Search Publications
Unraveling the Dusty Environment around RT Vir
Sargent, B.; Speck, Angela K.; Preston, Michael D. +1 more
Infrared (IR) studies of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars are critical to our understanding of the formation of cosmic dust. In this investigation, we explore the mid- to far-IR emission of the oxygen-rich AGB star RT Virginis. This optically thin dusty environment has unusual spectral features when compared to other stars in its class. To expl…
SMILES: A Prototype JWST Multiband Mid-infrared Survey
Shivaei, Irene; Lyu, Jianwei; Alberts, Stacey +4 more
The Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) for JWST is supplied with a suite of imaging band-pass filters optimized for full spectral coverage in eight intermediate-width bands from 5 to 26 µm and a narrower one at 11.3 µm. This contrasts with previous infrared space telescopes, which generally have provided only two broad bands, one near 10 &…
SOFIA/HAWC+ Far-infrared Polarimetric Large Area CMZ Exploration Survey. II. Detection of a Magnetized Dust Ring in the Galactic Center
Morris, Mark R.; Staguhn, Johannes; Wollack, Edward J. +8 more
We present the detection of a magnetized dust ring (M0.8–0.2) in the central molecular zone (CMZ) of the Galactic center. The results presented in this paper utilize the first data release of the Far-Infrared Polarimetric Large Area CMZ Emission (FIREPLACE) survey (i.e., Paper I of this series). The FIREPLACE survey is a 214 µm polarimetric …
The Dustiest Galactic S Stars: Mid-infrared Spectra from SOFIA/FORCAST
Sloan, G. C.; Kraemer, Kathleen E.; Ramirez, Ramses M.
We present spectra of 12 of the reddest, and hence dustiest, S stars in the Milky Way, observed with the FORCAST grisms on SOFIA. S stars are asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars with C/O ∼ 1, so their molecular and dust chemistries are dominated by neither O nor C, often leading to atypical spectral features from their molecules and dust grains. A…
An Outbursting Protostar: The Environment of L1251 VLA 6
Ábrahám, Péter; Kóspál, Ágnes; Kun, Mária +6 more
Young protostars that undergo episodic accretion can provide insight into the impact on their circumstellar environments while matter is accreted from the disk onto the protostar. IRAS 22343+7501 is a four-component protostar system with one of those being a fading outbursting protostar, which was obseved with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (…
A Multiwavelength Study of the Symbiotic Mira HM Sge with SOFIA and HST
Goldman, Steven R.; Montiel, Edward; Sankrit, Ravi +3 more
We have targeted the dusty symbiotic Mira system HM Sge with four instruments from the IR to the UV. We have used these observations along with archival observations to study how the system has been evolving after its 1975 nova-like outburst. We have detected rovibrational water emission in a symbiotic system for the first time using new EXES high…
JWST/MIRI Spectroscopy of the Disk of the Young Eruptive Star EX Lup in Quiescence
Banzatti, Andrea; Henning, Thomas; Bouwman, Jeroen +7 more
EX Lup is a low-mass pre-main-sequence star that occasionally shows accretion-related outbursts. Here, we present JWST/MIRI medium-resolution spectroscopy obtained for EX Lup 14 yr after its powerful outburst. EX Lup is now in quiescence and displays a Class II spectrum. We detect a forest of emission lines from molecules previously identified in …
JWST: Deuterated PAHs, PAH Nitriles, and PAH Overtone and Combination Bands. I. Program Description and First Look
Boersma, C.; Bregman, J. D.; Allamandola, L. J. +6 more
A first look is taken at the NIRSpec 1-5 µm observations from James Webb Space Telescope program 1591 that targets seven objects along the low-mass stellar life cycle with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission. Spectra extracted from a 1.″5 radius circular aperture are explored, showing a wealth of features, including the 3 µm…
Dissecting the Mid-infrared Heart of M83 with JWST
Kumari, Nimisha; Hirschauer, Alec S.; Hernandez, Svea +10 more
We present a first look at the MRS observations of the nucleus of the nearby galaxy M83, taken with MIRI on board JWST. The observations show a rich set of emission features from the ionized gas, warm molecular gas, and dust. To begin dissecting the complex processes in this part of the galaxy, we divide the observations into four different region…
The Mid-infrared Molecular Inventory toward Orion IRc2
Drozdovskaya, Maria N.; Herbst, Eric; Acharyya, Kinsuk +8 more
We present the first high spectral resolution mid-infrared survey in the Orion BN/KL region, covering 7.2–28.3 µm. With SOFIA/EXES, we target the enigmatic source Orion IRc2. While this is in the most prolifically studied massive star-forming region, longer wavelengths and molecular emission lines dominated previous spectral surveys. The mid…