require populations of very small, transiently heated grains and large, equilibrium-heated grains. We also require the presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in regions A - C in order to fit the 3.6, 4.5, 5.8, and 8.0 {\mu}m fluxes observed by Spitzer/IRAC. The location of the heating source for region A is determined by triangulation from distances and temperatures derived from DustEM models fit to SEDs of three different points around the region, and is found to be displaced to the northeast of the center of curvature near the color temperature peak. Based on total luminosity, expected 1.90 {\mu}m fluxes, and proximity to the mid-IR color temperature peaks we identify heating source candidates for regions A, B, and C. However, for region D, the observed fluxes at 1.87 and 1.90 {\mu}m of the previously proposed ionizing star are a factor of ~40 times too bright to be the heating source and hence is likely just a star lying along the line of sight towards region D.

FUELING ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI. II. SPATIALLY RESOLVED MOLECULAR INFLOWS AND OUTFLOWS

We analyze the two-dimensional distribution and kinematics of the stars as well as molecular and ionized gas in the central few hundred parsecs of five active and five matched inactive galaxies. The equivalent widths of the Brγ line indicate that there is no ongoing star formation in their nuclei, although recent (terminated) starbursts are possible in the active galaxies. The stellar velocity fields show no signs of non-circular motions, while the 1-0 S(1) H2 kinematics exhibit significant deviations from simple circular rotation. In the active galaxies the H2 kinematics reveal inflow and outflow superimposed on disk rotation. Steady-state circumnuclear inflow is seen in three active galactic nuclei (AGNs), and hydrodynamical models indicate it can be driven by a large-scale bar. In three of the five AGNs, molecular outflows are spatially resolved. The outflows are oriented such that they intersect, or have an edge close to, the disk, which may be the source of molecular gas in the outflow. The relatively low speeds imply the gas will fall back onto the disk, and with moderate outflow rates, they will have only a local impact on the host galaxy. H2 was detected in two inactive galaxies. These exhibit chaotic circumnuclear dust morphologies and have molecular structures that are counter-rotating with respect to the main gas component, which could lead to gas inflow in the near future. In our sample, all four galaxies with chaotic dust morphology in the circumnuclear region exist in moderately dense groups with 10–15 members where accretion of stripped gas can easily occur.

The central parsecs of active galactic nuclei: challenges to the torus★

Type 2 AGN are by definition nuclei in which the broad-line region and continuum light are hidden at optical/UV wavelengths by dust. Via accurate registration of infrared (IR) Very Large Telescope adaptive optics images with optical \textit{Hubble Space Telescope} images we unambiguously identify the precise location of the nucleus of a sample of nearby, type 2 AGN. Dust extinction maps of the central few kpc of these galaxies are constructed from optical-IR colour images, which allow tracing the dust morphology at scales of few pc. In almost all cases, the IR nucleus is shifted by several tens of pc from the optical peak and its location is behind a dust filament, prompting to this being a major, if not the only, cause of the nucleus obscuration. These nuclear dust lanes have extinctions $A_V \geq 3-6$ mag, sufficient to at least hide the low-luminosity AGN class, and in some cases are observed to connect with kpc-scale dust structures, suggesting that these are the nuclear fueling channels. A precise location of the ionised gas H$\alpha$ and [\textsc{Si\,vii}] 2.48 $\mu$m coronal emission lines relative to those of the IR nucleus and dust is determined. The H$\alpha$ peak emission is often shifted from the nucleus location and its sometimes conical morphology appears not to be caused by a nuclear --torus-- collimation but to be strictly defined by the morphology of the nuclear dust lanes. Conversely, [\textsc{Si\,vii}] 2.48 $\mu$m emission, less subjected to dust extinction, reflects the truly, rather isotropic, distribution of the ionised gas. All together, the precise location of the dust, ionised gas and nucleus is found compelling enough to cast doubts on the universality of the pc-scale torus and supports its vanishing in low-luminosity AGN. Finally, we provide the most accurate position of the NGC 1068 nucleus, located at the South vertex of cloud B.

SEARCHING FOR CIRCUMPLANETARY DISKS AROUND LkCa 15

We present Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) observations of the 7 mm continuum emission from the disk surrounding the young star LkCa 15. The observations achieve an angular resolution of 70 mas and spatially resolve the circumstellar emission on a spatial scale of 9 AU. The continuum emission traces a dusty annulus of 45 AU in radius that is consistent with the dust morphology observed at shorter wavelengths. The VLA observations also reveal a compact source at the center of the disk, possibly due to thermal emission from hot dust or ionized gas located within a few AU from the central star. No emission is observed between the star and the dusty ring, and, in particular, at the position of the candidate protoplanet LkCa 15 b. By comparing the observations with theoretical models for circumplanetary disk emission, we find that if LkCa~15~b is a massive planet (>5 M_J) accreting at a rate greater than 1.e-6 M_J yr^{-1}, then its circumplanetary disk is less massive than 0.1 M_J, or smaller than 0.4 Hill radii. Similar constraints are derived for any possible circumplanetary disk orbiting within 45 AU from the central star. The mass estimate are uncertain by at least one order of magnitude due to the uncertainties on the mass opacity. Future ALMA observations of this system might be able to detect circumplanetary disks down to a mass of 5.e-4 M_J and as small as 0.2 AU, providing crucial constraints on the presence of giant planets in the act of forming around this young star.

The dusty torus in the Circinus galaxy: a dense disk and the torus funnel

(Abridged) With infrared interferometry it is possible to resolve the nuclear dust distributions that are commonly associated with the dusty torus in active galactic nuclei (AGN). The Circinus galaxy hosts the closest Seyfert 2 nucleus and previous interferometric observations have shown that its nuclear dust emission is well resolved. To better constrain the dust morphology in this active nucleus, extensive new observations were carried out with MIDI at the Very Large Telescope Interferometer. The emission is distributed in two distinct components: a disk-like emission component with a size of ~ 0.2 $\times$ 1.1 pc and an extended component with a size of ~ 0.8 $\times$ 1.9 pc. The disk-like component is elongated along PA ~ 46{\deg} and oriented perpendicular to the ionisation cone and outflow. The extended component is elongated along PA ~ 107{\deg}, roughly perpendicular to the disk component and thus in polar direction. It is interpreted as emission from the inner funnel of an extended dust distribution and shows a strong increase in the extinction towards the south-east. We find no evidence of an increase in the temperature of the dust towards the centre. From this we infer that most of the near-infrared emission probably comes from parsec scales as well. We further argue that the disk component alone is not sufficient to provide the necessary obscuration and collimation of the ionising radiation and outflow. The material responsible for this must instead be located on scales of ~ 1 pc, surrounding the disk. The clear separation of the dust emission into a disk-like emitter and a polar elongated source will require an adaptation of our current understanding of the dust emission in AGN. The lack of any evidence of an increase in the dust temperature towards the centre poses a challenge for the picture of a centrally heated dust distribution.

A multiwavelength view of the ISM in the merger remnant galaxy Fornax A

We present multi-wavelength imagery of the merger remnant galaxy NGC 1316 with an objective to study the dust content and its association with the other phases of the interstellar medium. Color-index maps as well as extinction maps derived for this galaxy reveal an intricate and complex dust morphology in NGC 1316, i.e. there is a prominent lane in the inner part, while at about 6–7 kpc it apparently takes the form of an arc-like pattern extending along the northeast direction. In addition to this, several other dust clumps and knots are also evident in this galaxy. The dust emission mapped using Spitzer data at 8 μm indicates even more complex morphological structures of the dust in NGC 1316. The extinction curve derived over the optical to near-IR bands closely follows the standard Galactic curve, suggesting similar properties of the dust grains. The dust content of NGC 1316, estimated from optical extinction, is ∼2.13 × 105 M⊙. This is a lower limit compared to that estimated using the IRAS flux densities of ∼5.17 × 106 M⊙ and the flux densities at 24, 70 and 160 μm from MIPS ∼3.2 × 107 M⊙. High resolution Chandra observations of this merger remnant system have provided an unprecedented view of the complex nature exhibited by the distribution of hot gas in NGC 1316, which closely matches the morphology of ionized gas and to some extent also the dust. X-ray color—color plots for the resolved sources within the optical D25 extent of NGC 1316 have enabled us to separate them into different classes.