TY - JOUR A1 - Zhang, Heshou A1 - Yan, Huirong A1 - Richter, Philipp T1 - The influence of atomic alignment on absorption and emission spectroscopy JF - Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society N2 - Spectroscopic observations play essential roles in astrophysics. They are crucial for determining physical parameters in our Universe, providing information about the chemistry of various astronomical environments. The proper execution of the spectroscopic analysis requires accounting for all the physical effects that are compatible to the signal-to-noise ratio. We find in this paper the influence on spectroscopy from the atomic/ground state alignment owing to anisotropic radiation and modulated by interstellar magnetic field, has significant impact on the study of interstellar gas. In different observational scenarios, we comprehensively demonstrate how atomic alignment influences the spectral analysis and provide the expressions for correcting the effect. The variations are even more pronounced for multiplets and line ratios. We show the variation of the deduced physical parameters caused by the atomic alignment effect, including alpha-to-iron ratio ([X/Fe]) and ionization fraction. Synthetic observations are performed to illustrate the visibility of such effect with current facilities. A study of Photodissociation regions in rho Ophiuchi cloud is presented to demonstrate how to account for atomic alignment in practice. Our work has shown that due to its potential impact, atomic alignment has to be included in an accurate spectroscopic analysis of the interstellar gas with current observational capability. KW - magnetic fields KW - submillimetre: ISM KW - ultraviolet: ISM KW - ISM: abundances KW - ISM: lines and bands KW - techniques: spectroscopic Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/sty1594 SN - 0035-8711 SN - 1365-2966 VL - 479 IS - 3 SP - 3923 EP - 3935 PB - Oxford Univ. Press CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Richter, Philipp A1 - Fox, Andrew J. A1 - Wakker, Bart P. A1 - Howk, J. Christopher A1 - Lehner, Nicolas A1 - Barger, Kathleen A. A1 - Lockman, Felix J. T1 - New constraints on the nature and origin of the leading arm of the magellanic stream JF - The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics N2 - We present a new precision measurement of gas-phase abundances of S, O, N, Si, Fe, P, Al, Ca as well as molecular hydrogen (H-2) in the Leading Arm (region II, LA II) of the Magellanic Stream (MS) toward the Seyfert galaxy NGC 3783. The results are based on high-quality archival ultraviolet/optical/radio data from various different instruments (HST/STIS, FUSE, AAT, GBT, GB140 ft, ATCA). Our study updates previous results from lower-resolution data and provides for the first time a self-consistent component model of the complex multiphase absorber, delivering important constraints on the nature and origin of LA II. We derive a uniform, moderate a abundance in the two main absorber groups at +245 and +190 km s(-1) of alpha/H = 0.30 +/- 0.05 solar, a low nitrogen abundance of N/H = 0.05 +/- 0.01 solar, and a high dust content with substantial dust depletion values for Si, Fe, Al, and Ca. These a, N, and dust abundances in LA II are similar to those observed in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). From the analysis of the H2 absorption, we determine a high thermal pressure of P/k approximate to 1680 K cm(-3) in LA II, in line with the idea that LA II is located in the inner Milky Way halo at a z-height of < 20 kpc, where it hydrodynamically interacts with the ambient hot coronal gas. Our study supports a scenario in which LA II stems from the breakup of a metal- and dust-enriched progenitor cloud that was recently (200-500 Myr ago) stripped from the SMC. KW - Galaxy: evolution KW - Galaxy: halo KW - ISM: abundances KW - Magellanic Clouds KW - quasars: absorption lines Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/aadd0f SN - 0004-637X SN - 1538-4357 VL - 865 IS - 2 PB - IOP Publ. Ltd. CY - Bristol ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Heintz, Kasper Elm A1 - Watson, D. A1 - Jakobsson, P. A1 - Fynbo, J. P. U. A1 - Bolmer, J. A1 - Arabsalmani, M. A1 - Cano, Zach A1 - Covino, S. A1 - Gomboc, A. A1 - Japelj, J. A1 - Kaper, L. A1 - Krogager, J. -K. A1 - Pugliese, G. A1 - Sanchez-Ramirez, R. A1 - Selsing, J. A1 - Sparre, Martin A1 - Tanvir, N. R. A1 - Thone, C. C. A1 - de Ugarte Postigo, A. A1 - Vergani, S. D. T1 - Highly ionized metals as probes of the circumburst gas in the natal regions of gamma-ray bursts JF - Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society N2 - We present here a survey of high-ionization absorption lines in the afterglow spectra of long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) obtained with the VLT/X-shooter spectrograph. Our main goal is to investigate the circumburst medium in the natal regions of GRBs. Our primary focus is on the N vλλ 1238, 1242 line transitions, but we also discuss other high-ionization lines such as O vi, C iv, and Si iv. We find no correlation between the column density of N v and the neutral gas properties such as metallicity, H i column density, and dust depletion; however, the relative velocity of N v, typically a blueshift with respect to the neutral gas, is found to be correlated with the column density of H i. This may be explained if the N v gas is part of an H ii region hosting the GRB, where the region’s expansion is confined by dense, neutral gas in the GRB’s host galaxy. We find tentative evidence (at 2σ significance) that the X-ray derived column density, NH, X, may be correlated with the column density of N v, which would indicate that both measurements are sensitive to the column density of the gas located in the vicinity of the GRB. We investigate the scenario where N v (and also O vi) is produced by recombination after the corresponding atoms have been stripped entirely of their electrons by the initial prompt emission, in contrast to previous models where highly ionized gas is produced by photoionization from the GRB afterglow. KW - gamma-ray bursts: general KW - ISM: abundances Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/sty1447 SN - 0035-8711 SN - 1365-2966 VL - 479 IS - 3 SP - 3456 EP - 3476 PB - Oxford Univ. Press CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Richter, Philipp A1 - Winkel, Benjamin A1 - Wakker, Bart P. A1 - Pingel, N. M. A1 - Fox, Andrew J. A1 - Heald, G. A1 - Walterbos, Rene A. M. A1 - Fechner, C. A1 - Ben Bekhti, N. A1 - Gentile, G. A1 - Zschaechner, Laura T1 - Circumgalactic Gas at Its Extreme BT - Tidal Gas Streams around the Whale Galaxy NGC 4631 Explored with HST/COS JF - The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics N2 - We present a detailed analysis of the absorption properties of one of the tidal gas streams around the "Whale" galaxy NGC 4631 in the direction of the quasar 2MASS J12421031+3214268. Our study is based on ultraviolet spectral data obtained with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) on board the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and 21cm-data from the HALOGAS project and the Green Bank Telescope (GBT). We detect strong H I Ly alpha absorption in the velocity range +550 to +800 km s(-1) related to gas from a NGC 4631 tidal stream known as Spur 2. We measure a column density of log (N(H I/cm(-2))) = 18.68 +/- 0.15, indicating that the quasar sightline traces the outer boundary of Spur 2 as seen in the 21 cm data. Metal absorption in Spur 2 is detected in the lines of O I, C II, Si II, and Si III in a complex absorption pattern that reflects the multiphase nature of the gas. We find that the average neutral gas fraction in Spur 2 toward 2MASS J12421031+3214268 is only 14%. This implies that ionized gas dominates the total mass of Spur 2, which then may comprise more than 10(9)M(circle dot). No significant depletion of Si is observed, showing that Spur 2 does not contain significant amounts of dust. From the measured O I/H I column density ratio, we determine an alpha abundance in Spur 2 of 0.131(-0.05)(+0.07) solar ([alpha/H] = -0.90 +/- 0.16), which is substantially lower than what is observed in the NGC 4631 disk. The low metallicity and low dust content suggest that Spur 2 represents metal-deficient gas stripped off a gas-rich satellite galaxy during a recent encounter with NGC 4631. KW - galaxies: evolution KW - galaxies: halos KW - galaxies: interactions KW - ISM: abundances KW - quasars: absorption lines Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/aae838 SN - 0004-637X SN - 1538-4357 VL - 868 IS - 2 PB - IOP Publ. Ltd. CY - Bristol ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Fox, Andrew J. A1 - Barger, Kathleen A. A1 - Wakker, Bart P. A1 - Richter, Philipp A1 - Antwi-Danso, Jacqueline A1 - Casetti-Dinescu, Dana I. A1 - Howk, J. Christopher A1 - Lehner, Nicolas A1 - Crowther, Paul A. A1 - Lockman, Felix J. T1 - Chemical Abundances in the Leading Arm of the Magellanic Stream JF - The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics N2 - The Leading Arm (LA) of the Magellanic Stream is a vast debris field of H I clouds connecting the Milky Way and the Magellanic Clouds. It represents an example of active gas accretion onto the Galaxy. Previously, only one chemical abundance measurement had been made in the LA. Here we present chemical abundance measurements using Hubble Space Telescope/Cosmic Origins Spectrograph and Green Bank Telescope spectra of four AGN sightlines passing through the LA and three nearby sightlines that may trace outer fragments of the LA. We find low oxygen abundances, ranging from 4.0+(2.0)(2.0)% 12.6(4.1)(6.0)% solar, in the confirmed LA directions, with the lowest values found in the region known as LA III, farthest from the LMC. These abundances are substantially lower than the single previous measurement, S/H = 35 +/- 7% solar, but are in agreement with those reported in the SMC filament of the trailing Stream, supporting a common origin in the SMC (not the LMC) for the majority of the LA and trailing Stream. This provides important constraints for models of the formation of the Magellanic System. Finally, two of the three nearby sightlines show high-velocity clouds with H I columns, kinematics, and oxygen abundances consistent with LA membership. This suggests that the LA is larger than traditionally thought, extending at least 20 degrees further to the Galactic northwest. KW - Galaxy: evolution KW - Galaxy: halo KW - ISM: abundances KW - Magellanic Clouds KW - quasars: absorption lines Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/aaa9bb SN - 0004-637X SN - 1538-4357 VL - 854 IS - 2 PB - IOP Publ. Ltd. CY - Bristol ER -