Dust in the small Magellanic Cloud. 2: Dust models from interstellar polarization and extinction data

Details Dust in the small Magellanic Cloud. 2: Dust models from interstellar polarization and extinction data Dust in the small Magellanic Cloud. 2: Dust models from interstellar polarization and extinction data

Jan 1995

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1995spub.reptr....r&link_type=abstract

Technical Report, Sao Paulo Univ. Brazil Inst. Astronomico e Geofisico.

Other

Magellanic Clouds, Cosmic Dust, Astronomical Models, Amorphous Materials, Color, Interstellar Extinction, Size Distribution, Silicates

Scientific paper

We study the dust in the Small Magellanic Cloud using our polarization and extinction data (Paper 1) and existing dust models. The data suggest that the monotonic SMC extinction curve is related to values of lambdamax, the wavelength of maximum polarization, which are on the average smaller than the mean for the Galaxy. On the other hand, AZV 456, a star with an extinction similar to that for the Galaxy, shows a value of lambdamax similar to the mean for the Galaxy. We discuss simultaneous dust model fits to extinction and polarization. Fits to the wavelength dependent polarization data are possible for stars with small lambdamax. In general, they imply dust size distributions which are narrower and have smaller mean sizes compared to typical size distributions for the Galaxy. However, stars with lambdamax close to the Galactic norm, which also have a narrower polarization curve, cannot be fit adequately. This holds true for all of the dust models considered. The best fits to the extinction curves are obtained with a power law size distribution by assuming that the cylindrical and spherical silicate grains have a volume distribution which is continuous from the smaller spheres to the larger cylinders. The size distribution for the cylinders is taken from the fit to the polarization. The 'typical', monotonic SMC extinction curve can be fit well with graphite and silicate grains if a small fraction of the SMC carbon is locked up in the grain. However, amorphous carbon and silicate grains also fit the data well. AZV456, which has an extinction curve similar to that for the Galaxy, has a UV bump which is too blue to be fit by spherical graphite grains.

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