Properties Of Interstellar Dust Research Articles

Sensitivity of Polarization to Grain Shape. II. Aggregates

A previous study (Paper I) investigated the polarization properties of a variety of simple convex grain shapes, some of which were found to be consistent with the observed polarization properties of interstellar dust from far-ultraviolet to far-infrared. Here, we study the optical properties of 45 nonconvex shapes, all aggregates of N equal-sized spheres. We consider N = 2, N = 3, and N = 256 random aggregates obtained from three different aggregation schemes. We also consider “trimmed” N = 256 aggregates obtained by systematically trimming initially random aggregates to increase either flattening or elongation. The “macroporosities” of the studied aggregates range from Pmacro=0.18 (for the N = 2 bisphere) to Pmacro≈0.85 (for the N = 256 “BA” aggregates). The only aggregates consistent with observations of starlight polarization and polarized thermal emission are shapes that have been trimmed to increase their asymmetry. If interstellar grains are high-porosity aggregates, there must be processes causing extreme elongation or flattening; if not, interstellar grains must be dominated by fairly compact structures, with at most moderate porosities. The ratio of polarization in the 10 μm silicate feature to starlight polarization in the optical is shown to be insensitive to porosity and shape. X-ray scattering may be the best tool to determine the porosity of interstellar grains. We propose that modest porosities of interstellar grains could be the result of “photolytic densification.” High polarization fractions observed in some Class 0 cores require processes to reduce porosities and/or increase asymmetries of aggregates in dense regions.

An R V Map of the Milky Way Revealed by LAMOST

The total-to-selective extinction ratio, R V, is a key parameter for tracing the properties of interstellar dust, as it directly determines the variation of the extinction curve with wavelength. By utilizing accurate color excess measurements from the optical to the mid-infrared range, we have derived R V values for approximately three million stars from LAMOST data release 7 using a forward-modeling technique. This extensive data set enables us to construct a comprehensive 2D R V map of the Milky Way within the LAMOST footprint at a spatial resolution of ∼27.′5. Based on reliable sight lines of E(B − V) > 0.1, we find that R V exhibits a Gaussian distribution centered around 3.25 with a standard deviation of 0.25. The spatial variability of R V in the Galactic disk exhibits a wide range, spanning from small scales within individual molecular clouds to large scales up to kiloparsecs. A striking correlation is observed between the distribution of R V and molecular clouds. Notably, we observe lower R V values within the regions of nearby molecular clouds compared to their surrounding areas. Furthermore, we have investigated the relationships between R V and various parameters, including dust temperature, dust emissivity spectral index, column densities and ratios of atomic and molecular hydrogen, as well as the gas-to-dust ratio. We find that these relationships vary with the level of extinction. These analyses provide new insights into the properties and evolution of dust grains in diverse interstellar environments and also hold significant importance for achieving accurate extinction corrections.

Spectropolarimetry of Type II supernovae

We investigate the polarization spectra of hydrogen-rich core-collapse supernovae (Type II SNe). The polarization signal from SNe contains two independent components: intrinsic SN polarization and interstellar polarization (ISP). From these components, we can study the SN explosion geometry and the dust properties in their host galaxies or in the Milky Way. In this first paper, we employ a newly improved method to investigate the properties of the ISP components of 11 well-observed Type II SNe. Our analyses revealed that 10 of these 11 SNe showed a steady ISP component with a polarization degree of ≲1.0%, while one SN was consistent with zero ISP. As for the wavelength dependence, SN 2001dh (and possibly SN 2012aw) showed a non-Milky-Way-like ISP likely originating from the interstellar dust in their respective host galaxies: their polarization maxima were located at short wavelengths (≲4000 Å). Similar results have been obtained previously for highly reddened SNe. The majority of the SNe in our sample had uncertainties in the wavelength dependence of their ISP components that were too large for further consideration. Our work demonstrates that further investigation of the ISP component of the SN polarization, by applying this method to a larger SN sample, can provide new opportunities to study interstellar dust properties in external galaxies.

Exploring the evolution of dust temperature using spectral energy distribution fitting in a large photometric survey

ABSTRACT Panchromatic analysis of galaxy spectral energy distributions, spanning from the ultraviolet to the far-infrared, probes not only the stellar population but also the properties of interstellar dust through its extinction and long-wavelength re-emission. However, little work has exploited the full power of such fitting to constrain the redshift evolution of dust temperature in galaxies. To do so, we simultaneously fit ultraviolet, optical, and infrared observations of stacked galaxy subsamples at a range of stellar masses and photometric redshifts at 0 < z < 5, using an energy-balance formalism. However, we find UV-emission beyond the Lyman limit in some photometric redshift selected galaxy subsamples, giving rise to the possibility of contaminated observations. We carefully define a robust clean subsample which extends to no further than z ∼ 2. This has consistently lower derived temperatures by $4.0^{+5.0}_{-1.9}$ K, relative to the full sample. We find a linear increase in dust temperature with redshift, with Td (z) = (4.8 ± 1.5) × z + (26.2 ± 1.5) K. Our inferred temperature evolution is consistent with a modest rise in dust temperature with redshift, but inconsistent with some previous analyses. We also find a majority of photometrically selected subsamples at z > 4.5 underpredict the IR emission while giving reasonable fits to the UV-optical. This could be due to a spatial disconnect in the locations of the UV and IR emission peaks, suggesting that an energy-balance formalism may not always be applicable in the distant Universe.

Diversity of Dust Properties in External Galaxies Confirmed by Polarization Signals from Type II Supernovae

Abstract Investigating interstellar (IS) dust properties in external galaxies is important not only to infer the intrinsic properties of astronomical objects but also to understand the star/planet formation in the galaxies. From the non–Milky Way–like extinction and interstellar polarization (ISP) observed in reddened Type Ia supernovae (SNe), it has been suggested that their host galaxies contain dust grains whose properties are substantially different from the Milky Way (MW) dust. It is important to investigate the universality of such non-MW-like dust in the universe. Here we report spectropolarimetry of two highly extinguished Type II SNe (SN 2022aau and SN 2022ame). SN 2022aau shows a polarization maximum at a shorter wavelength than MW stars, which is also observed in some Type Ia SNe. This is clear evidence for the existence of non-MW-like dust in its host galaxy (i.e., NGC 1672). This fact implies that such non-MW-like dust might be more common in some environments than expected, and thus it might affect the picture of the star/planet formation. On the other hand, SN 2022ame shows MW-like ISP, implying the presence of MW-like dust in its host galaxy (i.e., NGC 1255). Our findings confirm that dust properties of galaxies are diverse, either locally or globally. The present work demonstrates that further investigation of IS dust properties in external galaxies using polarimetry of highly reddened SNe is promising, providing a great opportunity to study the universality of such non-MW-like dust grains in the universe.

Evolution of dust grain size distribution and grain porosity in galaxies

ABSTRACT The radiative properties of interstellar dust are affected not only by the grain size distribution but also by the grain porosity. We develop a model for the evolution of size-dependent grain porosity and grain size distribution over the entire history of galaxy evolution. We include stellar dust production, supernova dust destruction, shattering, coagulation, and accretion. Coagulation is assumed to be the source of grain porosity. We use a one-zone model with a constant dense gas fraction (ηdense), which regulates the balance between shattering and coagulation. We find that porosity develops after small grains are sufficiently created by the interplay between shattering and accretion (at age t ∼ 1 Gyr for star formation time-scale τSF = 5 Gyr) and are coagulated. The filling factor drops down to 0.3 at grain radii $\sim 0.03~ {\mu m}$ for ηdense = 0.5. The grains are more porous for smaller ηdense because small grains, from which porous coagulated grains form, are more abundant. We also calculate the extinction curves based on the above results. The porosity steepens the extinction curve significantly for silicate, but not much for amorphous carbon. The porosity also increases the collisional cross-sections and produces slightly more large grains through the enhanced coagulation; however, the extinction curve does not necessarily become flatter because of the steepening effect by porosity. We also discuss the implication of our results for the Milky Way extinction curve.

Optical Properties of Interstellar Dust around the Orion A Molecular Cloud

Abstract We have studied optical properties of interstellar dust around the Orion A molecular cloud to investigate the size distribution and the composition of dust grains. Orion A is one of the most studied molecular clouds in the solar vicinity (d ≃ 400 pc). In this paper, we used optical and near-infrared photometric data. The optical data were obtained by BVRI bands imaging observations. The near-infrared data consisting of JHK S bands were taken from 2MASS point source catalog. We produced some color excess maps around Orion A and measured their ratios such as E(R − I)/E(B − V). In order to investigate dust properties, we compared the observed ratios with results of simulation performed by Naoi et al. who calculated the extinction in the optical to near-infrared wavelengths based on a standard dust model. They assumed a power-law grain-size distribution with an upper cutoff radius and assumed graphite and silicate as dominant components. As a result, we found that the upper cutoff radius around Orion A is ≃0.3 μm, and silicate predominates compared with graphite (with the fraction of silicate grater than 93%). In addition, we further derived the total-to-selective extinction ratio R V from the observed extinction of A V and the color excess E(B − V), and compared it with the model calculations. Dust properties (i.e., the upper cutoff radius and the ratio of graphite/silicate) derived from R V are almost consistent with those derived from the color excess ratios.

Distribution of dust properties around carbon rich AGB star: IRAS 04427+4951 using IRIS and AKARI survey

Interstellar dust properties using far-infrared bands analyze nature around asymptotic giant branch stars and stellar objects. Here, we present physical properties around the cavity region across an AGB star named IRAS 04427+4951 Sky View Observatory of IRIS, AKARI map, SIMBAD, Aladin v2.5, and Gaia Archive. The average color temperature and mass are 23.48 ± 0.009 K, 3.55×1027 kg (1.79× 10-3 Mʘ ) in IRIS data and 14.89 ± 0.004 K and 5.34×1028 kg (2.69 × 10-2 Mʘ ) from AKARI data. The size of isolated cavity-like structure around the AGB stars of 45.67 pc × 17.02 pc and 42.25 pc × 17.76 pc, respectively. The visual extinction is to be in the range of 3.2×10-4 to 4.3×10-4 mag in and 4.5 × 10-3 to 7.4×10-3 mag. The inclination angle is 86.150 and 93.920. The method and results we present developed can for the study of astrochemistry of interstellar medium.
 BIBECHANA 18 (2) (2021) 154-163

Observational Constraints on the Physical Properties of Interstellar Dust in the Post-Planck Era

Abstract We present a synthesis of the astronomical observations constraining the wavelength-dependent extinction, emission, and polarization from interstellar dust from UV to microwave wavelengths on diffuse Galactic sight lines. Representative solid-phase abundances for those sight lines are also derived. Given the sensitive new observations of polarized dust emission provided by the Planck satellite, we place particular emphasis on dust polarimetry, including continuum polarized extinction, polarization in the carbonaceous and silicate spectroscopic features, the wavelength-dependent polarization fraction of the dust emission, and the connection between optical polarized extinction and far-infrared polarized emission. Together, these constitute a set of constraints that should be reproduced by models of dust in the diffuse interstellar medium.

Broadband Linear Polarization in the Region of the Open Star Cluster NGC 1817

Abstract Multiband linear polarimetric observations of 125 stars in the region of the cluster NGC 1817 have been carried out intending to study properties of interstellar dust and grains in that direction. The polarization is found to be wavelength-dependent, being maximum in the V band with an average value of 0.95%. The foreground interstellar dust grains appear to be the main source of linear polarization of starlight toward the direction of NGC 1817. The average value of the position angle in the V band of 119.°2 is found to be less than the direction of the Galactic parallel in the region, indicating that the dust grains in the direction are probably not yet relaxed. Spatial distribution of dust appears to be more diverse in the coronal region than the core region of the cluster. The maximum value of the degree of polarization is estimated to be 0.93% for members of the cluster using the Serkowski relation. The average value of wavelength corresponding to the maximum polarization of 0.54 ± 0.02 μm indicates that the size distribution of dust grains in the line of sight is similar to that of the general interstellar medium. Several variable stars in the cluster were also observed polarimetrically and pulsating variables appear to have a slightly lower value of polarization from other nonvariable member stars of the cluster. There are indications of the existence of dust layers in front of those clusters which are located close to galactic plane while for clusters located away from galactic plane no major dust layers are observed.

Interstellar oxygen along the line of sight of Cygnus X-2

Interstellar dust permeates our Galaxy and plays an important role in many physical processes in the diffuse and dense regions of the interstellar medium (ISM). High-resolution X-ray spectroscopy, coupled with modelling based on laboratory dust measurements, provides a unique probe for investigating the interstellar dust properties along our line of sight towards Galactic X-ray sources. Here, we focus on the oxygen content of the ISM through its absorption features in the X-ray spectra. To model the dust features, we perform a laboratory experiment using the electron microscope facility located at the University of Cadiz in Spain, where we acquire new laboratory data in the oxygen K-edge. We study 18 dust samples of silicates and oxides with different chemical compositions. The laboratory measurements are adopted for our astronomical data analysis. We carry out a case study on the X-ray spectrum of the bright low-mass X-ray binary Cygnus X-2, observed by XMM−Newton. We determine different temperature phases of the ISM and parameterise oxygen in both gas (neutral and ionised) and dust form. We find Solar abundances of oxygen along the line of sight towards the source. Due to both the relatively low depletion of oxygen into dust form and the shape of the oxygen cross section profiles, it is challenging to determine the precise chemistry of interstellar dust. However, silicates provide an acceptable fit. Finally, we discuss the systematic discrepancies in the atomic (gaseous phase) data of the oxygen edge spectral region using different X-ray atomic databases as well as consider future prospects for studying the ISM with the Arcus concept mission.

Modelling the properties of interstellar dust using the Si K-edge

AbstractThe properties of interstellar dust (ID) can be studied in great detail by making use of X-ray spectroscopy techniques. The radiation of X-rays sources is scattered and absorbed by dust grains in the interstellar medium. The X-ray band is especially suitable to study silicates - one of the main components of ID -since it contains the absorption edges of Si, Mg, O and Fe. In the Galaxy, we can use absorption features in the spectra of X-ray binaries to study the size distribution, composition and crystalline structure of grains. In order to derive these properties, it is necessary to acquire a database of detailed extinction cross sections models, that reflects the composition of the dust in the interstellar medium. We present the extinction profiles of a set of newly acquired measurements of 14 dust analogues at the Soleil Synchrotron facility in Paris, where we focus on silicates and the Si-K edge in particular, which is modelled with unprecedented accuracy. These models are used to analyse ID in the dense environments of the Galaxy.

MIRIS observation of near-infrared diffuse Galactic light

Abstract We report near-infrared (IR) observations of high Galactic latitude clouds to investigate diffuse Galactic light (DGL), which is starlight scattered by interstellar dust grains. The observations were performed at 1.1 and 1.6 μm with a wide-field camera instrument, the Multi-purpose Infra-Red Imaging System (MIRIS) onboard the Korean satellite STSAT-3. The DGL brightness is measured by correlating the near-IR images with a far-IR 100 μm map of interstellar dust thermal emission. The wide-field observation of DGL provides the most accurate DGL measurement achieved to-date. We also find a linear correlation between optical and near-IR DGL in the MBM32 field. To study interstellar dust properties in MBM32, we adopt recent dust models with and without μm-sized very large grains and predict the DGL spectra, taking into account the reddening effect of the interstellar radiation field. The result shows that the observed color of the near-IR DGL is closer to the model spectra without very large grains. This may imply that dust growth in the observed MBM32 field is not active owing to the low density of its interstellar medium.

Investigating the interstellar dust through the Fe K-edge

Context. The chemical and physical properties of interstellar dust in the densest regions of the Galaxy are still not well understood. X-rays provide a powerful probe since they can penetrate gas and dust over a wide range of column densities (up to 1024 cm-2). The interaction (scattering and absorption) with the medium imprints spectral signatures that reflect the individual atoms which constitute the gas, molecule, or solid. Aims. In this work we investigate the ability of high resolution X-ray spectroscopy to probe the properties of cosmic grains containing iron. Although iron is heavily depleted into interstellar dust, the nature of the Fe-bearing grains is still largely uncertain. Methods. In our analysis we use iron K-edge synchrotron data of minerals likely present in the ISM dust taken at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility. We explore the prospects of determining the chemical composition and the size of astrophysical dust in the Galactic centre and in molecular clouds with future X-ray missions. The energy resolution and the effective area of the present X-ray telescopes are not sufficient to detect and study the Fe K-edge, even for bright X-ray sources. Results. From the analysis of the extinction cross sections of our dust models implemented in the spectral fitting program SPEX, the Fe K-edge is promising for investigating both the chemistry and the size distribution of the interstellar dust. We find that the chemical composition regulates the X-ray absorption fine structures in the post edge region, whereas the scattering feature in the pre-edge is sensitive to the mean grain size. Finally, we note that the Fe K-edge is insensitive to other dust properties, such as the porosity and the geometry of the dust.

Properties of interstellar dust responsible for extinction laws with unusually low total-to-selective extinction ratios of RV=1−2

It is well known that the extinction properties along lines of sight to Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) are described by steep extinction curves with unusually low total-to-selective extinction ratios of RV=1.0−2.0. In order to reveal the properties of interstellar dust that causes such peculiar extinction laws, we perform the fitting calculations to the measured extinction curves by applying a two-component dust model composed of graphite and silicate. As for the size distribution of grains, we consider two function forms of the power-law and lognormal distributions. We find that the steep extinction curves derived from the one-parameter formula by Cardelli et al. (1989) with RV=2.0, 1.5, and 1.0 can be reasonably explained even by the simple power-law dust model that has a fixed power index of −3.5 with the maximum cut-off radii of amax≃0.13μm, 0.094µm, and 0.057μm, respectively. These maximum cut-off radii are smaller than amax≃0.24μm considered to be valid in the Milky Way, clearly demonstrating that the interstellar dust responsible for steep extinction curves is highly biased to smaller sizes. We show that the lognomal size distribution can also lead to good fits to the extinction curves with RV=1.0–3.1 by taking the appropriate combinations of the relevant parameters. We discuss that the extinction data at ultraviolet wavelengths are essential for constraining the composition and size distribution of interstellar dust.

A PRECISE DETERMINATION OF THE MID-INFRARED INTERSTELLAR EXTINCTION LAW BASED ON THE APOGEE SPECTROSCOPIC SURVEY

ABSTRACT A precise measure of the mid-infrared interstellar extinction law is crucial for investigating the properties of interstellar dust, especially larger-sized grains. Based on the stellar parameters derived from the SDSS-III/Apache Point Observatory Galaxy Evolution Experiment (APOGEE) spectroscopic survey, we select a large sample of G-type and K-type giants as the tracers of the Galactic mid-infrared extinction. We calculate the intrinsic stellar color excesses from the stellar effective temperatures and use them to determine the mid-infrared extinction for a given line of sight. For the entire sky of the Milky Way surveyed by APOGEE, we derive the extinctions (relative to , the K S-band extinction at wavelength λ = 2.16 μm) for the four Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) bands at 3.4, 4.6, 12, and 22 μm, the four Spitzer/Infrared Array Camera bands at 3.6, 4.5, 5.8, and 8 μm, the Spitzer/MIPS24 band at 23.7 μm, and, for the first time, the AKARI/S9W band at 8.23 μm. Our results agree with previous works in that the extinction curve is flat in the ∼3–8 μm wavelength range and is generally consistent with the = 5.5 model curve, except our determination exceeds the model prediction in the WISE/W4 band. Although some previous works found that the mid-IR extinction law appears to vary with the extinction depth , no noticeable variation has been found in this work. The uncertainties are analyzed in terms of the bootstrap resampling method and Monte-Carlo simulation and are found to be rather small.

Long-Duration Gamma-Ray Burst Host Galaxies in Emission and Absorption

The galaxy population hosting long-duration GRBs provides a means to constrain the progenitor and an opportunity to use these violent explosions to characterize the nature of the high-redshift universe. Studies of GRB host galaxies in emission reveal a population of star-forming galaxies with great diversity, spanning a wide range of masses, metallicities, and redshifts. However, as a population GRB hosts are significantly less massive and poorer in metals than the hosts of other core-collapse transients, suggesting that GRB production is only efficient at metallicities significantly below Solar. GRBs may also prefer compact galaxies, and dense and/or central regions of galaxies, more than other types of core-collapse explosion. Meanwhile, studies of hosts in absorption against the luminous GRB optical afterglow provide a unique means of unveiling properties of the ISM in even the faintest and most distant galaxies; these observations are helping to constrain the chemical evolution of galaxies and the properties of interstellar dust out to very high redshifts. New ground- and space-based instrumentation, and the accumulation of larger and more carefully-selected samples, are continually enhancing our view of the GRB host population.

Variation of the ultraviolet extinction law across the Taurus-Auriga star-forming complex. A GALEX based study

The Taurus-Auriga molecular complex (TMC) is the main laboratory for the study of low mass star formation. The density and properties of interstellar dust are expected to vary across the TMC. These variations trace important processes such as dust nucleation or the magnetic field coupling with the cloud. In this article, we show how the combination of near ultraviolet (NUV) and infrared (IR) photometry can be used to derive the strength of the 2175 \AA\ bump and thus any enhancement in the abundance of small dust grains and PAHs in the dust grains size distribution. This technique is applied to the envelope of the TMC, mapped by the GALEX All Sky Survey (AIS). UV and IR photometric data have been retrieved from the GALEX-AIS and the 2MASS catalogues. NUV and K-band star counts have been used to identify the areas in the cloud envelope where the 2175 \AA\ bump is weaker than in the diffuse ISM namely, the low column density extensions of L1495, L1498 and L1524 in Taurus, L1545, L1548, L1519, L1513 in Auriga and L1482-83 in the California region. This finding agrees with previous results on dust evolution derived from Spitzer data and suggests that dust grains begin to decouple from the environmental galactic magnetic field already in the envelope.

Challenges in modelling the reaction chemistry of interstellar dust.

Studies aiming to understand the physicochemical properties of interstellar dust and the chemical reactions that occur on and in it have traditionally been the preserve of astronomical observation and experimental attempts to mimic astronomically relevant conditions in the laboratory. Increasingly, computational modelling in its various guises is establishing a complementary third pillar of support to this endeavour by providing detailed insights into the complexities of interstellar dust chemistry. Inherently, the basis of computational modelling is to be found in the details (e.g. atomic structure/composition, reaction barriers) that are difficult to probe accurately from observation and experiment. This bottom-up atom-based theoretical approach, often itself based on deeper quantum mechanical principles, although extremely powerful, also has limitations when systems become too large or complex. In this Perspective, after first providing a general background to the current state of observational-based knowledge, we introduce a number of computational modelling methods with reference to recent state-of-the-art studies, in order to highlight the capabilities of such approaches in this field. Specifically, we first outline the use of computational chemistry methods for dust nucleation, structure, and individual reactions on bare and icy dust surfaces. Later, we review kinetic modelling of networks of reactions relevant to dust chemistry and how to take into account quantum tunnelling effects in the low temperature reactions in the interstellar medium. Finally, we point to the future challenges that need to be overcome for computational modelling to provide even more detailed and encompassing perspectives on the nature and reaction chemistry of interstellar dust.

Properties of dust at the Galactic center probed by AKARI far-infrared spectral mapping

We investigate the properties of interstellar dust in the Galactic center region toward the Arches and Quintuplet clusters. With the Fourier Transform Spectrometer of the AKARI/Far-Infrared Surveyor, we performed the far-infrared (60 - 140 cm^-1) spectral mapping of an area of about 10' x 10' which includes the two clusters to obtain a low-resolution (R = 1.2 cm^-1) spectrum at every spatial bin of 30" x 30". We derive the spatial variations of dust continuum emission at different wavenumbers, which are compared with those of the [O III] 88 micron (113 cm^-1) emission and the OH 119 micron (84 cm^-1) absorption. The spectral fitting shows that two dust modified blackbody components with temperatures of ~20 K and ~50 K can reproduce most of the continuum spectra. For some spectra, however, we find that there exists a significant excess on top of a modified blackbody continuum around 80 - 90 cm^-1 (110 - 130 microns). The warmer dust component is spatially correlated well with the [O III] emission and hence likely to be associated with the highly-ionized gas locally heated by intense radiation from the two clusters. The excess emission probably represents a dust feature, which is found to be spatially correlated with the OH absorption and a CO cloud. We find that a dust model including micron-sized graphite grains can reproduce the observed spectrum with the dust feature fairly well.