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XMM-Newton Observations of the Diffuse X-Ray Background
We analyze two XMM-Newton observations toward the high-density,high-latitude, neutral hydrogen cloud MBM 20 and a nearby low-densityregion that we call the Eridanus hole. MBM 20 lies at a distance between100 and 200 pc from the Sun, and its density is sufficient to shieldabout 75% of the foreground emission in the 3/4 keV energy band. Thecombination of the two observations makes it possible to separate theforeground component, due to the Local Bubble and, possibly, chargeexchange within the solar system, from the background component, dueprimarily to the Galactic halo and unidentified point sources. The twoobservations are in good agreement with each other and with ROSATobservations of the same part of the sky; the O VII and O VIIIintensities are 3.89+/-0.56 and 0.68+/-0.24 photons cm-2s-1 sr-1 for MBM 20, respectively, and 7.26+/-0.34and 1.63+/-0.17 photons cm-2 s-1 sr-1for the Eridanus hole. The spectra agree with a simple three-componentmodel: one unabsorbed and one absorbed plasma component, and a powerlaw, due to unresolved distant point sources. Assuming that the twoplasma components are in thermal equilibrium, we obtain a temperature of0.096 keV for the foreground component and 0.197 keV for the backgroundone. Assuming the foreground component is due solely to Local Bubbleemission, we obtain lower and upper limits for the plasma density of0.0079 and 0.0095 cm-3 and limits of 16,200 and 19,500cm-3 K for the plasma pressure, in good agreement withtheoretical predictions. Similarly, assuming that the absorbed plasmacomponent is due to Galactic halo emission, we obtain a plasma densityranging from 0.0009 to 0.0016 cm-3 and a pressure between3.8×103 and 6.7×103 cm-3 K.
| NaI and CaII absorption components observed towards the Orion-Eridanus Superbubble
We present medium-resolution spectra (R ~ 7.5 km s-1) of theinterstellar NaI and CaII interstellar absorption lines observed towards16 early-type stars with distances of 160-1 kpc in the line-of-sighttowards the Orion-Eridanus Superbubble (OE-S). These data have beensupplemented with measurements of NaI absorption towards a further 13stars with similar sight-lines taken from the literature. We detect twomajor absorption components with velocities of Vlsr ~ +7.0and -8.0 km s-1. The former component, seen in 70% of thesight-lines is associated with the boundary to the Local Bubble cavitylocated at a distance of 140-150 pc. The other absorption component isonly detected towards a limited region of the sky bounded by (190°< l < 215°) and (-50° < b < -30°). If gas withthis velocity is associated with an outer expansion shell of the OE-S,then we can place its distance at 163-180 pc in agreement with theestimate by Guo et al. (1995, ApJ, 453, 256). Several other negativevelocity components at Vlsr ~ -20.4, -28.5 and -33.5 kms-1 have also been detected for sight-line distances > 220pc within an area coincident with that of the 0.75 keV X-ray enhancementof the OE-S. Column density ratios, N(NaI)/N(CaII), for the mostnegative velocity components have values < 1.0, suggesting that thisgas has been disrupted by a possible shock event. Our data do notsupport a simple model for the OE-S that involves a single stellarbubble cavity that stretches from the Orion Nebula to high galacticlatitudes. Instead, our detection of multiple positive and negativevelocity components suggests the presence of several gas shells producedby supernovae and/or stellar wind-driven shocks. We also confirm thatthe prominent "hook-like" feature of H-α emission thatcharacterizes the OE-S, in in fact composed of two physically separateemission arcs, with the brighter Arc A being at a distance > 500 pc.Finally, we place a similar distance limit for any coherently structuredrear shell of neutral gas associated with expansion of the OE-S towardsthe galactic halo.
| 3D mapping of the dense interstellar gas around the Local Bubble
We present intermediate results from a long-term program of mapping theneutral absorption characteristics of the local interstellar medium,motivated by the availability of accurate and consistent parallaxes fromthe Hipparcos satellite. Equivalent widths of the interstellar NaID-line doublet at 5890 Å are presented for the lines-of-sighttowards some 311 new target stars lying within ~ 350 pc of the Sun.Using these data, together with NaI absorption measurements towards afurther ~ 240 nearby targets published in the literature (for many ofthem, in the directions of molecular clouds), and the ~ 450lines-of-sight already presented by (Sfeir et al. \cite{sfeir99}), weshow 3D absorption maps of the local distribution of neutral gas towards1005 sight-lines with Hipparcos distances as viewed from a variety ofdifferent galactic projections.The data are synthesized by means of two complementary methods, (i) bymapping of iso-equivalent width contours, and (ii) by densitydistribution calculation from the inversion of column-densities, amethod devised by Vergely et al. (\cite{vergely01}). Our present dataconfirms the view that the local cavity is deficient in cold and neutralinterstellar gas. The closest dense and cold gas ``wall'', in the firstquadrant, is at ~ 55-60 pc. There are a few isolated clouds at closerdistance, if the detected absorption is not produced by circumstellarmaterial.The maps reveal narrow or wide ``interstellar tunnels'' which connectthe Local Bubble to surrounding cavities, as predicted by the model ofCox & Smith (1974). In particular, one of these tunnels, defined bystars at 300 to 600 pc from the Sun showing negligible sodiumabsorption, connects the well known CMa void (Gry et al. \cite{gry85}),which is part of the Local Bubble, with the supershell GSH 238+00+09(Heiles \cite{heiles98}). High latitude lines-of-sight with the smallestabsorption are found in two ``chimneys'', whose directions areperpendicular to the Gould belt plane. The maps show that the LocalBubble is ``squeezed'' by surrounding shells in a complicated patternand suggest that its pressure is smaller than in those expandingregions.We discuss the locations of several HI and molecular clouds. Usingcomparisons between NaI and HI or CO velocities, in some cases we areable to improve the constraints on their distances. According to thevelocity criteria, MBM 33-37, MBM 16-18, UT 3-7, and MBM 54-55 arecloser than ~ 100 pc, and MBM 40 is closer than 80 pc. Dense HI cloudsare seen at less than 90 pc and 85 pc in the directions of the MBM 12and MBM 41-43 clouds respectively, but the molecular clouds themselvesmay be far beyond. The above closest molecular clouds are located at theneutral boundary of the Bubble. Only one translucent cloud, G192-67, isclearly embedded within the LB and well isolated.These maps of the distribution of local neutral interstellar NaI gas arealso briefly compared with the distribution of both interstellar dustand neutral HI gas within 300 pc.Tables 1 and 2 are only available in electronic form at the CDS viaanonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp:cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/411/447
| Simulating observations of dark matter dominated galaxies: towards the optimal halo profile
Low surface brightness galaxies are dominated by dark matter, and theirrotation curves thus reflect their dark matter distribution. Recenthigh-resolution rotation curves suggest that their dark mattermass-density distributions are dominated by a constant-density core.This seems inconsistent with the predictions of cold dark matter (CDM)models which produce haloes with compact density cusps and steepmass-density profiles. However, the observationally determined massprofiles may be affected by non-circular motions, asymmetries andoffsets between optical and dynamical centres, all of which tend tolower the observed slopes. Here we determine the impact of each of theseeffects on a variety of halo models, and we compare the results withobserved mass-density profiles. Our simulations suggest that no singlesystematic effect can reconcile the data with the cuspy CDM haloes. Thedata are best described by a model with a soft core with an innerpower-law mass-density slope α=-0.2 +/- 0.2. However, no singleuniversal halo profile provides a completely adequate description of thedata.
| The distance to the nearest star-forming clouds: MBM12 and MBM20
We present high-resolution spectra (R ~ 49,000) of stars that haveparallax measurements from the Hipparcos satellite and are projectedalong the line of sight to the two nearest known star forming clouds tothe Sun: MBM12 and MBM20. The spectra were obtained with the FOCESEchelle Spectrograph at the 2.2 meter telescope in Calar Alto, Spain andthe wavelength range was chosen to include the interstellar Na I D linesat lambda 5889.950 Ä and lambda 5895.924 Ä. Since the starsare at a range of distances, we use their spectra along with theirparallaxes from Hipparcos to determine the distance to the moleculargas. The stars in front of the cloud do not show interstellar Na I Dabsorption features while the stars behind the cloud do showinterstellar absorption features. We find that both clouds are somewhatmore distant than previously estimated. The revised distance to MBM12 is58+/-5 pc < d < 90+/-12 pc and the distance to MBM20 is 112+/-15pc < d < 161+/-21 pc.
| Photometric and spectroscopic analysis of high galactic latitude molecular clouds. II - High-resolution spectroscopic observations of NA I, CA II, CA I, CH, and CH(+1)
High-resolution spectroscopic observations in the wavelengths of thespecies Na I, Ca II, and Ca I and the molecular species CH and CH(+)have been performed toward stars behind a variety of high galacticlatitude molecular clouds (HLCs). Seventeen new detections of molecularabsorption are reported. The sizes, densities, and molecular contentfound for the HLCs are consistent with an interpretation of HLCmolecular cores as extremely compact structures of enhanced molecularcontent which may have evolved from larger H I shells.
| Photometric and spectroscopic analysis of high Galactic latitude molecular clouds. I - Distances and extinctions of stars toward 25 selected regions
The paper presents new photoelectric photometry in the UBV, uvby, andH-beta systems for 320 stars at high Galactic latitudes, selected fortheir proximity to the densest portions of a variety of high Galacticlatitude atomic and molecular clouds. Low-resolution digital spectra areemployed to classify 115 of the stars. Several novel techniques aredeveloped for automatic digital spectral classification, and fordereddening Stromgren uvby-beta and Johnson UBV,H-beta photometry. Anempirical determination of the errors in the derived dereddened colors,and techniques for converting between the two photometric systems arepresented on the basis of the analysis of a statistically significantsample of 1480 stars with complete data sets in both photometric systemsand with an accurate MK spectral type. New constraints on the distancesto several clouds are presented.
| Stromgren and H-beta photometry of stars earlier than G0 in 5 areas containing high latitude molecular clouds
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1989A&AS...80..127F&db_key=AST
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Observation and Astrometry data
| Constellation: | Éridan |
| Right ascension: | 04h41m42.03s |
| Declination: | -12°28'32.8" |
| Apparent magnitude: | 6.644 |
| Distance: | 160.772 parsecs |
| Proper motion RA: | -7.2 |
| Proper motion Dec: | 15.2 |
| B-T magnitude: | 6.801 |
| V-T magnitude: | 6.657 |
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