11159984
The formation and evolution of massive stellar clusters in IC4662
We present a multiwavelength study of the formation of massive stellar clusters, their emergence from cocoons of gas and dust, and their feedback on surrounding matter. Using data that span from radio to optical wavelengths, including Spitzer and Hubble Space Telescope ACS observations, we examine the population of young star clusters in the central starburst region of the irregular Wolf–Rayet galaxy IC4662. We model the radio-to-infrared (IR) spectral energy distributions of embedded clusters to determine the properties of their Hii regions and dust cocoons (sizes, masses, densities, temperatures), and use near-IR and optical data with mid-IR spectroscopy to constrain the properties of the embedded clusters themselves (mass, age, extinction, excitation, abundance). The two massive star-formation regions in IC4662 are excited by stellar populations with ages of ∼4 Myr and masses of ∼3×105 M⊙ (assuming a Kroupa initial mass function). They have high excitation and subsolar abundances, and they may actually be comprised of several massive clusters rather than the single monolithic massive compact objects known as ‘super star clusters’ (SSCs). Mid-IR spectra reveal that these clusters have very high extinction values, AV∼20–25 mag, and that the dust in IC4662 is well mixed with the emitting gas, not in a foreground screen.
2811837
The Altitude of an Infrared-bright Cloud Feature on Neptune from Near-Infrared Spectroscopy*
We present 2.03–2.30 μm near-infrared spectroscopy of Neptune taken 1999 June 2 (UT) with the W. M. Keck Observatory's near-infrared spectrometer (NIRSPEC) during the commissioning of the instrument. The spectrum is dominated by a bright cloud feature, possibly a storm or upwelling, in the southern hemisphere at approximately 50° south latitude. The spectrum also includes light from a dimmer northern feature at approximately 30° north latitude. We compare our spectra (λ/Δλ ~ 2000) of these two features with a simple model of Neptune's atmosphere. Given our model assumption that the clouds are flat reflecting layers, we find that the top of the bright southern cloud feature sat at a pressure level of 0.14 bars, and thus this cloud did not extend into the stratosphere (P 0.1 bars). A similar analysis of the dimmer northern feature yields a cloud-top pressure of 0.084 ± 0.026 bars. This suggests that the features we observed efficiently transport methane to the base of the stratosphere but do not directly transport methane to the upper stratosphere (P < 10-2 to 10-3 bars), where photolysis occurs. Our observations do not constrain how far these clouds penetrate down into the troposphere. We find that our model fits to the data restrict the fraction of H2 in ortho-para thermodynamic equilibrium to greater than 0.8.
17238375
Kinematic Masses of Super-Star Clusters in M82 from High-Resolution Near-Infrared Spectroscopy*
Using high-resolution (R ~ 22,000) near-infrared (1.51-1.75 ?m) spectra from Keck Observatory, we measure the kinematic masses of two super-star clusters in M82. Cross-correlation of the spectra with template spectra of cool evolved stars gives stellar velocity dispersions of ?r = 15.9 ? 0.8 km s-1 for J0955505+694045 (MGG-9) and ?r = 11.4 ? 0.8 km s-1 for J0955502+694045 (MGG-11). The cluster spectra are dominated by the light of red supergiants and correlate most closely with template supergiants of spectral types M0 and M4.5. King model fits to the observed profiles of the clusters in archival Hubble Space Telescope/Near-Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectometer images give half-light radii of rhp = 2.6 ? 0.4 pc for MGG-9 and rhp = 1.2 ? 0.17 pc for MGG-11. Applying the virial theorem, we determine masses of 1.5 ? 0.3 ? 106 M? for MGG-9 and 3.5 ? 0.7 ? 105 M? for MGG-11 (where the quoted errors include ?r, rhp, and the distance). Population synthesis modeling suggests that MGG-9 is consistent with a standard initial mass function (IMF), whereas MGG-11 appears to be deficient in low-mass stars relative to a standard IMF. There is, however, evidence of mass segregation in the clusters, in which case the virial mass estimates would represent lower limits.
119002004
Massive Stars in the Arches Cluster
We present and use new spectra and narrow-band images, along with previously published broad-band images, of stars in the Arches cluster to extract photometry, astrometry, equivalent width, and velocity information. The data are interpreted with a wind/atmosphere code to determine stellar temperatures, luminosities, mass-loss rates, and abundances. We have doubled the number of known emission-line stars, and we have also made the first spectroscopic identification of the main sequence for any population in the Galactic Center. We conclude that the most massive stars are bona-fide Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars and are some of the most massive stars known, having M_{initial} > 100 Msun, and prodigious winds, Mdot > 10^{-5} Msun yr^{-1}, that are enriched with helium and nitrogen; with these identifications, the Arches cluster contains about 5% of all known WR stars in the Galaxy. We find an upper limit to the velocity dispersion of 22 kms^{-1}, implying an upper limit to the cluster mass of 7(10^4) Msun within a radius of 0.23 pc; we also estimate the bulk heliocentric velocity of the cluster to be v_{cluster,odot} approximately +95 kms^{-1}.
18103252
K-band spectroscopy of an obscured massive stellar cluster in the Antennae galaxies (NGC 4038/4039) with NIRSPEC
We present infrared spectroscopy of the Antennae Galaxies (NGC 4038/4039) with NIRSPEC at the W. M. Keck Observatory. We imaged the star clusters in the vicinity of the southern nucleus (NGC 4039) in 0.39" seeing in K-band using NIRSPEC's slit-viewing camera. The brightest star cluster revealed in the near-IR (M_K(0) = -17.9) is insignificant optically, but coincident with the highest surface brightness peak in the mid-IR (12-18 um) ISO image presented by Mirabel et al (1998). We obtained high signal-to-noise 2.03-2.45 um spectra of the nucleus and the obscured star cluster at R = 1900. 
The cluster is very young (age ~ 4 Myr), massive (M ~ 16E6 M_sun), and compact (density ~ 115 M_sun pc^(-3) within a 32 pc half-light radius), assuming a Salpeter IMF (0.1-100 M_sun). Its hot stars have a radiation field characterized by T_eff ~ 39,000 K, and they ionize a compact HII region with n_e ~ 10^4 cm^(-3). The stars are deeply embedded in gas and dust (A_V = 9-10 mag), and their strong FUV field powers a clumpy photodissociation region with densities n_H > 10^5 cm^(-3) on scales of ~ 200 pc, radiating L{H_2 1-0 S(1)}= 9600 L_sun.
73612545
The First Stray Light Corrected EUV Images of Solar Coronal Holes
Coronal holes are the source regions of the fast solar wind, which fills most of the solar system volume near the cycle minimum. Removing stray light from extreme ultraviolet (EUV) images of the Sun's corona is of high astrophysical importance, as it is required to make meaningful determinations of temperatures and densities of coronal holes. EUV images tend to be dominated by the component of the stray light due to the long-range scatter caused by microroughness of telescope mirror surfaces, and this component has proven very difficult to measure in pre-flight characterization. In-flight characterization heretofore has proven elusive due to the fact that the detected image is simultaneously nonlinear in two unknown functions: the stray light pattern and the true image which would be seen by an ideal telescope. Using a constrained blind deconvolution technique that takes advantage of known zeros in the true image provided by a fortuitous lunar transit, we have removed the stray light from solar images seen by the EUVI instrument on STEREO-B in all four filter bands (171, 195, 284, and 304 \AA). Uncertainty measures of the stray light corrected images, which include the systematic error due to misestimation of the scatter, are provided. It is shown that in EUVI, stray light contributes up to 70% of the emission in coronal holes seen on the solar disk, which has dramatic consequences for diagnostics of temperature and density and therefore estimates of key plasma parameters such as the plasma $\beta$\ and ion-electron collision rates.
14364805
Dissipative structures in a nonlinear dynamo
This article considers magnetic field generation by a fluid flow in a system referred to as the Archontis dynamo: a steady nonlinear MHD state is driven by a prescribed body force. The field and flow become almost equal and dissipation is concentrated in cigar-like structures centred on straight-line separatrices. Numerical scaling laws for energy and dissipation are given that extend previous calculations to smaller diffusivities. The symmetries of the dynamo are set out, together with their implications for the structure of field and flow along the separatrices. The scaling of the cigar-like dissipative regions, as the square root of the diffusivities, is explained by approximations near the separatrices. Rigorous results on the existence and smoothness of solutions to the steady, forced MHD equations are given.
17036359
Searching for main-belt comets using the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope Legacy Survey
Abstract The Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope Legacy Survey, specifically the Very Wide segment of data, is used to search for possible main-belt comets. In the first data set, 952 separate objects with asteroidal orbits within the main-belt are examined using a three-level technique. First, the full-width-half-maximum of each object is compared to stars of similar magnitude, to look for evidence of a coma. Second, the brightness profiles of each object are compared with three stars of the same magnitude, which are nearby on the image to ensure any extended profile is not due to imaging variations. Finally, the star profiles are subtracted from the asteroid profile and the residuals are compared with the background using an unpaired T-test. No objects in this survey show evidence of cometary activity. The second survey includes 11438 objects in the main-belt, which are examined visually. One object, an unknown comet, is found to show cometary activity. Its motion is consistent with being a main-belt asteroid, but the observed arc is too short for a definitive orbit calculation. No other body in this survey shows evidence of cometary activity. Upper limits of the number of weakly and strongly active main-belt comets are derived to be 630 ± 77 and 87 ± 28 , respectively. These limits are consistent with those expected from asteroid collisions. In addition, data extracted from the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope image archive of main-belt Comet 176P/LINEAR is presented.