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The Subdwarf Database: Released
The work on the Subdwarf Database, presented at the previous meeting,has been completed, and the tool is now publicly available. The firstrelease contains data from close to 240 different literature sources,but more still awaits entry. The database interface includes advancedsearch capabilities in coordinate, magnitude and color space. Outputtables can be generated in HTML with hyperlinks to automaticallygenerated finding charts, the Aladin viewer and a detailed data sheetthat displays all registered data for each target, including physicaldata such as temperature, gravity and helium abundance, together with afinding chart. Search results can be visualized automatically asinteractive position, magnitude or color diagrams.
| A Survey of O VI, C III, and H I in Highly Ionized High-Velocity Clouds
We present a Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer survey of highlyionized high-velocity clouds (HVCs) in 66 extragalactic sight lines with(S/N)1030>8. We search the spectra for high-velocity (100km s-1<|vLSR|<400 km s-1) O VIabsorption and find a total of 63 absorbers, 16 with 21 cm emitting H Icounterparts and 47 ``highly ionized'' absorbers without 21 cm emission.The highly ionized HVC population is characterized by =38+/-10 km s-1 and =13.83+/-0.36, with negative-velocity clouds generally found atl<180deg and positive-velocity clouds found atl>180deg. Eleven of these highly ionized HVCs arepositive-velocity wings (broad O VI features extending asymmetrically tovelocities of up to 300 km s-1). We find that 81% (30 of 37)of highly ionized HVCs have clear accompanying C III absorption, and 76%(29 of 38) have accompanying H I absorption in the Lyman series. Wepresent the first (O VI selected) sample of C III and H I absorptionline HVCs and find =30+/-8 km s-1,logNa(C III) ranges from <12.5 to >14.4, =22+/-5 km s-1, and log Na(H I) ranges from<14.7 to >16.9. The lower average width of the high-velocity H Iabsorbers implies the H I lines arise in a separate, lower temperaturephase than the O VI. The ratio Na(C III)/Na(O VI)is generally constant with velocity in highly ionized HVCs, suggestingthat at least some C III resides in the same gas as the O VI.Collisional ionization equilibrium models with solar abundances canexplain the O VI/C III ratios for temperatures near1.7×105 K; nonequilibrium models with the O VI ``frozenin'' at lower temperatures are also possible. Photoionization models arenot viable since they underpredict O VI by several orders of magnitude.The presence of associated C III and H I strongly suggests the highlyionized HVCs are not formed in the hotter plasma that gives rise to OVII and O VIII X-ray absorption. We find that the shape of the O VIpositive-velocity wing profiles is well reproduced by a radiativelycooling, vertical outflow moving with ballistic dynamics, withT0=106 K, n0~2×10-3cm-3, and v0~250 km s-1. However, theoutflow has to be patchy and out of ionization equilibrium to explainthe sky distribution and the simultaneous presence of O VI, C III, and HI. We found that a spherical outflow can produce high-velocity O VIcomponents (as opposed to the wings), showing that the possible range ofoutflow model results is too broad to conclusively identify whether ornot an outflow has left its signature in the data. An alternative model,supported by the similar multiphase structure and similar O VIproperties of highly ionized and 21 cm HVCs, is one where the highlyionized HVCs represent the low N(H I) tail of the HVC population, withthe O VI formed at the interfaces around the embedded H I cores.Although we cannot rule out the possibility that some highly ionizedHVCs exist in the Local Group or beyond, we favor a Galactic origin.This is based on the recent evidence that both H I HVCs and themillion-degree gas detected in X-ray absorption are Galactic phenomena.Since the highly ionized HVCs appear to trace the interface betweenthese two Galactic phases, it follows that highly ionized HVCs areGalactic themselves. However, the nondetection of high-velocity O VI inhalo star spectra implies that any Galactic high-velocity O VI exists atz distances beyond a few kpc.
| The Origins and Evolutionary Status of B Stars Found Far from the Galactic Plane. II. Kinematics and Full Sample Analysis
This paper continues the analysis of faint high-latitude B stars fromMartin. Here we analyze the kinematics of the stars and combine themwith the abundance information from the first paper to classify eachone. The sample contains 31 Population I runaways, 15 old evolved stars(including 5 blue horizontal-branch [BHB] stars, 3 post-HB stars, 1pulsating helium dwarf, and 6 stars of ambiguous classification), 1 Fdwarf, and 2 stars that do not easily fit in one of the othercategories. No star in the sample unambiguously shows thecharacteristics of a young massive star formed in situ in the halo. Thetwo unclassified stars are probably extreme Population I runaways. Thelow binary frequency and rotational velocity distribution of thePopulation I runaways imply that most were ejected from dense starclusters by the dynamic ejection scenario. However, we remain puzzled bythe lack of runaway Be stars. We also confirm that PB 166 and HIP 41979are both nearby solar-metallicity BHB stars.Based on observations made at the 2.1 m Otto Struve Telescope ofMcDonald Observatory, operated by the University of Texas at Austin.
| The Origins and Evolutionary Status of B Stars Found Far from the Galactic Plane. I. Composition and Spectral Features
The existence of faint blue stars far above the Galactic plane that havespectra that are similar to nearby Population I B stars presents severalinteresting questions. Among them are the following: Can a Population IB star travel from the disk to a position many kiloparsecs above theplane in a relatively short main-sequence lifetime? Is it possible thatsingle massive star formation is occurring far from the Galactic plane?Are these objects something else masquerading as main-sequence B stars?This paper (the first of two) analyzes the abundances of a sample ofthese stars and reveals several that are chemically similar to nearbyPopulation I B stars, whereas others clearly have abundance patternsmore like those expected in blue horizontal-branch (BHB) orpost-asymptotic giant branch stars. Several of those with old evolvedstar abundances also have interesting features of note in their spectra.We also consider why this sample does not have any classical Be starsand identify at least two nearby solar-metallicity BHB stars.Based on observations made at the 2.1 m Otto Struve Telescope ofMcDonald Observatory operated by the University of Texas at Austin.
| Rotation Velocities of Red and Blue Field Horizontal-Branch Stars
We present measurements of the projected stellar rotation velocities(vsini) of a sample of 45 candidate field horizontal-branch (HB) starsspanning a wide range of effective temperatures, from red HB stars withTeff~=5000K to blue HB stars with Teff of 17,000K.Among the cooler blue HB stars (Teff=7500-11500 K), weconfirm prior studies showing that, although a majority of stars rotateat vsini<15kms-1, there exists a subset of ``fastrotators'' with vsini as high as 30-35 km s-1. All but one ofthe red HB stars in our sample have vsini<10kms-1, and noanalogous rotation bimodality is evident. We also identify anarrow-lined hot star (Teff~=16,000K) with enhancedphotospheric metal abundances and helium depletion, similar to theabundance patterns found among hot BHB stars in globular clusters, andfour other stars that may also belong in this category. We discussdetails of the spectral line fitting procedure that we use to deducevsini and explore how measurements of field HB star rotation may shedlight on the issue of HB star rotation in globular clusters.
| Highly Ionized Gas in the Galactic Halo: A FUSE Survey of O VI Absorption toward 22 Halo Stars
Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) spectra of 22 Galactichalo stars are studied to determine the amount of O VI in the Galactichalo between ~0.3 and ~10 kpc from the Galactic midplane. Strong O VIλ1031.93 absorption was detected toward 21 stars, and a reliable3 σ upper limit was obtained toward HD 97991. The weaker member ofthe O VI doublet at 1037.62 Å could be studied toward only sixstars because of stellar and interstellar blending problems. Themeasured logarithmic total column densities vary from 13.65 to 14.57with =14.17+/-0.28 (1 σ). The observed columns arereasonably consistent with a patchy exponential O VI distribution with amidplane density of 1.7×10-8 cm-3 and scaleheight between 2.3 and 4 kpc. We do not see clear signs of stronghigh-velocity components in O VI absorption along the Galactic sightlines, which indicates the general absence of high-velocity O VI within2-5 kpc of the Galactic midplane. This result is in marked contrast tothe findings of Sembach et al., who reported high-velocity O VIabsorption toward ~60% of the complete halo sight lines observed byFUSE. The line centroid velocities of the O VI absorption do not reflectGalactic rotation well. The O VI velocity dispersions range from 33 to78 km s-1, with an average of =45+/-11 kms-1 (1 σ). These values are much higher than the valueof ~18 km s-1 expected from thermal broadening for gas atT~3×105 K, the temperature at which O VI is expected toreach its peak abundance in collisional ionization equilibrium.Turbulence, inflow, and outflow must have an effect on the shape of theO VI profiles. Kinematical comparisons of O VI with Ar I reveal thateight of 21 sight lines are closely aligned in LSR velocity(|ΔVLSR|<=5 km s-1), while nine of 21exhibit significant velocity differences(|ΔVLSR|>=15 km s-1). This dual behaviormay indicate the presence of two different types of O VI-bearingenvironments toward the Galactic sight lines. The correlation betweenthe H I and O VI intermediate-velocity absorption is poor. We couldidentify the known H I intermediate-velocity components in the Ar Iabsorption but not in the O VI absorption in most cases. Comparison of OVI with other highly ionized species suggests that the high ions areproduced primarily by cooling hot gas in the Galactic fountain flow andthat turbulent mixing also has a significant contribution. The role ofturbulent mixing varies from negligible to dominant. It is mostimportant toward sight lines that sample supernova remnants like Loops Iand IV. The average N(C IV)/N(O VI) ratios for the nearby halo (thiswork) and complete halo (Savage et al.) are similar (~0.6), but thedispersion is larger in the sample of nearby halo sight lines. We areable to show that the O VI enhancement toward the Galactic center regionthat was observed in the FUSE survey of complete halo sight lines(Savage et al.) is likely associated with processes occurring near theGalactic center by comparing the observations toward the nearby HD177566 sight line to those toward extragalactic targets.
| A Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer Survey of Molecular Hydrogen in Intermediate-Velocity Clouds in the Milky Way Halo
Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) data are used toinvestigate the molecular hydrogen (H2) content ofintermediate-velocity clouds (IVCs) in the lower halo of the Milky Way.We analyze interstellar absorption toward 56 (mostly extragalactic)background sources to study H2 absorption in the Lyman andWerner bands in 61 IVC components at H I column densities>=1019 cm-2. For data with good signal-to-noiseratio (S/N) (~9 per resolution element and higher), H2 in IVCgas is convincingly detected in 14 cases at column densities varyingbetween ~1014 and ~1017 cm-2. We findan additional 17 possible H2 detections in IVCs in FUSEspectra with lower S/N. The molecular hydrogen fractions, f, varybetween 10-6 and 10-3, implying a dense, mostlyneutral gas phase that is probably related to the cold neutral medium(CNM) in these clouds. If the H2 stays information-dissociation equilibrium, the CNM in these clouds can becharacterized by compact (D~0.1 pc) filaments with volume densities onthe order of nH~30 cm-3. The relatively highdetection rate of H2 in IVC gas implies that the CNM in theseclouds is ubiquitous. More dense regions with much higher molecularfractions may exist, but it would be difficult to detect them inabsorption because of their small size.
| The accretion/diffusion theory for lambda Bootis stars in the light of spectroscopic data
Most of the current theories suggest the lambda Bootis phenomenon tooriginate from an interaction between the stellar surface and its localenvironment. In this paper, we compare the abundance pattern of thelambda Bootis stars to that of the interstellar medium and find largerdeficiencies for Mg, Si, Mn and Zn than in the interstellar medium. Acomparison with metal poor post-AGB stars showing evidence forcircumstellar material indicates a similar physical process possiblybeing at work for some of the lambda Bootis stars, but not for all ofthem. Despite the fact that the number of spectroscopically analysedlambda Bootis stars has considerably increased in the past, a test ofpredicted effects with observations shows current abundance andtemperature data to be still controversial.
| H I Spectra and Column Densities toward HVC and IVC Probes
We show 21 cm line profiles in the direction of stars and extragalacticobjects, lying projected on high- and intermediate-velocity clouds (HVCsand IVCs). About half of these are from new data obtained with theEffelsberg 100 m telescope, about a quarter are extracted from theLeiden-Dwingeloo Survey (LDS), and the remaining quarter were observedwith other single-dish telescopes. H I column densities were determinedfor each HVC/IVC. Paper I of this series uses these in combination withoptical and ultraviolet high-resolution measurements to deriveabundances. Here an analysis is given of the difference and ratio of N(HI) as observed with a 9' versus a 35' beam. For HVCs and IVCs the ratioN(H I-9')/N(H I-35') lies in the range 0.2-2.5. For low-velocity gasthis ratio ranges from 0.75 to 1.3 (the observed ratio is 0.85-1.4, butit appears that the correction for stray radiation is slightly off). Thesmaller range for the low-velocity gas may be caused by confusion in theline of sight, so that a low ratio in one component can be compensatedby a high ratio in another-for 11 low-velocity clouds fitted by onecomponent the distribution of ratios has a larger dispersion. Comparisonwith higher angular resolution data is possible for 16 sight lines.Eight sight lines with H I data at 1'-2' resolution show a range of0.75-1.25 for N(H I-2')/N(H I-9'), while in eight other sight lines N(HI-Lyα)/N(H I-9') ranges from 0.74 to 0.98.
| Distances and Metallicities of High- and Intermediate-Velocity Clouds
A table is presented that summarizes published absorption linemeasurements for the high- and intermediate-velocity clouds (HVCs andIVCs). New values are derived for N(H I) in the direction of observedprobes, in order to arrive at reliable abundances and abundance limits(the H I data are described in Paper II). Distances to stellar probesare revisited and calculated consistently, in order to derive distancebrackets or limits for many of the clouds, taking care to properlyinterpret nondetections. The main conclusions are the following. (1)Absolute abundances have been measured using lines of S II, N I, and OI, with the following resulting values: ~0.1 solar for one HVC (complexC), ~0.3 solar for the Magellanic Stream, ~0.5 solar for a southern IVC,and ~solar for two northern IVCs (the IV Arch and LLIV Arch). Finally,approximate values in the range 0.5-2 solar are found for three moreIVCs. (2) Depletion patterns in IVCs are like those in warm disk or halogas. (3) Most distance limits are based on strong UV lines of C II, SiII, and Mg II, a few on Ca II. Distance limits for major HVCs aregreater than 5 kpc, while distance brackets for several IVCs are in therange 0.5-2 kpc. (4) Mass limits for major IVCs are0.5-8×105 Msolar, but for major HVCs theyare more than 106 Msolar. (5) The Ca II/H I ratiovaries by up to a factor 2-5 within a single cloud, somewhat morebetween clouds. (6) The Na I/H I ratio varies by a factor of more than10 within a cloud, and even more between clouds. Thus, Ca II can beuseful for determining both lower and upper distance limits, but Na Ionly yields upper limits.
| High-resolution stellar and interstellar spectra of HD 100340
We present new, high-resolution, high signal-to-noise ratio, optical and21-cm HI observations of the faint blue halo star HD 100340. Adifferential abundance analysis with respect to the Galactic disc starHR 2387 shows no significant peculiarities. We find that HD 100340 liesat a distance of 3 kpc, and a kinematical analysis strongly supports a`runaway star' origin. We also present improved cloud models for threeintermediate velocity clouds seen in Ca II K or H I towards HD 100340.
| Helium peculiar stars in the red spectral region
Based upon 33 A/mm dispersion spectroscopic material we examine ifequivalent widths of H and He lines can be used for the detection of newhelium-peculiar stars. The answer is affirmative and we present some newcandidates discovered this way. We have also investigated if the use ofdifferent helium lines than those of the (3) D series (4026, 4471)modifies the assignments of helium peculiar stars. This is not the case,since the use of lambda 6678 ((1) D) and lambda 7065 (3S) gives the sameresults. Based on observations obtained at the Haute ProvenceObservatory (CNRS)
| High-Velocity Rain: The Terminal Velocity Model of Galactic Infall
A model is proposed for determining the distances to fallinginterstellar clouds in the galactic halo by measuring the cloud velocityand column density and assuming a model for the vertical densitydistribution of the Galactic interstellar medium. It is shown thatfalling clouds with N(H I) <~ 1019 cm-2 may be decelerated to aterminal velocity which increases with increasing height above theGalactic plane. This terminal velocity model correctly predicts thedistance to high-velocity cloud Complex M and several other interstellarstructures of previously determined distance. It is demonstrated howinterstellar absorption spectra alone may be used to predict thedistances of the clouds producing the absorption. If the distance,velocities, and column densities of enough interstellar clouds are knownindependently, the procedure can be reversed, and the terminal velocitymodel can be used to estimate the vertical density structure (both themean density and the porosity) of the interstellar medium. Using thedata of Danly and assuming a drag coefficient of CD ≅ 1, thederived density distribution is consistent with the expected densitydistribution of the warm ionized medium, characterized by Reynolds.There is also evidence that for z >~ 0.4 kpc one or more of thefollowing occurs: (1) the neutral fraction of the cloud decreases to ~31+/- 14%, (2) the density drops off faster than characterized byReynolds, or (3) there is a systematic decrease in CD with increasing z.Current data do not place strong constraints on the porosity of theinterstellar medium.
| High-Resolution Ultraviolet Observations of the Highly Ionized Interstellar Gas toward Radio Loops I and IV
We present new Goddard High-Resolution Spectrograph (GHRS) echelleobservations of the high ionization lines of Si IV, C IV, and N V towardHD 119608, a halo star at d = 4.1 kpc behind the Loop I and IV supernovaremnants. Absorption along the path to HD 119608 makes it possible tostudy energetic processes that may result in the flow of gas into theGalactic halo. The data have a resolution (FWHM) of ~3.5 km s-1 and S/Nratios of 30:1--50:1. The integrated high ion column densities log N =13.57 +/- 0.02, 14.48 +/- 0.06, and 13.45 +/- 0.07 for Si IV, C IV, andN V, respectively, imply a factor of 2--4 enhancement in the amount ofhighly ionized gas compared to average sight lines through the Galacticdisk and halo. The integrated high ion column density ratios, N(CIV)/N(Si IV) = 8.1 +/- 1.1 and N(C IV)/N(N V) = 10.7 +/- 2.1, are alsoseveral times larger than normal. These high ion results suggest theabsorption is influenced by passage of the sight line through the centerof Loop IV. The HD 119608 C IV absorption profile has a bimodal velocitystructure indicative of an expanding shell; we tentatively derive anexpansion velocity of 16 km s-1 for Radio Loop IV. A detailed analysisof the high ion profile structure indicates that multiple types ofhighly ionized gas with a range of properties exist along this sightline. We also reexamine the high ionization properties of the QSO 3C 273sight line using new intermediate-resolution (FWHM ~ 20 km s-1) GHRSdata. We obtain log N = 14.49 +/- 0.03 and 13.87 +/- 0.06 for C IV and NV, respectively. The C IV column density, which is 0.12 dex smaller thanearlier estimates, leads to somewhat smaller ionic ratios thanpreviously determined. We find N(C IV)/N(Si IV) = 5.1 +/- 0.6 and N(CIV)/N(N V) = 4.2 +/- 0.6. However, as for HD 119608, the high ion columndensities toward 3C 273 are larger than normal by factors of 2--4. The3C 273 high ion absorption profiles are much broader than those seentoward HD 119608 and other sight lines near the center of Loop IV. Thelarger line widths may result because the sight line passes through theturbulent edge of Loop IV as well as the X-ray and radio continuumemission regions of the North Polar Spur. We have compiled a list of thehighest quality IUE and GHRS high ion measurements available forinterstellar sight lines through the disk and halo and find thefollowing median averaged results: N(C IV)/N(Si IV) = 3.8 +/- 1.9 andN(C IV)/N(N V) = 4.0 +/- 2.4. These ratios are lower than those foundfor four Loop IV sight lines. We suggest a model for the production ofhighly ionized gas in Loop IV in which the contributions from turbulentmixing layers and conductive interfaces/SNR bubbles to the total highion column densities are approximately equal. Much of the high ionabsorption toward HD 119608 and 3C 273 may occur within a highlyfragmented medium within the remnant or the outer cavity walls of theremnant.
| Absorption by Highly Ionized Interstellar Gas Along Extragalactic and Galactic Sight Lines
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1997AJ....113.2158S&db_key=AST
| Interstellar Gas-Phase Abundances and Physical Conditions toward Two Distant High-Latitude Halo Stars
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1996ApJ...470..893S&db_key=AST
| Coronal Gas in the Halo. II. ORFEUS Observations of Galactic Halo Stars
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1996ApJ...465..296H&db_key=AST
| New pulsational properties of eight `anomalous' RR Lyrae variables
CCD photometry in the V band is presented for seven field RR Lyrae starsselected from a sample of eight variables; these, according to datacollected in the literature, are expected to be ab-type pulsators, tohave short periods (and hence high metallicity), and to be located at ahigh z from the Galactic plane. New periods and epochs are derived forthem. The new periods are only slightly shorter than the valuespublished in the fourth edition of the General Catalogue of VariableStars (GCVS4). In six cases our amplitude of the light variation issignificantly smaller than that published in the GCVS4, and in at leastthree cases the actual pulsation appears to be in the first harmonicrather than in the fundamental mode. All the suggested c-type pulsatorsshow variations in the amplitude and/or quite scattered light curves.Some possible explanations are given. From a spectrophotometric analysisof the sample, only DL Com is confirmed to pulsate in the fundamentalmode, to have a short period, and to be located at a relatively high z.However, a single object cannot be taken as evidence for a significantmetal-rich population at a large distance from the Galactic plane.
| Detection of Hot Gas in the Interstellar Medium
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1995ApJ...450..163H&db_key=AST
| Radio continuum emission from stars: a catalogue update.
An updated version of my catalogue of radio stars is presented. Somestatistics and availability are discussed.
| Dust emission as a quantitative probe of star-forming regions.
This article discusses thermal emission from interstellar dust as aquantitative probe of gas in star-forming regions, with particularemphasis on the interpretation of observations made at millimeter andsubmillimeter wavelengths. Expressions relating dust opacity to thecolumn density of hydrogen are derived. Examination of the uncertaintiesassociated with the observations and with intepretation shows thatbeam-averaged hydrogen column densities in these regions can bedetermined within factors of 5-20. The largest source of uncertaintylies in the conversion of derived dust opacities into gas columndensities. Within the wavelength range 100<λ<3000μm, wesuggest the relationshipN(H)/τ_dust_=~1.1x10^20lambda^2.0^cm^-2^ for dense dustclouds until the nature of the dust grains within these clouds becomesbetter known.
| A Search for Beta-Cephei Type Variability in a Sample of Intermediate Galactic Latitude to High Galactic Latitude B-Type Stars
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1994MNRAS.267.1103H&db_key=AST
| A new list of effective temperatures of chemically peculiar stars. II.
Not Available
| An IUE survey of interstellar H I LY alpha absorption. 1: Column densities
We measure Galactic interstellar neutral hydrogen column densities byanalyzing archival interstellar Ly alpha absorption line data toward 554B2 and hotter stars observed at high resolution with the IUE satellite.This study more than doubles the number of lines of sight with measuresof N(H I) based on Ly alpha. We have included the scattered lightbackground correction algorithm of Bianchi and Bohlin in our datareduction. We use the correlation between the Balmer discontinuity(c1) index and the stellar Ly alpha absorption in order toassess the effects of stellar Ly alpha contamination. Approximately 40%of the B stars with measured (c1) index, exhibit seriousstellar Ly alpha contamination. One table contains the derived values ofthe interstellar N(H I) for 393 stars with at most small amounts ofstellar contamination. Another lists the observed values of total N(H I)for 161 stars with suspected stellar Ly alpha contamination and/oruncertain stellar parameters.
| Properties of the highly ionized disk and halo gas toward two distant high-latitude stars
Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph (GHRS) intermediate -resolutionobservations of S III, Si III, Al III, Si IV, C IV, and N V absorptionalong the sight lines to HD 18100 (l = 217.9 deg, b = -62.7, d = 3.1kpc, z = -2.8 kpc) and HD 100340 (l = 258.9 deg, b = +61.2 deg, d = 5.3kpc, z = 4.6 kpc) are presented. These small science aperture spectrahave resolutions ranging from 11 to 20 km/s full width at half maximum(FWHM) and S/N from 30 to 65 per diode substep. Strong absorption bymoderately and highly ionized gas is seen in each direction. Theabsorption in the direction of the south Galactic polar region (HD18100) is kinematically simple, while the absorption in the direction ofnorth Galactic polar region (HD 100304) is kinematically complex. Ineach case the absorption by the highly ionized gas lies within thevelocity range of absorption by neutral and weakly ionized gas. Alongeach sight line, the velocity dispersion determined from the unsaturatedabsorption lines increases with the energy required to create each ion.The logarithmic column densities for Al III, Si IV, C IV, and N V arelog N(atoms/sq cm = 12.71, 13.10, 13.58, and 12.75 toward HD 18100 andlog N = 12.88, 13.31, 13.83, and 13.04 toward HD 100340. Average ionicratios among these species are very similar along the two sight lines.Differences in profile shape between the absorption for AL II, Si IV, CIV, and N V provide additional support for the claim of Savage, Sembach,& Cardelli (1994) that there exists two types of highly ionized gasin the interstellar medium. One type of highly ionized gas isresponsible for the structured Si IV absorption and part of the C IVabsorption. In this gas N(C IV)/N(Si IV) approximately 3.0 and N(CIV)/N(N V) greater than 6. The absorption by this gas seems to beassociated with some type of self-regulating interface or mixing layerbetween the warm and hot interstellar medium. The other type of highlyionized gas is responsible for most of the N V absorption, part of the CIV absorption, and has very little associated Si IV absorption. In thisgas N(C IV)/N(N V) is approximately 1 to 3. This gas is hot (T greaterthan 2 x 105 K) and may be tracing the cooling gas ofsupernova (SN) bubbles or a Galactic fountain. The relative mixture ofthese two types of highly ionized gas varies from one sight line to thenext. The two sight lines in this study sample halo gas in the solarneighborhood and have a smaller percentage of the more highly ionizedgas than inner Galaxy sight lines.
| Gas kinematics and ionization along the extended sight line to HD 116852
We present Goddard High-Resolution Spectrograph intermediateobservations of the interstellar medium toward HD 116852, a low halostar at a distance of 4.8 kpc (z = -1.3 kpc) in the direction l = 304.deg 9, b = 16.deg 1. The small science aperture observations havesignal-to-noise ratios ranging from 30 to 90 and resolutions of 11 to 18km/s (FWHM). We confirm the optical MK classification of this starthrough an analysis of its ultraviolet photosperic and stellar windprofiles. We detect interstellar lines of Al III, Si IV, C IV, and N Vtogether with lines of C I, C I*, C I**, Si II, Ge II, P II, and Ni II.We convert the Mg II, P II, S II, Al III, Si IV, C IV, and N V profilesinto measure of apparent column density as a function of LSR velocity.Gas scale height, velocity dispersion, and differential Galacticrotation effects govern the profile shapes. A simple computer model ofthe expected sight line column density profiles for the low and high ionspecies indicates that the gas velocity dispersions and scale heightsincrease as the ionization level of the gas increases. We find scaleheigts H greater than or = 1 kpc for the high ions, which are comparableto the z-distance of the star, whereas we find H approximatley = 0.6 to0.7 kpc for A1 III and H approximatley 0.1 kpc for P II and Ge II. Anenhancement in the Al II profile near -15 km/s accounts forapproximately 25% of the A1 III column along the sight line and probablyarises within gas located approximately 500 pc below theSagittarius-Carina spiral arm link. Portions of the broad underlying A1III distribution are associated with the higher ionization lines,perhaps in conductive interfaces. The presence of N V and the columndensity ratios of Si IV, C IV, and N V favor the interpretation thatmuch of the high ion absorption is produced by collisional ionization ingas with T = 1-3 x 105 K. An enhancement near -35 km/s inboth the Si IV and C IV profiles may be due to an outflow from the Normaspiral arm at a z-distance of about -1 kpc. The smooth decrease of theN(C IV)/N(Si IV) ratio at negative velocities may be due to an ISMionization structure for hot gas that changes distance from the Galacticplane or to a two phase gas distribution in which the relativecontribution from each phase changes with distance from the Galacticplane.
| Ultraviolet FeIII lines in the spectra of high galactic latitude early-type stars
Using high resolution spectral data from the International UltravioletExplorer satellite, we present qualitative and quantitative comparisonsof blends of Fe III absorption lines in the region1890A<=λ<=1930A for a sample of fifteen high latitudeB-type and standard stars. Standard and halo stars were matched ineffective temperature and surface gravity using Stroemgren [c_1_] andHβ photometry, and LTE model atmosphere codes were used toinvestigate whether they had similar iron abundances. We conclude thatwhile most of the halo stars have Population I iron abundances and maybe young objects, one star, HD 177566, has significant iron and silicondepletions and is most probably an old, evolved star. In view of thecoincidence of the atmospheric parameters of this star with those ofyoung B-type stars, we consider a post-AGB evolutionary status to belikely for HD 177566.
| IUE observations of highly ionized gas toward distant stars in the Milky Way
Combined high-dispersion IUE spectra of interstellar Si IV, C IV, and NV absorption along distant sight lines toward early-type stars in theGalactic disk and low halo are discussed. The highly ionized specieshave complex profiles and exhibit stronger absorption toward distantlow-latitude stars than toward high-latitude stars. Absorption alonglow-latitude directions is often broadened substantially by Galacticrotation. Along these sight lines the Si IV, C IV, and N V profiles aremore similar in shape to each other than to those of Al III, which is atracer of photoionized interstellar gas. The observed column densityratios of the high ions are similar in widely different regions withinthe Galaxy. The similarities in the high ion profile shapes alongindividual sight lines and integrated column density ratios alongdifferent sight lines suggest a common origin for these species incollisionally ionized gas associated with a global process such as aGalactic fountain.
| A high-resolution optical and radio study of Milky Way halo gas
Optical interstellar absorption lines of Ti II and Ca II and the 21 cmemission line of H I were observed at high-resolution (6 and 1 km/s,respectively) and high detection sensitivity along 25 lines of sight inthe Galactic halo. The sample includes 16 distant halo stars matchedwith one or more nearly aligned foreground stars as well as local starsalong five extragalactic sight lines. The data show substantialinterstellar material, at both low and intermediate velocities, between250 and 1000 pc beyond the Galactic plane. As much as one-third of thetotal gas observed in Ca II absorption may be beyond 1 kpc, and thegaseous Ti II may lie in an even thicker layer. The directly determinedgaseous Ti abundance above the Galactic plane exceeds that in the disk,on the average, by a factor of 4 to 6 and, for individual cloudcomponents, is further enhanced at higher LSR velocity. Thirty threediscrete high-latitude clouds are detected in Ca II absorption, and 17discrete clouds, including three high-velocity clouds, are identified inH I emission. The kinematics of the high-latitude gas observed in Ti IIand Ca II absorption is characterized by significant peculiar velocitieswith respect to a model corotating halo.
| UBV photometry of hot white dwarf stars
Johnson UBV photometry has been obtained for a set of hot degeneratestars, primarily DA and DO white dwarfs from among those detected in thePalomar-Green survey of UV excess objects. Most of our program starshave estimated effective temperatures (Teff) in the range22,000 to 80,000 K and have no previous photometry. Some objectsselected are also x-ray and extreme ultraviolet sources from the ROSATall sky survey. The importance of precise photometric measurements inthe analysis of x-ray data is discussed. A discrepancy between theobserved colors and predicted colors is noted, and possibly accountedfor by difficulties in defining the atmospheric cutoff of the U band anda general lack of hot stars used to define the photometrictransformation between theoretical and observed colors.
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Observation and Astrometry data
| Constellation: | Leo |
| Right ascension: | 11h32m49.94s |
| Declination: | +05°16'36.2" |
| Apparent magnitude: | 10.113 |
| Proper motion RA: | 4 |
| Proper motion Dec: | 11.8 |
| B-T magnitude: | 9.805 |
| V-T magnitude: | 10.088 |
Catalogs and designations:
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