Dust Temperature Research Articles

IoT enabled HELMET to safeguard the health of mine workers

Information and communication technologies have aided advancements in providing a healthy and safe working environment at the workplace. Using ICT-based Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) minimizes the likelihood of workplace accidents due to the technology embedded equipment able to make decisions based on environmental factors. The Internet of Things (IoT) and Communication Technologies enable the generation of PPE models and devices with innovative features such as environmental sensing, monitoring, and risk identification, among others. Human resources working underground are confronted with various real-time issues resulting in significant health problems or even death. Human resources involved in working underground are confronted with various real-time issues that can result in significant health problems or even death. Mine workers are particularly vulnerable to toxic gases and changes in ambient conditions such as temperature, humidity, and so on. Various warning generation devices have been created, with a few implanted in mining fields. Existing warning generation systems are ineffective in protecting and saving workers’ life pneumoconiosis diseases. They cannot recognize health symptoms that occur in real-time, such as choking, heart rate fluctuations, and others. The proposed work emphasizes the development of a real-time surveillance helmet that incorporates IoT Sensors that can rescue with early-warning intelligence on the presence of fire, silicosis dust particles, temperature, harmful gases, and others that will reduce worker health risks. A built-in GPS tracker will aid in tracking the miner’s current location. Proposed work will reduce the number of hazardous accidents and deaths in such areas. Based on the accuracy parameter, this work is evaluated in three different working environments. According to the analysis, the proposed prototype’s accuracy in the coal mine working environment is approximately 96 percent, 99 percent in the indoor, and 97 percent in the outdoor (industrial) working environments.

ATOMS: ALMA Three-millimeter Observations of Massive Star-forming regions – XI. From inflow to infall in hub-filament systems

ABSTRACT We investigate the presence of hub-filament systems in a large sample of 146 active proto-clusters, using H13CO+ J = 1-0 molecular line data obtained from the ATOMS survey. We find that filaments are ubiquitous in proto-clusters, and hub-filament systems are very common from dense core scales (∼0.1 pc) to clump/cloud scales (∼1–10 pc). The proportion of proto-clusters containing hub-filament systems decreases with increasing dust temperature (Td) and luminosity-to-mass ratios (L/M) of clumps, indicating that stellar feedback from H ii regions gradually destroys the hub-filament systems as proto-clusters evolve. Clear velocity gradients are seen along the longest filaments with a mean velocity gradient of 8.71 km s−1 pc−1 and a median velocity gradient of 5.54 km s−1 pc−1. We find that velocity gradients are small for filament lengths larger than ∼1 pc, probably hinting at the existence of inertial inflows, although we cannot determine whether the latter are driven by large-scale turbulence or large-scale gravitational contraction. In contrast, velocity gradients below ∼1 pc dramatically increase as filament lengths decrease, indicating that the gravity of the hubs or cores starts to dominate gas infall at small scales. We suggest that self-similar hub-filament systems and filamentary accretion at all scales may play a key role in high-mass star formation.

Deep uGMRT observations of the ELAIS-North 1 field: statistical properties of radio–infrared relations up to z ∼ 2

ABSTRACT Comprehending the radio–infrared (IR) relations of the faint extragalactic radio sources is important for using radio emission as a tracer of star formation in high redshift (z) star-forming galaxies (SFGs). Using deep uGMRT observations of the ELAIS-N1 field in the 0.3–0.5 GHz range, we study the statistical properties of the radio–IR relations and the variation of the ‘q-parameter’ up to z = 2 after broadly classifying the faint sources as SFGs and AGN. We find the dust temperature (Tdust) to increase with z. This gives rise to $q_{\rm 24\,\mu m}$, measured at $24\, \mu$m, to increase with z as the peak of IR emission shifts towards shorter wavelengths, resulting in the largest scatter among different measures of q-parameters. $q_{\rm 70\,\mu m}$ measured at $70\, \mu$m, and qTIR using total-IR (TIR) emission are largely unaffected by Tdust. We observe strong, non-linear correlations between the radio luminosities at 0.4 and 1.4 GHz with $70\, \mu$m luminosity and TIR luminosity(LTIR). To assess the possible role of the radio-continuum spectrum in making the relations non-linear, for the first time we study them at high z using integrated radio luminosity (LRC) in the range 0.1–2 GHz. In SFGs, the LRC–LTIR relation remains non-linear with a slope of 1.07 ± 0.02, has a factor of 2 lower scatter compared to monochromatic radio luminosities, and $q^{\rm RC}_{\rm TIR}$ decreases with z as $q^{\rm RC}_{\rm TIR}= (2.27 \pm 0.03)\, (1+z)^{-0.12 \pm 0.03}$. A redshift variation of q is a natural consequence of non-linearity. We suggest that a redshift evolution of magnetic field strengths and/or cosmic ray acceleration efficiency in high-z SFGs could give rise to non-linear radio–IR relations.

ALMA Lensing Cluster Survey: ALMA-Herschel Joint Study of Lensed Dusty Star-forming Galaxies across z ≃ 0.5 – 6

We present an ALMA-Herschel joint analysis of sources detected by the ALMA Lensing Cluster Survey (ALCS) at 1.15 mm. Herschel/PACS and SPIRE data at 100–500 μm are deblended for 180 ALMA sources in 33 lensing cluster fields that are detected either securely (141 sources; in our main sample) or tentatively at S/N ≥ 4 with cross-matched HST/Spitzer counterparts, down to a delensed 1.15 mm flux density of ∼0.02 mJy. We performed far-infrared spectral energy distribution modeling and derived the physical properties of dusty star formation for 125 sources (109 independently) that are detected at >2σ in at least one Herschel band. A total of 27 secure ALCS sources are not detected in any Herschel bands, including 17 optical/near-IR-dark sources that likely reside at z = 4.2 ± 1.2. The 16th, 50th, and 84th percentiles of the redshift distribution are 1.15, 2.08, and 3.59, respectively, for ALCS sources in the main sample, suggesting an increasing fraction of z ≃ 1 − 2 galaxies among fainter millimeter sources (f 1150 ∼ 0.1 mJy). With a median lensing magnification factor of , ALCS sources in the main sample exhibit a median intrinsic star formation rate of M ⊙ yr−1, lower than that of conventional submillimeter galaxies at similar redshifts by a factor of ∼3. Our study suggests weak or no redshift evolution of dust temperature with L IR < 1012 L ⊙ galaxies within our sample at z ≃ 0 − 2. At L IR > 1012 L ⊙, the dust temperatures show no evolution across z ≃ 1–4 while being lower than those in the local universe. For the highest-redshift source in our sample (z = 6.07), we can rule out an extreme dust temperature (>80 K) that was reported for MACS0416 Y1 at z = 8.31.

Molecular gas properties of Planck-selected protocluster candidates at z ≃ 1.3–3

We report on IRAM 30-m/EMIR observations of 38 Herschel sources chosen as the brightest red submillimeter (submm) sources in 18 Planck-selected fields drawn from the Planck high-z (PHz) sample of protocluster candidates. These fields host overdensities of red Herschel sources, with high star formation rates (∼10 000 M⊙ yr−1), as obtained from the Planck measurements. The goals of these observations are to measure the spectroscopic redshifts of the Herschel sources in the PHz fields, investigate the origin of their bright submm emission, and find evidence of their association with high-z protoclusters. We detected 40 CO lines on a total of 24 bright (S​350 μm &gt; 40 mJy) Herschel sources in 14 of the 18 PHz fields. The measured average redshift is ⟨zCO⟩ = 2.25 ± 0.09, spanning a range from 1.32 to 2.75. We measured the redshifts for multiple Herschel sources in projected proximity in eight PHz fields. In half of those fields, we detected between two and three objects at similar redshifts, supporting the idea that the PHz fields contain high-z protoclusters. The detection of sources at different redshifts in the same field demonstrates that foreground and background sources also contribute to the total submm emission. We compared the properties of the molecular gas and of the star formation activity of our sources with samples of normal star-forming galaxies (SFGs), submm galaxies (SMGs), and CO-detected cluster and protocluster galaxies drawn from the literature at similar redshifts. We find that the PHz-IRAM sources are mainly normal SFGs, with only ∼20% undergoing a starburst phase. The PHz-IRAM sources are characterized by star formation rates (⟨SFR⟩ = 1043 ± 157 M⊙ yr−1) and gas masses (⟨Mgas⟩ = (4.0 ± 0.7) × 1011 M⊙) that are, on average, eight and five times higher than those typical of normal SFGs at similar redshifts. Their dust temperatures (⟨Tdust⟩ = 29.2 ± 0.9 K) and depletion timescales (⟨τdep⟩ = 0.47 ± 0.07 Gyr) are instead consistent with those of normal SFGs. The analysis of the CO spectral line energy distribution, available for ten PHz-IRAM sources, peaks at a low quantum rotation number (Jup = 3) in most of the cases, implying low gas excitation. These properties imply that a significant number of PHz-IRAM sources contain extended and cold molecular gas reservoirs at low excitation and that their star formation is driven by secular processes. Multiplicity and moderate gravitational lensing might also play a role in producing the observed properties. Some of these properties are also observed in other CO-detected infrared-luminous protocluster galaxies at z ≃ 1.3 − 3. We find that the protoclusters with the highest level of star formation, drawn from the largest volume simulations available to date, exhibit similar SFRs as compared to the PHz protoclusters; however, they separate out into a higher number of star-forming galaxies. Millimeter and CO observations at higher spatial resolution than those presented here would be necessary to further elucidate the properties of our PHz-IRAM sources and determine which mechanisms drive star formation in infrared-luminous protocluster galaxies.

Chemical Evolution During the Formation of Molecular Clouds

To study the chemical evolution during the formation of molecular clouds, we model three types of clouds with different density structures: collapsing spherical, collapsing ellipsoidal, and static spherical profiles. The collapsing models are better than the static models in matching the observational characteristics in typical molecular clouds. This is mainly because the gravity can speed up the formation of some important molecules (e.g., H2, CO, OH) by increasing the number density during collapse. The different morphologies of prolate, oblate, and spherical clouds lead to differences in chemical evolution, which are mainly due to their different evolution of number density. We also study the effect of initial chemical compositions on chemical evolution, and find that H atoms can accelerate OH formation by two major reactions: O + H → OH in gas phase and on dust grain surfaces, leading to the models in which hydrogen is mainly atomic initially better match observations than the models in which hydrogen is mainly molecular initially. Namely, to match observations, initially hydrogen must be mostly atomic. The CO molecules are able to form even without the pre-existence of H2. We also study the influence of gas temperature, dust temperature, intensity of interstellar radiation field and cosmic-ray ionization rate on chemical evolution in static clouds. The static CO clouds with high dust temperature, strong radiation field, and intensive cosmic rays are transient due to rapid CO destruction.

SOCIALIZATION OF SORT, STRAIGHTEN, SHINE, STANDARDIZE, SUSTAIN (5S) FOR UD. TIRTO AGUNG GRESIK

Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) is important in all industrial sectors. The purpose of Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) is to improve and maintain the highest degree of all workers, both physically and mentally, and to ensure workers' welfare to prevent occupational diseases. UD. Tirto Agung is an informal industry that produces various types of cotton. UD. Tirto Agung Worker has 13 employees consisting of 7 women and six men divided into two work shifts. The practitioner's survey observed various potential hazards, namely noise, dust, poor lighting, and bad air temperature. From this problem, practitioners provide education about 5S (Sort, Straighten, Shine, Standardize, Sustain). This socialization aims to provide insight and knowledge about the 5S program, dust hazards, and practitioners providing personal protective equipment (PPE). The socialization results are successful because knowledge of Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) has increased from 13 workers, 10 of whom understand the dangers in the work environment and can implement 5S socialization in the workplace. In comparison, three workers have yet to be able to implement 5S in the work environment due to the influence of age.

Grain Alignment in the Circumstellar Shell of IRC+10° 216

Dust-induced polarization in the interstellar medium (ISM) is due to asymmetric grains aligned with an external reference direction, usually the magnetic field. For both the leading alignment theories, the alignment of the grain’s angular momentum with one of its principal axes and the coupling with the magnetic field requires the grain to be paramagnetic. Of the two main components of interstellar dust, silicates are paramagnetic, while carbon dust is diamagnetic. Hence, carbon grains are not expected to align in the ISM. To probe the physics of carbon grain alignment, we have acquired Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy/Higch-resolution Airborne Wideband Camera-plus far-infrared photometry and polarimetry of the carbon-rich circumstellar envelope (CSE) of the asymptotic giant branch star IRC+10° 216. The dust in such CSEs are fully carbonaceous and thus provide unique laboratories for probing carbon grain alignment. We find a centrosymmetric, radial, polarization pattern, where the polarization fraction is well correlated with the dust temperature. Together with estimates of a low fractional polarization from optical polarization of background stars, we interpret these results to be due to a second-order, direct radiative external alignment of grains without internal alignment. Our results indicate that (pure) carbon dust does not contribute significantly to the observed ISM polarization, consistent with the nondetection of polarization in the 3.4 μm feature due to aliphatic CH bonds on the grain surface.

Research on law and mechanism of dust explosion in bag type dust collector

The bag type dust collector will accumulate dust during long-term operation, and the high temperature during operation will cause dust explosion. In this paper, with the dust removal system involved in the “8·2” Kunshan dust explosion accident taken as the research background, the minimum ignition temperature and lower explosion limit experiments are carried out on aluminum powder with different particle sizes (10–60 μm) by using the lowest ignition temperature test device and the 20 L near-spherical explosive device. The dust concentration distribution and temperature field in the bag type dust collector are analyzed through the CFD-FLUENT software. Through the analysis of the experimental results, it is found that when the particle size of aluminum powder is 19 μm, the minimum ignition temperature is 585 °C, and the lower explosion limit of concentration is 0.04 kg/m3. The simulation results indicate that the dust particles gather in the dust collecting bucket, and the aluminothermic reaction occurs in the dust collecting bucket. The temperature of the upper and right parts in the dust collecting bucket is above 600 °C, which exceeds the minimum ignition temperature. At the interface between the dust hopper and the dust collecting bucket, the concentration of aluminum powder reaches 0.126 kg/m3, which exceeds the lower explosion limit of aluminum powder.

Experimental analysis and data-driven machine learning modelling of the minimum ignition temperature (MIT) of aluminium dust

The industrial sector continues to face difficulties in preventing dust explosions. Ignition, in particular, is a phenomenon that has yet to be fully comprehended. As a result, safety conditions pertaining to ignition control are rarely assessed to an adequate level. It is generally recognised that the ignition behaviour of combustible dust is influenced by a variety of parameters, including the chemical composition, particle size, moisture content, dispersion pressure, the concentration of dust and so on, but there is still a lack of understanding regarding the simultaneous effect of multiple influential variables. This article aims to provide data on the minimum ignition temperatures of combustible dust using aluminium dust. The minimum ignition temperatures (MITs) were evaluated in a Godbert-Greenwald (GG) furnace with synergistic effects of dispersion pressure and concentrations for two distinct particle size ranges. Based on the statistical nature of the dust explosions and controlling parameters, this study uses data-driven modelling approaches. The experimental data has been divided into the training set and testing set in the proportion of 85% (for training) and 15% (for testing) respectively. A machine learning artificial neural network approach with Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm is implemented to obtain the predictive model for MIT of aluminium dust for both the particle size ranges (100–63 µm, 50–32 µm). The resultant model was obtained with acceptable accuracy in terms of both the training and test data sets. Besides, a statistical surface fit approach has also been adopted to model the MIT to obtain the correlations. It was found that the predictive accuracy is significantly higher for the developed ANN model than the surface fitting based on the minimum values of AIC (Akaike Information Criterion) and BIC (Bayesian Information Criterion). The assessment of the MIT for combustible dust is crucial in preventing the ignition and subsequent dust explosion. If a sufficiently accurate estimate of MIT is available then the temperature of the surrounding equipment in the process industries can be controlled well below that particular value.

Modeling the arc and ring structures in the HD 143006 disk

Rings and asymmetries in protoplanetary disks are considered as signposts of ongoing planet formation. In this work, we conduct three-dimensional radiative transfer simulations to model the intriguing disk around HD 143006 that has three dust rings and a bright arc. A complex geometric configuration, with a misaligned inner disk, is assumed to account for the asymmetric structures. The two-dimensional surface density is constructed by iteratively fitting the ALMA data. We find that the dust temperature displays a notable discontinuity at the boundary of the misalignment. The ring masses range from 0.6 to 16Mearth that are systematically lower than those inferred in the younger HL Tau disk. The arc occupies nearly 20% of the total dust mass. Such a high mass fraction of dust grains concentrated in a local region is consistent with the mechanism of dust trapping into vortices. Assuming a gas-to-dust mass ratio of 30 that is constant throughout the disk, the dense and cold arc is close to the threshold of being gravitationally unstable, with the Toomre parameter Q~1.3. Nevertheless, our estimate of Q relies on the assumption for the unknown gas-to-dust mass ratio. Adopting a lower gas-to-dust mass ratio would increase the inferred Q value. Follow-up high resolution observations of dust and gas lines are needed to clarify the origin of the substructures.

No Redshift Evolution of Galaxies’ Dust Temperatures Seen from 0 < z < 2

Some recent literature has claimed there to be an evolution in galaxies’ dust temperatures toward warmer (or colder) spectral energy distributions (SEDs) between low and high redshift. These conclusions are driven by both theoretical models and empirical measurement. Such claims sometimes contradict one another and are prone to biases in samples or SED fitting techniques. What has made direct comparisons difficult is that there is no uniform approach to fitting galaxies’ infrared/millimeter SEDs. Here we aim to standardize the measurement of galaxies’ dust temperatures with a python-based SED fitting procedure, MCIRSED. 1 1 Publicly available at github.com/pdrew32/mcirsed. We draw on reference data sets observed by Infrared Astronomical Satellite, Herschel, and Scuba-2 to test for redshift evolution out to z ∼ 2. We anchor our work to the L IR–λ peak plane, where there is an empirically observed anticorrelation between IR luminosity and rest-frame peak wavelength (an observational proxy for luminosity-weighted dust temperature) such that where η = −0.09 ± 0.01, Lt = 1012 L ⊙, and λ t = 92 ± 2 μm. We find no evidence for redshift evolution of galaxies’ temperatures, or λ peak, at fixed L IR from 0 < z < 2 with >99.99% confidence. Our finding does not preclude evolution in dust temperatures at fixed stellar mass, which is expected from a nonevolving L IR–λ peak relation and a strongly evolving SFR–M⋆ relation. The breadth of dust temperatures () at a given L IR is likely driven by variation in galaxies’ dust geometries and sizes, and it does not evolve. Testing for L IR–λ peak evolution toward higher redshift (z ∼ 5−6) requires better sampling of galaxies’ dust SEDs near their peaks (observed ∼200–600 μm) with ≲1 mJy sensitivity. This poses a significant challenge to current instrumentation.

Dust Temperature Profiles in Dense Cores Related to the High-Mass Star-Forming Regions

Using the APEX-12m telescope, continuum maps at 350~$\mu$m of eight gas-dust clouds from the southern hemisphere are obtained. Clouds are associated with the regions of massive star and star cluster formation and have dense cores. Core sizes estimated at the half maximum level are $\sim 0.1-0.2$~pc, core masses and mean gas densities lie in the ranges: $\sim 20-1000~M_{\odot}$ and $\sim (0.3-7.3)\times 10^6$~cm$^{-3}$, respectively. Comparison of the 350~$\mu$m data with the data of observations at 1.2~mm has been performed. From the ratios of intensities at two wavelengths convolved to the same angular resolution, spatial distributions of dust temperatures averaged over the line of sight are calculated. Dust temperature maps for most objects correlate with spatial distributions of intensities at 350~$\mu$m. A decrease in dust temperature with a distance from the center is detected in the cores. Dust temperature profiles in most cases are close to linear ones. Using a simple spherically-symmetric cloud model it is shown that temperature profiles similar to the observed ones can be obtained in a model with internal source by varying density profile parameters and setting $\beta$, a power-law index of the dust emissivity dependence on frequency, constant. It is shown that the dust temperatures estimates strongly depend on the accepted value of $\beta$. It is considered how possible variations of $\beta$ in a cloud can affect the results obtained.

Validations and Corrections of the SFD and Planck Reddening Maps Based on LAMOST and Gaia Data

Precise correction of dust reddening is fundamental to obtain the intrinsic parameters of celestial objects. The Schlegel et al. (SFD) and the Planck 2D extinction maps are widely used for reddening correction. In this work, using accurate reddening determinations of about 2 million stars from the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST) Data Release 5 and Gaia DR2, we check and calibrate the SFD and Planck maps in the middle and high Galactic latitudes. The maps show similar precision in reddening correction. We find small yet significant spatially dependent biases for the four maps, which are similar between the SFD and Planck2014-R maps, and between the Planck2014-Tau and Planck2019-Tau maps. The biases show a clear dependence on the dust temperature and extinction for the SFD and Planck2014-R maps. While those of the Planck2014-Tau and Planck2019-Tau maps have a weak dependence on the dust temperature, they both strongly depend on the dust spectral index. Finally, we present corrections of the SFD and Planck extinction maps within the LAMOST footprint, along with empirical relations for corrections outside the LAMOST footprint. Our results provide important clues for the further improvement of the Galactic all-sky extinction maps and lay a significant foundation for accurate extinction correction in the era of precision astronomy.

Implications of a Temperature-dependent Initial Mass Function. I. Photometric Template Fitting

A universal stellar initial mass function (IMF) should not be expected from theoretical models of star formation, but little conclusive observational evidence for a variable IMF has been uncovered. In this paper, a parameterization of the IMF is introduced into photometric template fitting of the COSMOS2015 catalog. The resulting best-fit templates suggest systematic variations in the IMF, with most galaxies exhibiting top-heavier stellar populations than in the Milky Way. At fixed redshift, only a small range of IMFs are found, with the typical IMF becoming progressively top-heavier with increasing redshift. Additionally, subpopulations of ULIRGs, quiescent and star-forming galaxies are compared with predictions of stellar population feedback and show clear qualitative similarities to the evolution of dust temperatures.

A mid-infrared study of superluminous supernovae

ABSTRACT We present the mid-infrared (MIR) light curves (LC) of 10 superluminous supernovae (SLSNe) at z &amp;lt; 0.12 based on WISE data at 3.4 and 4.6 $\mu$m. Three of them, including PS15br, SN 2017ens, and SN 2017err show rebrightening which started at 200–400 d and ended at 600–1000 d, indicating the presence of dust. In four of the left seven SLSNe, dust emission was detected with monochromatic luminosities of $10^7\sim 10^8\, {\rm L}_\odot$ at epochs of 100–500 d based on MIR colours W1 − W2 ∼ 1. Among the three SLSNe which show rebrightening, we further analysed PS15br and SN 2017ens. We modelled the SEDs at 500–700 d, which gives dust temperatures of 600–1100 K, dust masses of $\gtrsim 10^{-2}\, {\rm M}_\odot$, and luminosities of $10^8\sim 10^9\, {\rm L}_\odot$. Considering the time delay and the huge amount of energy released, the emitting dust can hardly be pre-existing dust heated whether collisionally by shocks or radiatively by peak SLSN luminosity or shock emission. Instead, it can be newly formed dust additionally heated by the interaction of circumstellar medium, indicated by features in their spectra and slowly declining bolometric LCs. The dust masses appear to be ten times greater than those formed in normal core-collapse supernovae at similar epochs. Combining with the analysis of SN 2018bsz by Chen et al. (2021), we suggest that SLSNe have higher dust formation efficiency, although future observations are required to reach a final conclusion.

Herschel Investigation of Cores and Filamentary Structures in the Perseus Molecular Cloud

Abstract Cores and filamentary structures are the prime birthplaces of stars, and play key roles in the process of star formation. Latest advances in the methods of multi-scale source and filament extraction, and in making high-resolution column density map from Herschel multi-wavelength observations enable us to detect the filamentary network structures in highly complex molecular cloud environments. The statistics for physical parameters shows that core mass strongly correlates with core dust temperature, and M/L strongly correlates with M/T, which is in line with the prediction of the blackbody radiation, and can be used to trace evolutionary sequence from unbound starless cores to robust prestellar cores. Crest column densities of the filamentary structures are clearly related with mass per unit length (M line), but are uncorrelated by three orders ranging from ∼1020 to ∼1022 cm−2 with widths. Full width at half maximum has a median value of 0.15 pc, which is consistent with the 0.1 pc typical inner width of the filamentary structures reported by previous research. We find 70% of robust prestellar cores (135/199) embedded in supercritical filaments with M line &gt; 16 M ⊙ pc−1, which implies that the gravitationally bound cores come from fragmentation of supercritical filaments. On the basis of observational evidence that the probability distribution function with power-law distribution in the Perseus south is flatter than in the north, the number of young stellar objects in the south is significantly less than that in the north, and dust temperature is different. We infer that the south region is more gravitationally bound than the north region.

Studying Magnetic Fields and Dust in M17 Using Polarized Thermal Dust Emission Observed by SOFIA/HAWC+

Abstract We report on the highest spatial resolution measurement to date of magnetic fields (B-fields) in M17 using thermal dust polarization measurements taken by SOFIA/HAWC+ centered at a wavelength of 154 μm. Using the Davis–Chandrasekhar–Fermi method, in which the polarization angle dispersion calculated using the structure function technique is the quantity directly observed by SOFIA/HAWC+, we found the presence of strong B-fields of 980 ± 230 and 1665 ± 885 μG in the lower-density M17-N and higher-density M17-S regions, respectively. The B-field morphology in M17-N possibly mimics the fields in gravitationally collapsing molecular cores, while in M17-S the fields run perpendicular to the density structure. M17-S also displays a pillar feature and an asymmetric large-scale hourglass-shaped field. We use the mean B-field strengths to determine Alfvénic Mach numbers for both regions, finding that B-fields dominate over turbulence. We calculate the mass-to-flux ratio, λ, finding λ = 0.07 for M17-N and 0.28 for M17-S. These subcritical λ values are consistent with the lack of massive stars formed in M17. To study dust physics, we analyze the relationship between dust polarization fraction, p, emission intensity, I, gas column density, N(H2), polarization angle dispersion function, S, and dust temperature, T d. p decreases with intensity as I −α with α = 0.51. p tends to first increase with T d, but then decreases at higher T d. The latter feature, seen in M17-N at high T d when N(H2) and S decrease, is evidence of the radiative torque disruption effect.

On the low star formation rate in Saggitarius C

The Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) contains approximately 10% of the total molecular gas in the Galaxy concentrated in turbulent and dense molecular clouds. The fact that the star formation rate is low in CMZ is an open question, since there is a large amount of dense gas clouds where star formation could have started. Sagittarius (Sgr) C is the only known star formation region located in the western side of the CMZ. The main goal of our study was to find out the dominant physical conditions of Sgr C and how they could affect the process of star formation in the CMZ. We studied the dust emission toward Sgr C using infrared data. Using radio data we also studied the kinematic temperature, star formation rate surface density and cloud morphology of Sgr C. Our study showed a dust temperature T d of approximately 19 K toward Sgr C, which is in agreement with values estimated in other clouds of the CMZ and the Galactic plane. A high kinetic temperature higher than 58 K was determined toward Sgr C, which plays an important role in the cloud fragmentation and subsequent star formation. Based on our radio analysis we found a star formation rate surface density of ∑ SFR = 4 × 10-3 M ⊙yr-1 kpc -2 which is lower than in others molecular clouds of the Galaxy. Finally, the HCO + emission reveals the presence of cavities and shells in regions where there is no evidence of star formation. These shells could be related to cloud shocks believed to take place in Sgr C. It is thought that cloud shocks may have triggered star formation in other sites of the Galaxy, which is not observed in Sgr C. A comparison between physical conditions in Sgr C with those of high star formation sources could allow to find the parameters that suppress the birth of stars in this region of the Galactic Center.

Collisional and radiative pumping in 22-GHz water masers

ABSTRACT We briefly discuss the history of pumping schemes for the common 22-GHz maser transition in o-H2O, and note that radiative mechanisms have been considered in the past, as well as the better known collisional pumping mechanisms associated with shock waves. Substantial IR irradiation is indeed destructive to inversion at 22-GHz under a wide range of physical conditions. We identify a small number of transitions, including 22 GHz, that can be pumped by both collisional and radiative schemes, and, through radiative transfer modelling over a grid of values in kinetic temperature, number density, and dust temperature, identify loci in density-kinetic temperature space where these schemes lead to strong inversions. The radiative pumping scheme generally operates at higher dust temperature, and lower kinetic temperature, than the collisional scheme. We identify a small network of transitions that form a radiative pumping scheme for the 22-GHz maser, involving radiative transitions of wavelength approximately 6 $\mu$m. This network is capable of supplying more than 50 per cent of the 22-GHz inversion under typical radiative pumping conditions, and it is consistent with the need for high dust and low kinetic temperatures determined from the modelling. We identify a probable case of radiative pumping in a massive star-forming region from the observation of a positive correlation between the flux densities of 22-GHz H2O masers and 6.7-GHz methanol masers. We discuss possibilities for finding radiatively pumped H2O maser lines in other source types.