Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
May 2009
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009aas...21440208s&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #214, #402.08; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 41, p.663
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
Scientific paper
Silicate dust plays an essential role in many astrophysical environments. The "amorphous” silicate spectral features have been observed in our solar system, young stellar objects, star formation regions, novae, and the diffuse and dense interstellar medium as well as in extragalactic environments such as quasars and AGN. This dust contributes to the physical processes inherent in star formation processes, as well as to several aspects of interstellar processes such as gas heating and the formation of molecules. The discovery of this almost ubiquitous 10um silicate feature, led to many laboratory studies of potential cosmic dust analogs attempting to determine the exact nature of this dust. However, these various lab studies have produced inconsistent and often conflicting results. Studies of ostensibly the same material produce different spectra, which can be attributed to small differences in samples and techniques, but which leave astronomers at a loss as to interpretation of astrophysical data. We survey the compositional and structural factors that affect spectral features in "amorphous” silicates, illustrated with examples of new high-resolution spectra and previously published spectra of amorphous silicates nominally corresponding in composition to the mineral end-members forsterite (Mg2SiO4), enstatite (MgSiO3) and gehlenite (Ca2Al2SiO7). These examples highlight the sensitivity of such characteristics as peak shape, peak position, and the ratio of the 10µm and 18µm features, to subtle compositional / structural variations. By careful laboratory study, we can harness these effects on the spectral features of amorphous silicates to understand dust composition more precisely and provide a rich source of information on dust formation and processing.
Hofmeister Anne. M.
Speck Angela
Whittington Alan G.
No associations
LandOfFree
Through The Looking Glass: The Causes Of Variations In "Amorphous” Silicate Spectral Features. 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 Through The Looking Glass: The Causes Of Variations In "Amorphous” Silicate Spectral Features., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Through The Looking Glass: The Causes Of Variations In "Amorphous” Silicate Spectral Features. will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1106485