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Based on the modeling of the central emission-line width measured over sub-arcsecond apertures with the Hubble Space Telescope, we present stringent upper bounds on the mass of the central supermassive black hole, MBH, for a sample of 105 nearby galaxies (D, 15 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables, accepted for publication on ApJ. An ascii version of Tab.1 is available upon request

We present a complete catalog of 27 O VI absorbers at low redshift ( -->0.12 bnt. We show that in all 16 cases considered the observed line width is dominated by nonthermal motion and that gas temperatures are well below those expected for -->O5 + in collisional ionization equilibrium. This result reaffirms previous findings from studies of individual lines of sight but are at odds with expectations for a WHIM origin. At least half of the absorbers can be explained by a simple photoionization model. In addition, in some absorbers we find evidence for large variation in gas density/metallicity across components in individual absorbers. Comparisons of multiple associated metal species further show that under the assumption of the gas being photoionized by the metagalactic background radiation field, the absorbing clouds have gas densities --> L > 1 kpc . Finally, we compare our absorber selection with the results of other independent studies.

We present the transmission spectra of the hot-Jupiter HD209458b taken with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph aboard the Hubble Space Telescope. Our analysis combines data at two resolutions and applies a complete pixel-by-pixel limb-darkening correction to fully reveal the spectral line shapes of atmospheric absorption features. Terrestrial-based Na I and H I contamination are identified which mask the strong exoplanetary absorption signature in the Na core, which we find reaches total absorption levels of ~0.11% in a 4.4 Ang band. The Na spectral line profile is characterized by a wide absorption profile at the lowest absorption depths, and a sharp transition to a narrow absorption profile at higher absorption values. The transmission spectra also shows the presence of an additional absorber at ~6,250 Ang, observed at both medium and low resolutions. We performed various limb-darkening tests, including using high precision limb-darkening measurements of the sun to characterize a general trend of Atlas models to slightly overestimate the amount of limb-darkening at all wavelengths, likely due to the limitations of the model's one-dimensional nature. We conclude that, despite these limitations, Atlas models can still successfully model limb-darkening in high signal-to-noise transits of solar-type stars, like HD209458, to a high level of precision over the entire optical regime (3,000-10,000 Ang) at transit phases between 2nd and 3rd contact.

Two-dimensional processing of Hubble Space Telescope/Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (HST/STIS) echelle spectra of the eclipsing M2 Iab + B binary system, VV Cep, has revealed extended emission in all 21 epochs observed, ranging from midtotality through the first quadrature. In the ultraviolet accessible to STIS (1150- 3150 ?), essentially all observed photons originate from the hot component. In total eclipse, a pure emission spectrum is seen, with strong lines from lower levels up to ~2 eV cut by blue-shifted absorption in the M supergiant wind. Out of eclipse, a continuum is observed upon which a rich absorption spectrum of mostly neutral and singly-ionized iron group elements is superimposed. Out of eclipse, the strongest absorption features sit atop the emission profiles seen during eclipse. Far from eclipse, the neutral lines disappear, and the strongest of the remaining absorption lines develop complex inverse P-Cygni profiles. The continuum and spectrally extended blue wings of the inverse P-Cygni spectral lines show a spatial extension characteristic of the HST/STIS response to an unresolved source. However, the emission components of spectral lines lying longward of the blue-shifted wind absorption typically show flux extending beyond the unresolved hot component, implying formation over an extended region much larger than the size of the binary orbit. This extended line emission is believed to be formed by scattering of photons from the hot component's continuum by ions in ground and low-lying metastable levels in the extended wind of the M supergiant. Extension is observed out of eclipse for lines with lower levels up to approximately 4 eV, but the greatest degree of extension is observed for lines with lower levels less than 2 eV. Radial velocity differences across the spatially extended emission correlate with the aperture position angle, consistent with model predictions for wind flow in a binary system in which the wind outflow is comparable to the orbital velocity, and indicate an orbital plane oriented from +11? E of N (receding) through ?169? (approaching).

The precision and absolute accuracy of the echelle mode wavelength scales of Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) are investigated. The method is to measure deep exposures of the onboard Pt/Cr-Ne hollow cathode calibration lamp. The standard deviation of emission spots from their laboratory wavelengths in a single image is a measure of the internal precision of the pipeline-assigned scales. The average shift of the image as a whole is a measure of the absolute accuracy. While systematic patterns can be identified in all four echelle modes (E140M, E140M, E230M, and E230H), the overall precision (even without compensating for long-range trends with λ) is excellent: of order one-tenth of the resolution element (σ ~ 600 and 300 m s−1, for medium- [M] and high- [H] resolution modes, respectively). Furthermore, the absolute accuracy and its repeatability (assessed in a time series of WAVECAL images) is of order a remarkable 100 m s−1, aside from one of the E230M modes (secondary tilt λ2269) that shows a systematic offset 10 times larger. The excellent precision of the STIS echelle wavelengths could be improved by adding higher order terms to the biquadratic polynomial currently implemented in the CALSTIS pipeline. On the other hand, the existing small distortions might be resolved more naturally by a "physical instrument model," currently under development by the Space Telescope European Coordinating Facility's STIS Calibration Enhancement Project.

High-resolution ultraviolet observations of Cygnus X-1 were obtained at two epochs roughly 1 year apart using the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph on the Hubble Space Telescope. Orbital phase ranges around orb = 0 and 0.5 were covered at each epoch, and the spectra show P Cygni line features from high (N V, C IV, Si IV) and absorption lines from low (Si II, C II) ionization state material. The high-ionization P Cygni profiles show a marked dependence on orbital phase; strong, broad absorption components when the X-ray source is behind the companion star and noticeably weaker absorption when the X-ray source is between us and the companion star. We fit the P Cygni profiles using the Sobolev with exact integration method applied to a spherically symmetric stellar wind subject to X-ray photoionization from the black hole. Of the wind-formed lines, the Si IV doublet provides the most reliable estimates of the parameters of the wind and X-ray illumination. The velocity v increases with radius r (normalized to the stellar radius) according to v = v∞(1 − r/r)β, with β ≈ 0.75 and v∞ ≈ 1420 km s−1. Our fit implies a ratio of X-ray luminosity (in units of 1038 erg s−1) to wind mass-loss rate (in units of 10−6 M☉ yr−1) of LX,38/−6 ≈ 0.033, measured at −6 = 4.8. Our models determine parameters that may be used to estimate the accretion rate onto the black hole and independently predict the X-ray luminosity. Our predicted LX matches that determined by contemporaneous RXTE ASM remarkably well, but is a factor of 3 lower than the rate according to Bondi-Hoyle-Littleton spherical wind accretion. We suggest that some of the energy of accretion may go into powering a jet.

We report on the analysis of high spatial resolution visible to near-infrared spectral images of Titan at Ls=240°Ls=240° in November 2000, obtained with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph instrument on board the Hubble Space Telescope as part of program GO-8580. We employ a radiative transfer fractal particle aerosol model with a Bayesian parameter estimation routine that computes Titan's absolute reflectivity per pixel for 122 wavelengths by modeling the vertical distribution of the lower atmosphere haze and tropospheric methane. Analysis of these data suggests that Titan's haze concentration in the lower atmosphere varies in strength with latitude. We find Titan's tropospheric methane profile to be fairly consistent with latitude and longitude, and we find evidence for local areas of a CH4–N2 binary saturation in Titan's troposphere. Our results suggest that a methane and haze profile at one location on Titan would not be representative of global conditions.

We present analyses of observations of epsilon Eridani (K2 V) made with the Low Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer on Chandra and the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer, supplemented by observations made with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph, the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer and the Reflection Grating Spectrometer on XMM-Newton. The observed emission lines are used to find relative element abundances, to place limits on the electron densities and pressures and to determine the mean apparent emission measure distribution. As in the previous paper by Sim & Jordan (2003a), the mean emitting area as a function of the electron temperature is derived by comparisons with a theoretical emission measure distribution found from energy balance arguments. The final model has a coronal temperature of 3.4 x 10^6 K, an electron pressure of 1.3 x 10^16 cm^-3 K at T_e = 2 x 10^5 K and an area filling factor of 0.14 at 3.2 x 10^5 K. We discuss a number of issues concerning the atomic data currently available. Our analyses are based mainly on the latest version of CHIANTI (v5.2). We conclude that the Ne/O relative abundance is 0.30, larger than that recommended from solar studies, and that there is no convincing evidence for enhanced coronal abundances of elements with low first ionization potentials.

We present a detailed analysis of the composition and nucleosynthetic origins of the heavy elements in the metal-poor ([Fe/H]=-1.62+/-0.09) star HD94028. Previous studies revealed that this star is mildly enhanced in elements produced by the slow neutron-capture process (s-process; e.g., [Pb/Fe]=+0.79+/-0.32) and rapid neutron-capture process (r-process; e.g., [Eu/Fe]=+0.22+/-0.12), including unusually large molybdenum ([Mo/Fe]=+0.97+/-0.16) and ruthenium ([Ru/Fe]=+0.69+/-0.17) enhancements. However, this star is not enhanced in carbon ([C/Fe]=-0.06+/-0.19). We analyze an archival near-ultraviolet spectrum of HD94028, collected using the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph on board the Hubble Space Telescope, and other archival optical spectra collected from ground-based telescopes. We report abundances or upper limits derived from 64 species of 56 elements. We compare these observations with s-process yields from low-metallicity AGB evolution and nucleosynthesis models. No combination of s- and r-process patterns can adequately reproduce the observed abundances, including the super-solar [As/Ge] ratio (+0.99+/-0.23) and the enhanced [Mo/Fe] and [Ru/Fe] ratios. We can fit these features when including an additional contribution from the intermediate neutron-capture process (i process), which perhaps operated by the ingestion of H in He-burning convective regions in massive stars, super-AGB stars, or low-mass AGB stars. Currently, only the i process appears capable of consistently producing the super-solar [As/Ge] ratios and ratios among neighboring heavy elements found in HD94028. Other metal-poor stars also show enhanced [As/Ge] ratios, hinting that operation of the i process may have been common in the early Galaxy., Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal. (13 pages, 7 figures)

We introduce a HST/STIS stellar census of R136a, the central ionizing star cluster of 30 Doradus. We present low resolution far-ultraviolet STIS/MAMA spectroscopy of R136 using 17 contiguous 52x0.2 arcsec slits which together provide complete coverage of the central 0.85 parsec (3.4 arcsec). We provide spectral types of 90% of the 57 sources brighter than m_F555W = 16.0 mag within a radius of 0.5 parsec of R136a1, plus 8 additional nearby sources including R136b (O4\,If/WN8). We measure wind velocities for 52 early-type stars from CIV 1548-51, including 16 O2-3 stars. For the first time we spectroscopically classify all Weigelt & Baier members of R136a, which comprise three WN5 stars (a1-a3), two O supergiants (a5-a6) and three early O dwarfs (a4, a7, a8). A complete Hertzsprung-Russell diagram for the most massive O stars in R136 is provided, from which we obtain a cluster age of 1.5+0.3_-0.7 Myr. In addition, we discuss the integrated ultraviolet spectrum of R136, and highlight the central role played by the most luminous stars in producing the prominent HeII 1640 emission line. This emission is totally dominated by very massive stars with initial masses above ~100 Msun. The presence of strong HeII 1640 emission in the integrated light of very young star clusters (e.g A1 in NGC 3125) favours an initial mass function extending well beyond a conventional upper limit of 100 Msun. We include montages of ultraviolet spectroscopy for LMC O stars in the Appendix. Future studies in this series will focus on optical STIS/CCD medium resolution observations., 20 pages plus four Appendices providing LMC UV O spectral templates, UV spectral atlas in R136, wind velocities of LMC O stars and photometry of additional R136 sources

The atmosphere of the exoplanet HD 209458b is undergoing sustained mass loss, believed to be caused by X-ray and extreme-ultraviolet (XUV) irradiation from its star. The majority of this flux is not directly observable due to interstellar absorption, but is required in order to correctly model the photo-evaporation of the planet and photo-ionisation of the outflow. We present a recovered high energy spectrum for HD\,209458 using a Differential Emission Measure (DEM) retrieval technique. We construct a model of the stellar corona and transition region for temperatures between 10$^{4.1}$ and 10$^{8}$ K which is constrained jointly by ultraviolet line strengths measured with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and X-ray flux measurements from XMM-Newton. The total hydrogen ionising luminosity ($\lambda < 912$ \AA) is found to be 10$^{28.26}$ erg s$^{-1}$, which is similar to the value for the mean activity level of the Sun. This luminosity is incompatible with energy limited mass loss rates estimated from the same COS dataset, even the lower bound requires an uncomfortably high energetic efficiency of >40%. However, our luminosity is compatible with early estimates of the mass loss rate of HD 209458b based on results from the HST Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS). Precisely reconstructed XUV irradiation is a key input to determining mass loss rates and efficiencies for exoplanet atmospheres., Comment: Submitted to MNRAS. 8 pages, 3 figures

We analyze a large set of far ultraviolet oxygen aurora images of Europa's atmosphere taken by Hubble's Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (HST/STIS) in 1999 and on 19 occasions between 2012 and 2015. We find that both brightness and aurora morphology undergo systematic variations correlated to the periodically changing plasma environment. The time variable morphology seems to be strongly affected by Europa's interaction with the magnetospheric plasma. The brightest emissions are often found in the polar region where the ambient Jovian magnetic field line is normal to Europa's disk. Near the equator, where bright spots are found at Io, Europa's aurora is faint suggesting a general difference in how the plasma interaction shapes the aurora at Io and Europa. The dusk side is consistently brighter than the dawnside with only few exceptions, which cannot be readily explained by obvious plasma physical or known atmospheric effects. Brightness ratios of the near-surface OI] 1356 Å to OI 1304 Å emissions between 1.5 and 2.8 with a mean ratio of 2.0 are measured, confirming that Europa's bound atmosphere is dominated by O2. The 1356/1304 ratio decreases with increasing altitude in agreement with a more extended atomic O corona, but O2 prevails at least up to altitudes of ∼900 km. Differing 1356/1304 line ratios on the plasma upstream and downstream hemispheres are explained by a differing O mixing ratio in the near-surface O2 atmosphere of ∼5% (upstream) and ≲1% (downstream), respectively. During several eclipse observations, the aurora does not reveal any signs of systematic changes compared to the sunlit images suggesting no or only weak influence of sunlight on the aurora and an optically thin atmosphere. QC 20160519

COCOA-PUFS is an energy-diverse, time-domain study of the ultra-fast spinning, heavily spotted, yellow giant FK Com (HD117555; G4 III). This single star is thought to be a recent binary merger, and is exceptionally active by measure of its intense ultraviolet and X-ray emissions, and proclivity to flare. COCOA-PUFS was carried out with Hubble Space Telescope in the UV (120-300 nm), using mainly its high-performance Cosmic Origins Spectrograph, but also high-precision Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph; Chandra X-ray Observatory in the soft X-rays (0.5-10 keV), utilizing its High-Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer; together with supporting photometry and spectropolarimetry in the visible from the ground. This is an introductory report on the project. FK Com displayed variability on a wide range of time scales, over all wavelengths, during the week-long main campaign, including a large X-ray flare; "super-rotational broadening" of the far-ultraviolet "hot-lines" (e.g., Si IV 139 nm (T~80,000 K) together with chromospheric Mg II 280 nm and C II 133 nm (10,000-30,000 K); large Doppler swings suggestive of bright regions alternately on advancing and retreating limbs of the star; and substantial redshifts of the epoch-average emission profiles. These behaviors paint a picture of a highly extended, dynamic, hot (10 MK) coronal magnetosphere around the star, threaded by cooler structures perhaps analogous to solar prominences, and replenished continually by surface activity and flares. Suppression of angular momentum loss by the confining magnetosphere could temporarily postpone the inevitable stellar spindown, thereby lengthening this highly volatile stage of coronal evolution., Comment: to be published in ApJS

We describe our characterization of the kinematics of the emission-line gas in the nuclear regions of a complete sample of 21 nearby radio galaxies. We obtained data using the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph on board the Hubble Space Telescope. We show that the point-to-point variations are largest perpendicular to the disks and in nuclei where the organized motion is less pronounced, suggesting that motions are present from gas that has not settled into smooth rotation. We show that the velocity dispersion is not distributed as a function of inclination, and so likely arises from isotropic random motions in the gas. We find that the difference in mean velocities on either side of the nucleus does not vanish as the disks become face-on, suggesting there may be bulk motions of the gas disks. We show that the gas velocity dispersions are closely related to the stellar velocity dispersions, which has implications for black hole fueling and growth mechanisms. We show that significant motions digressing from a smooth thin disk configuration are ubiquitous, and even in those cases where the velocity profile of the emission-line gas appears smooth and uncomplicated there may be dynamical components of the system that are not explained by a thin Keplerian disk model, suggesting caution in the use of gas disk kinematics for the determination of black hole masses.

We present Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) spectral images of the HH~30 stellar jet taken through a wide slit over two epochs. The jet is unresolved spectrally, so the observations produce emission-line images for each line in the spectrum. This rich dataset shows how physical conditions in the jet vary with distance and time, produces precise proper motions of knots within the jet, resolves the jet width close to the star, and gives a spectrum of the reflected light from the disk over a large wavelength range at several positions. We introduce a new method for analyzing a set of line ratios based on minimizing a quadratic form between models and data. The method generates images of the density, temperature and ionization fraction computed using all the possible line ratios appropriately weighted. In HH 30, the density declines with distance from the source in a manner consistent with an expanding flow, and is larger by a factor of two along the axis of the jet than it is at the periphery. Ionization in the jet ranges from ~ 5% to 40%, and high ionization/excitation knots form at about 100 AU from the star and propagate outward with the flow. These high-excitation knots are not accompanied by corresponding increases in the density, so if formed by velocity variations the knots must have a strong internal magnetic pressure to smooth out density increases while lengthening recombination times.

We report interstellar FeII and SiII column densities toward six translucent sight lines (A_V >~ 1) observed with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS). The abundances were determined from the absorption of SiII] at 2335 Angstroms, and several weak Fe transitions including the first reported detections of the 2234 Angstrom line. We derive an empirical f-value for the FeII 2234 Angstrom transition of log(f lambda) = -1.54 +/- 0.05. The observed sight lines sample a variety of extinction characteristics as indicated by their R_V values, which range from 2.6 - 5.8. The dust-phase abundances of both Si and Fe are positively correlated with the small-grain population (effective radii smaller than a few hundred micron) toward the targets. The physical conditions along the sight lines suggest that this relationship may be due to differences in the survival of small particles in some interstellar environments. The chemical composition of the small grains could either resemble dust mantles or be silicate rich., accepted for publication in ApJ

We present dynamical models based on a study of high-resolution long-slit spectra of the narrow-line region (NLR) in NGC 1068 obtained with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) aboard The Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The dynamical models consider the radiative force due to the active galactic nucleus (AGN), gravitational forces from the supermassive black hole (SMBH), nuclear stellar cluster, and galactic bulge, and a drag force due to the NLR clouds interacting with a hot ambient medium. The derived velocity profile of the NLR gas is compared to that obtained from our previous kinematic models of the NLR using a simple biconical geometry for the outflowing NLR clouds. The results show that the acceleration profile due to radiative line driving is too steep to fit the data and that gravitational forces along cannot slow the clouds down, but with drag forces included, the clouds can slow down to the systemic velocity over the range 100--400 pc, as observed. However, we are not able to match the gradual acceleration of the NLR clouds from ~0 to ~100 pc, indicating the need for additional dynamical studies., Paper prepared by emulateapj version 10/09/06 and accepted for print in ApJ

Hubble Space Telescope Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (HST STIS) near-ultraviolet (NUV) echelle spectra reveal complex structure in the sight line toward the Weigelt D condensation located 0.25'' north-northwest of ? Car. In previous studies, the Weigelt condensations have been described to exhibit pure emission line spectra dominated by transitions in mainly singly and doubly ionized iron-group elements. However, high spectral (R ~ 100,000) and angular (

The aurorae at Jupiter are made up of many different features associated with a variety of generation mechanisms. The main auroral emission, also known as the main oval, is the most prominent of them as it accounts for approximately half of the total power emitted by the aurorae in the ultraviolet range. The energy of the precipitating electrons is a crucial parameter to characterize the processes at play which give rise to these auroral emissions, and the altitude of the emissions directly depends on this energy. Here we make use of far-UV (FUV) images acquired with the Advanced Camera for Surveys on board the Hubble Space Telescope and spectra acquired with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph to measure the vertical profile of the main emissions. The altitude of the brightness peak as seen above the limb is ~ 400 km, which is significantly higher than the 250 km measured in the post-dusk sector by Galileo in the visible domain. However, a detailed analysis of the effect of hydrocarbon absorption, including both simulations and FUV spectral observations, indicates that FUV apparent vertical profiles should be considered with caution, as these observations are not incompatible with an emission peak located at 250 km. The analysis also calls for spectral observations to be carried out with an optimized geometry in order to remove observational ambiguities.

We present Gemini Planet Imager (GPI) observations of AU Microscopii, a young M dwarf with an edge-on, dusty debris disk. Integral field spectroscopy and broadband imaging polarimetry were obtained during the commissioning of GPI. In our broadband imaging polarimetry observations, we detect the disk only in total intensity and find asymmetries in the morphology of the disk between the southeast and northwest sides. The southeast side of the disk exhibits a bump at 1$''$ (10 AU projected separation) that is three times more vertically extended and three times fainter in peak surface brightness than the northwest side at similar separations. This part of the disk is also vertically offset by 69$\pm$30 mas to the northeast at 1$''$ when compared to the established disk mid-plane and consistent with prior ALMA and Hubble Space Telescope/STIS observations. We see hints that the southeast bump might be a result of detecting a horizontal sliver feature above the main disk that could be the disk backside. Alternatively when including the morphology of the northwest side, where the disk mid-plane is offset in the opposite direction $\sim$50 mas between 0$.''$4 and 1$.''$2, the asymmetries suggest a warp-like feature. Using our integral field spectroscopy data to search for planets, we are 50% complete for $\sim$4 $M_\mathrm{Jup}$ planets at 4 AU. We detect a source, resolved only along the disk plane, that could either be a candidate planetary mass companion or a compact clump in the disk., 14 pages, 4 figures, accepted by ApJ Letters

High angular resolution spectroscopy obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) has revealed a remarkable population of galaxies hosting dwarf Seyfert nuclei with an unusually large broad-line region (BLR). These objects are remarkable for two reasons. Firstly, the size of the BLR can, in some cases, rival those seen in the most luminous quasars. Secondly, the size of the BLR is not correlated with the central continuum luminosity, an observation that distinguishes them from their reverberating counterparts. Collectively, these early results suggest that non-reverberating dwarf Seyferts are a heterogeneous group and not simply scaled versions of each other. Careful inspection reveals broad H Balmer emission lines with single peaks, double peaks, and a combination of the two, suggesting that the broad emission lines are produced in kinematically distinct regions centered on the black hole (BH). Because the gravitational field strength is already known for these objects, by virtue of knowing their BH mass, the relationship between velocity and radius may be established, given a kinematic model for the BLR gas. In this way, one can determine the inner and outer radii of the BLRs by modeling the shape of their broad emission line profiles. In the present contribution, high quality spectra obtained with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) are used to constrain the size of the BLR in the dwarf Seyfert nuclei of M81, NGC 3998, NGC 4203, NGC 3227, NGC 4051, and NGC 3516., Accepted for publication in the Journal of Astronomy & Astrophysics, 27 July 2015. Originally presented at the 10th Serbian Conference on Spectral Line Shapes in Astrophysics Srebrno jezero, Serbia, June 15-19, 2015. 3 pages, 2 figures

We present a spectral analysis of the UV-bright star vZ 1128 in M3 based on observations with the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE), the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS), and the Keck HIRES echelle spectrograph. By fitting the H I, He I, and He II lines in the Keck spectrum with non-LTE H-He models, we obtain Teff = 36,600 K, log g = 3.95, and log N(He)/N(H) = -0.84. The star's FUSE and STIS spectra show photospheric absorption from C, N, O, Al, Si, P, S, Fe, and Ni. No stellar features from elements beyond the iron peak are observed. Both components of the N V 1240 doublet exhibit P~Cygni profiles, indicating a weak stellar wind, but no other wind features are seen. The star's photospheric abundances appear to have changed little since it left the red giant branch (RGB). Its C, N, O, Al, Si, Fe, and Ni abundances are consistent with published values for the red-giant stars in M3, and the relative abundances of C, N, and O follow the trends seen on the cluster RGB. In particular, its low C abundance suggests that the star left the asymptotic giant branch before the onset of third dredge-up., 15 pages, 10 figures, to be published in MNRAS

The multiple star system of delta Orionis is one of the closest examples of a system containing a luminous O-type, bright giant star (component Aa1). It is often used as a spectral-type standard and has the highest observed X-ray flux of any hot-star binary. The main component Aa1 is orbited by two lower mass stars, faint Aa2 in a 5.7 day eclipsing binary, and Ab, an astrometric companion with an estimated period of 346 years. Generally the flux from all three stars is recorded in ground-based spectroscopy, and the spectral decomposition of the components has proved difficult. Here we present HST/STIS ultraviolet spectroscopy of delta Ori A that provides us with spatially separated spectra of Aa and Ab for the first time. We measured radial velocities for Aa1 and Ab in two observations made near the velocity extrema of Aa1. We show tentative evidence for the detection of the Aa2 component in cross-correlation functions of the observed and model spectra. We discuss the appearance of the UV spectra of Aa1 and Ab with reference to model spectra. Both stars have similar effective temperatures, but Ab is fainter and is a rapid rotator. The results will help in the interpretation of ground-based spectroscopy and in understanding the physical and evolutionary parameters of these massive stars., accepted for publication in ApJ, 18 pages, 4 figures, 3 tables

EK Draconis (HD 129333: G1.5 V) is a well-known young (50 Myr) solar analog. In 2012, Hubble Space Telescope returned to EK Dra to follow up a far-ultraviolet (FUV) SNAPshot visit by Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) two years earlier. The brief SNAP pointing had found surprisingly redshifted, impulsively variable subcoronal "hot-line" emission of Si IV 140 nm (T~ 80,000 K). Serendipitously, the 2012 follow-on program witnessed one of the largest FUV flares ever recorded on a sunlike star, which again displayed strong redshifts (downflows) of 30-40 km/s, even after compensating for small systematics in the COS velocity scales, uncovered through a cross-calibration by Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS). The (now reduced, but still substantial) ~10 km/s hot-line redshifts outside the flaring interval did not vary with rotational phase, so cannot be caused by "Doppler Imaging" (bright surface patches near a receding limb). Density diagnostic O IV] 140 nm multiplet line ratios of EK Dra suggest log(Ne)~ 11, an order of magnitude larger than in low-activity solar twin Alpha Centauri A, but typical of densities inferred in large stellar soft X-ray events. The self-similar FUV hot-line profiles between the flare decay and the subsequent more quiet periods, and the unchanging but high densities, reinforce a long-standing idea that the coronae of hyperactive dwarfs are flaring all the time, in a scale-free way; a "flare-ona" if you will. In this picture, the subsonic hot-line downflows probably are a byproduct of the post-flare cooling process, something like "coronal rain" on the Sun. All in all, the new STIS/COS program documents a complex, energetic, dynamic outer atmosphere of the young sunlike star., 47 pages, 15 figures

We report Hubble Space Telescope (HST) optical to near-infrared transmission spectroscopy of the hot Jupiter WASP-6b, measured with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) and Spitzer's InfraRed Array Camera (IRAC). The resulting spectrum covers the range $0.29-4.5\,\mu$m. We find evidence for modest stellar activity of WASP-6b and take it into account in the transmission spectrum. The overall main characteristic of the spectrum is an increasing radius as a function of decreasing wavelength corresponding to a change of $\Delta (R_p/R_{\ast})=0.0071$ from 0.33 to $4.5\,\mu$m. The spectrum suggests an effective extinction cross-section with a power law of index consistent with Rayleigh scattering, with temperatures of $973\pm144$ K at the planetary terminator. We compare the transmission spectrum with hot-Jupiter atmospheric models including condensate-free and aerosol-dominated models incorporating Mie theory. While none of the clear-atmosphere models is found to be in good agreement with the data, we find that the complete spectrum can be described by models that include significant opacity from aerosols including Fe-poor Mg$_2$SiO$_4$, MgSiO$_3$, KCl and Na$_2$S dust condensates. WASP-6b is the second planet after HD189733b which has equilibrium temperatures near $\sim1200$ K and shows prominent atmospheric scattering in the optical., Comment: 18 pages, 15 figures, 7 tables

We have made 13 positive identifications of near-ultraviolet (NUV) transient sources in the giant elliptical galaxy M87 using the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) on board the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). We give a representative sample of the light curves that we derive for these transients, and based on their characteristics we identify them as classical nova candidates. We obtain a hard lower limit for the nova rate in M87 of 64 novae per year. Our results suggest an enhancement on the frequency of nova events toward the nucleus of the galaxy. No correlation is found with either jet activity or the position of present-day globular clusters.

We present a compilation of spectra of 101 Seyfert galaxies obtained with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (HST-STIS), covering the UV and/or optical spectral range. Information on all the available spectra have been collected in a Mastertable, which is a very useful tool for anyone interested in a quick glance at the existent STIS spectra for Seyfert galaxies in the HST archive, and it can be recovered electronically at the URL address www.if.ufrgs.br/~pat/atlas.htm. Nuclear spectra of the galaxies have been extracted in windows of 0.2 arcsec for an optimized sampling (as this is the slit width in most cases), and combined in order to improve the signal-to-noise ratio and provide the widest possible wavelength coverage. These combined spectra are also available electronically.

A variety of on-orbit imaging and spectroscopic observations are used to characterize the Charge Transfer Efficiency (CTE) of the Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) of the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) aboard the Hubble Space Telescope. A set of formulae is presented to correct observations of point sources for CTE-related loss of signal. For data taken in imaging mode, the CTE loss is parametrized in terms of the location of the source on the CCD, the source signal level within the measurement aperture, the background level, and the time of observation. For spectroscopic data, it is found that one additional parameter is needed to provide an adequate calibration of the CTE loss, namely the signal in the point spread function located between the signal extraction box and the read-out amplifier. The effect of the latter parameter is significant for spectra taken using the G750L or G750M gratings of STIS. The algorithms presented here correct flux calibration inaccuracies due to CTE losses as large as 30% to within ~ 1.5% RMS throughout the wavelength range covered by the STIS CCD modes. This uncertainty is similar to the Poisson noise associated with a source detected at a signal level of about 2500 electrons per resolution element. Using bi-directional CCD readouts, centroid shifts incurred due to CTE loss are also derived. A tight correlation is found between the CTE loss and the centroid shift (both for imaging and spectroscopic modes), thus enabling one to correct for both effects of imperfect charge transfer to STIS CCD observations.

The scientific program is presented as well a the abstracts of the contributions. An extended account is published in “The Ultraviolet Universe: stars from birth to death” (Ed. Gómez de Castro) published by the Editorial Complutense de Madrid (UCM), that can be accessed by electronic format through the website of the Network for UV Astronomy (www.ucm.es/info/nuva).There are five telescopes currently in orbit that have a UV capability of some description. At the moment, only FUSE provides any medium- to high-resolution spectroscopic capability. GALEX, the XMM UV-Optical Telescope (UVOT) and the Swift. UVOT mainly delivers broad-band imaging, but with some low-resolution spectroscopy using grisms. The primary UV spectroscopic capability of HST was lost when the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph failed in 2004, but UV imaging is still available with the HST-WFPC2 and HST-ACS instruments.With the expected limited lifetime of sl FUSE, UV spectroscopy will be effectively unavailable in the short-term future. Even if a servicing mission of HST does go ahead, to install COS and repair STIS, the availability of high-resolution spectroscopy well into the next decade will not have been addressed. Therefore, it is important to develop new missions to complement and follow on from the legacy of FUSE and HST, as well as the smaller imaging/low resolution spectroscopy facilities. This contribution presents an outline of the UV projects, some of which are already approved for flight, while others are still at the proposal/study stage of their development.This contribution outlines the main results from Joint Discussion 04 held during the IAU General Assembly in Prague, August 2006, concerning the rationale behind the needs of the astronomical community, in particular the stellar astrophysics community, for new UV instrumentation. Recent results from UV observations were presented and future science goals were laid out. These goals will lay the framework for future mission planning.

We present interstellar elemental abundance measurements derived from Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph echelle observations of 47 sight lines extending up to 6.5 kpc through the Galactic disk. These paths probe a variety of interstellar environments, covering ranges of nearly four orders of magnitude in molecular hydrogen fraction f(H_2) and more than two in mean hydrogen sight line density . Coupling the current data with Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph data from 17 additional sight lines and the corresponding Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer and Copernicus observations of H_2 absorption features, we explore magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, nickel, copper, and germanium gas-phase abundance variations as a function of : density-dependent depletion is noted for each element, consistent with a smooth transition between two abundance plateaus identified with warm and cold neutral interstellar medium depletion levels. The observed scatter with respect to an analytic description of these transitions implies that total elemental abundances are homogeneous on length scales of hundreds of parsecs, to the limits of abundance measurement uncertainty. The probable upper limit we determine for intrinsic variability at any is 0.04 dex, aside from an apparent 0.10 dex deficit in copper (and oxygen) abundances within 800 pc of the Sun. Magnesium dust abundances are shown to scale with the amount of silicon in dust and, in combination with a similar relationship between iron and silicon, these data appear to favor the young F and G star values of Sofia & Meyer (2001; ApJ 554, L221) as an elemental abundance standard for the Galaxy., Comment: 58 pages, including 11 figures and 9 tables, accepted by ApJ

We present Hubble Space Telescope (HST ) Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) high-resolution near- ultraviolet (NUV) spectra ofCar's central source recorded before, during and after the 2003.5 spectroscopic minimum. Our focus is on the narrow absorption lines formed in multiple circumstellar shells, superimposed on the broad P Cygni stellar wind features, and how they respond to the flux variations ofCar across the minimum. Over 30 separate narrow-line velocity components are identified: three around � 146 km s � 1 , many between � 323 and � 587kms � 1 ,andafewexceeding � 1000kms � 1 .Ingeneral,excitationdecreaseswithincreasingvelocityindicating that the primary excitation is by UV stellar photons and that the slower shells are located closer to the central source. Twowell-isolatedvelocitysystemsat � 146and � 513kms � 1 displayverydifferentspectralcharacteristicsregarding ionization/excitation and respond differently toCar's spectroscopic minimum. The � 146 km s � 1 shell, associated with the (internal) Little Homunculus, is ionized across the broad spectroscopic maximum but relaxes during the few months long minimum. The � 146 km s � 1 component is joined by adjacent velocity components in lines of singly ionized iron-group elements. Ti ii and V ii absorptions appear during the minimum, most likely caused by a decrease in Lyman-ionizing flux. The � 513 km s � 1 component, part of the (outer) Homunculus, does not show significant changes in atomic absorptions, but intermediate-velocity components between � 369 and � 503 km s � 1 vary during the minimum. We present the NUV spectrum and describe its general characteristics, but we focus on identifications of thenebularabsorptionlinesandtheirvariationsacrossthe2003.5minimum.Thecompletespectrumbetween2380 and 3160 8 with line identifications is available in the electronic edition of this paper.

We have obtained Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph long-slit spectra of the central region of the advanced merger NGC 4194. The spectra cover the wavelength ranges 1150–1750 A in the UV and 2900–10270 A in the visible. Results from the study of the properties of 14 star-forming regions (knots) are presented. If the [N II] contribution is 40% of the combined Hα + [N II] flux, then the average E(B - V) = 0.7 mag. The metal abundances are approximately solar, with individual knot abundances ranging from log(O/H) + 12 = 8.1 ± 0.5 to 8.9 ± 0.4. The Hα luminosities of the 14 observed knots yield a total star formation rate (SFR) of ~46 M⊙ yr-1. The sizes of the H II regions associated with the knots were determined from L(Hβ) and range from ~28 to ~119 pc when a filling factor of 0.1 is assumed. The sizes are a factor of ~2.15 smaller for a filling factor of 1. Using Starburst99, the EW(Hα + [N II]), and EW(Hβ), we estimate the ages of the star-forming regions to be 5.5–10.5 Myr. From ground-based spectra the effective temperatures of the H II regions are found to be ~11,000 K, and the electron densities are determined to be ~530 cm-3. We find that eight of the knots probably formed with a Salpeter initial mass function truncated at an upper mass of 30 M⊙, and one of the knots likely formed with a standard Salpeter initial mass function. We suggest that the knots in our sample are the precursors of globular clusters. Two of the knots are in a region of flowing gas and are among the most massive, are the largest in radius, have the highest SFR, and are among the youngest of the knots.

The gallium abundance in HgMn stars has been reported to be different for analyses conducted from spectral lines in the optical versus those from the ultraviolet. We pursue this ultraviolet-optical discrepancy from a line-blending perspective by investigating the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) spectrum of the sharp-lined HgMn binary star chi Lup. Its gallium abundance is derived to be log N-Ga = 4.5 (log N-H = 12) based on nonresonance Ga II lines, and we are able to demonstrate the line-blending problems associated with the abundances determined from the resonance lines of Ga II lambda 1414 and Ga III lambda 1495. The HST STIS spectrum for chi Lup is also compared with a co-added International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) spectrum to further illustrate the importance of accounting for the line blending in quantitative abundance analyses. We have compared an IUE co-added spectrum of mu Lep with an LTE-based synthetic spectrum and managed to fit both Ga II lambda 1414 and Ga III lambda 1495 with an abundance of log N-Ga = 7.3. However, the fitting of these lines requires a dramatic change in the radiative damping constants, which may indicate a breakdown in our LTE modeling or the need to include other atmospheric effects. (Less)

The Cassini spacecraft Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS) obtained observations of Jupiter's auroral emissions in H-2 band systems and H Lyman-alpha from day 275 of 2000 (October 1), to day 81 of 2001 (March 22). Much of the globally integrated auroral variability measured with UVIS can be explained simply in terms of the rotation of Jupiter's main auroral arcs with the planet. These arcs were also imaged by the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) on Hubble Space Telescope (HST). However, several brightening events were seen by UVIS in which the global auroral output increased by a factor of 2-4. These events persisted over a number of hours and in one case can clearly be tied to a large solar coronal mass ejection event. The auroral UV emissions from these bursts also correspond to hectometric radio emission (0.5-16 MHz) increases reported by the Galileo Plasma Wave Spectrometer (PWS) and Cassim Radio and Plasma Wave Spectrometer (RPWS) experiments. In general, the hectometric radio data vary differently with longitude than the UV data because of radio wave beaming effects. The 2 largest events in the UVIS data were on 2000 day 280 (October 6) and on 2000 days 325-326 (November 20-21). The global brightening events on November 20-21 are compared with corresponding data on the interplanetary magnetic field, solar wind conditions, and energetic particle environment. ACE (Advanced Composition Explorer) solar wind data was numerically propagated from the Earth to Jupiter with an MHD code and compared to the observed event. A second class of brief auroral brightening events seen in HST (and probably UVIS) data that last for similar to 2 min is associated with aurora] flares inside the main auroral ovals. On January 8, 2001, from 18:45-19:35 UT UVIS H-2 band emissions from the north polar region varied quasiperiodically. The varying emissions, probably due to amoral flares inside the main auroral oval, are correlated with low-frequency quasiperiodic radio bursts in the 0.6-5 kHz Galileo PWS data. (c) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Long-slit spectra of several dozen young star clusters have been obtained at three positions in the Antennae galaxies with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) and its 52"x0.2" slit. Based on H-alpha emission-line measurements, the average cluster-to-cluster velocity dispersion in 7 different cluster aggregates ("knots") is

We have analyzed the Cassini Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer (UVIS) observations of the Jupiter aurora with an auroral atmosphere two-stream electron transport code. The observations of Jupiter by UVIS took place during the Cassini Campaign. The Cassini Campaign included support spectral and imaging observations by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS). A major result for the UVIS observations was the identification of a large color variation between the far ultraviolet (FUV: 1100–1700 A) and extreme ultraviolet (EUV: 800–1100 A) spectral regions. This change probably occurs because of a large variation in the ratio of the soft electron flux (10–3000 eV) responsible for the EUV aurora to the hard electron flux (∼15–22 keV) responsible for the FUV aurora. On the basis of this result a new color ratio for integrated intensities for EUV and FUV was defined ( 4 π I 1550 – 1620 A / 4 π I 1030 – 1150 A ) which varied by approximately a factor of 6. The FUV color ratio ( 4 π I 1550 – 1620 A / 4 π I 1230 – 1300 A ) was more stable with a variation of less than 50% for the observations studied. The medium resolution (0.9 A FWHM, G140M grating) FUV observations (1295–1345 A and 1495–1540 A) by STIS on 13 January 2001, on the other hand, were analyzed by a spectral modeling technique using a recently developed high-spectral resolution model for the electron-excited H2 rotational lines. The STIS FUV data were analyzed with a model that considered the Lyman band spectrum (B Σ u + 1 → X Σ g + 1 ) as composed of an allowed direct excitation component (X Σ g + 1 → B Σ u + 1 ) and an optically forbidden component (X Σ g + 1 → EF , GK , H H ¯ , … Σ g + 1 followed by the cascade transition Σ g + 1 → B Σ u + 1 ). The medium-resolution spectral regions for the Jupiter aurora were carefully chosen to emphasize the cascade component. The ratio of the two components is a direct measurement of the mean secondary electron energy of the aurora. The mean secondary electron energy of the aurora varies between 50 and 200 eV for the polar cap, limb and auroral oval observations. We examine a long time base of Galileo Ultraviolet Spectrometer color ratios from the standard mission (1996–1998) and compare them to Cassini UVIS, HST, and International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) observations.

To measure the column densities of interstellar and intergalactic gas clouds using absorption line spectroscopy, the apparent optical depth technique (AOD) of Savage & Sembach (1991) can be used instead of a curve-of-growth analysis or profile fit. We show that the AOD technique, whilst an excellent tool when applied to data with good S/N, will likely overestimate the true column densities when applied to data with low S/N. This overestimation results from the non-linear relationship between the flux falling on a given detector pixel and the apparent optical depth in that pixel. We use Monte Carlo techniques to investigate the amplitude of this overestimation when working with data from the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) and the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS), for a range of values of S/N, line depth, line width, and rebinning. AOD measurements of optimally sampled, resolved lines are accurate to within 10% for FUSE/LiF and STIS/E140M data with S/N>7 per resolution element., 7 pages, 3 figures (2 in color), accepted for publication in AJ

STIS white-light coronagraphic imaging has been carried out for 14 nearby, lightly reddened Herbig Ae stars, providingdataontheenvironmentsanddisksassociatedwiththesestars.Nodisksaredetectedinourdatawhenthe Herbig Ae starisaccompaniedbya stellarcompanion atr � 2 00 .Wefindthattheopticalvisibilityofprotoplanetary disks associated with Herbig Ae stars at r � 50 70 AU from the star is correlated with the strength of the mid-IR PAH features, particularly 6.2 � m. These features, like the FUV fluorescent H2 emission, trace the presence of material sufficiently far above the disk midplane that it is directly illuminated by the star’s FUV radiation. In contrast, measures of the bulk properties of the disk, including ongoing accretion activity, mass, and the submillimeter slope of the SED, do not correlate with the surface brightness of the optical nebulosity. Modelers have interpreted the appearance of the IR SED and the presence of emission from warm silicate grains at 10 � ma s a measure of geometrical shadowing by material in the disk near the dust sublimation radius of 0.5 AU. Geometrical shadowing sufficient to render a disk dark to distances as large as 500 AU from a star would require that the star be optically visible only if viewed essentially pole-on, in disagreement with our program star system inclinations. Rather than invoking shadowing to account for the optically dark disks, the correlation of the STIS detections with PAHemissionfeaturessuggestsacorrelationwithdiskflaringandananticorrelationwiththedegreeofdustsettling toward the midplane. If this correlation continues to lower levels, the STIS data suggest that improvements in coronagraph performance that suppress the residual scattered and diffracted stellar light by an additional factor of � 10 should render the majority of disks associated with nearby Herbig Ae stars detectable. Subject headingg infrared: stars — ISM: Herbig-Haro objects — ISM: jets and outflows — stars: pre–main-sequence

We have obtained Integral Field Spectroscopy for 23 spiral bulges using INTEGRAL on the William Herschel Telescope and SPIRAL on the Anglo-Australian Telescope. This is the first 2D survey directed solely at the bulges of spiral galaxies. Eleven galaxies of the sample do not have previous measurements of the stellar velocity dispersion (sigma*). These data are designed to complement our Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph program for estimating black hole masses in the range 10^6-10^8M_sun using gas kinematics from nucleated disks. These observations will serve to derive the stellar dynamical bulge properties using the traditional Mgb and CaII triplets. We use both Cross Correlation and Maximum Penalized Likelihood to determine projected sigma* in these systems and present radial velocity fields, major axis rotation curves, curves of growth and sigma* fields. Using the Cross Correlation to extract the low order 2D stellar dynamics we generally see coherent radial rotation and irregular velocity dispersion fields suggesting that sigma* is a non-trivial parameter to estimate., Comment: 11 pages, 30 figures, accepted for publication in ApJS

We have observed the middle-aged pulsar PSR B0656+14 with the prism and the NUV MAMA detector of the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) to measure the pulsar spectrum and periodic pulsations in the near-ultraviolet (NUV). The pulsations are clearly detected, double-peaked and very similar to the optical pulse profile. The NUV pulsed fraction is 70 +/- 12%. The spectral slope of the dereddened phase-integrated spectrum in the 1800 - 3200 A range is 0.35 +/- 0.5 which together with the high pulse fraction indicates a non-thermal origin for the NUV emission. The total flux in the range 1700-3400 A is estimated to be 3.4 +/- 0.3e-15 erg/s/cm2 when corrected for E(B-V)=0.03. At a distance of 288 pc this corresponds to a luminosity 3.4e28 erg/s assuming isotropy of the emission. We compare the NUV pulse profile with observations from radio to gamma-rays. The first NUV sub-pulse is in phase with the gamma-ray pulse marginally detected with the EGRET, while the second NUV sub-pulse is similar both in shape and in phase with the non- thermal pulse in hard X-rays. This indicates a single origin of the non-thermal emission in the optical-NUV and in the X-rays. This is also supported by the observed NUV spectral slope, which is compatible with a blackbody plus power-law fit extended from the X-ray range, but dominated by the power-law component in most of the NUV range., Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, A&A, accepted

Using The Hubble Space Telescope's Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph HST's STIS, observations of the OIII emission from the narrow-line region (NLR) of NGC 4151 were obtained and radial velocities determined. Five orbits of HST time were used to obtain spectra at five parallel slit configurations, at a position angle of 58 degrees, with spatial resolution 0.2 arcseconds across and 0.1 arcseconds along each slit. A spectral resolving power of ~ 9,000 with the G430M grating gave velocity measurements accurate to ~ 34 km/s. A kinematic model was generated to match the radial velocities, for comparison to previous kinematic models of biconical radial outflow developed for low-dispersion spectra at two slit positions. The new high-resolution spectra permit the measurement of accurate velocity dispersions for each radial-velocity component. The full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) reaches a maximum of 1000 km/s near the nucleus, and generally decreases with increasing distance to about 100 km/s in the extended narrow-line region (ENLR), starting at about 6 arcseconds from the nucleus. In addition to the bright emission knots, which generally fit our model, there are faint high velocity clouds which do not fit the biconical outflow pattern of our kinematic model. These faint clouds occur at the turnover points of the outflowing bright clouds. We suggest possible scenarios that could explain these rogue clouds: (1) backflow resulting from shocks and (2) outflow outside of the bicones, although the latter does not explain how the knots are ionized and accelerated. A comparison of our observations with a high-resolution radio map shows that there is no evidence that the kinematics of the NLR clouds are affected by the radio lobes that comprise the inner jet., 30 pages, 15 figures (some color), accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journal. Downloadable versions of the paper with high resolution figures/images are available here: http://www.chara.gsu.edu/~crenshaw/NGC4151_kinematics.pdf

We have continued our detailed analysis of the high-resolution (R = 4000) spectroscopic observation of the DA white dwarf G191-B2B, obtained by the Joint Astrophysical Plasma-dynamic Experiment (J-PEX) normal incidence sounding rocket-borne telescope, comparing the observed data with theoretical predictions for both homogeneous and stratified atmosphere structures. We find that the former models give the best agreement over the narrow waveband covered by J-PEX, in conflict with what is expected from previous studies of the lower resolution but broader wavelength coverage Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer spectra. We discuss the possible limitations of the atomic data and our understanding of the stellar atmospheres that might give rise to this inconsistency. In our earlier study, we obtained an unusually high ionization fraction for the ionized He II present along the line of sight to the star. In the present paper, we obtain a better fit when we assume, as suggested by Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph results, that this He II resides in two separate components. When one of these is assigned to the local interstellar cloud, the implied He ionization fraction is consistent with measurements along other lines of sight. However, the resolving power and signal-to-noise available from the instrument configuration used in this first successful J-PEX flight are not sufficient to clearly identity and prove the existence of the two components.

We have observed the short-period dwarf novae BW Scl, BC UMa and SW UMa using the Hubble Space Telescope/Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph. In all three systems, the white dwarf is the dominant source of far-ultraviolet flux, even though in BC UMa and SW UMa an additional continuum component contributes ~10% and ~20% of the 1400A flux, respectively. Fitting the data with detailed white dwarf model spectra, we determine the effective temperatures to be 14800+-900K (BW Scl), 15200+-1000K (BC UMa), and 13900+-900K (SW UMa). The additional continuum component in BC UMa and SW UMa is equally well described by either a blackbody or a power law, which could be associated with emission from the hot spot or from an optically thin accretion disk (or an optically thin layer on top of a colder optically thick disk), respectively. Modelling the narrow metal lines detected in the STIS spectra results in sub-solar abundances of carbon, oxygen and silicon for all three systems, and also suggests substantial supra-solar abundances of aluminium. The narrow absorption line profiles imply low white dwarf rotation rates, v sin(i)

(Abridged) We present high spatial resolution ultraviolet and optical spectroscopy, obtained using the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph on board the Hubble Space Telescope, of nuclear structures within four `warm' Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies (ULIRGs). We find an AGN in at least three, and probably all four of our sample, hosted in a compact, optically luminous `knot'. In three cases these knots were previously identified as a putative AGN nucleus from multiband optical imaging. Three of the sample also harbor a starburst in one or more knots, suggesting that the optically luminous knots seen in local ULIRGs are the most likely sites of the dust-shrouded starburst and AGN activity that power the infrared emission. The four AGN have a diverse range of properties; two are classical narrow line AGN, one shows both broad and narrow lines and evidence for lines of sight from the narrow through to the broad line regions, and one is plausibly a FeLoBAL AGN. The probable presence in one object of an FeLoBAL AGN, which are extremely rare in the QSO population, supports the idea that LoBAL AGN may be youthful systems shrouded in gas and dust rather than AGN viewed along a certain line of sight. The three starbursts for which detailed constraints are possible show a smaller range in properties; all three bursts are young with two having ages of ~4Myr and the third having an age of 20Myr, suggesting that ULIRGs undergo several bursts of star formation during their lifetimes. None of the starbursts show evidence for Initial Mass Function slopes steeper than about 3.3. The metallicities of the knots for which metallicities can be derived are all at least 1.5 times the Solar value. The properties of one further starburst knot are consistent with it being the forming core of an elliptical galaxy.

We acquired spectra of 24 LMC PNe in the 1150--3000 \AA range in order to determine carbon and other ionic abundances. The sample more than doubles the number of LMC PNe with good quality UV spectra in this wavelength range, and whose optical images are available in the {\it HST} archive. The {\it Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph} was used with a very large aperture to obtain virtually slit-less spectra, thus the monochromatic images in the major nebulae emission lines are also available. The analysis of the data shows extremely good quality spectra. This paper presents the emission lines identified and measured, and the calculation of the ionic abundances of the emitting carbon and other ions, and total carbon abundance. P-Cygni profiles have been found in a fraction of the nebulae, and the limiting velocities of the stellar winds estimated. The total carbon abundance can be inferred reliably in most nebulae. We found that the average carbon abundance in round and elliptical PNe is one order of magnitude larger than that of the bipolar PNe, while elliptical and round PNe with a bipolar core have a bimodal behavior. This results confirm that bipolarity in LMC PNe is tightly correlated with high mass progenitors. When compared to predicted yields, we found that the observed abundance ratio show a shift toward higher carbon abundances, that may be due to initial conditions assumed in the models not appropriate for LMC PNe.

We have investigated the far- through mid-UV (1150-2360 A) spectrum of η Carinae during the late stages of its broad maximum using the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) moderate dispersion echelle modes. The η Car spectrum is a mixture of absorption and emission lines from the surrounding nebula superimposed on broad stellar wind features. This paper provides a description of the observed spectrum including the wind features, the interstellar absorption, and the emission spectrum from the surrounding nebula, but with the emphasis on the absorption spectrum formed in the foreground ejecta. The ejecta absorption spectrum has a complicated velocity structure in which two velocity structures, at -146 and -513 km s-1, are easily distinguished. These two velocity components, formed in different regions of the η Car nebula, have in an earlier analysis been identified and demonstrated to have very different spectral characteristics. The slower velocity component is time variable over the spectroscopic period and is characterized by spectral lines from mainly singly ionized iron-peak elements, while the faster one shows transitions from neutral and singly ionized elements in addition to molecular lines from the hydrogen Lyman bands. The high-velocity H2 lines dominate great parts of the spectrum with over 800 identified transitions from energy levels up to 30,000 cm-1. The STIS MAMA data provide the tool for spatial investigations of the central parts of η Car. H I Lyα pumped and semiforbidden emission lines are observed to be formed east of the central source toward Weigelt blobs B and C, located up to 02 from the central source. The complete spectrum, with nebular and interstellar line identifications, is available in the electronic edition of the paper.

The inner 100 AU of HD 100546 is studied via far-ultraviolet long-slit spectroscopy with the Hubble Space Telescope Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS). The star is surrounded by reflection nebulosity, which can be traced 100 AU in the continuum, and by emission from H I Lyα, N I, Si II, and fluorescent H2 transitions. The Lyα emission can be traced up to 200 AU along the system semimajor axis and 300 AU along the semiminor axis. The radial surface brightness profile and the presence of both reflection nebulosity and molecular gas suggest that we have detected the flared surface of the disk predicted from analysis of the IR spectral energy distribution. When corrected for the r-2 falloff in illumination from the Herbig Be star, the reflection nebulosity, neutral atomic gas, and H2 emission all reveal the presence of a central cavity extending 013 ± 0025 (13 AU) from the star, more than 20 times larger in radius than would be expected from dust sublimation alone. The reflection nebulosity within the cavity is centered on a location 005 (5 AU) to the southeast of the star along the system semimajor axis. The pericenter asymmetry in the cavity is inconsistent with cavity formation by the combined effects of ice sublimation, radiation pressure blowout on small grains, or other disk chemistry that should produce azimuthally symmetric features. The STIS data are also consistent with a current accretion rate onto the Herbig Be star no higher than a few times 10-9 M☉ yr-1, an order of magnitude lower than seen in 5-8 Myr old Herbig Ae stars. The low accretion rate, large cavity, pericenter asymmetry, and deficit of warm dust grain emission observed over 2-8 μm are all consistent with dynamical sculpting of the disk by one or more bodies within the disk. An upper limit to the flux from any chromospherically active, low-mass companion is a factor of 5-10 fainter than AU Mic (M1 Ve; t = 12 Myr) at the distance of HD 100546. This upper limit firmly excludes a low-mass stellar companion within the cavity but does not exclude a less active and/or luminous brown dwarf. The absence of similar central clearing in younger Herbig Ae stars suggests that any companion must become externally detectable late in the evolution of the disk, favoring a giant planet as the source of the structure in the HD 100546 disk.

Using the high dispersion NUV mode of the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) aboard the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) to observe Eta Carinae, we have resolved and identified over 500 sharp, circumstellar absorption lines of iron-group singly-ionized and neutral elements with ~20 velocity components ranging from -146 km/s to -585 km/s. These lines are from transitions originating from ground and metastable levels as high as 40,000 cm-1 above ground. The absorbing material is located either in dense inhomogeneities in the stellar wind, the warm circumstellar gas immediately in the vicinity of Eta Carinae, or within the cooler foreground lobe of the Homunculus. We have used classical curve-of-growth analysis to derive atomic level populations for FeII at -146 km/s and for TiII at -513 km/s. These populations, plus photoionization and statistical equilibrium modeling, provide electron temperatures, Te, densities, n, and constraints on distances from the stellar source, r. For the -146 km/s component, we derive Te = 6400 K, n(H)>10e7 - 10e8 cm-3, and d ~1300 AU. For the -513 km/s component, we find a much cooler temperature, Te= 760 K, with n(H)> 10e7cm-3, we estimate d~10,000 AU. The large distances for these two components place the absorptions in the vicinity of identifiable ejecta from historical events, not near or in the dense wind of Eta Carinae. Further analysis, in parallel with obtaining improved experimental and theoretical atomic data, is underway to determine what physical mechanisms and elemental abundances can explain the large number of strong circumstellar absorption features in the spectrum of Eta Carinae., 22 pages, Accepted ApJ Feb 10, 2005 issue

We obtained ultraviolet and optical images of star-forming regions in the interacting galaxy system NGC 3994/3995 using the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph on the Hubble Space Telescope. We describe the characteristics of 56 detected knots, a majority of which are younger than 20 Myr old. There is no discernible pattern of knot age with respect to position within the galaxies. The knots have masses and radii ranging from 7.2 × 103 to 4.4 × 106 M⊙ and from 4 to 23 pc, respectively. Using a conservative criterion, we find that ~15% of these knots may be proto-globular clusters; the percentage of proto-globular clusters may be as high as ~70%. The UV flux distribution of the knots in NGC 3995 can be fitted with a power law with α = -0.72 ± 0.11, with no turnover detected brightward of the completeness limit.

We investigate the ionization mechanisms in the Seyfert galaxy Markarian 78, chosen because its narrow-line region (NLR) is dominated by a strong jet-gas interaction. Our principal aim is to ascertain whether or not shock-related ionization is important. We use Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) optical and UV spectra from four slits, as well as HST Faint Object Spectrograph optical spectra from 10 apertures. Ultimately, several lines of evidence argue against the importance of shocks but in favor of central source photoionization, even for gas that is clearly accelerated by the jet flow. Following earlier work, we compare emission-line ratios with four classes of ionization model: photoionization of optically thick gas (standard and dusty U sequences), photoionization of optically thick and thin gas (Am/i sequence), and fast shocks. Traditional excitation measures are well matched by all three models, with -3.0 < log U < -2.0, -0.5 < log Am/i < +1.0, and 300 km s-1 < Vshock < 500 km s-1. However, several other line ratios provide clear discrimination, with significantly poorer fits for standard and dusty U models and even poorer for shock models. Importantly, our data span a sufficient range of conditions that they show trends in the ratio-ratio plots, and these trends clearly favor central source photoionization models, particularly the Am/i models. To achieve essentially perfect agreement, we make two slight modifications to the Am/i models of Binette et al.: we lower the ionization of the optically thin component (Mrk 78 has somewhat lower than normal excitation), and we increase the nitrogen abundance toward the nucleus. We suspect that this latter effect has introduced ambiguities in previous work. The UV lines are less helpful than anticipated, partly because of their weakness and partly because high ionization parameter photoionization can mimic shocks. An exception is N V, which, in the absence of abundance effects, can provide unambiguous discrimination. We extend the above analysis to include comparison of line profiles. We first show that even slight differences in velocity between pre- and postshock gas (shock scenario) and optically thin and thick gas (Am/i scenario) predict significant profile differences between [O III] λ5007 and other emission lines. The marked absence of such differences argues strongly against the two-component shock models and also demands, for an Am/i model, that optically thin and thick gas have similar velocity distributions. The possible presence, however, of a weak broad low-ionization component may indicate a minor shock contribution. Further evidence against shock ionization is the absence of correlations between line ratios and kinematic parameters (e.g., FWHM or Vpeak); that is, the calmest and the most turbulent gas both have similar ionization. Conversely, a global decrease in excitation away from the nucleus qualitatively supports central source photoionization. Quantitatively, however, Mrk 78 exhibits the so-called Q problem seen in many other active galactic nuclei, although we speculate that a detailed extension of Am/i-type models may resolve the problem without requiring in situ sources of ionization. Finally, we use NLR excitation and far-infrared luminosity to provide two independent estimates of the nuclear ionizing luminosity. Both these estimates match the simple picture of central source photoionization, yielding the observed emission-line luminosity and a plausible (~20%–100%) NLR covering factor. We conclude that despite the NLR in Mrk 78 being strongly disturbed by radio-emitting ejecta, there is little or no evidence for shock-related ionization. There is, however, strong evidence for central source photoionization, including both optically thick and thin gaseous components. In Paper III we make further use of the STIS data to derive the dynamics of the emission-line region and the nature of the jet flow.