117152703
Young, Jupiter-Mass Objects in Ophiuchus
We have used 3.5 to 8 micron data from the Cores to Disks (c2d) Legacy survey and our own deep IJHKs images of a 0.5 square degree portion of the c2d fields in Ophiuchus to produce a sample of candidate young objects with probable masses between 1 and 10 Jupiter masses. The availability of photometry over whole range where these objects emit allows us to discriminate between young, extremely low-mass candidates and more massive foreground and background objects and means our survey will have fewer false positives than existing near-IR surveys. The sensitive inventory of a star forming cloud from the red to the mid-IR will allow us to constrain the IMF for these non-clustered star formation regions to well below the deuterium burning limit. For stars with fluxes in the broad gap between the 2MASS limits and our limits, our data will provide information about the photospheres. We will use the Spitzer results in combination with current disk models to learn about the presence and nature of circumstellar disks around young brown dwarfs.
18241960
Molecular Hydrogen Emission from the Inner 400 Parsecs of the Galaxy II. The UV-Excited H_2
We have observed near-IR H$_2$ line emission on large scales in the Galactic center. Paper I discussed our 400 pc long strip map and 50 pc map of the H_2 v=1-0 S(1) line. In this paper, we present observations of the higher vibrational lines, H_2 v=2-1 S(1) and v=3-2 S(3), at selected positions and conclude that strong far--UV radiations excites the H_2. We compare the H_2 v=1-0 S(1) emission to far-IR continuum emission and show that the ratio of these two quantities in the Galactic center equals the ratio seen in the starburst galaxies, M82 and NGC 253, and in ultraluminous infrared bright galaxies.
16613665
NEAR-INFRARED MOLECULAR HYDROGEN EMISSION FROM THE CENTRAL REGIONS OF GALAXIES: REGULATED PHYSICAL CONDITIONS IN THE INTERSTELLAR MEDIUM
The central regions of many interacting and early-type spiral galaxies are actively forming stars. This process affects the physical and chemical properties of the local interstellar medium, as well as the evolution of the galaxies. We observed near-infrared H2 emission lines: v ¼ 1 0 S(1), 3–2 S(3), 1–0 S(0), and 2–1 S(1) from the central � 1 kpc regions of the archetypical starburst galaxies M82 and NGC 253 and the less dramatic but still vigorously star-forming galaxies NGC 6946 and IC 342. Like the far-infrared continuum luminosity, the nearinfrared H2 emission luminosity can directly trace the amount of star formation activity because the H2 emission lines arise from the interaction between hot and young stars and nearby neutral clouds. The observed H2 line ratios show that both thermal excitation and nonthermal excitation are responsible for the emission lines but that the great majority of the near-infrared H2 line emission in these galaxies arises from energy states excited by ultraviolet fluorescence. The derived physical conditions, e.g., far-ultraviolet radiation field and gas density, from [C ii ]a nd [O i] lines and far-infrared continuum observations when used as inputs to photodissociation models also explain the luminosity of the observed H2 1–0S(1) line. The ratio of the H2 1–0S(1) line to far-IR continuum luminosity is remarkably constant over a broad range of galaxy luminosities: LH2 =LFIR ’ 10 � 5 , in normal late-type galaxies (including the Galactic center), in nearby starburst galaxies, and in luminous IR galaxies (LIRGs: LFIR >10 11 L� ). Examining this constant ratio in the context of photodissociation region models, we conclude that it implies that the strength of the incident UV field on typical molecular clouds follows the gas density at the cloud surface. Subject headings: galaxies: individual(M82,NGC 253,NGC6946,IC 342) — galaxies: ISM — galaxies:spiral — galaxies: starburst — infrared: ISM — ISM: lines and bands
119015950
Evidence for J- and H-Band Excess in Classical T Tauri Stars and the Implications for Disk Structure and Estimated Ages
We argue that classical T Tauri stars (CTTSs) possess significant nonphotospheric excess in the J and H bands (1.25 and 1.66 μm, respectively). We first show that normalizing the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of CTTSs to the J band leads to a poor fit of the optical fluxes (which are systematically overestimated), while normalizing the SEDs to the IC band (0.8 μm) produces a better fit to the optical bands and in many cases reveals the presence of a considerable excess at J and H. Near-infrared spectroscopic veiling measurements from the literature support this result. We find that J- and H-band excesses correlate well with the K-band (2.2 μm) excess and that the J - K and H - K colors of the excess emission are consistent with that of a blackbody at the dust sublimation temperature (~1500-2000 K). We propose that this near-IR excess originates at a hot inner rim, analogous to those suggested to explain the "near-IR bump" in the SEDs of Herbig Ae/Be stars. To test our hypothesis, we use the model presented by Dullemond and coworkers to fit the photometry data between 0.5 and 24 μm of 10 CTTSs associated with the Chamaeleon II molecular cloud. We find that simple models that include luminosities calculated from IC-band magnitudes and an inner rim may account for the reported J- and H-band excesses. The models that best fit the data are those in which the inner radius of the disk is larger than expected for a rim in thermal equilibrium with the photospheric radiation field alone. In particular, we find that large inner rims are necessary to account for the mid-infrared fluxes (3.6-8.0 μm) obtained by the Spitzer Space Telescope (Spitzer). The large radius could be explained if, as proposed by D'Alessio and colleagues, the UV radiation from the accretion shock significantly affects the sizes of the inner holes in disks around CTTSs. Finally, we argue that deriving the stellar luminosities of CTTSs by making bolometric corrections to the J-band fluxes, which is the "standard" procedure for obtaining CTTS luminosities, systematically overestimates these luminosities. The overestimated luminosities translate into underestimated ages when the stars are placed in the H-R diagram. Thus, the results presented herein have important implications for the dissipation timescale of inner accretion disks.
16861138
High Sensitivity, High Spectral Resolution, Mid-infrared Spectroscopy
We broadly discuss mid-infrared spectroscopy and detail our new high spectral resolution instrument, the Texas Echelon-cross-Echelle Spectrograph (TEXES).
15532404
Molecular cloud structure in the magellanic clouds: Effect of metallicity
The chemical structure of neutral clouds in low-metallicity environments is examined, with particular emphasis on the H to H2 and C+ to CO transitions. We observed near-IR H2 (1, 0) S(1), (2, 1) S(1), and (5, 3) O(3) lines and the 12CO J = 1 → 0 line from 30 Doradus and N159/N160 in the Large Magellanic Cloud and from DEM S 16, DEM S 37, and LI-SMC 36 in the Small Magellanic Cloud. We find that the H2 emission is UV-excited and that (weak) CO emission always exists (in our surveyed regions) toward positions where H2 and [C II] emission have been detected. Using a PDR code and a radiative transfer code, we simulate the emission of line radiation from spherical clouds and from large planar clouds. Because [C II] emission and H2 emission arise on the surface of the cloud and because the lines are optically thin, these lines are not affected by changes in the relative sizes of the neutral cloud and the CO-bearing core, while the optically thick CO emission can be strongly affected. The sizes of clouds are estimated by measuring the deviation of CO emission strength from that predicted by a planar cloud model of a given size. The average cloud column density, and therefore its size, increases as the metallicity decreases. Our result agrees with the photoionization-regulated star formation theory of McKee.
123152124
Preliminary measurements of shadowing at very low XBj
The ratio of cross sections for inelastic muon scattering on xenon and deuterium nuclei was measured at very low XBj (0.00002<XBj<0.25) for 0.01<Q2<60 (GeV/c)2. The data were taken at Fermilab experiment E665 with an average muon beam energy of 490 GeV incident on 1.1 meter long deuterium and xenon targets. Two largely independent analysis techniques gave statistically consistent results and show a smooth decrease in the ratio of the xenon‐to‐deuterium per–nucleon cross sections from ∼1 to ∼0.7 as XBj decreases from ∼0.1 to ∼0.003. In the XBj range 0.00002 to 0.003, the ratio remains roughly constant at ∼0.7.
197497757
LATEST RESULTS FROM MINOS.
Among the goals of the MINOS experiment are the test of the {nu}{sub {mu}} {yields} {nu}{sub {tau}} oscillation and the search for sub-dominant {nu}{sub {mu}} {yields} {nu}{sub {tau}} oscillations. The former proceeds by a {nu}{sub {mu}} ''disappearance'' analysis while the latter would involve the ''appearance'' of {nu}{sub e} interactions in a predominantly {nu}{sub {mu}} beam. The disappearance of muon neutrinos is described by P({nu}{sub {mu}} {yields} {mu}{sub {mu}}) = 1 - sin{sup 2} 2{theta}{sub 23} sin{sup 2} (1.27 {Delta} m{sub 23}{sup 2} L/E) in the two-flavor approximation where {theta}{sub 23} is the angle between the second row and third column of the neutrino mixing matrix, {Delta}m{sub 23}{sup 2} = m{sub 2}{sup 2}-m{sub 3}{sup 2} (eV{sup 2}), L is the neutrino flight distance in km and E is the neutrino energy in GeV. A generic disappearance experiment compares a measured muon neutrino energy spectrum at a fixed baseline to the known energy spectrum of muon neutrino beam to extract the oscillation parameters sin{sup 2} 2{theta} which controls the overall magnitude of the disappearance and {Delta}m{sup 2} which controls the energy dependence.
117194771
Measurement of B(Lambda+(c) ---> p K- pi+)
The /\c->pKpi yield has been measured in a sample of two-jet continuum events containing a both an anticharm tag (Dbar) as well as an antiproton (e+e- -> Dbar pbar X), with the antiproton in the hemisphere opposite the Dbar. Under the hypothesis that such selection criteria tag e+e- -> Dbar pbar (/\c) X events, the /\c->pkpi branching fraction can be determined by measuring the pkpi yield in the same hemisphere as the antiprotons in our Dbar pbar X sample. Combining our results from three independent types of anticharm tags, we obtain B(/\c->pKpi)=(5.0+/-0.5+/-1.2)%
123026806
A double-metal silicon pad design for the PHENIX multiplicity/vertex detector
Abstract The two endcaps of the PHENIX multiplicity/vertex detector are comprised of 24 wedge-shaped silicon pad detectors. The performance of a double-metal pad detector designed for these endcaps is described.
29707171
Design and performance of beam test electronics for the PHENIX Multiplicity Vertex Detector
The system architecture and test results of the custom circuits and beam test system for the Multiplicity-Vertex Detector (MVD) for the PHENIX detector collaboration at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) are presented in this paper. The final detector per-channel signal processing chain will consist of a preamplifier-gain stage, a current-mode summed multiplicity discriminator, a 64-deep analog memory (simultaneous read-write), a post-memory analog correlator, and a 10-bit 5 /spl mu/s ADC. The Heap Manager provides all timing control, data buffering, and data formatting for a single 256-channel multi-chip module (MCM). Each chip set is partitioned into 32-channel sets. Beam test (16-cell deep memory) performance for the various blocks will be presented as well as the ionizing radiation damage performance of the 1.2 /spl mu/ n-well CMOS process used for preamplifier fabrication.