Excited Gas Research Articles

Finite temperature aspect ratio in ultra-cold Bose gas for large N

We present a detailed study of the temperature dependence of the condensate fraction, collective excitation and aspect ratio profiles of a Bose-condensed gas in a harmonic trap for large numbers of condensate atoms up to 85000. These quantities are calculated self-consistently using the generalized Hartree–Fock–Bogoliubov (GHFB) equations. We determine the evolution of the aspect ratio at zero and finite temperature via the condensed fraction. We compare our results with experimental data and we find a good agreement.

The ISM Properties and Gas Kinematics of a Redshift 3 Massive Dusty Star-forming Galaxy

Abstract We present CO (J = 1 → 0; 3 → 2; 5 → 4; 10 → 9) and 1.2 kpc resolution [C ii] line observations of the dusty star-forming galaxy (SFG) HXMM05—carried out with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array, the Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-wave Astronomy, the Plateau de Bure Interferometer, and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, measuring an unambiguous redshift of z = 2.9850 ± 0.0009. We find that HXMM05 is a hyperluminous infrared galaxy ( = (4 ± 1) × 1013 L ⊙) with a total molecular gas mass of (2.1 ± 0.7) × 1011( /0.8) M ⊙. The CO (J = 1 → 0) and [C ii] emission are extended over ∼9 kpc in diameter, and the CO line FWHM exceeds 1100 km s−1. The [C ii] emission shows a monotonic velocity gradient consistent with a disk, with a maximum rotation velocity of = 616 ± 100 km s−1 and a dynamical mass of (7.7 ± 3.1) × 1011 M ⊙. We find a star formation rate of 2900 M ⊙ yr−1. HXMM05 is thus among the most intensely SFGs known at high redshift. Photodissociation region modeling suggests physical conditions similar to nearby SFGs, showing extended star formation, which is consistent with our finding that the gas emission and dust emission are cospatial. Its molecular gas excitation resembles the local major merger Arp 220. The broad CO and [C ii] lines and a pair of compact dust nuclei suggest the presence of a late-stage major merger at the center of the extended disk, again reminiscent of Arp 220. The observed gas kinematics and conditions, together with the presence of a companion and the pair of nuclei, suggest that HXMM05 is experiencing multiple mergers as a part of the evolution.

The AGN Ionization Cones of NGC 5728. II. Kinematics

Abstract We explore the gas morphology and excitation mechanisms of the ionization cones of the type II Seyfert galaxy NGC 5728. Kinematics derived from near-infrared and optical data from the SINFONI and MUSE Integral Field Units on the VLT reveal active galactic nucleus (AGN)-driven outflows powered by a supermassive black hole (SMBH) of mass 3.4 × 107 M ⊙, bolometric luminosity of 1.46 × 1044 erg s−1, Eddington ratio of 3.3 × 10−2, and an accretion rate of 2.7 × 10−2 M ⊙ yr−1. The symmetric bicone outflows show rapid acceleration to ±250 km s−1 at ∼250 pc, decelerating to ∼130 km s−1 at 500 pc from the AGN, with an estimated mass outflow rate of 38 M ⊙ yr−1; the mass ratio of outflows to accretion is 1415. The kinetic power is ∼1.5 × 1042 erg s−1, 1% of the bolometric luminosity. Over the AGN active lifetime of ∼107 yr, 1.6 × 108 M ⊙ of gas can become gravitationally unbound from the galaxy, a large proportion of the gas mass available for star formation in the nuclear region. The bicone internal opening angle (50.°2) and the inclination to the line of sight (47.°6) were determined from [Fe ii] line profiles; the outflow axis is nearly parallel to the plane of the galaxy. This geometry supports the unified model of AGNs, as these angles preclude seeing the accretion disk, which is obscured by the dusty torus.

Forming Super Star Clusters in the Central Starburst of NGC 253

Abstract NGC 253 hosts the nearest nuclear starburst. Previous observations show a region rich in molecular gas, with dense clouds associated with recent star formation. We used the Atacama Large Submillimeter/Millimeter Array (ALMA) to image the 350 GHz dust continuum and molecular line emission from this region at 2 pc resolution. Our observations reveal ∼14 bright, compact (∼2–3 pc FWHM) knots of dust emission. Most of these sources are likely to be forming super star clusters (SSCs) based on their inferred dynamical and gas masses, association with 36 GHz radio continuum emission, and coincidence with line emission tracing dense, excited gas. One source coincides with a known SSC, but the rest remain invisible in Hubble near-infrared (IR) imaging. Our observations imply that gas still constitutes a large fraction of the overall mass in these sources. Their high brightness temperature at 350 GHz also implies a large optical depth near the peak of the IR spectral energy distribution. As a result, these sources may have large IR photospheres, and the IR radiation force likely exceeds L/c. Still, their moderate observed velocity dispersions suggest that feedback from radiation, winds, and supernovae are not yet disrupting most sources. This mode of star formation appears to produce a large fraction of stars in the burst. We argue for a scenario in which this phase lasts ∼1 Myr, after which the clusters shed their natal cocoons but continue to produce ionizing photons. The strong feedback that drives the observed cold gas and X-ray outflows likely occurs after the clusters emerge from this early phase.

Optical and Electrical Properties of CdS Material in a Microplasma Cell Under IR Stimulation

CdS has a wide range of applications for explorations of its optical and electrical behaviors. A microplasma cell with a CdS electrode has been constructed. The measurements on discharge currents under various gas pressures, interelectrode distances and excitation voltages have been studied theoretically and experimentally. The 2D electron densities under different parameter ranges along the gas discharge volume have been examined. The structural and optical features have been analyzed using scanning electron microscopy, atomic force spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy for complementary information. Experimentally, as an additional optical test, CVC measurements have also been performed under IR stimulation to verify the infrared sensitivity of the sample. The CdS cathode sample has been damaged by the high energetic current value around 10−1 A following the plasma transition from the glow to the arc.

Star formation in outer rings of S0 galaxies

Aims.Although S0 galaxies are usually thought to be “red and dead”, they often demonstrate star formation that is organized in ring structures. We try to clarify the nature of this phenomenon and its difference from star formation in spiral galaxies. Two early-type galaxies with outer rings, NGC 6534 and MCG 11-22-015, were selected to be studied.Methods.After inspecting the gas excitation in the rings using the Baldwin–Phillips–Terlevich method, we estimated the star formation rates (SFR) in the two outer rings of our galaxies using several SFR indicators derived from narrow-band photometry in the Hαemission line and archival GALEX ultraviolet images of the galaxies.Results.The ionized gas is excited by young stars in the ring of NGC 6534 and partly by shocks in MCG 11-22-015. The oxygen abundances in the HII regions of the rings are close to solar. The derived SFRs allow us to qualitatively restore star formation histories (SFH) in the rings: in NGC 6534, the SFH has been flat during the last 100–200 Myr, and in MCG 11-22-015, the star formation has started only a few Myr ago. We suggest that the rings in NGC 6534 and MCG 11-22-015 have different natures: the former is a resonant ring supplied with gas perhaps through tidal effects, and the latter has been produced by a satellite accretion. Recent outer gas accretion is implied in both cases.

Planck’s dusty GEMS

We present an extensive CO emission-line survey of the Planck’s dusty Gravitationally Enhanced subMillimetre Sources, a small set of 11 strongly lensed dusty star-forming galaxies at z = 2–4 discovered with Planck and Herschel satellites, using EMIR on the IRAM 30-m telescope. We detected a total of 45 CO rotational lines from Jup = 3 to Jup = 11, and up to eight transitions per source, allowing a detailed analysis of the gas excitation and interstellar medium conditions within these extremely bright (μLFIR = 0.5 − 3.0 × 1014L⊙), vigorous starbursts. The peak of the CO spectral-line energy distributions (SLEDs) fall between Jup = 4 and Jup = 7 for nine out of 11 sources, in the same range as other lensed and unlensed submillimeter galaxies (SMGs) and the inner regions of local starbursts. We applied radiative transfer models using the large velocity gradient approach to infer the spatially-averaged molecular gas densities, nH2 ≃ 102.6 − 104.1 cm−3, and kinetic temperatures, Tk ≃ 30–1000 K. In five sources, we find evidence of two distinct gas phases with different properties and model their CO SLED with two excitation components. The warm (70–320 K) and dense gas reservoirs in these galaxies are highly excited, while the cooler (15–60 K) and more extended low-excitation components cover a range of gas densities. In two sources, the latter is associated with diffuse Milky Way-like gas phases of density nH2 ≃ 102.4 − 102.8 cm−3, which provides evidence that a significant fraction of the total gas masses of dusty starburst galaxies can be embedded in cool, low-density reservoirs. The delensed masses of the warm star-forming molecular gas range from 0.6to12 × 1010 M⊙. Finally, we show that the CO line luminosity ratios are consistent with those predicted by models of photon-dominated regions (PDRs) and disfavor scenarios of gas clouds irradiated by intense X-ray fields from active galactic nuclei. By combining CO, [C I] and [C II] line diagnostics, we obtain average PDR gas densities significantly higher than in normal star-forming galaxies at low-redshift, as well as far-ultraviolet radiation fields 102–104 times more intense than in the Milky Way. These spatially-averaged conditions are consistent with those in high-redshift SMGs and in a range of low-redshift environments, from the central regions of ultra-luminous infrared galaxies and bluer starbursts to Galactic giant molecular clouds.

A New Look at T Tauri Star Forbidden Lines: MHD-driven Winds from the Inner Disk

Abstract Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) and photoevaporative winds are thought to play an important role in the evolution and dispersal of planet-forming disks. We report the first high-resolution (Δv ∼ 6 km s−1) analysis of [S ii] λ4068, [O i] λ5577, and [O i] λ6300 lines from a sample of 48 T Tauri stars. Following Simon et al. we decompose them into three kinematic components: a high-velocity component (HVC) associated with jets, and low-velocity narrow (LVC-NC) and broad (LVC-BC) components. We confirm previous findings that many LVCs are blueshifted by more than 1.5 km s−1 and thus most likely trace a slow disk wind. We further show that the profiles of individual components are similar in the three lines. We find that most LVC-NC and LVC-BC line ratios are explained by thermally excited gas with temperatures between 5000 and 10,000 K and electron densities of ∼107–108 cm−3. The HVC ratios are better reproduced by shock models with a pre-shock H number density of ∼106–107 cm−3. Using these physical properties, we estimate for the LVC and for the HVC. In agreement with previous work, the mass carried out in jets is modest compared to the accretion rate. With the likely assumption that the LVC-NC wind height is larger than the LVC-BC, the LVC-BC is found to be higher than the LVC-NC. These results suggest that most of the mass loss occurs close to the central star, within a few au, through an MHD-driven wind. Depending on the wind height, MHD winds might play a major role in the evolution of the disk mass.

The AGN Ionization Cones of NGC 5728. I. Excitation and Nuclear Structure

Abstract We explore the gas morphology and excitation mechanisms of the ionization cones of the Type II Seyfert galaxy NGC 5728. Near-IR and optical data from the SINFONI and MUSE integral field units on the Very Large Telescope are combined with Hubble Space Telescope optical images, Chandra X-ray data, and Very Large Array radio observations. The complex nuclear structure has a star-forming (SF) ring with a diameter of 2 kpc. A radio jet impacts on the interstellar medium at about 200 pc from the nucleus, with the supernova remnants in the SF ring also present. Emission-line ratios of [Fe ii] and H ii show heavy extinction toward the nucleus, moderate extinction in the SF ring, and reduced extinction in the ionization cones. The active galactic nucleus (AGN) is hidden by a dust bar with up to 19 mag of visual extinction; the dust temperature at the nuclear position is ∼870 K. An X-ray jet is aligned with the ionization cones and associated with high-excitation emission lines of [Si vi] in a coronal line region extending 300 pc from the nucleus. Molecular hydrogen is spatially independent of the cones, concentrated in a disk equatorial to the SF ring, but also showing entrainment along the sides of the bicone. Gas masses for warm and cold H2, H i, and H ii are estimated, and the excitation mechanisms for ionized and molecular gas are elucidated, from both optical (which shows a clean SF–AGN mixing sequence) and infrared diagnostics (which show more complicated, multicomponent excitation regimes).

Coupling of state-resolved rovibrational coarse-grain model for nitrogen to stochastic particle method for simulating internal energy excitation and dissociation.

We propose to couple a state-resolved rovibrational coarse-grain model to a stochastic particle method for simulating internal energy excitation and dissociation of a molecular gas. A coarse-grained model for a rovibrational reaction mechanism of an ab initio database developed at the NASA Ames Research Center for the N2-N system is modified based on variably spaced energy bins. The thermodynamic properties of the modified coarse-grained model allow us to closely match those obtained with the full set of rovibrational levels over a wide temperature range, while using a number of bins significantly smaller than the complete mechanism. The chemical-kinetic behavior of equally and variably spaced bin formulations is compared by simulating internal energy excitation and dissociation of nitrogen in an adiabatic, isochoric reactor. We find that the variably spaced formulation is better suited for reproducing the dynamics of the full database at conditions of interest in the Earth atmospheric entry. Also in this paper, we discuss the details of our particle method implementation for the uniform rovibrational collisional bin model and describe changes to the Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) collision algorithm, which become necessary to accommodate our state-resolved reaction mechanism for excitation and dissociation reactions. The DSMC code is then verified against equivalent master equation calculations. In these simulations, state-resolved cross sections are used in analytical form. These cross sections verify micro-reversibility relations for the rovibrational bins and allow for fast execution of the DSMC code. In our verification calculations, we obtain very close agreement for the concentrations profiles of N and N2, as well as the translational and rovibrational mode temperatures obtained independently through both methods. In addition to macroscopic moments, we compare discrete internal energy populations predicted at selected time steps via DSMC and the master equations. We observe good agreement between the two sets of results within the limits imposed by statistical scatter, which is inherent to particle-based DSMC solutions. As future work, the rovibrational coarse-grain model coupled to the particle method will allow us to study 3D reentry flow configurations.

Anatomy of phreatic eruptions

This study investigates phreatic eruptions at two similar volcanoes, Kawah Ijen (Indonesia) and White Island (New Zealand). By carefully processing broadband seismic signals, we reveal seismic signatures and characteristics of these eruptions. At both volcanoes, the phreatic eruptions are initiated by a very-long-period (VLP) seismic event located at shallow depths between 700 and 900 m below the crater region, and may be triggered by excitation of gas trapped behind a ductile magma carapace. The shallow hydrothermal systems respond in different ways. At Kawah Ijen, the stress change induced by VLPs directly triggers an eigenoscillation of the hyperacidic lake. This so-called seiche is characterized by long-lasting, long-period oscillations with frequencies governed by the dimensions of the crater lake. A progressive lateral rupture of a seal below the crater lake and/or fluids migrating toward the surface is seismically recorded sim 15 min later as high-frequency bursts superimposed to tilt signals. At White Island, the hydrothermal system later (sim 25 min) responds by radiating harmonic tremor at a fixed location that could be generated through eddy-shedding. These seismic signals shed light on several aspects of phreatic eruptions, their generation and timeline. They are mostly recorded at periods longer than tens of seconds further emphasizing the need to deploy broadband seismic equipment close to active volcanic activity.

Saturation and stability in internal resonance of a rotating blade under thermal gradient

The purpose of the present investigation is to reveal the primary resonance of a rotating pretwisted blade subject to a flapwise natural frequency gas excitation under thermal gradient in the presence of 2:1 internal resonance. The linear part of the dynamic model can be decoupled via the modal analysis. The method of multiple scales is applied to seek the steady-state responses. The stabilities of the responses are analyzed via the Lyapunov theory. Amplitude-frequency relationships are examined with the focus on the effects of thermal gradient, pre-deformation amplitude, rotating speed, gas pressure and damping coefficients. Plotting the response amplitudes as a function of the gas pressure amplitude exhibits the saturation and the jump phenomena in rotating blade. Colored distributions in resonance parameters plane demonstrate the occurrences of the saturation and the jump phenomena. The regions of stability and instability of the steady-state are presented in the plane of the gas pressure amplitude and the external excitation frequency tune. Detailed analysis is performed on an unstable region of the rotating blade. The analysis indicates the existence of quasi-periodic motion identified by time history, phase plane trajectories and Poincare sections. The numerical results show a good agreement with the available analytical solutions.

First hot corino detected around an isolated intermediate-mass protostar: Cep E-mm

Context. Intermediate-mass (IM) protostars provide a bridge between the low- and high-mass protostars. Despite their relevance, little is known about their chemical diversity. Aims. We want to investigate the molecular richness towards the envelope of I-M protostars and to compare their properties with those of low- and high-mass sources. Methods. We have selected the isolated IM Class 0 protostar Cep E-mm to carry out an unbiased molecular survey with the IRAM 30 m telescope between 72 and 350 GHz with an angular resolution lying in the range 7–34″. Our goal is to obtain a census of the chemical content of the protostellar envelope. These data were complemented with NOEMA observations of the spectral bands 85.9–89.6 GHz and 216.8–220.4 GHz at angular resolutions of 2.3″ and 1.4″, respectively. Results. The 30 m spectra show bright emission of O- and N-bearing complex organic molecules (COMs): CH3OH and its rare isotopologues CH2DOH and 13CH3OH, CH3CHO, CH3OCH3, CH3COCH3, HCOOH, HCOOCH3, H2CCO, NH2CHO, CH3CN, C2H3CN, C2H5CN, HNCO and H2CO. We identify up to three components in the spectral signature of COMs: an extremely broad line (eBL) component associated with the outflowing gas (FWHM > 7kms−1), a narrow line (NL) component (FWHM < 3kms−1) associated with the cold envelope, and a broad line (BL) component (FWHM ≃ 5.5kms−1) which traces the signature of a hot corino. The eBL and NL components are detected only in molecular transitions of low excitation and dominate the emission of CH3OH. The BL component is detected in highly excited gas (Eup > 100 K). The NOEMA observations reveal Cep E-mm as a binary protostellar system, whose components, Cep E-A and Cep E-B, are separated by ≈1.7″. Cep E-A dominates the core continuum emission and powers the long-studied, well-known, high-velocity jet associated with HH377. The lower flux source Cep E-B powers another high-velocity molecular jet, reaching velocities of ≈80 km s−1, which propagates in a direction close to perpendicular with respect to the Cep E-A jet. Our interferometric maps show that the emission of COMs arises from a region of ≈0.7″ size around Cep E-A, and corresponds to the BL component detected with the IRAM 30 m telescope. On the contrary, no COM emission is detected towards Cep E-B. We have determined the rotational temperature (Trot) and the molecular gas column densities from a simple population diagram analysis or assuming a given excitation temperature. Rotational temperatures of COMs emission were found to lie in the range 20−40 K with column densities ranging from a few times 1015 cm−2 for O-bearing species, down to a few times 1014 cm−2 for N-bearing species. Molecular abundances are similar to those measured towards other low- and intermediate-mass protostars. Ketene (H2CCO) appears as an exception, as it is found significantly more abundant towards Cep E-A. High-mass hot cores are significantly less abundant in methanol and N-bearing species are more abundant by two to three orders of magnitude. Conclusions. Cep E-mm reveals itself as a binary protostellar system with a strong chemical differentiation between both cores. Only the brightest component of the binary is associated with a hot corino. Its properties are similar to those of low-mass hot corinos.

Spatially Resolved Dense Molecular Gas Excitation in the Nearby LIRG VV 114

Abstract We present high-resolution observations (0.″2–1.″5) of multiple dense gas tracers, HCN and HCO+ (J = 1–0, 3–2, and 4–3), HNC (J = 1–0), and CS (J = 7–6) lines, toward the nearby luminous infrared galaxy VV 114 with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array. All lines are robustly detected at the central gaseous filamentary structure, including the eastern nucleus and the overlap region, the collision interface of the progenitors. We found that there is no correlation between star formation efficiency and dense gas fraction, indicating that the amount of dense gas does not simply control star formation in VV 114. We predict the presence of more turbulent and diffuse molecular gas clouds around the overlap region compared to those at the nuclear region, assuming a turbulence-regulated star formation model. The intracloud turbulence at the overlap region might be excited by galaxy-merger-induced shocks, which also explains the enhancement of gas-phase CH3OH abundance previously found there. We also present spatially resolved spectral line energy distributions of HCN and HCO+ for the first time, and derive excitation parameters by assuming optically thin and local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) conditions. The LTE model revealed that warmer, HCO+-poorer molecular gas medium is dominated around the eastern nucleus, harboring an active galactic nucleus (AGN). The HCN abundance is remarkably flat (∼3.5 × 10−9) independently of the various environments within the filament of VV 114 (i.e., AGN, star formation, and shock).

Non-equilibrium excitation of CO2 in an atmospheric pressure helium plasma jet

The energy efficient excitation of CO2 in atmospheric pressure plasmas may be a method to generate solar fuels from renewable energies. This energy efficiency can be very high, if only specific states of the molecules in the plasma are populated creating a strong non-equilibrium. This requires a specific design of the plasma source, method of plasma excitation and choice of gases and admixtures. In this paper, non-equilibrium excitation and dissociation of CO2 in an atmospheric pressure helium RF plasma jet is analysed for varying absorbed plasma power and admixture levels of CO2. The concentrations of CO2 and of CO, as well as the vibrational and rotational temperatures of the possible degrees of freedom of the molecules are evaluated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The molecular rotational vibrational spectra are modelled based on Maxwell–Boltzmann state populations using individual temperatures for each degree of freedom. A strong non-equilibrium excitation of CO2 and CO has been found. Whereas the rotational temperatures are 400 K or below, the vibrational temperature for CO reaches values up to 1600 K and that of the asymmetric vibration of CO2 of 700 K. The dependence of these excitation temperatures on plasma power and admixture level is rather weak. The mass balance, the energy and conversion efficiency are consistent with a very simple chemistry model that is dominated by CO2 dissociation via Penning collisions with helium metastables. A conversion efficiency up to 30% and an energy efficiency up to 10% is observed in the parameter range of the experiment.

Molecular dust precursors in envelopes of oxygen-rich AGB stars and red supergiants

AbstractCondensation of circumstellar dust begins with formation of molecular clusters close to the stellar photosphere. These clusters are predicted to act as condensation cores at lower temperatures and allow efficient dust formation farther away from the star. Recent observations of metal oxides, such as AlO, AlOH, TiO, and TiO2, whose emission can be traced at high angular resolutions with ALMA, have allowed first observational studies of the condensation process in oxygen-rich stars. We are now in the era when depletion of gas-phase species into dust can be observed directly. I review the most recent observations that allow us to identify gas species involved in the formation of inorganic dust of AGB stars and red supergiants. I also discuss challenges we face in interpreting the observations, especially those related to non-equilibrium gas excitation and the high complexity of stellar atmospheres in the dust-formation zone.

Properties of AGNs selected by their mid-IR colours: evidence for a physically distinct mode of black hole growth

We study the narrow emission line properties and stellar populations of a sample of 1385 AGN selected to have strong excess emission at mid-infrared wavelengths based on comparing Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer W1-W2 band colours with optical stellar absorption line indicators. Our goal is to understand whether the physical conditions in the interstellar medium of these objects differ from those of local AGN selected by their optical emission line ratios. To enable this comparison, we construct a control sample of 50,000 optically-selected AGN with the same redshifts that do not have strong mid-IR excess emission. The mid-IR excess and control samples differ strongly in [OIII] line luminosity, ionized gas excitation mechanism, ionization state and electron density. We show that the radio-detected, mid-IR excess AGN constitute the most luminous and highly ionized AGN in the local Universe and they contribute primarily to the growth of black holes in the most massive galaxies. At least half of this black hole growth is occurring in galaxies with recent starbursts. The morphologies of these systems indicate that the starbursts have probably been triggered by galaxy-galaxy mergers and interactions. The most luminous AGN in our mid-IR excess sample have properties that are similar to the Type II quasars studied at higher redshifts. In contrast, the control sample constitute a class of lower ionization, less luminous AGN in more quiescent galaxies that contribute primarily to the growth of low mass black holes.

Competition of Short-Range and Long-Range Mechanisms of Spectral Line Broadening in Emission of Atomic and Molecular Gases

An analogy is shown for broadening the spectral line of atoms in the case of competition between the short-range Doppler broadening mechanism and the long-range impact mechanism in atomic gases, as well as for the absorption band of a molecular gas in the infrared (IR) region of the spectrum, where the longrange part of the spectrum is also determined by the impact mechanism of the broadening. The long-range part in the pedestal region of the absorption band is associated with the distribution of molecules over the rotational states, and, in the range of wings of the absorption band, it is due to a finite time of collisions between emitting and perturbed molecules. The flux of resonant radiation produced by an excited atomic gas is estimated using the concepts of the spectral absorption band and a large optical thickness of the gas. These concepts are used for a molecular gas where, in the framework of the regular model (the Elsasser model), expressions are given for the absorption coefficient related to a specific spectral absorption band, separately in the pedestal region and for wings of the absorption band. As a demonstration of the possibilities of these concepts, the IR flux is calculated on the surface of Venus from its atmosphere, which includes seven vibrational transitions of the carbon dioxide molecule and amounts to 26% of the total flux of IR radiation emitted by the Venus surface. An analysis of the Venus energy balance leads to the conclusion that the main part of IR radiation of the Venus atmosphere falling on its surface is formed by a microscopic dust in the Venus atmosphere. This channel of the Venus energy balance is realized if the mass of a microscopic dust in the Venus atmosphere is seven orders of magnitude less than the mass of atmospheric carbon dioxide.

Molecular gas in AzTEC/C159: a star-forming disk galaxy 1.3 Gyr after the Big Bang

We studied the molecular gas properties of AzTEC/C159, a star-forming disk galaxy at z = 4.567, in order to better constrain the nature of the high-redshift end of the submillimeter-selected galaxy (SMG) population. We secured 12CO molecular line detections for the J = 2 →1 and J = 5 →4 transitions using the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) and the NOrthern Extended Millimeter Array (NOEMA) interferometer. The broad (FWHM ~ 750 km s−1) and tentative double-peaked profiles of the two 12CO lines are consistent with an extended molecular gas reservoir, which is distributed in a rotating disk, as previously revealed from [CII] 158 μm line observations. Based on the 12CO(2 →1) emission line, we derived L′CO=(3.4±0.6)×1010 K km s−1 pc2, which yields a molecular gas mass of MH2(αCO/4.3)=(1.5±0.3)×1011 M⊙ and unveils a gas-rich system with μgas(αCO/4.3)≡MH2/M⋆=3.3±0.7. The extreme star formation efficiency of AzTEC/C159, parametrized by the ratio LIR/L′CO=(216±80) L⊙ (K km s−1 pc2)−1, is comparable to merger-driven starbursts such as local ultra-luminous infrared galaxies and SMGs. Likewise, the 12CO(5 →4)/CO(2 →1) line brightness temperature ratio of r52 = 0.55 ± 0.15 is consistent with high-excitation conditions as observed in SMGs. Based on mass budget considerations, we constrained the value for the L′CO – H2 mass conversion factor in AzTEC/C159, that is, αCO=3.9−1.3+2.7 M⊙ K−1 km−1 s pc−2, which is consistent with a self-gravitating molecular gas distribution as observed in local star-forming disk galaxies. Cold gas streams from cosmological filaments might be fueling a gravitationally unstable gas-rich disk in AzTEC/C159, which breaks into giant clumps and forms stars as efficiently as in merger-driven systems and generates high gas excitation. These results support the evolutionary connection between AzTEC/C159-like systems and massive quiescent disk galaxies at z ~ 2.

Experimental studies of resonant nonlinear oscillations of a gas in an open and closed tube

Nonlinear oscillations of gas in an open and closed tube were researched experimentally. Dependencies of the of the pressure oscillation amplitude were obtained at the resonance frequencies of the gas excitation at a fixed amplitude of the tube displacement.