Other
Scientific paper
May 2000
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2000aas...196.2616w&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, 196th AAS Meeting, #26.16; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 32, p.713
Other
Scientific paper
The fraction of metals that is currently locked up in dust is an extremely important astrophysical quantity, yet poorly determined. The total mass of interstellar dust depends critically on the mass fraction of grains with radii larger than about 0.25 μ m. Recent observations with dust detectors onboard the interplanetary spacecraft Ulysses and Galileo have recorded a substantial flux of interstellar grains with radii between 0.25 and 2.0 μ m entering the solar system from the local interstellar cloud. To investigate whether this population of larger dust particles prevails in the general interstellar medium we examined their effect on the intensity and profile of the x-ray scattering halo around Nova Cygni 1992. The results of our study confirm the need to extend the interstellar grain size distribution in the direction of this source to 2 μ m. The augmentation of the previously accepted general interstellar dust population with such larger particles may increase the interstellar dust-to-gas ratio above the accepted Galactic average, further exascerbating the so-called interstellar abundance crisis. The degree of increase in the dust-to-gas ratio depends on assumptions regarding the line-of-sight distribution of the dust. Additional observations of x-ray halos probing other spatial directions are badly needed to test the general validity of these results.
Dwek Eli
Smith Randall K.
Witt Adolf N.
No associations
LandOfFree
X-Ray Halos and Large Grains in the Diffuse Interstellar Medium does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with X-Ray Halos and Large Grains in the Diffuse Interstellar Medium, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and X-Ray Halos and Large Grains in the Diffuse Interstellar Medium will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1124280