Search

We have performed a 5-colour surface photometric study of the high-galactic-latitude area of dark nebula LDN 1642. Scattered light properties are presented of diffuse, translucent and opaque dust over the range of 3500 -- 5500 A. Far infrared absolute photometry at 200 um improves the precision of and provides a zero point to the extinction. The intensity of the scattered light depends on dust column density in a characteristic way: for optically thin dust the intensity first increases linearly, then turns to a saturation value; at still larger extinctions the intensity turns down to a slow decrease. The $A_V$ value of the saturated intensity maximum shifts in a systematic way, from $A_V\approx$ 1.5 mag at 3500 A, to $\sim 3$ mag at 5500 A. The intensity curves offer a straight-forward explanation for the behaviour of the scattered-light colours. At the intensity peak the colour agrees with the integrated starlight colour, while it is bluer at the low- and redder at the high-column-density side of the peak, respectively. These colour changes are a direct consequence of the wavelength dependence of the extinction. We have compared the colours of the LDN 1642 area with other relevant observational studies: high-latitude diffuse/translucent clouds, wide-field cirrus dust; and externally illuminated AGB-star envelopes. For extragalactic low-surface-brightness sources cirrus is an unwanted foreground contaminant. Our results for cirrus colours can help to distinguish cases where a diffuse plume or stream, apparently associated with a galaxy or a group or cluster, is more likely a local cirrus structure. Keywords: ISM: dust, extinction -- ISM: clouds, individual LDN 1642 -- Galaxy: solar neighbourhood -- Astronomical instruments, methods and techniques: methods -- Physical data and processes: scattering, Comment: 20 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS, published as MNRAS advance article on June 27 2023

An intriguing silhouette of a small dust patch can be seen against the disk of the S0 galaxy NGC 3269 in the Antlia cluster in optical images. The images do not provide any clue as to whether the patch is a local Jupiter mass-scale cloudlet or a large extragalactic dust complex. We aim to resolve the nature of this object: is it a small Galactic cloudlet or an extragalactic dust complex? ALMA and APEX spectroscopy and Gemini GMOS long-slit spectroscopy were used to measure the velocity of the patch and the NGC 3269 disk radial velocity curve. A weak 16$\pm$2.5 km/s wide $^{12}$CO (2-1) T$_{MB}$ 19$\pm$2.5 mK line in a 2.0" by 2.12" beam associated with the object was detected with ALMA. The observed heliocentric velocity, V$_r$,hel = 3878$\pm$5.0km/s, immediately establishes the extragalactic nature of the object. The patch velocity is consistent with the velocity of the nucleus of NGC 3269, but not with the radial velocity of the NGC 3269 disk of the galaxy at its position. The $\sim$4" angular size of the patch corresponds to a linear size of $\sim$1 kpc at the galaxy's Hubble distance of (d/50.7 Mpc)$^2$ Msun, while the attenuation derived from the optical spectrum implies a dust mass of $\sim$2.6x10$^4$ (d/50.7 Mpc)$^2$ Msun. The derived attenuation ratio A'$_B$/(A'$_B$-A'$_R$) of 1.6$\pm$0.11 is substantially lower than the corresponding value for the mean Milky Way extinction curve for point sources (2.3). We established the extragalactic nature of the patch, but its origin remains elusive. One possibility is that the dust patch is left over from the removal of interstellar matter in NGC 3269 through the interaction with its neighbour, NGC 3268., Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures, Accepted to Astronomy & Astrophysics

Photometry of the nebulae LDN1780, LDN1642 and LBN406 is used to derive scattering properties of dust and to investigate the presence of UV fluorescence emission by molecular hydrogen and the extended red emission (ERE). We used multi-wavelength optical photometry and imaging at ground-based telescopes and archival imaging and spectroscopic UV data from the spaceborn GALEX and SPEAR/FIMS instruments. We used Monte Carlo RT and both observational data and synthetic models for the ISRF in the solar neighbourhood. The line-of-sight extinctions through the clouds have been determined using near infrared excesses of background stars and the 200/250um far infrared emission by dust measured using the ISO and Herschel space observatories. The optical surface brightness of the target clouds can be explained in terms of scattered light. The dust albedo ranges from 0.58 at 3500A to 0.72 at 7500A. The SED of LDN1780 is explained in terms of optical depth and background scattered light effects instead of ERE. The FUV surface brightness of LDN 1780 cannot be explained by scattered light only. In LDN1780 H2 fluorescent emission in the wavelength range 1400A-1700A has been detected and analysed. Our albedo values agree with the predictions of the dust model of Weingartner and Draine and with the THEMIS CMM model for evolved core-mantle grains. The H2 fluorescent emission in LDN1780 shows a pronounced dichotomy with a preference for its southern side where enhanced illumination impinges from the Sco OB2 association and the O star zeta Oph. A good correlation is found between the H2 fluorescence and a previously mapped 21-cm excess emission. The H2 fluorescence emission in LDN1780 has been modelled using a PDR code; the resulting values for H2 column density and the total gas density are consistent with the estimates derived from CO observations and optical extinction along the line of sight., Comment: 30 pages, 21 figures, Astronomy and Astrophysics in press

In a project aimed at measuring the optical Extragalactic Background Light (EBL) we are using the shadow of a dark cloud.We have performed, with the ESO VLT/FORS, spectrophotometry of the surface brightness towards the high-galactic-latitude dark cloud Lynds 1642. A spectrum representing the difference between the opaque core of the cloud and several unobscured positions around the cloud was presented in Paper I (Mattila et al. 2017a). The topic of the present paper is the separation of the scattered starlight from the dark cloud itself which is the only remaining foreground component in this difference. While the scattered starlight spectrum has the characteristic Fraunhofer lines and the discontinuity at 400 nm, typical of integrated light of galaxies, the EBL spectrum is a smooth one without these features. As template for the scattered starlight we make use of the spectra at two semi-transparent positions. The resulting EBL intensity at 400 nm is $I_{\rm EBL} = 2.9\pm1.1$ $10^{-9}$ erg cm$^{-2}$s$^{-1}$sr$^{-1}$\AA$^{-1}$, or $11.6\pm4.4$ nW m$^{-2}$sr$^{-1}$, which represents a 2.6$\sigma$ detection; the scaling uncertainty is +20%/-16%. At 520 nm we have set a 2$\sigma$ upper limit of $I_{\rm EBL} \le$4.5 $10^{-9}$ erg cm$^{-2}$s$^{-1}$sr$^{-1}$\AA$^{-1}$ or $\le$23.4 nW m$^{-2}$sr$^{-1}$ +20%/-16%. Our EBL value at 400 nm is $\ge 2$ times as high as the integrated light of galaxies. No known diffuse light sources, such as light from Milky Way halo, intra-cluster or intra-group stars appear capable of explaining the observed EBL excess over the integrated light of galaxies., Comment: 21 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

We present the method and observations for the measurement of the Extragalactic Background Light (EBL) utilizing the shadowing effect of a dark cloud. We measure the surface brightness difference between the opaque cloud core and its unobscured surroundings. In the difference the large atmospheric and Zodiacal light components are eliminated and the only remaining foreground component is the scattered starlight from the cloud itself. Although much smaller, its separation is the key problem in the method. For its separation we use spectroscopy. While the scattered starlight has the characteristic Fraunhofer lines and 400 nm discontinuity the EBL spectrum is smooth and without these features. Medium resolution spectrophotometry at $\lambda$ = 380 - 580 nm was performed with ${VLT}$/FORS at ESO of the surface brightness in and around the high-galactic-latitude dark cloud Lynds 1642. Besides the spectrum for the core with $A_V \ge 15$ mag, further spectra were obtained for intermediate-opacity cloud positions. They are used as proxy for the spectrum of the impinging starlight spectrum and facilitate the separation of the scattered starlight (cf. Paper II, Mattila et al. 2017b). Our spectra reach a precision of $\sim 0.5$ $10^{-9}$ erg cm$^{-2}$s$^{-1}$sr$^{-1}$\AA$^{-1}$ as required to measure an EBL intensity in range of $\sim$1 to a few times $10^{-9}$ erg cm$^{-2}$s$^{-1}$sr$^{-1}$\AA$^{-1}$. Because all surface brightness components are measured using the same equipment the method does not require unusually high absolute calibration accuracy, a condition which has been a problem for some previous EBL projects, Comment: 22 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

The optical surface brightness of dark nebulae is mainly due to scattering of integrated starlight by classical dust grains. It contains information on the impinging interstellar radiation field, cloud structure, and grain scattering properties. We have obtained spectra of the scattered light from 3500 to 9000 Angstrom in two globules, the Thumbprint Nebula and DC303.8-14.2. We use observations of the scattered light to study the impinging integrated starlight spectrum as well as the scattered H-alpha and other line emissions from all over the sky. We search also for the presence of other than scattered light in the two globules. We obtained long-slit spectra encompassing the whole globule plus adjacent sky in a one-slit setting, thus enabling efficient elimination of airglow and other foreground sky components. We calculated synthetic integrated starlight spectra for the solar neighbourhood using HIPPARCOS-based stellar distributions and the spectral library of Pickles. Spectra are presented separately for the bright rims and dark cores of the globules. The continuum spectral energy distributions and absorption line spectra can be well modelled with the synthetic integrated starlight spectra. Emission lines of H-alpha + NII, H-beta, and SII are detected and are interpreted in terms of scattered light plus an in situ warm ionized medium component behind the globules. We detected an excess of emission over the wavelength range 5200-8000 Angstrom in DC303.8-14.2 but the nature of this emission remains open.

We examine two positions, ON1 and ON2, within the Ophiuchus cloud LDN 1688 using observations made with the ISOPHOT instrument aboard the ISO satellite. The data include mid-IR spectra (~6-12{\mu}m) and several photometric bands up to 200{\mu}m. The data probe the emission from molecular PAH-type species, transiently-heated Very Small Grains (VSGs), and large classical dust grains. We compare the observations to earlier studies, especially those carried out towards an isolated translucent cloud in Chamaeleon (Paper I). The spectra towards the two LDN 1688 positions are very similar to each other, in spite of position ON1 having a larger column density and probably being subjected to a stronger radiation field. The ratios of the mid-IR features are similar to those found in other diffuse and translucent clouds. Compared to paper I, the 7.7/11.3{\mu}m band ratios are lower, ~2.0, at both LDN 1688 positions. A continuum is detected in the ~10{\mu}m region. This is stronger towards the position ON1 but still lower than on any of the sightlines in Paper I. The far-infrared opacities are higher than for diffuse medium. The value of the position ON2, {\tau}200/N(H) = 3.9 x 10^{-25} cm^2/H, is twice the value found for ON1. The radiation field of LDN 1688 is dominated by the two embedded B type double stars, {\rho} Oph AB and HD 147889, with an additional contribution from the Upper Sco OB association. The strong heating is reflected in the high colour temperature, ~24 K, of the large grain emission. Radiative transfer modelling confirms a high level of the radiation field and points to an increased abundance of PAH grains. However, when the hardening of the radiation field caused by the local B-stars is taken into account, the observations can be fitted with almost no change to the standard dust models. However, all the examined models underestimate the level of the mid-IR continuum., Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures, 3 tables. Accepted for publication in MNRAS

We study an undocumented large translucent cloud, detected by means of its enhanced radiation on the SHASSA (Southern H-Alpha Sky Survey Atlas) survey. We consider whether its excess surface brightness can be explained by light scattered off the dust grains in the cloud, or whether emission from in situ ionized gas is required. In addition, we aim to determine the temperature of dust, the mass of the cloud, and its possible star formation activity. We compare the observed H-alpha surface brightness of the cloud with predictions of a radiative transfer model. We use the WHAM (Wisconsin H-Alpha Mapper) survey as a source for the Galactic H-alpha interstellar radiation field illuminating the cloud. Visual extinction through the cloud is derived using 2MASS J, H, and K band photometry. We use far-IR ISOSS (ISO Serendipitous Survey), IRAS, and DIRBE data to study the thermal emission of dust. The LAB (The Leiden/Argentine/Bonn Galactic HI Survey) is used to study 21cm HI emission associated with the cloud. Radiative transfer calculations of the Galactic diffuse H-alpha radiation indicate that the surface brightness of the cloud can be explained solely by radiation scattered off dust particles in the cloud. The maximum visual extinction through the cloud is about 1.2mag. The cloud is found to be associated with 21cm HI emission at a velocity of about -9 km/s. The total mass of the cloud is about 550-1000 solar masses. There is no sign of star formation in this cloud. The distance of the cloud is estimated from the Hipparcos data to be about 100 pc.

The cosmic infrared background (CIRB) consists mainly of the integrated light of distant galaxies. In the far-infrared the current estimates of its surface brightness are based on the measurements of the COBE satellite. Independent confirmation of these results is still needed from other instruments. In this paper we derive estimates of the far-infrared CIRB using measurements made with the ISOPHOT instrument aboard the ISO satellite. The results are used to seek further confirmation of the CIRB levels that have been derived by various groups using the COBE data. We study three regions of very low cirrus emission. The surface brightness observed with the ISOPHOT instrument at 90, 150, and 180 um is correlated with hydrogen 21 cm line data from the Effelsberg radio telescope. Extrapolation to zero hydrogen column density gives an estimate for the sum of extragalactic signal plus zodiacal light. The zodiacal light is subtracted using ISOPHOT data at shorter wavelengths. Thus, the resulting estimate of the far-infrared CIRB is based on ISO measurements alone. In the range 150 to 180 um, we obtain a CIRB value of 1.08+-0.32+-0.30 MJy/sr quoting statistical and systematic errors separately. In the 90 um band, we obtain a 2-sigma upper limit of 2.3 MJy/sr. The estimates derived from ISOPHOT far-infrared maps are consistent with the earlier COBE results., Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A, 17 pages

Cold cores in interstellar molecular clouds represent the very first phase in star formation. The physical conditions of these objects are studied in order to understand how molecular clouds evolve and how stellar masses are determined. The purpose of this study is to probe conditions in the dense, starless clump Ophichus D (Oph D). The ground-state (1(10)-1(11)) rotational transition of ortho-H2D+ was observed with APEX towards the density peak of Oph D. The width of the H2D+ line indicates that the kinetic temperature in the core is about 6 K. So far, this is the most direct evidence of such cold gas in molecular clouds. The observed H2D+ spectrum can be reproduced with a hydrostatic model with the temperature increasing from about 6 K in the centre to almost 10 K at the surface. The model is unstable against any increase in the external pressure, and the core is likely to form a low-mass star. The results suggest that an equilibrium configuration is a feasible intermediate stage of star formation even if the larger scale structure of the cloud is thought to be determined by turbulent fragmentation. In comparison with the isothermal case, the inward decrease in the temperature makes smaller, i.e. less massive, cores susceptible to externally triggered collapse., Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, accepted for Astronomy and Astrophysics

With current near-infrared (NIR) instruments the near-infrared light scattered from interstellar clouds can be mapped over large areas. The surface brightness carries information on the line-of-sight dust column density. Therefore, scattered light could provide an important tool to study mass distribution in quiescent interstellar clouds at a high, even sub-arcsecond resolution. We wish to confirm the assumption that light scattering dominates the surface brightness in all NIR bands. Furthermore, we want to show that scattered light can be used for an accurate estimation of dust column densities in clouds with Av in the range 1-15mag. We have obtained NIR images of a quiescent filament in the Corona Australis molecular cloud. The observations provide maps of diffuse surface brightness in J, H, and Ks bands. Using the assumption that signal is caused by scattered light we convert surface brightness data into a map of dust column density. The same observations provide colour excesses for a large number of background stars. These data are used to derive an extinction map of the cloud. The two, largely independent tracers of the cloud structure are compared. Results. In regions below Av=15m both diffuse surface brightness and background stars lead to similar column density estimates. The existing differences can be explained as a result of normal observational errors and bias in the sampling of extinctions provided by the background stars. There is no indication that thermal dust emission would have a significant contribution even in the Ks band. The results show that, below Av=15mag, scattered light does provide a reliable way to map cloud structure. Compared with the use of background stars it can also in practice provide a significantly higher spatial resolution., Comment: 14 pages, 15 figures, accepted to A&A, the version includes small changes in the text and an added appendix

Our aim is to compare the infrared properties of big, ``classical'' dust grains with visual extinction in the cloud L1642. In particular, we study the differences of grain emissivity between diffuse and dense regions in the cloud. The far-infrared properties of dust are based on large-scale 100um and 200um maps. Extinction through the cloud has been derived by using the star count method at B- and I-bands, and color excess method at J, H and Ks bands. Radiative transfer calculations have been used to study the effects of increasing absorption cross-section on the far-infrared emission and dust temperature. Dust emissivity, measured by the ratio of far-infrared optical depth to visual extinction, tau(far-IR)/A(V), increases with decreasing dust temperature in L1642. There is about two-fold increase of emissivity over the dust temperature range of 19K-14K. Radiative transfer calculations show that in order to explain the observed decrease of dust temperature towards the centre of L1642 an increase of absorption cross-section of dust at far-IR is necessary.This temperature decrease cannot be explained solely by the attenuation of interstellar radiation field. Increased absorption cross-section manifests itself also as an increased emissivity. We find that, due to temperature effects, the apparent value of optical depth tau(far-IR), derived from 100um and 200um intensities, is always lower than the true optical depth., Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures. Accepted for publication in A&A

We present results from an on-going follow-up campaign of far-infrared sources detected as part of our ISOPHOT Cosmic IR Background project. Fields have been imaged in the optical and near-infrared, and we find at least a third of the FIR targets areas to contain a bright and nearby star-forming galaxy. We also explore the largely neglected possibility that instead of individual galaxies some of the fainter FIR sources are confused sums of several sources - or even whole cores of galaxy clusters at redshifts of z \sim 0.4-0.8. We look for correlations in the FIR positions with extremely red objects (EROs) and significant peaks in the galaxy surface density and peaks in cluster red sequence signal. Several matches are found and we have set out to study cluster candidates spectroscopically. The campaign is producing an interesting base to study IR-luminous, strongly star-forming galaxies in potential cluster environments., Comment: 2 pages, Proceedings of Vth Marseille Int. Cosmology Conference: The fabulous destiny of galaxies, June 20-24, 2004

Bright emission nebulae, or HII regions, around hot stars are readily seen in H-alpha light. However, the all-pervasive faint H-alpha emission has only recently been detected and mapped over the whole sky. Mostly the H-alpha emission observed along a line of sight is produced by ionised gas in situ. There are, however, cases where all or most of the H-alpha radiation is due to scattering by electrons or dust particles which are illuminated by an H-alpha emitting source off the line of sight. Here we demonstrate that diffuse, translucent and dark dust clouds at high galactic latitudes are in many cases observed to have an excess of diffuse H-alpha surface brightness, i.e. they are brighter than the surrounding sky. We show that the majority of this excess surface brightness can be understood as light scattered off the interstellar dust grains. The source of incident photons is the general Galactic H-alpha background radiation impinging on the dust clouds from all over the sky., Comment: Accepted to ApJ letters (minor revisions)

Several recent papers claim the detection of a near infrared Extragalactic Background Light (EBL) intensity at 1.25 - 4 um that exceeds the integrated light of galaxies by factors of >3. When combined with a claimed optical detection of the EBL at 0.80 um the EBL excess emission spectrum has a discontinuity at ~1 um. This discontinuity has given rise to an interpretation in terms of ultraviolet radiation emanating from the first generation of massive stars at redshifts of 7 - 20 (so called Population III stars). The interpretation of the NIR excess emission as being of extragalactic origin depends crucially on the model used in the subtraction of the Zodiacal Light, the dominant foreground contaminant. We estimate the Zodiacal Light at 0.80 um using on the one hand the measurement by Bernstein et al.,2002, ApJ, 571,85), with corrections for some omitted effects of atmospheric scattering and calibration, and on the other hand the model of Kelsall et al.,1998, ApJ, 508,44). There is in neither case any evidence for a step in the EBL at ~1 um. We emphasize that in order to avoid systematic effects it is essential to use the same Zodiacal Light model (Kelsall et al. 1998) for both the NIR (1.25 - 4 um) and optical (0.80 um) data. We emphasize, however, that our analysis does not allow a statement on the overall level of the NIR EBL. The contribution of the Diffuse Galactic Light to the ``EBL excess'' emission is estimated. It is found to be significant at 3 - 4 um and should be carefully evaluated in future measurements which aim at detecting an EBL signal at the level of ~10 nW m^-2 sr^-1, i.e. at the level of the integrated light of (known) galaxies., Comment: 7 pages, 1 figure, accepted for publication in MNRAS

Aims. The purpose of this study is to examine the prediction that the deuterated H3+ ion, H2D+, can be found exclusively in the coldest regions of molecular cloud cores. This is also a feasibility study for the detection of the ground-state line of ortho-H2D+ at 372 GHz with APEX. Methods. The 1(10)-1(11) transition of H2D+ at 372 GHz was searched towards selected positions in the massive star forming cloud OriB9, in the dark cloud L183, and in the low- to intermediate mass star-forming cloud R CrA. Results. The line was detected in cold, prestellar cores in the regions of OriB9 and L183, but only upper limits were obtained towards other locations which either have elevated temperatures or contain a newly born star. The H2D+ detection towards OriB9 is the first one in a massive star-forming region. The fractional ortho-H2D+ abundances (relative to H2) are estimated to be about 1.0E-10 in two cold cores in OriB9, and 3.0E-10 in the cold core of L183. Conclusions. The H2D+ detection in OriB9 shows that also massive star forming regions contain very cold prestellar cores which probably have reached matured chemical composition characterized, e.g., by a high degree of deuterium fractionation. Besides as a tracer of the interior parts of prestellar cores, H2D+ may therefore be used to put contraints on the timescales related to massive star formation., Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure, accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics

The feasibility of observing the C18O (3-2) spectral line in cold clouds with the APEX telescope has been tested. As the line at 329.330 GHz lies in the wing of a strong atmospheric H2O absorption it can be observed only at high altitude observatories. Using the three lowest rotational levels instead of only two helps to narrow down the physical properties of dark clouds and globules. The centres of two C18O maxima in the high latitude low mass star forming region CG 12 were mapped in C18O (3-2) and the data were analyzed together with spectral line data from the SEST. The T_MB(3-2)/T_MB(2-1) ratio in the northern C18O maximum, CG 12 N, is 0.8, and in the southern maximum, CG 12 S, ~2. CG 12 N is modelled as a 120'' diameter (0.4pc) cold core with a mass of 27 Msun. A small size maximum with a narrow, 0.8 kms-1, C18O (3-2) spectral line with a peak temperature of T_MB ~11 K was detected in CG 12 S. This maximum is modelled as a 60'' to 80'' diameter (~0.2pc) hot (80 K < Tex < 200 K) ~1.6 Msun clump. The source lies on the axis of a highly collimated bipolar molecular outflow near its driving source. This is the first detection of such a compact, warm object in a low mass star forming region., Comment: APEX A&A special issue, accepted

With current wide-field near-infrared (NIR) instruments the scattered light in the near-infrared can be mapped over large areas. Below A_V ~ 10 the surface brightness is directly proportional to the column density, and at slightly higher column densities the saturation of the intensity values can be corrected using the ratios of the intensity in different NIR bands. NIR scattered light provides a promising new method for the mapping of quiescent interstellar clouds. We develop a method to convert the observed near-infrared surface brightness into estimates of the column density. We study and quantify the effect that different error sources could have on the accuracy of such estimates. We also propose to reduce systematic errors by combining surface brightness data with extinction measurements derived from the near-infrared colour excess of background stars. Our study is based on a set of three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic turbulence simulations. Maps of near-infrared scattered light are obtained with radiative transfer calculations, and the maps are converted back into column density estimates using the proposed method. The results are compared with the true column densities. Extinction measurements are simulated using the same turbulence simulations, and are used as a complementary column density tracer. We find that NIR intensities can be converted into a reliable estimate of the column density in regions with A_V up to almost 20mag., Comment: 20 pages, accepted to A&A; this version contains some structural changes and two new figures

We present ISOPHOT spectrophotometry of three positions within the isolated high latitude cirrus cloud G 300.2 - 16.8, spanning from the near- to far-infrared. The positions exhibit contrasting emission spectrum contributions from the UIBs, very small grains and large classical grains, and both semi-empirical and numerical models are presented. At all three positions, the UIB spectrum shapes are found to be similar, and the large grain emission may be fitted by an equilibrium temperature of ~17.5 K. The energy requirements of both the observed emission spectrum and optical scattered light are shown to be satisfied by the incident local ISRF. The FIR emissivity of dust in G 300.2 - 16.8 is found to be lower than in globules or dense clouds, and is even lower than model predictions for dust in the diffuse ISM. The results suggest physical differences in the ISM mixtures between positions within the cloud, possibly arising from grain coagulation processes., Comment: 22 pages, 8 tables, 11 figures (figure 8 is in colour). Landscape table included as separate LaTeX file. Accepted for publication in MNRAS

The Chamaeleon I dark cloud (Cha I} has been mapped in C18O J=1-0 with an angular resolution of 1 arcmin using the SEST telescope. The large scale structures previously observed with lower spatial resolution in the cloud turn into a network of clumpy filaments. The automatic Clumpfind routine developed by Williams et al. 1994 is used to identify individual clumps in a consistent way. Altogether 71 clumps were found and the total mass of these clumps is 230 Mo. The dense 'cores' detected with the NANTEN telescope (Mizuno et al. 1999) and the very cold cores detected in the ISOPHOT serendipity survey (Toth et al. 2000) form parts of these filaments but decompose into numerous 'clumps' The filaments are preferentially oriented at right angles to the large-scale magnetic field in the region. We discuss the cloud structure, the physical characteristics of the clumps and the distribution of young stars. The observed clump mass spectrum is compared with the predictions of the turbulent fragmentation model of Padoan & Nordlund 2002. An agreement is found if fragmentation has been driven by very large-scale hypersonic turbulence, and if it has had time to dissipate into modestly supersonic turbulence in the interclump gas by the present time., Comment: 15 pages, 11 figures, 1 table, to be published in A&A (Accepted)

The high latitude translucent molecular cloud L1642 has been mapped in the J=1-0 and J=2-1 transitions of 12CO, 13CO and C18O using the SEST radio telescope. We have analysed the morphology and velocity structure of the cloud using the Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) method. The results show that L1642 is composed of a main structure at radial velocity 0.2 km/s while the higher velocity components at ~0.5 and 1.0 km/s form an incomplete ring around it, suggesting an expanding shell structure. Fainter emission extends to the north with a still higher velocity of up to 1.6 km/s. Such a velocity structure suggests an elongated morphology in the line of sight direction. The physical properties of the cloud have been investigated assuming LTE conditions, but non-LTE radiative transfer models are also constructed for the 13CO observations. We confirm that L1642 follows an r^-1 density distribution in its outer parts while the distribution is considerably flatter in the core. The cloud is close to virial equilibrium. In an Appendix the PMF results are compared with the view obtained through the analysis of channel maps and by the use of Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Both PMF and PCA present the observations as a linear combination of basic spectral shapes that are extracted from the data. Comparison of the methods shows that the PMF method in particular is able to produce a presentation of the complex velocity that is both compact and easily interpreted., Comment: Accepted to A&A

We present a set of 6-12 micron ISOPHOT-S spectra of the general interstellar medium of the Milky Way. This part of the spectrum is dominated by a series of strong, wide emission features commonly called the Unidentified Infrared Bands. The sampled area covers the inner Milky Way from l = -60 degr to +60 degr with a ten-degree step in galactic longitude and nominal latitudes 0,+-1 degr. For each grid position the actual observed direction was selected from IRAS 100 micron maps to minimize contamination by point sources and molecular clouds. All spectra were found to display the same spectral features. Band ratios are independent of band strength and Galactic coordinates. A comparison of total observed flux in band features and IRAS 100 micron emission, a tracer for large interstellar dust grains, shows high correlation at large as well as small 1-arcmin scales. This implies a strong connection between large dust grains and the elusive band carriers; the evolutionary history and heating energy source of these populations must be strongly linked. The average mid-infrared spectrum of the Milky Way is found to be similar to the average spectrum of spiral galaxy NGC 891 and the spectra of other spirals. The common spectrum can therefore be used as a template for the 6-12 micron emission of late-type spiral galaxies. Finally, we show that interstellar extinction only weakly influences the observed features even at lambda = 10 microns, where the silicate absorption feature is strongest.

Odin has successfully observed the molecular core rho Oph A in the 572.5 GHz rotational ground state line of ammonia, NH3 (J,K = 1,0 - 0,0). The interpretation of this result makes use of complementary molecular line data obtained from the ground (C17O and CH3OH) as part of the Odin preparatory work. Comparison of these observations with theoretical model calculations of line excitation and transfer yields a quite ordinary abundance of methanol, X(CH3OH) = 3e-9. Unless NH3 is not entirely segregated from C17O and CH3OH, ammonia is found to be significantly underabundant with respect to typical dense core values, viz. X(NH3) = 8e-10., Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, 2 tables, to appear in Astron. Astrophys. Letters

We have mapped the submillimeter emission from the 1(10)-1(01) transition of ortho-water in the W3 star-forming region. A 5'x5' map of the W3 IRS4 and W3 IRS5 region reveals strong water lines at half the positions in the map. The relative strength of the Odin lines compared to previous observations by SWAS suggests that we are seeing water emission from an extended region. Across much of the map the lines are double-peaked, with an absorption feature at -39 km/s; however, some positions in the map show a single strong line at -43 km/s. We interpret the double-peaked lines as arising from optically thick, self-absorbed water emission near the W3 IRS5, while the narrower blue-shifted lines originate in emission near W3 IRS4. In this model, the unusual appearance of the spectral lines across the map results from a coincidental agreement in velocity between the emission near W3 IRS4 and the blue peak of the more complex lines near W3 IRS5. The strength of the water lines near W3 IRS4 suggests we may be seeing water emission enhanced in a photon-dominated region., Comment: Accepted to A&A Letters as part of the special Odin issue; 4 pages

Odin has successfully observed three regions in the Orion A cloud, i.e. Ori KL, Ori S and the Orion Bar, in the 572.5 GHz rotational ground state line of ammonia, ortho-NH3 (J,K) = (1,0) -> (0,0), and the result for the Orion Bar represents the first detection in an ammonia line. Several velocity components are present in the data. Specifically, the observed line profile from the Orion Bar can be decomposed into two components, which are in agreement with observations in high-J CO lines by Wilson et al. 2001. Using the source model for the Orion Bar by these authors, our Odin observation implies a total ammonia abundance of NH3/H2 = 5E-9., Comment: 4 pages with 2 figures, accepted for publication in A&A

Using ISOPHOT maps at 100 and 200um and raster scans at 100, 120, 150 and 200um we have detected four unresolved far-infrared sources in the high latitude molecular cloud L183. Two of the sources are identified with 1.3mm continuum sources found by Ward-Thompson et al. and are located near the temperature minimum and the coincident column density maximum of dust distribution. For these two sources, the ISO observations have enabled us to derive temperatures (about 8.3 K) and masses (about 1.4 and 2.4 solar masses). They are found to have masses greater than or comparable to their virial masses and are thus expected to undergo gravitational collapse. We classify them as pre-protostellar sources. The two new sources are good candidates for pre-protostellar sources or protostars within L183., Comment: 12 pages, 7 Postscript figures, 1 JPEG figure. Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics

The ISOPHOT instrument aboard ISO has been used to observe extended FIR emission of six Abell clusters. The raw profiles of the I_(120 um) / I_(180 um) surface brightness ratio including zodiacal light show a bump towards Abell 1656 (Coma), dips towards Abell 262 and Abell 2670, and are without clear structure towards Abell 400, Abell 496, and Abell 4038. After subtraction of the zodiacal light, the bump towards Abell 1656 is still present, while the dips towards Abell 262 and Abell 2670 are no longer noticable. This indicates a localized excess of emitting material outside the Galaxy towards Abell 1656, while the behavior in Abell 262 and Abell 2670 can be reconciled with galactic cirrus structures localized on the line-of-sight to these clusters. The excess towards Abell 1656 (Coma) is interpreted as thermal emission from intracluster dust distributed in the hot X-ray emitting intracluster medium. The absence of any signature for intracluster dust in five clusters and the rather low inferred dust mass in Abell 1656 indicates that intracluster dust is likely not responsible for the excess X-ray absorption seen in cooling flow clusters. These observations thereby represent a further unsuccessful attempt in detecting the presumed final stage of the cooling flow material, in accord with quite a number of previous studies in other wavelengths regions. Finally, the observed dimming of the high-redshift supernovae is unlikely be attributable to extinction caused by dust in the intracluster or even a presumed intercluster medium., Comment: 16 pages, 32 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics

We have mapped the dark cloud L183 in the far-infrared at 100um and 200um with the ISOPHOT photometer aboard the ISO satellite. The observations make it possible for the first time to study the properties of the large dust grains in L183 without confusion from smaller grains. The observations show clear colour temperature variations which are likely to be caused by changes in the emission properties of the dust particles. In the cloud core the far-infrared colour temperature drops below 12K. The data allow a new determination of the cloud mass and the mass distribution. The mass within a radius of 10 arcmin from the cloud centre is 25 Msun. We have mapped the cloud in several molecular lines including DCO+(2-1) and H13CO+(1-0). These species are believed to be tracers of cold and dense molecular material and we detect a strong anticorrelation between the DCO+ emission and the dust colour temperatures. In particular, the DCO+(2-1) emission is not detected towards the maximum of the 100um emission where the colour temperature rises above 15K. The H13CO+ emission follows the DCO+ distribution but CO isotopes show strong emission even towards the 100um peak. A comparison of the DCO+ and C18O maps shows sharp variations in the relative intensities of the species. Morphologically the 200um dust emission traces the distribution of dense molecular material as seen e.g. in C18O lines. A comparison with dust column density shows that C18O is depleted by a factor of 1.5 in the cloud core. We present results of R- and B-band starcounts. The extinction is much better correlated with the 200um than with the 100um emission. Based on the 200um correlation at low extinction values we deduce a value of ~17mag for the visual extinction towards the cloud centre., Comment: to be published in A&A

Far-infrared maps obtained with ISOPHOT have been searched for point-like sources. The majority of the 55 sources is believed to be extragalactic and in most cases no previously known sources can be associated with them. Based on the far-infrared spectral energy distributions it is likely that dust-enshrouded, distant galaxies form a significant fraction of the sources. We estimate the number densities of extragalactic sources at 90, 150 and 180 um wavelengths and at flux density levels down to 100 mJy. The counts are compared with models of galaxy evolution. The counts exceed the predictions of current models, even those with strong evolution, and no-evolution models are rejected at a high confidence level. Comparison with recent results from COBE mission indicates that at 90 um the detected sources correspond to over 20% of the extragalactic background light. At longer wavelengths the corresponding fraction is 10%., Comment: 8 pages, to appear in the proceedings of the conference 'ISO surveys of a dusty universe', held at Ringberg Castle November 1999

We have studied the galactic cirrus in low surface brightness regions using ISOPHOT raster maps at 90, 150 and 180um. Observations are used to determine dust emission spectra and dust temperatures. The data extend to longer wavelengths than IRAS observation. Compared with DIRBE data the resolution and the sensitivity are better and this makes it possible to study faint cirrus emission in individual fields. We will discuss the calibration of the observations and present results of a comparison between ISOPHOT and DIRBE surface brightness values. The correspondence was found to be better than 30%. At 90um the ISOPHOT surface brightnesses tend to be slightly higher than the DIRBE values while at longer wavelength the situation is reversed. Surface brightness variations caused by cirrus fluctuations make it possible to determine the spectrum of the dust emission. Cirrus spectra were obtained for six fields with surface brightnesses in the range 1-2 MJy/sr after the Zodiacal light and the contribution of extragalactic sources have been subtracted. Assuming f^2 emissivity law the dust temperatures are in the range 18-20 K. Temperature variations can be seen even within individual fields. These values are higher than values from DIRBE but this can be explained by differences in the calibration., Comment: 6 pages, to appear in the proceedings of the conference "ISO beyond point sources"

As a part of the ISOPHOT CIRB (Cosmic Infrared Background Radiation) project we have searched for point-like sources in eight fields mapped at two or three wavelengths between 90 and 180um. Most sources are previously unknown and based on the far-infrared (FIR) spectral energy distributions dust-enshrouded, distant galaxies form a significant fraction of the sources. We present a list of the new extragalactic FIR-sources and discuss the uncertainties of the source detection from the ISOPHOT maps. We estimate the source number densities at 90, 150 and 180um and at flux density levels down to 100mJy to be 10^5, 2 10^5, and 3 10^5 1/sr, respectively. Strong galaxy evolution models are in best agreement with our results, although the number of detections exceeds most model predictions. No-evolution models can be rejected at a high confidence level. Comparison with COBE results indicates that at 90um the detected sources correspond to some 20% of the extragalactic background light. At longer wavelengths the corresponding fraction is closer to 10%., Comment: 19 pages, 13 figures, to be published in the A&A Main Journal

The spectrum of the unidentified infrared (UIR) emission bands between 5.9 and 11.7 [micro]m has been observed for the first time in the disk of an external galaxy. We have used the low-resolution spectrometer of the ISOPHOT instrument aboard ISO. The UIR bands at 6.2, 7.7 and 11.3 [micro]m have absolute intensities which are similar to the values observed for the diffuse emission of our own Galaxy. The UIR bands between 5.9 and 11.7 [micro]m contribute ~9% of the total IR radiation of NGC 891. The intensity ratios and band widths in the NGC 891 disk emissions are similar to the diffuse emission of the Milky Way, pointing to a common carrier for the UIR bands in the two galaxies. However, there are some notable variations of the band ratios along the major axis of the galaxy., Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures, 2 tables