| 1. |
- Fomalont, E. B., et al.
(författare)
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THE 2014 ALMA LONG BASELINE CAMPAIGN: AN OVERVIEW
- 2015
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal Letters. - : American Astronomical Society. - 2041-8213 .- 2041-8205. ; 808:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A major goal of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is to make accurate images with resolutions of tens of milliarcseconds, which at submillimeter (submm) wavelengths requires baselines up to similar to 15 km. To develop and test this capability, a Long Baseline Campaign (LBC) was carried out from 2014 September to late November, culminating in end-to-end observations, calibrations, and imaging of selected Science Verification (SV) targets. This paper presents an overview of the campaign and its main results, including an investigation of the short-term coherence properties and systematic phase errors over the long baselines at the ALMA site, a summary of the SV targets and observations, and recommendations for science observing strategies at long baselines. Deep ALMA images of the quasar 3C 138 at 97 and 241 GHz are also compared to VLA 43 GHz results, demonstrating an agreement at a level of a few percent. As a result of the extensive program of LBC testing, the highly successful SV imaging at long baselines achieved angular resolutions as fine as 19 mas at similar to 350 GHz. Observing with ALMA on baselines of up to 15 km is now possible, and opens up new parameter space for submm astronomy.
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Vlemmings, W. H. T., et al.
(författare)
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ALMA observations of the variable (CO)-C-12/(CO)-C-13 ratio around the asymptotic giant branch star R Sculptoris
- 2013
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 556, s. L1-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The (CO)-C-12/(CO)-C-13 ratio is often used as a measure of the C-12/C-13 ratio in the circumstellar environment, carrying important information about the stellar nucleosynthesis. External processes can change the (CO)-C-12 and (CO)-C-13 abundances, and spatially resolved studies of the (CO)-C-12/(CO)-C-13 ratio are needed to quantify the effect of these processes on the globally determined values. Additionally, such studies provide important information on the conditions in the circumstellar environment. The detached-shell source R Scl, displaying CO emission from recent mass loss, in a binary-induced spiral structure as well as in a clumpy shell produced during a thermal pulse, provides a unique laboratory for studying the differences in CO isotope abundances throughout its recent evolution. We observed both the (CO)-C-12(J = 3 -> 2) and the (CO)-C-13(J = 3 -> 2) line using ALMA. We find significant variations in the (CO)-C-12/(CO)-C-13 intensity ratios and consequently in the abundance ratios. The average CO isotope abundance ratio is at least a factor three lower in the shell (similar to 19) than that in the present-day (less than or similar to 300 years) mass loss (>60). Additionally, variations in the ratio of more than an order of magnitude are found in the shell itself. We attribute these variations to the competition between selective dissociation and isotope fractionation in the shell, of which large parts cannot be warmer than similar to 35 K. However, we also find that the (CO)-C-12/(CO)-C-13 ratio in the present-day mass loss is significantly higher than the C-12/C-13 ratio determined in the stellar photosphere from molecular tracers (similar to 19). The origin of this discrepancy is still unclear, but we speculate that it is due to an embedded source of UV-radiation that is primarily photo-dissociating (CO)-C-13. This radiation source could be the hitherto hidden companion. Alternatively, the UV-radiation could originate from an active chromosphere of R Scl itself. Our results indicate that caution should be taken when directly relating the (CO)-C-12/(CO)-C-13 intensity and C-12/C-13 abundance ratios for specific asymptotic giant branch stars, in particular binaries or stars that display signs of chromospheric stellar activity.
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| 5. |
- Kerschbaum, F., et al.
(författare)
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Rings and filaments : The remarkable detached CO shell of U Antliae
- 2017
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 605
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aims. Our goal is to characterize the intermediate age, detached shell carbon star U Antliae morphologically and physically in order to study the mass-loss evolution after a possible thermal pulse.Methods. High spatial resolution ALMA observations of unprecedented quality in thermal CO lines allow us to derive first critical spatial and temporal scales and constrain modeling efforts to estimate mass-loss rates for both the present day as well as the ejection period of the detached shell.Results. The detached shell is remarkably thin, overall spherically symmetric, and shows a barely resolved filamentary substructure possibly caused by instabilities in the interaction zone of winds with different outflow velocities. The expansion age of the detached shell is of the order of 2700 yr and its overall width indicates a high expansion-velocity and high mass-loss period of only a few hundred years at an average mass-loss rate of approximate to 10(-5) M-circle dot yr(-1). The post-high-mass-loss-rate-epoch evolution of U Ant shows a significant decline to a substantially lower gas expansion velocity and a mass-loss rate amounting to 4 x 10(-8) M-circle dot yr(-1), at present being consistent with evolutionary changes as predicted for the period between thermal pulses.
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| 6. |
- Khouri, T., et al.
(författare)
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The wind of W Hydrae as seen by Herschel I. The CO envelope
- 2014
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 561, s. Article no. A5-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. Asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars lose their envelopes by means of a stellar wind whose driving mechanism is not understood well. Characterizing the composition and thermal and dynamical structure of the outflow provides constraints that are essential for understanding AGB evolution, including the rate of mass loss and isotopic ratios. Aims. We characterize the CO emission from the wind of the low mass-loss rate oxygen-rich AGB star W Hya using data obtained by the HIFI, PACS, and SPIRE instruments on board the Herschel Space Observatory and ground-based telescopes. (CO)-C-12 and (CO)-C-13 lines are used to constrain the intrinsic C-12/C-13 ratio from resolved HIFI lines. Methods. We combined a state-of-the-art molecular line emission code and a dust continuum radiative transfer code to model the CO lines and the thermal dust continuum. Results. The acceleration of the outflow up to about 5.5 km s(-1) is quite slow and can be represented by a beta-type velocity law with index beta = 5. Beyond this point, acceleration up the terminal velocity of 7 km s(-1) is faster. Using the J = 10-9, 9-8, and 6-5 transitions, we find an intrinsic C-12/C-13 ratio of 18 +/- 10 for W Hya, where the error bar is mostly due to uncertainties in the (CO)-C-12 abundance and the stellar flux around 4.6 mu m. To match the low-excitation CO lines, these molecules need to be photo-dissociated at similar to 500 stellar radii. The radial dust emission intensity profile of our stellar wind model matches PACS images at 70 mu m out to 20 '' (or 800 stellar radii). For larger radii the observed emission is substantially stronger than our model predicts, indicating that at these locations there is extra material present. Conclusions. The initial slow acceleration of the wind may imply inefficient dust formation or dust driving in the lower part of the envelope. The final injection of momentum in the wind might be the result of an increase in the opacity thanks to the late condensation of dust species. The derived intrinsic isotopologue ratio for W Hya is consistent with values set by the first dredge-up and suggestive of an initial mass of 2 M-circle dot or more. However, the uncertainty in the isotopologic ratio is large, which makes it difficult to set reliable limits on W Hya's main-sequence mass.
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| 7. |
- Khouri, T., et al.
(författare)
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The wind of W Hydrae as seen by Herschel II. The molecular envelope of W Hydrae
- 2014
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 570, s. Art. no. A67-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. The evolution of low- and intermediate-mass stars on the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) is mainly controlled by the rate at which these stars lose mass in a stellar wind. Understanding the driving mechanism and strength of the stellar winds of AGB stars and the processes enriching their surfaces with products of nucleosynthesis are paramount to constraining AGB evolution and predicting the chemical evolution of galaxies. Aims. In a previous paper we have constrained the structure of the outflowing envelope of W Hya using spectral lines of the (CO)-C-12 molecule. Here we broaden this study by including an extensive set of H2O and (SiO)-Si-28 lines. It is the first time such a comprehensive study is performed for this source. The oxygen isotopic ratios and the (SiO)-Si-28 abundance profile can be connected to the initial stellar mass and to crucial aspects of dust formation at the base of the stellar wind, respectively. Methods. We model the molecular emission observed by the three instruments on board Herschel Space Observatory using a state-of-the-art molecular excitation and radiative transfer code. We also account for the dust radiation field in our calculations. Results. We find an H2O ortho-to-para ratio of 2.5(-1.0)(+2.5), consistent with what is expected for an AGB wind. The O-16/O-17 ratio indicates that W Hya has an initial mass of about 1.5 M-circle dot. Although the ortho-and para-H2O lines observed by HIFI appear to trace gas of slightly different physical properties, we find that a turbulence velocity of 0.7 +/- 0.1 km s(-1) fits the HIFI lines of both spin isomers and those of (SiO)-Si-28 well. Conclusions. The modelling of H2O and (SiO)-Si-28 confirms the properties of the envelope model of W Hya, as derived from (CO)-C-12 lines, and allows us to constrain the turbulence velocity. The ortho-and para-(H2O)-O-16 and (SiO)-Si-28 abundances relative to H-2 are (6(2)(+3)) x 10(-4), (3(-1)(+2)) x 10(-4), and (3.3 +/- 0.8) x 10(-5), respectively, in agreement with expectations for oxygen-rich AGB outflows. Assuming a solar silicon-to-carbon ratio, the (SiO)-Si-28 line emission model is consistent with about one-third of the silicon atoms being locked up in dust particles.
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| 8. |
- Doan, Lam, et al.
(författare)
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The extended molecular envelope of the asymptotic giant branchstar π1 Gruis as seen by ALMA : I. Large-scale kinematic structure and CO excitation properties
- 2017
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 605
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. The S-type asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star pi(1) Gru has a known companion at a separation of 2 ''.7 (approximate to 400 AU). Previous observations of the circumstellar envelope (CSE) show strong deviations from spherical symmetry. The envelope structure, including an equatorial torus and a fast bipolar outflow, is rarely seen in the AGB phase and is particularly unexpected in such a wide binary system. Therefore a second, closer companion has been suggested, but the evidence is not conclusive.Aims. The aim is to make a 3D model of the CSE and to constrain the density and temperature distribution using new spatially resolved observations of the CO rotational lines.Methods. We have observed the J = 3-2 line emission from (CO)-C-12 and (CO)-C-13 using the compact arrays of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). The new ALMA data, together with previously published (CO)-C-12 J = 2-1 data from the Submillimeter Array (SMA), and the (CO)-C-12 J = 5-4 and J = 9-8 lines observed with Herschel/Heterodyne Instrument for the Far-Infrared (HIFI), is modeled with the 3D non-LTE radiative transfer code SHAPEMOL.Results. The data analysis clearly confirms the torus-bipolar structure. The 3D model of the CSE that satisfactorily reproduces the data consists of three kinematic components: a radially expanding torus with velocity slowly increasing from 8 to 13 km s(-1) along the equator plane; a radially expanding component at the center with a constant velocity of 14 km s(-1); and a fast, bipolar outflow with velocity proportionally increasing from 14 km s(-1) at the base up to 100 km s(-1) at the tip, following a linear radial dependence. The results are used to estimate an average mass-loss rate during the creation of the torus of 7.7 x 10(-7) M-circle dot yr(-1). The total mass and linear momentum of the fast outflow are estimated at 7.3 x 10(-4) M-circle dot and 9.6 x 10(37) g cm s(-1), respectively. The momentum of the outflow is in excess (by a factor of about 20) of what could be generated by radiation pressure alone, in agreement with recent findings for more evolved sources. The best-fit model also suggests a (CO)-C-12/(CO)-C-13 abundance ratio of 50. Possible shaping scenarios for the gas envelope are discussed.
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| 9. |
- Lykou, F., et al.
(författare)
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Dissecting the AGB star L-2 Puppis : a torus in the making
- 2015
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 576
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aims. The circumstellar environment of L-2 Pup, an oxygen-rich semiregular variable, was observed to understand the evolution of mass loss and the shaping of ejecta in the late stages of stellar evolution. Methods. High-angular resolution observations from a single 8 m telescope were obtained using aperture masking in the near-infrared (1.64, 2.30 and 3.74 mu m) on the NACO/VLT, both in imaging and polarimetric modes. Results. The aperture-masking images of L-2 Pup at 2.30 mu m show a resolved structure that resembles a toroidal structure with a major axis of similar to 140 milliarcseconds (mas) and an east-west orientation. Two clumps can be seen on either side of the star, similar to 65 mas from the star, beyond the edge of the circumstellar envelope (estimated diameter is similar to 27 mas), while a faint, hook-like structure appear toward the northeast. The patterns are visible both in the imaging and polarimetric mode, although the latter was only used to measure the total intensity (Stokes I). The overall shape of the structure is similar at the 3.74 mu m pseudo-continuum (dust emission), where the clumps appear to be embedded within a dark, dusty lane. The faint, hook-like patterns are also seen at this wavelength, extending northeast and southwest with the central, dark lane being an apparent axis of symmetry. We interpret the structure as a circumstellar torus with inner radius of 4.2 au. With a rotation velocity of 10 kms(-1) as suggested by the SiO maser profile, we estimate a stellar mass of 0.7 M-circle dot.
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| 10. |
- Maercker, Matthias, 1979, et al.
(författare)
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Unexpectedly large mass loss during the thermal pulse cycle of the red giant star R Sculptoris
- 2012
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Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 490:7419, s. 232-234
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The asymptotic giant branch star R Sculptoris is surrounded by a detached shell of dust and gas. The shell originates from a thermal pulse during which the star undergoes a brief period of increased mass loss. It has hitherto been impossible to constrain observationally the timescales and mass-loss properties during and after a thermal pulse - parameters that determine the lifetime on the asymptotic giant branch and the amount of elements returned by the star. Here we report observations of CO emission from the circumstellar envelope and shell around R Sculptoris with an angular resolution of 1.3 arcsec. What was hitherto thought to be only a thin, spherical shell with a clumpy structure, is revealed to contain a spiral structure. Spiral structures associated with circumstellar envelopes have been seen previously, from which it was concluded that the systems must be binaries. Using the data, combined with hydrodynamic simulations, we conclude that R Sculptoris is a binary system that underwent a thermal pulse approximately 1800 years ago, lasting approximately 200 years. About 0.003 Msun of mass was ejected at a velocity of 14.3 km s-1 and at a rate approximately 30 times higher than the prepulse mass-loss rate. This shows that approximately 3 times more mass is returned to the interstellar medium during and immediately after a pulse than previously thought.
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