Component Of Interstellar Medium Research Articles

The Fate of the Interstellar Medium in Early-type Galaxies. III. The Mechanism of Interstellar Medium Removal and the Quenching of Star Formation

Understanding how galaxies quench their star formation is crucial for studies of galaxy evolution. Quenching is related to a decrease of cold gas. In the first paper we showed that the dust removal timescale in early-type galaxies (ETGs) is about 2.5 Gyr. Here we present carbon monoxide and 21 cm hydrogen line observations of these galaxies and measure the timescale of removal of the cold interstellar medium (ISM). We find that all the cold ISM components (dust and molecular and atomic gas) decline at similar rates. This allows us to rule out a wide range of potential ISM-removal mechanisms (including starburst-driven outflows, astration, or a decline in the number of asymptotic giant branch stars), and artificial effects like the stellar mass–age correlation, environmental influence, mergers, and selection bias, leaving ionization by evolved low-mass stars and ionization/outflows by Type Ia supernovae or active galactic nuclei as viable mechanisms. We also provide evidence for an internal origin of the detected ISMs. Moreover, we find that the quenching of star formation in these galaxies cannot be explained by a reduction in the gas amount alone, because the star formation rates (SFRs) decrease faster (on a timescale of about 1.8 Gyr) than the amount of cold gas. Furthermore, the star formation efficiency (SFE) of the ETGs ( SFE≡SFR/MH2 ) is lower than that of star-forming galaxies, whereas their gas mass fractions ( fH2≡MH2/M* ) are normal. This may be explained by the stabilization of gas against fragmentation, for example due to morphological quenching, turbulence, or magnetic fields.

Evidence for Thermal X-Ray Emission from the Synchrotron-dominated Shocks in Tycho’s Supernova Remnant

Young supernova remnant (SNR) shocks are believed to be the main sites of galactic cosmic-ray production, showing X-ray synchrotron-dominated spectra in the vicinity of their shock. While a faint thermal signature left by the shocked interstellar medium (ISM) should also be found in the spectra, proofs for such an emission in Tycho’s SNR have been lacking. We perform an extended statistical analysis of the X-ray spectra of five regions behind the blast wave of Tycho’s SNR using Chandra archival data. We use Bayesian inference to perform extended parameter space exploration and sample the posterior distributions of a variety of models of interest. According to Bayes factors, spectra of all five regions of analysis are best described by composite three-component models taking nonthermal emission, ejecta emission, and shocked ISM emission into account. The shocked ISM stands out the most in the northern limb of the SNR. We find for the shocked ISM a mean electron temperature keV for all regions and a mean ionization timescale cm−3 s resulting in a mean ambient density cm−3 around the remnant. We performed an extended analysis of the northern limb and show that the measured synchrotron cutoff energy is not well constrained in the presence of a shocked ISM component. Such results cannot currently be further investigated by analyzing emission lines in the 0.5–1 keV range, because of the low Chandra spectral resolution in this band. We show with simulated spectra that Athena X-ray Integral Field Unit future performances will be crucial to address this point.

OBSERVATIONS OF DECAMETER CARBON RADIO RECOMBINATION LINES IN SEVERAL GALACTIC DIRECTIONS Part 2. ANALYSIS OF PHYSICAL CONDITIONS IN DIFFUSE CII REGIONS

Subject and Purpose. In Part 2 of the current paper, we seek to analyze the observational results of decameter carbon radio recombi- nation lines (RRLs) detected near the frequency 26 MHz through the UTR-2 radio telescope towards the S140 emission nebula and the GSH 139-03-69 super shell. These lines have proven themselves as a highly effective tool for cold, rarefied interstellar medium (ISM) diagnostics. The aim is to determine an association of line-forming regions (CII regions) with other ISM components and study physical conditions (electron temperature Te and electron density Ne) in these regions. Methods and Methodology. By iterative comparison of detected and modeled integral intensities of decameter carbon RRLs, we determine physical state ranges where recorded experimental data best fit the model values for various combinations of Te , Ne , and path lengths s. Results. It has been found that the characteristics of the detected decameter carbon RRLs are consistent with the higher-frequency data for both the S140 line of sight and other Galactic plane directions, including the GSH 139-03-69 direction. Ranges of physical con- ditions where recorded data and model values are in the best agreement have been determined, being Te 50 ÷ 100 K, Ne 0.01 cm–3, and s 10 pc — for the S140 nebula direction and its vicinity and, also, Te 50 ÷ 100 K, Ne 0.01 cm–3, and s 5 ÷ 7 pc — for the GSH 139-03-69 super shell direction. Conclusions. The obtained results indicate that the detected decameter carbon RRLs originate from CII regions associated with clouds of diffuse neutral hydrogen HI in the Galactic plane. The lines are seen against a background Galactic radio emission whose brightness temperature increases as frequency decreases.

The resolved scaling relations in DustPedia: Zooming in on the local Universe

Aims. We perform a homogeneous analysis of an unprecedented set of spatially resolved scaling relations (SRs) between interstellar medium (ISM) components, that is to say dust, gas, and gas-phase metallicity, and other galaxy properties, such as stellar mass (Mstar), total baryonic content, and star-formation rate (SFR), in a range of physical scales between 0.3 and 3.4 kpc. We also study some ratios between galaxy components: dust-to-stellar, dust-to-gas, and dust-to-metal ratios. Methods. We use a sample of 18 large, spiral, face-on DustPedia galaxies. The sample consists of galaxies with spatially resolved dust maps corresponding to 15 Herschel-SPIRE 500 μm resolution elements across the optical radius, with the morphological stage spanning from T = 2 to 8, Mstar from 2 × 109 to 1 × 1011 M⊙, SFR from 0.2 to 13 M⊙ yr−1, and oxygen abundance from 12 + log(O/H) = 8.3 to 8.8. Results. All the SRs are moderate or strong correlations except the dust-H I SR that does not exist or is weak for most galaxies. The SRs do not have a universal form but each galaxy is characterized by distinct correlations, affected by local processes and galaxy peculiarities. The SRs hold, on average, starting from the scale of 0.3 kpc, and if a breaking down scale exists it is below 0.3 kpc. By evaluating all galaxies together at the common scale of 3.4 kpc, differences due to peculiarities of individual galaxies are cancelled out and the corresponding SRs are consistent with those of whole galaxies. By comparing subgalactic and global scales, the most striking result emerges from the SRs involving ISM components: the dust-total gas SR is a good correlation at all scales, while the dust-H2 and dust-H I SRs are good correlations at subkiloparsec/kiloparsec and total scales, respectively. For the other explored SRs, there is a good agreement between small and global scales and this may support the picture where the main physical processes regulating the properties and evolution of galaxies occur locally. In this scenario, our results are consistent with the hypothesis of self-regulation of the star-formation process. The analysis of subgalactic ratios between galaxy components shows that they are consistent with those derived for whole galaxies, from low to high redshift, supporting the idea that also these ratios could be set by local processes. Conclusions. Our results highlight the heterogeneity of galaxy properties and the importance of resolved studies on local galaxies in the context of galaxy evolution. They also provide fundamental observational constraints to theoretical models and updated references for high-redshift studies.

ALCHEMI, an ALMA Comprehensive High-resolution Extragalactic Molecular Inventory

Context. The interstellar medium is the locus of physical processes affecting the evolution of galaxies which drive or are the result of star formation activity, supermassive black hole growth, and feedback. The resulting physical conditions determine the observable chemical abundances that can be explored through molecular emission observations at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths. Aims. Our goal is to unveiling the molecular richness of the central region of the prototypical nearby starburst galaxy NGC 253 at an unprecedented combination of sensitivity, spatial resolution, and frequency coverage. Methods. We used the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), covering a nearly contiguous 289 GHz frequency range between 84.2 and 373.2 GHz, to image the continuum and spectral line emission at 1.6″(∼28 pc) resolution down to a sensitivity of 30 − 50 mK. This article describes the ALMA Comprehensive High-resolution Extragalactic Molecular Inventory (ALCHEMI) large program. We focus on the analysis of the spectra extracted from the 15″ (∼255 pc) resolution ALMA Compact Array data. Results. We modeled the molecular emission assuming local thermodynamic equilibrium with 78 species being detected. Additionally, multiple hydrogen and helium recombination lines are identified. Spectral lines contribute 5 to 36% of the total emission in frequency bins of 50 GHz. We report the first extragalactic detections of C2H5OH, HOCN, HC3HO, and several rare isotopologues. Isotopic ratios of carbon, oxygen, sulfur, nitrogen, and silicon were measured with multiple species. Concluison. Infrared pumped vibrationaly excited HCN, HNC, and HC3N emission, originating in massive star formation locations, is clearly detected at low resolution, while we do not detect it for HCO+. We suggest high temperature conditions in these regions driving a seemingly “carbon-rich” chemistry which may also explain the observed high abundance of organic species close to those in Galactic hot cores. The Lvib/LIR ratio was used as a proxy to estimate a 3% contribution from the proto super star cluster to the global infrared emission. Measured isotopic ratios with high dipole moment species agree with those within the central kiloparsec of the Galaxy, while those derived from 13C/18O are a factor of five larger, confirming the existence of multiple interstellar medium components within NGC 253 with different degrees of nucleosynthesis enrichment. The ALCHEMI data set provides a unique template for studies of star-forming galaxies in the early Universe.

The dust-gas AGN torus as constrained from X-ray and mid-infrared observations

Context. In recent decades, several multiwavelength studies have been dedicated to exploring the properties of the obscuring material in active galactic nuclei (AGN). Various models have been developed to describe the structure and distribution of this material and constrain its physical and geometrical parameters through spectral fitting techniques. However, questions around the way in which torus mid-infrared (mid-IR) and X-ray emission are related remain unanswered. Aims. In this work, we aim to study whether the dust continuum at mid-IR and gas reflection at X-rays have the same distribution in a sample of AGN. Methods. We carefully selected a sample of 36 nearby AGN with NuSTAR and Spitzer spectra available that satisfy the following criteria: (1) the AGN component dominates the mid-IR spectra (i.e., the stellar and interstellar medium components contribute less than 50% to the spectrum), and (2) the reflection component contributes significantly to the X-ray spectrum. Furthermore, we discarded the sources whose reflection component could be produced by ionized material in the disk. We derived the properties of the nuclear dust and gas through a spectral fitting, using models developed for mid-IR and X-ray wavelengths assuming smooth and clumpy distributions for this structure. Results. We find that a combination of smooth and clumpy distributions of gas and dust, respectively, is preferred for ∼80% of sources with good spectral fits according to the Akaike criterion. However, considering extra information about each individual source, such as the absorption variability, we find that ∼50% of our sources are best described by a clumpy distribution of both dust and gas. The remaining ∼50% of our sources can still be explained with a smooth distribution of gas and a clumpy distribution of dust. Furthermore, we explored the torus dust-to-gas ratio, finding that it is [0.01–1] times that of the interstellar medium. Conclusions. The results presented in this paper suggest that the distribution of the gas and dust in AGN is complex. We find at least six scenarios to explain the observed properties of our sample. In these scenarios, three gas–dust distribution combinations are possible: clumpy–clumpy, smooth–smooth, and smooth–clumpy. Most of them are in agreement with the notion that gas could also be located in the dust-free region, which is consistent with the dust-to-gas ratio found.

The ALMA Spectroscopic Survey in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field: CO Excitation and Atomic Carbon in Star-forming Galaxies at z = 1–3

Abstract We investigate the CO excitation and interstellar medium (ISM) conditions in a cold gas mass-selected sample of 22 star-forming galaxies at z = 0.46–3.60, observed as part of the ALMA Spectroscopic Survey in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field (ASPECS). Combined with Very Large Array follow-up observations, we detect a total of 34 CO transitions with J = 1 up to 8 (and an additional 21 upper limits, up to J = 10) and 6 and transitions (and 12 upper limits). The CO(2–1) and CO(3–2)-selected galaxies, at and 2.5, respectively, exhibit a range in excitation in their mid-J = 4, 5 and high-J = 7, 8 lines, on average lower than ( -brighter) BzK-color- and submillimeter-selected galaxies at similar redshifts. The former implies that a warm ISM component is not necessarily prevalent in gas mass-selected galaxies at . We use stacking and Large Velocity Gradient models to measure and predict the average CO ladders at z < 2 and z ≥ 2, finding and , respectively. From the models, we infer that the galaxies at z ≥ 2 have intrinsically higher excitation than those at z < 2. This fits a picture in which the global excitation is driven by an increase in the star formation rate surface density of galaxies with redshift. We derive a neutral atomic carbon abundance of , comparable to the Milky Way and main-sequence galaxies at similar redshifts, and fairly high densities (≥104 cm−3), consistent with the low-J CO excitation. Our results imply a decrease in the cosmic molecular gas mass density at z ≥ 2 compared to previous ASPECS measurements.

Fast-moving pulsars as probes of interstellar medium

ABSTRACT Pulsars moving through interstellar medium (ISM) produce bow shocks detected in hydrogen H α line emission. The morphology of the bow shock nebulae allows one to probe the properties of ISM on scales ∼0.01 pc and smaller. We performed 2D relativistic magnetohydrodynamic modelling of the pulsar bow shock and simulated the corresponding H α emission morphology. We find that even a mild spatial inhomogeneity of ISM density, δρ/ρ ∼ 1, leads to significant variations of the shape of the shock seen in H α line emission. We successfully reproduce the morphology of the Guitar Nebula. We infer quasi-periodic density variations in the warm component of ISM with characteristic length of ∼0.1 pc. Structures of this scale might be also responsible for the formation of the fine features seen at the forward shock of Tycho supernova remnant (SNR) in X-rays. Formation of such short periodic density structures in the warm component of ISM is puzzling, and bow-shock nebulae provide unique probes to study this phenomenon.

Spectral Modeling of Charge Exchange in the Central Region of M51

Abstract Charge exchange (CX) emission reveals the significant interaction between neutral and ionized interstellar medium components of the dense, multiphase, circumnuclear region of a galaxy. We use a model including a thermal and CX components to describe the high-resolution XMM-Newton/RGS spectrum of the diffuse emission in the central region of M51. Representative signatures of CX emission—especially the prominent O vii forbidden line and the excess emission in the O viii Lyγ lines—can be explained by the model. Combined with Chandra images in the O viii and the O vii bands, we find soft X-ray emission is dominated by the jet-driven outflow and its interaction with the ambient neutral material. The jet-driven outflow itself is likely a thermal plasma of ∼0.59 keV, with mostly sub-solar abundances. It runs into the ambient neutral gas, and produces significant CX emission that accounts for one-fifth of the diffuse X-ray emission in the 7–28 Å band. The effective interface area in the CX process is one order of magnitude greater than the geometrical surface area of the jet-driven outflow. The tenuous outflow driven by the nuclear star formation may also contribute a small portion to both the diffuse thermal and CX emission. The photoionization by the active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and the resonance scattering by the hot gas itself are disfavored, though the effects from past AGN events may not be ruled out.

The ISM scaling relations in DustPedia late-type galaxies: A benchmark study for the Local Universe

Aims.The purpose of this work is the characterization of the main scaling relations between all of the interstellar medium (ISM) components, namely dust, atomic, molecular, and total gas, and gas-phase metallicity, as well as other galaxy properties, such as stellar mass (Mstar) and galaxy morphology, for late-type galaxies in the Local Universe.Methods.This study was performed by extracting late-type galaxies from the entire DustPedia sample and by exploiting the large and homogeneous dataset available thanks to the DustPedia project. The sample consists of 436 galaxies with morphological stage spanning fromT= 1−10,Mstarfrom 6 × 107to 3 × 1011M⊙, star formation rate from 6 × 10−4to 60M⊙yr−1, and oxygen abundance from 12 + log(O/H) = 8−9.5. Molecular and atomic gas data were collected from the literature and properly homogenized. All the masses involved in our analysis refer to the values within the optical disks of galaxies. The scaling relations involving the molecular gas are studied by assuming both a constant and a metallicity-dependent CO-to-H2conversion factor (XCO). The analysis was performed by means of the survival analysis technique, in order to properly take into account the presence of both detection and nondetection in the data.Results.We confirm that the dust mass correlates very well with the total gas mass, and find –for the first time– that the dust mass correlates better with the atomic gas mass than with the molecular one. We characterize important mass ratios such as the gas fraction, the molecular-to-atomic gas mass ratio, the dust-to-total gas mass ratio (DGR), and the dust-to-stellar mass ratio, and study how they relate to each other, to galaxy morphology, and to gas-phase metallicity. Only the assumption of a metallicity-dependentXCOreproduces the expected decrease of the DGR with increasing morphological stage and decreasing gas-phase metallicity, with a slope of about 1. The DGR, the gas-phase metallicity, and the dust-to-stellar mass ratio are, for our galaxy sample, directly linked to galaxy morphology. The molecular-to-atomic gas mass ratio and the DGR show a positive correlation for low molecular gas fractions, but for galaxies rich in molecular gas this trend breaks down. To our knowledge, this trend has never been found before, and provides new constraints for theoretical models of galaxy evolution and a reference for high-redshift studies. We discuss several scenarios related to this finding.Conclusions.The DustPedia database of late-type galaxies is an extraordinary tool for the study of the ISM scaling relations, thanks to its homogeneous collection of data for the different ISM components. The database is made publicly available to the whole community.

Deciphering Residual Emissions: Time-dependent Models for the Nonthermal Interstellar Radiation from the Milky Way.

Cosmic rays (CRs) in the Galaxy are an important dynamical component of the interstellar medium (ISM) that interact with the other major components (interstellar gas and magnetic and radiation fields) to produce broadband interstellar emissions that span the electromagnetic spectrum. The standard modeling of CR propagation and production of the associated emissions is based on a steady-state assumption, where the CR source spatial density is described using a smoothly varying function of position that does not evolve with time. While this is a convenient approximation, reality is otherwise, where primary CRs are produced in and about highly localized regions, e.g., supernova remnants, which have finite lifetimes. In this paper, we use the latest version of the galprop CR propagation code to model time-dependent CR injection and propagation through the ISM from a realistic 3D discretized CR source density distribution, together with full 3D models for the other major ISM components, and make predictions of the associated broadband nonthermal emissions. We compare the predictions for the discretized and equivalent steady-state model, finding that the former predicts novel features in the broadband nonthermal emissions that are absent for the steady-state case. Some of the features predicted by the discretized model may be observable in all-sky observations made by WMAP and Planck, the recently launched eROSITA, the Fermi-LAT, and ground-based observations by HESS, HAWC, and the forthcoming CTA. The nonthermal emissions predicted by the discretized model may also provide explanations of puzzling anomalies in high-energy γ-ray data, such as the Fermi-LAT north/south asymmetry and residuals like the so-called "Fermi bubbles."

The interstellar medium: the key component in galactic evolution and modern cosmology

The gases of the interstellar medium (ISM) possess orders of magnitude more mass than those of all the stars combined and are thus the prime component of the baryonic Universe. With L-band surface sensitivity even better than the planned phase one of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA1), the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) promises unprecedented insights into two of the primary components of ISM, namely, atomic hydrogen (HI) and the hydroxyl molecule (OH). Here, we discuss the evolving landscape of our understanding of ISM, particularly, its complex phases, the magnetic fields within, the so-called dark molecular gas (DMG), high velocity clouds and the connection between local and distant ISM. We lay out, in broad strokes, several expected FAST projects, including an all northern-sky high-resolution HI survey (22 000 deg2, 3′ FWHM beam, 0.2 km s−1), targeted OH mapping, searching for absorption and maser signals, etc. Currently under commissioning, the commensal observing mode of FAST will be capable of simultaneously obtaining HI and pulsar data streams, making large-scale surveys in both science areas more efficient.

MWA tied-array processing II: Polarimetric verification and analysis of two bright southern pulsars

Abstract Polarimetric studies of pulsars at low radio frequencies provide important observational insights into the pulsar emission mechanism and beam models, and probe the properties of the magneto-ionic interstellar medium (ISM). Aperture arrays are the main form of next-generation low-frequency telescopes, including the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA). These require a distinctly different approach to data processing (e.g. calibration and beamforming) compared to traditional dish antennas. As the second paper of this series, we present a verification of the MWA’s pulsar polarimetry capability, using two bright southern pulsars, PSRs J0742–2822 and J1752–2806. Our observations simultaneously cover multiple frequencies (76–313 MHz) and were taken at multiple zenith angles (ZA) during a single night for each pulsar. We show that the MWA can be reliably calibrated for ZA ≲45° and frequencies ≲270 MHz. We present the polarimetric profiles for PSRs J0742–2822 and J1752–2806 at frequencies lower than 300 MHz for the first time, along with an analysis of the linear polarisation degree and pulse profile evolution with frequency. For PSR J0742–2822, the measured degree of linear polarisation shows a rapid decrease at low frequencies, in contrast with the generally expected trend, which can be attributed to depolarisation effects from small-scale, turbulent, magneto-ionic ISM components. This effect has not been widely explored for pulsars in general and will be further investigated in future work.

Sharpening up Galactic all-sky maps with complementary data

Context. Galactic all-sky maps at very disparate frequencies, such as in the radio and γ-ray regime, show similar morphological structures. This mutual information reflects the imprint of the various physical components of the interstellar medium. Aims. We want to use multifrequency all-sky observations to test resolution improvement and restoration of unobserved areas for maps in certain frequency ranges. For this we aim to reconstruct or predict from sets of other maps all-sky maps that, in their original form, lack a high resolution compared to other available all-sky surveys or are incomplete in their spatial coverage. Additionally, we want to investigate the commonalities and differences that the interstellar medium components exhibit over the electromagnetic spectrum. Methods. We built an n-dimensional representation of the joint pixel-brightness distribution of n maps using a Gaussian mixture model and investigate how predictive it is. We study the extend to which one map of the training set can be reproduced based on subsets of other maps? Results. Tests with mock data show that reconstructing the map of a certain frequency from other frequency regimes works astonishingly well, predicting reliably small-scale details well below the spatial resolution of the initially learned map. Applied to the observed multifrequency data sets of the Milky Way this technique is able to improve the resolution of, for example, the low-resolution Fermi-LAT maps as well as to recover the sky from artifact-contaminated data such as the ROSAT 0.855 keV map. The predicted maps generally show less imaging artifacts compared to the original ones. A comparison of predicted and original maps highlights surprising structures, imaging artifacts (fortunately not reproduced in the prediction), and features genuine to the respective frequency range that are not present at other frequency bands. We discuss limitations of this machine learning approach and ideas how to overcome them. In particular, with increasing sophistication of the method, such as introducing more internal degrees of freedom, it starts to internalize imaging artifacts. Conclusions. The approach is useful to identify particularities in astronomical maps and to provide detailed educated guesses of the sky morphology at not yet observed resolutions and locations.

Evolution of star-forming dwarf galaxies in different environments

AbstractThe ubiquity of star-forming dwarf galaxies (SFDG) in the local Universe allows us to trace their evolution in all type of environments, from voids to rich clusters. SFDGs in low-density regions are still assembling their mass, they often show peculiar gas morphology and kinematics, likely associated to external gas accretion or galaxy interactions, and they can experience strong bursts of star formation. The most metal-poor SFDGs are found in the field and they are unique laboratories to investigate the star formation process in the low-metallicity regime, at conditions similar to their high-redshift analogues. On the other hand, SFDGs in intermediate- and high-density environments provide a key to understand the processes that remove their interstellar medium (ISM) and suppress star formation, leading to the different types of gas-poor early-type dwarfs. We review the most recent results on the properties of SFDGs at low and high galaxy densities focusing in particular on the impact of a cluster environment on their ISM components (dust, molecular, atomic and ionised gas). We analyse the population of SFDGs in the nearest rich clusters: Virgo, which is still in the process of assembly, and Fornax, which is more dynamically evolved, more compact and denser. We discuss how the different evolutionary stage of the two structures affects the properties of SFDGs.

Constraining the halo size from possible density profiles of hydrogen gas of Milky Way Galaxy

Galactic magnetic field (GMF) and secondary cosmic rays (CRs) (e.g. 10beryllium, boron, antiproton) are important components to understand the propagation of CRs in the Milky Way Galaxy. Realistic modeling of GMF is based on the Faraday rotation measurements of various Galactic and extragalactic radio sources and synchrotron emission from CR leptons in the radio frequency range, thereby providing information of halo height. On the other hand, diffusion coefficient and halo height are also estimated from the 10Be/9Be and B/C ratios. Moreover, density distribution of gaseous components of interstellar medium (ISM) also plays an important role as secondary CRs are produced due to interaction of primary CRs with the gaseous components of ISM . We consider mainly molecular, atomic, and ionized components of hydrogen gas for our study. Recent observations and hydrodynamical simulations provide new forms of density profiles of hydrogen gas in Milky Way Galaxy. In the DRAGON code, we have implemented our chosen density profiles, based on realistic observations in radio, X-ray and γ-ray wavebands, and hydrodynamical simulations of interstellar hydrogen gas to study the variation in the height of the halo required to fit the observed CR spectra. Our results show the halo height (zt) varies in the range of 2 to 6 kpc for the density profiles considered in our work.

Polyaromatic disordered carbon grains as carriers of the UV bump: Far-UV to mid-IR spectroscopy of laboratory analogs

Context. A multiwavelength study of laboratory carbons with varying degrees of hydrogenation and sp2 hybridization is required to characterize the structure of the carbonaceous carriers of interstellar and circumstellar extinction. Aims. We study the spectral properties of carbonaceous dust analogs from the far-ultraviolet to the mid-infrared and correlate features in both spectral ranges to the aromatic/aliphatic degree. Methods. Analogs to carbonaceous interstellar dust encountered in various phases of the interstellar medium have been prepared in the laboratory. These are amorphous hydrogenated carbons (a-C:H), analogs to the diffuse interstellar medium component, and soot particles, analogs to the polyaromatic component. Thin films (d < 100 nm) have been measured in transmission in the vacuum-ultraviolet (VUV; 120–210 nm) within the atmospheric pressure experiment (APEX) chamber of the DISCO beam line at the SOLEIL synchrotron radiation facility. Spectra of these films were further measured through the UV-Vis (210 nm–1 μm) and in the mid-infrared (3–15 μm). Results. Tauc optical gaps, Eg, are derived from the visible spectra. The major spectral features are fitted through the VUV to the mid-infrared to obtain positions, full-widths at half maximum (FWHM), and integrated intensities. These are plotted against the position of the π-π∗ electronic transitions peak. Unidentified or overlapping features in the UV are identified by correlations with complementary infrared data. A correlation between the optical gap and position of the π-π∗ electronic transitions peak is found. The latter is also correlated to the position of the sp3 carbon defect band at ~8 μm, the aromatic C=C stretching mode position at ~6 μm, and the H/C ratio. Conclusions. Ultraviolet and infrared spectroscopy of structurally diverse carbon samples are used to constrain the nanostructural properties of carbon carriers of both circumstellar and interstellar extinction, such as the associated coherent lengths and the size of polyaromatic units. Our study suggests that carriers of the interstellar UV bump should exhibit infrared bands akin to the A/B classes of the aromatic infrared bands, while the circumstellar bump carriers should exhibit bands corresponding to the B/C classes.

HIFI Spectroscopy of H2O Submillimeter Lines in Nuclei of Actively Star-forming Galaxies

Abstract We present a systematic survey of multiple velocity-resolved H2O spectra using Herschel/Heterodyne Instrument for the Far Infrared (HIFI) toward nine nearby actively star-forming galaxies. The ground-state and low-excitation lines (E up ≤ 130 K) show profiles with emission and absorption blended together, while absorption-free medium-excitation lines (130 K ≤ E up ≤ 350 K) typically display line shapes similar to CO. We analyze the HIFI observation together with archival SPIRE/PACS H2O data using a state-of-the-art 3D radiative transfer code that includes the interaction between continuum and line emission. The water excitation models are combined with information on the dust and CO spectral line energy distribution to determine the physical structure of the interstellar medium (ISM). We identify two ISM components that are common to all galaxies: a warm ( K), dense ( ) phase that dominates the emission of medium-excitation H2O lines. This gas phase also dominates the far-IR emission and the CO intensities for . In addition, a cold ( K), dense ( ), more extended phase is present. It outputs the emission in the low-excitation H2O lines and typically also produces the prominent line absorption features. For the two ULIRGs in our sample (Arp 220 and Mrk 231) an even hotter and more compact (R s ≤ 100 pc) region is present, which is possibly linked to AGN activity. We find that collisions dominate the water excitation in the cold gas and for lines with K and K in the warm and hot component, respectively. Higher-energy levels are mainly excited by IR pumping.

TRACING THE EVOLUTION OF HIGH-REDSHIFT GALAXIES USING STELLAR ABUNDANCES

ABSTRACT This paper presents the first results from a model for chemical evolution that can be applied to N-body cosmological simulations and quantitatively compared to measured stellar abundances from large astronomical surveys. This model convolves the chemical yield sets from a range of stellar nucleosynthesis calculations (including asymptotic giant branch stars, Type Ia and II supernovae, and stellar wind models) with a user-specified stellar initial mass function (IMF) and metallicity to calculate the time-dependent chemical evolution model for a “simple stellar population” (SSP) of uniform metallicity and formation time. These SSP models are combined with a semianalytic model for galaxy formation and evolution that uses merger trees from N-body cosmological simulations to track several α- and iron-peak elements for the stellar and multiphase interstellar medium components of several thousand galaxies in the early (z ≥ 6) universe. The simulated galaxy population is then quantitatively compared to two complementary data sets of abundances in the Milky Way stellar halo and is capable of reproducing many of the observed abundance trends. The observed abundance ratio distributions are best reproduced with a Chabrier IMF, a chemically enriched star formation efficiency of 0.2, and a redshift of reionization of 7. Many abundances are qualitatively well matched by our model, but our model consistently overpredicts the carbon-enhanced fraction of stars at low metallicities, likely owing to incomplete coverage of Population III stellar yields and supernova models and the lack of dust as a component of our model.

The scale height of gas traced by [C ii] in the Galactic plane

The distribution of various interstellar gas components and the pressure in the interstellar medium (ISM) is a result of the interplay of different dynamical mechanisms and energy sources on the gas in the Milky Way. The scale heights of the different gas tracers, such as HI and CO, are a measure of these processes. The scale height of [CII] emission in the Galactic plane is important for understanding those ISM components not traced by CO or HI. We determine the average distribution of [CII] perpendicular to the plane in the inner Galactic disk and compare it to the distributions of other key gas tracers, such as CO and HI. We calculated the vertical, z, distribution of [CII] in the inner Galactic disk by adopting a model for the emission that combines the latitudinal, b, spectrally unresolved BICE survey, with the spectrally resolved $Herschel$ Galactic plane survey of [CII] at b = 0 deg. Our model assumed a Gaussian emissivity distribution vertical to the plane, and related the distribution in z to that of the latitude b using the spectrally resolved [CII] Herschel survey as the boundary solution for the emissivity at b=0 deg. We find that the distribution of [CII] perpendicular to the plane has a full-width half-maximum of 172 pc, larger than that of CO, which averages ~110 pc in the inner Galaxy, but smaller than that of HI, ~230 pc, and is offset by -28 pc. We explain the difference in distributions of [CII], CO, and HI as due to [CII] tracing a mix of ISM components. Models of hydrostatic equilibrium of clouds in the disk predict different scale heights, for the same interstellar pressure. The diffuse molecular clouds with [CII] but no CO emission likely have a scale height intermediate between the low density atomic hydrogen HI clouds and the dense CO molecular clouds.