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Spin angular momentum transfer in magnetic bilayers offers the possibility of ultrafast and low-loss operation for next-generation spintronic devices. We report the field- and temperature- dependent measurements on the magnetization precessions in Co$_2$FeAl/(Ga,Mn)As by time-resolved magneto-optical Kerr effect (TRMOKE). Analysis of the effective Gilbert damping and phase shift indicates a clear signature of an enhanced dynamic exchange coupling between the two ferromagnetic (FM) layers due to the reinforced spin pumping at resonance. The temperature dependence of the dynamic exchange-coupling reveals a primary contribution from the ferromagnetism in (Ga,Mn)As., Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:2203.00293

Fast spin manipulation in magnetic heterostructures, where magnetic interactions between different materials often define the functionality of devices, is a key issue in the development of ultrafast spintronics. Although recently developed optical approaches such as ultrafast spin-transfer and spin-orbit torques open new pathways to fast spin manipulation, these processes do not fully utilize the unique possibilities offered by interfacial magnetic coupling effects in ferromagnetic multilayer systems. Here, we experimentally demonstrate ultrafast photo-enhanced interfacial exchange interactions in the ferromagnetic Co$_2$FeAl/(Ga,Mn)As system at low laser fluence levels. The excitation efficiency of Co$_2$FeAl with the (Ga,Mn)As layer is 30-40 times higher than the case with the GaAs layer at 5 K due to a photo-enhanced exchange coupling interaction via photoexcited charge transfer between the two ferromagnetic layers. In addition, the coherent spin precessions persist to room temperature, excluding the drive of photo-enhanced magnetization in the (Ga,Mn)As layer and indicating a proximity-effect-related optical excitation mechanism. The results highlight the importance of considering the range of interfacial exchange interactions in ferromagnetic heterostructures and how these magnetic coupling effects can be utilized for ultrafast, low-power spin manipulation.

We write in response to the call from the 2020 Decadal Survey to submit white papers illustrating the most pressing scientific questions in astrophysics for the coming decade. We propose exploration as the central question for the Decadal Committee's discussions.The history of astronomy shows that paradigm changing discoveries are not driven by well formulated scientific questions, based on the knowledge of the time. They were instead the result of the increase in discovery space fostered by new telescopes and instruments. An additional tool for increasing the discovery space is provided by the analysis and mining of the increasingly larger amount of archival data available to astronomers. Revolutionary observing facilities, and the state of the art astronomy archives needed to support these facilities, will open up the universe to new discovery. Here we focus on exploration for compact objects and multi messenger science. This white paper includes science examples of the power of the discovery approach, encompassing all the areas of astrophysics covered by the 2020 Decadal Survey.

Single-phase Ni0.46Mn0.54As films with strained C1b symmetry have been successfully grown on GaAs (001) substrates by molecular-beam epitaxy. The epitaxial relationship between the film and the substrate has been studied using synchrotron radiation, and a preferred configuration of (110)-orientated Ni0.46Mn0.54As on (001)-orientated GaAs was revealed. In addition, the magnetic properties of the films were found to be significantly influenced by the growth temperature. The optimized growth temperature is determined to be ~370 degree Celsius , for which relatively high Curie temperature, large saturation magnetization and coercive field, as well as the pronounced in-plane magnetic anisotropy were obtained. According to the results of X-ray absorption spectroscopy, the above phenomenon can be attributed to the variation of the local electronic structure of the Mn atoms. Our work provides useful information for the further investigations of NiMnAs, which is theoretically predicted to host robust half-metallicity.

We present observations of CO(3-2) and $^{13}$CO(3-2) emission near the supernebula in the dwarf galaxy NGC 5253, which contains one of the best examples of a potential globular cluster in formation. The 0.3" resolution images reveal an unusual molecular cloud, "Cloud D1", coincident with the radio-infrared supernebula. The ~6-pc diameter cloud has a linewidth, $\Delta$ v = 21.7 km/s, that reflects only the gravitational potential of the star cluster residing within it. The corresponding virial mass is 2.5 x 10$^5$ M$_\odot$. The cluster appears to have a top-heavy initial mass function, with $M_{low}$~1-2 M$_\odot$. Cloud D1 is optically thin in CO(3-2) probably because the gas is hot. Molecular gas mass is very uncertain but constitutes < 35% of the dynamical mass within the cloud boundaries. In spite of the presence of an estimated ~1500-2000 O stars within the small cloud, the CO appears relatively undisturbed. We propose that Cloud D1 consists of molecular clumps or cores, possibly star-forming, orbiting with more evolved stars in the core of the giant cluster., Comment: Revised version, 12 pages, 2 figures. Accepted, ApJ. New version corrects typo in RA coordinate in Table 1 in original Journal article as appears in the Erratum

We report the enhancement of spin-orbit torques in MnAl/Ta films with improving chemical ordering through annealing. The switching current density is increased due to enhanced saturation magnetization MS and effective anisotropy field HK after annealing. Both damplinglike effective field HD and fieldlike effective field HF have been increased in the temperature range of 50 to 300 K. HD varies inversely with MS in both of the films, while the HF becomes liner dependent on 1/MS in the annealed film. We infer that the improved chemical ordering has enhanced the interfacial spin transparency and the transmitting of the spin current in MnAl layer.

Ferromagnetic films of L10-ordered MnGa and MnAl that exhibit giant perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and great controllability in the magnetism and structural disorders show promise not only in the applications in magnetic recording, permanent magnets and spintronics, but also in controllable studies of disorder-relevant electrical transport phenomena. In this article, we review the intriguing experimental observations of the orbital two-channel Kondo effect and anomalous Hall effect in L10-ordered MnGa and MnAl thin films with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. We also give a perspective with regards to the future technological and fundamental applications of these perpendicularly magnetized Mn-based binary alloy films., Comment: Invited review for spin (submitted)

We report the controllable growth and the intriguing transport behavior of high-spin-polarization epitaxial L21-Co2MnAl films, which exhibit a low-temperature (T) resistivity upturn with pronounced T1/2 dependence, close relevance to structural disorder, and robust independence of magnetic fields. The resistivity upturn turns out to be qualitatively contradictory to weak localization, particle-particle channel electron-electron interaction (EEI), and orbital two-channel Kondo effect, leaving a three-dimensional particle-hole channel EEI the most likely physical source. Our result highlights a considerable tunability of the structural and electronic disorder of magnetic films by varying growth temperature, affording unprecedented insights into the spin polarization and the resistivity upturn.

We report systematic measurements of anomalous Hall effect(AHE) and spin orbit torques(SOT) in MnGa/IrMn films,, in which a single MnGa epitaxial layer reveals obvious orbital two-channel Kondo (2CK) effect. As increasing the thickness of the antiferromagnet IrMn, the strong spin Hall effect(SHE)has gradually suppressed the orbital 2CK effect and modified the AHE of MnGa.A scaling involving multiple competing scattering mechanisms has been used to distinguish different contributions to the modified AHE. Finally, the sizeable SOT in the MnGa/IrMn films induced by the strong SHE of IrMn have been investigated.The IrMn layer also supplies an in-plane exchange bias field and enables nearly field-free magnetization reversal.

The experimental existence and stability of the quantum criticality point of the two-channel Kondo (2CK) effect displaying exotic non-Fermi liquid physics has been buried in persistent confusion despite the intensive theoretical and experimental efforts in past three decades. Here we report an experimental realization of the two-level system scattering-induced orbital 2CK effect in a ferromagnetic L10-MnGa film, which is signified by a magnetic field-independent resistivity upturn that has a logarithmic and square-root temperature dependence beyond and below the Kondo temperature of ~14.5 K, respectively. Our result not only evidences the robust existence of orbital 2CK effect even in the presence of strong magnetic fields and long-range ferromagnetic ordering but also extends the scope of 2CK host materials from nonmagnetic nanoscale point contacts to diffusive conductors of disordered alloys.

The anomalous Hall effect (AHE) in strongly disordered magnetic systems has been buried in persistent confusion despite its long history. We report the AHE in perpendicularly magnetized L10-MnAl epitaxial films with variable orbital two-channel Kondo (2CK) effect arising from the strong coupling of conduction electrons and the structural disorders of two-level systems. The AHE is observed to excellently scale with pAH/f=a0pxx0+bpxx2 at high temperatures where phonon scattering prevails. In contrast, significant deviation occurs at low temperatures where the orbital 2CK effect becomes important, suggesting a negative AHE contribution. The deviation of the scaling agrees with the orbital 2CK effect in the breakdown temperatures and deviation magnitudes.

We report the large polar magnetooptical Kerr effect in L10-MnxGa epitaxial films with giant perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in a wide composition range. The Kerr rotation was enhanced by a factor of up to 10 by decreasing Mn atomic concentration, which most likely arises from the variation of the effective spin-orbit coupling strength, compensation effect of magnetic moments at different Mn atom sites, and overall strain. The Kerr ellipticity and the magnitude of the complex Kerr angle is found to have more complex composition-dependence that varies with the photon energy. These L10-MnxGa films show large Kerr rotation of up to 0.10o, high reflectivity of 35%-55% in a wide wavelength range of 400~850 nm, and giant magnetic anisotropic field of up to 210 kOe, making them an interesting material system for emerging spintronics and terahertz modulator applications.

We report the first experimental realization of orbital two-channel Kondo (2CK) effect from two-level systems (TLSs) in epitaxial L10-MnAl films with giant perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. The resistivity exhibits a low-temperature (T) upturn with a clear transition from a lnT-dependence to T1/2-dependence and deviation from it in three distinct T regimes, which are independent of applied magnetic fields. The magnitudes of Kondo temperature and energy splitting of the TLSs are greatly enhanced in comparison to those in other systems exhibiting orbital 2CK, suggesting strong coupling between the tunneling centers with conduction electrons via resonant scattering. These results point to a considerable robustness of the orbital 2CK effect even in the presence of ferromagnetic ordering and significant spin polarization of the conduction electrons.

Thin film magnetic heterostructures with competing interfacial coupling and Zeeman energy pro- vide a fertile ground to study phase transition between different equilibrium states as a function of external magnetic field and temperature. A rare-earth (RE) / transition metal (TM) ferro- magnetic multilayer is a classic example where the magnetic state is determined by a competition between the Zeeman energy and antiferromagnetic interfacial exchange coupling energy. Techno- logically, such structures offer the possibility to engineer the macroscopic magnetic response by tuning the microscopic interactions between the layers. We have performed an exhaustive study of a nickel/gadolinium system by using the element-specific measurement technique x-ray magnetic circular dichroism, and determined the full magnetic state diagrams as a function of temperature and magnetic layer thickness. We explain our result based on a modified Stoner-Wohlfarth formal- ism and provide evidence of a thickness-dependent phase transition to a magnetic fan state which is critical in understanding magnetoresistance effects in RE/TM systems. The results provide im- portant insight for spintronics and superconducting spintronics where engineering tunable magnetic inhomogeneity is key for certain applications.

A local dwarf galaxy, NGC 5253, has a young super star cluster that may provide an example of highly efficient star formation. Here we report the detection and imaging, with the Submillimeter Array, of the J= 3-2 rotational transition of CO at the location of the massive cluster associated with the supernebula. The gas cloud is hot, dense, quiescent, and extremely dusty. Its gas-to-dust ratio is lower than the Galactic value, which we attribute to dust enrichment by Wolf-Rayet stars within the embedded star cluster. Its star formation efficiency exceeds 50%, ten times higher than clouds in the Milky Way: this cloud is a factory of stars and soot. We suggest that high efficiency results from the force-feeding of star formation by a streamer of gas falling into the galaxy., Comment: Accepted to Nature. 15 pages, 5 figures. Abstract modified from Nature summary paragraph

Spin filter tunnel junctions are based on selective tunneling of up and down spin electrons controlled through exchange splitting of the band structure of a ferromagnetic insulator. Therefore, spin filter efficiency can be tuned by adjusting exchange strength of the tunnel barrier. We have observed that magnetic field and bias voltage (current) can be used to regulate exchange strength and consequently spin-filter efficiency in tunnel junctions with ferromagnetic DyN and GdN tunnel barrier. In tunnel junctions with DyN barrier we obtained $\sim$37$\%$ spin polarization of tunneling electrons at 11 K due to a small exchange splitting ($ E_{ex}$) $\approx$5.6 meV of the barrier height ($\Phi _0$) $\approx$60 meV. Huge spin-filter efficiency $\sim$97$\%$ was found for tunnel junctions with GdN barrier due to larger $E_{ex}$ $\approx$47 meV. In the presence of an applied magnetic field, barrier height can further split due to magnetic field dependent exchange splitting $ E_{ex}(H)$. The spin filter efficiency in DyN tunnel junctions can be increased up to $\sim$87$\%$ with magnetic field. Electric and magnetic field tuned spin-filter efficiency of these tunnel junctions gives opportunity for practical application of these devices with additional functionality., Comment: 9 Pages, 11 Figures

We carefully investigated the in-plane magnetic reversal and corresponding magnetic domain structures in Fe/GaAs/piezo-transducer heterostructure using longitudinal magneto-optical Kerr microscopy. The coexistence of the <100> cubic magnetic anisotropy and uniaxial magnetic anisotropy was observed in our Fe thin film grown on GaAs. The induced deformation along [110] orientation can effectively manipulate the magnetic reversal with magnetic field applied along magnetic uniaxial hard [110] axes. The control of two-jump magnetization switching to one-jump magnetization switching during the magnetic reversal was achieved by piezo-voltages with magnetic field applied in [100] direction. The additional uniaxial anisotropy induced by piezo-voltages at -75 /75V are -1.400/1400 J/m3 ., Comment: 15 pages, 5 figures

At a distance of 8 kpc, the center of our Galaxy is the nearest galactic nucleus, and has been the subject of numerous key projects undertaken by great observatories such as Chandra, Spitzer, and Herschel. However, there are still no surveys of molecular gas properties in the Galactic center with less than 30" (1 pc) resolution. There is also no sensitive polarization survey of this region, despite numerous nonthermal magnetic features apparently unique to the central 300 parsecs. In this paper, we outline the potential the VLASS has to fill this gap. We assess multiple considerations in observing the Galactic center, and recommend a C-band survey with 10 micro-Jy continuum RMS and sensitive to molecular gas with densities greater than 10^4 cm^{-3}, covering 17 square degrees in both DnC and CnB configurations ( resolution ~5"), totaling 750 hours of observing time. Ultimately, we wish to note that the upgraded VLA is not just optimized for fast continuum surveys, but has a powerful correlator capable of simultaneously observing continuum emission and dozens of molecular and recombination lines. This is an enormous strength that should be fully exploited and highlighted by the VLASS, and which is ideally suited for surveying the center of our Galaxy., Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures, a White Paper submitted to provide input in planning the Very Large Array Sky Survey

The anomalous Hall effect (AHE) in perpendicularly magnetized L10-Mn1.5Ga single-crystalline films is investigated as a function of degree of long-range chemical ordering and temperature. Our results provide firm evidence that phonons has negligibly smaller effect on skew scattering contributions to AHE resistivity than defects, the overlook of which in conventional scaling laws results in significant discrepancies and exponent n beyond 2 when fitting the data. We find that the broken of long-range chemical ordering strongly affects both intrinsic and extrinsic contributions of AHE conductivity, e.g., it greatly suppresses intrinsic contributions by influencing the topology of the band structures. Our results are of great importance for both physical understanding and technological engineering of the AHE.

We present the first aperture synthesis unbiased spectral line survey toward an extragalactic object. The survey covered the 40 GHz frequency range between 202 and 242 GHz of the 1.3 mm atmospheric window. We find that 80% of the observed band shows molecular emission, with 73 features identified from 15 molecular species and 6 isotopologues. The 13C isotopic substitutions of HC3N and transitions from H2(18)O, 29SiO, and CH2CO are detected for the first time outside the Galaxy. Within the broad observed band, we estimate that 28% of the total measured flux is due to the molecular line contribution, with CO only contributing 9% to the overall flux. We present maps of the CO emission at a resolution of 2.9"x1.9" which, though not enough to resolve the two nuclei, recover all the single-dish flux. The 40 GHz spectral scan has been modelled assuming LTE conditions and abundances are derived for all identified species. The chemical composition of Arp 220 shows no clear evidence of an AGN impact on the molecular emission but seems indicative of a purely starburst-heated ISM. The overabundance of H2S and the low isotopic ratios observed suggest a chemically enriched environment by consecutive bursts of star formation, with an ongoing burst at an early evolutionary stage. The large abundance of water (~10^-5), derived from the isotopologue H2(18)O, as well as the vibrationally excited emission from HC3N and CH3CN are claimed to be evidence of massive star forming regions within Arp 220. Moreover, the observations put strong constraints on the compactness of the starburst event in Arp 220. We estimate that such emission would require ~2-8x10^6 hot cores, similar to those found in the Sgr B2 region in the Galactic center, concentrated within the central 700 pc of Arp 220., Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A

Energetic flares are observed in the Galactic supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* from radio to X-ray wavelengths. On a few occasions, simultaneous flares have been detected in IR and X-ray observations, but clear counterparts at longer wavelengths have not been seen. We present a flare observed over several hours on 2006 July 17 with the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, the Keck II telescope, the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory, and the Submillimeter Array. All telescopes observed strong flare events, but the submillimeter peak is found to occur nearly 100 minutes after the X-ray peak. Submillimeter polarization data show linear polarization in the excess flare emission, increasing from 9% to 17% as the flare passes through its peak, consistent with a transition from optically thick to thin synchrotron emission. The temporal and spectral behavior of the flare require that the energetic electrons responsible for the emission cool faster than expected from their radiative output. This is consistent with adiabatic cooling in an expanding emission region, with X-rays produced through self-Compton scattering, although not consistent with the simplest model of such expansion. We also present a submillimeter flare that followed a bright IR flare on 2005 July 31. Compared to 2006, this event had a larger peak IR flux and similar submillimeter flux, but it lacked measurable X-ray emission. It also showed a shorter delay between the IR and submillimeter peaks. Based on these events we propose a synchrotron and self-Compton model to relate the submillimeter lag and the variable IR/X-ray luminosity ratio., Comment: To appear in The Astrophysical Journal 682: 373, 2008 July 20. Corrected in response to referee comments, matches published version

To clarify whether or not (Ga,Cr)As is an intrinsic diluted magnetic semiconductor, a systematic study of the magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) was carried out for a series of (Ga,Cr)As epilayers grown by the low-temperature molecular-beam epitaxy technique. The present work provides unambiguous evidence for the intrinsic ferromagnetism of the (Ga,Cr)As epilayers with all the necessary properties in accordance with that of a diluted magnetic semiconductor, especially the hysteresis characteristics, which is opened up in the magnetic field dependence of MCD., Comment: 13 pages

The millimeter/submillimeter wavelength polarization of Sgr A* is known to be variable in both magnitude and position angle on time scales down to a few hours. The unstable polarization has prevented measurements made at different frequencies and different epochs from yielding convincing measurements of Faraday rotation in this source. Here we present observations made with the Submillimeter Array polarimeter at 227 and 343 GHz with sufficient sensitivity to determine the rotation measure at each band without comparing position angles measured at separate epochs. We find the 10-epoch mean rotation measure to be (-5.6+/-0.7)x10^5 rad/m^2; the measurements are consistent with a constant value. We conservatively assign a 3sigma upper limit of 2x10^5 rad/m^2 to rotation measure changes, which limits accretion rate fluctuations to 25%. This rotation measure detection limits the accretion rate to less than 2x10^-7 M_sun/yr if the magnetic field is near equipartition, ordered, and largely radial, while a lower limit of 2x10^-9 M_sun/yr holds even for a sub-equipartition, disordered, or toroidal field. The mean intrinsic position angle is 167+/-7 degrees and we detect variations of 31(+18/-9) degrees. These variations must originate in the submillimeter photosphere, rather than arising from rotation measure changes., Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure. To appear in the Astrophysical Journal Letters

We present new Very Large Array (VLA) observations toward NGC 253 of the recombination line H53alpha (43 GHz) at an angular resolution of 1.''5 X 1.''0. The free-free emission at 43 GHz is estimated to be ~100 mJy, implying a star formation rate of ~1.3 Msun/yr in the nuclear region of this starburst galaxy. A reanalysis is made for previously reported H92alpha observations carried out with angular resolution of 1.''5 X 1.''0 and 0.''36 X 0.''21. Based on the line and continuum emission models used for the 1.''5 X 1.''0 angular resolution observations, the RRLs H53alpha and H92alpha are tracers of the high-density (~10^5 cm-3) and low-density (~10^3 cm^-3) thermally ionized gas components in NGC 253, respectively. The velocity fields observed in the H53alpha and H92alpha lines 1.''5 X 1.''0) are consistent. The velocity gradient in the central ~18 pc of the NE component, as observed in both the H53alpha and H92alpha lines, is in the opposite direction to the velocity gradient determined from the CO observations. The enclosed virial mass, as deduced from the H53alpha velocity gradient over the NE component, is ~5 X 10^6 Msun in the central ~18 pc region. The H92alpha line observations at high angular resolution (0.''36 X 0.''21) reveal a larger velocity gradient, along a P.A. ~ -45 deg on the NE component, of ~110 km/s/arcsec. The dynamical mass estimated using the high angular resolution H92alpha data (~7 X 10^6 Msun) supports the existence of an accreted massive object in the nuclear region of NGC 253., Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ

Although it is widely accepted that most galaxies have supermassive black holes (SMBHs) at their centers^{1-3}, concrete proof has proved elusive. Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*)^4, an extremely compact radio source at the center of our Galaxy, is the best candidate for proof^{5-7}, because it is the closest. Previous Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) observations (at 7mm) have detected that Sgr A* is ~2 astronomical unit (AU) in size^8, but this is still larger than the "shadow" (a remarkably dim inner region encircled by a bright ring) arising from general relativistic effects near the event horizon^9. Moreover, the measured size is wavelength dependent^{10}. Here we report a radio image of Sgr A* at a wavelength of 3.5mm, demonstrating that its size is \~1 AU. When combined with the lower limit on its mass^{11}, the lower limit on the mass density is 6.5x10^{21} Msun pc^{-3}, which provides the most stringent evidence to date that Sgr A* is an SMBH. The power-law relationship between wavelength and intrinsic size (The size is proportional to wavelength^{1.09}), explicitly rules out explanations other than those emission models with stratified structure, which predict a smaller emitting region observed at a shorter radio wavelength., Comment: 18 pages, 4 figures

We report new simultaneous near-infrared/sub-millimeter/X-ray observations of the SgrA* counterpart associated with the massive 3-4x10**6 solar mass black hole at the Galactic Center. The main aim is to investigate the physical processes responsible for the variable emission from SgrA*. The observations have been carried out using the NACO adaptive optics (AO) instrument at the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope and the ACIS-I instrument aboard the Chandra X-ray Observatory as well as the Submillimeter Array SMA on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, and the Very Large Array in New Mexico. We detected one moderately bright flare event in the X-ray domain and 5 events at infrared wavelengths., Comment: submitted to A&A 26/10/2005; accepted by A&A: 14/12/2005; 50 pages; 19 figures

Using the Submillimeter Array, we have made the first high angular resolution measurements of the linear polarization of Sagittarius A* at submillimeter wavelengths, and the first detection of intra-day variability in its linear polarization. We detected linear polarization at 340 GHz (880um) at several epochs. At the typical resolution of 1.4"x2.2", the expected contamination from the surrounding (partially polarized) dust emission is negligible. We found that both the polarization fraction and position angle are variable, with the polarization fraction dropping from 8.5% to 2.3% over three days. This is the first significant measurement of variability in the linear polarization fraction in this source. We also found variability in the polarization and total intensity within single nights, although the relationship between the two is not clear from these data. The simultaneous 332 and 342 GHz position angles are the same, setting a one-sigma rotation measure (RM) upper limit of 7x10^5 rad/m^2. From position angle variations and comparison of "quiescent" position angles observed here and at 230 GHz we infer that the RM is a few times 10^5 rad/m^2, a factor of a few below our direct detection limit. A generalized model of the RM produced in the accretion flow suggests that the accretion rate at small radii must be low, below 10^{-6} to 10^{-7} M_{sun}/year depending on the radial density and temperature profiles, but in all cases below the gas capture rate inferred from X-ray observations., Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures. To appear in ApJ

Submillimeter Array observations of Orion-KL at 1'' resolution in the 440mu/690GHz band reveal new insights about the continuum and line emission of the region. The 440mu continuum flux density measurement from source I allows us to differentiate among the various proposed physical models: Source I can be well modeled by a ``normal'' protostellar SED consisting of a proton-electron free-free emission component at low frequencies and a strong dust component in the submillimeter bands. Furthermore, we find that the protostellar object SMA1 is clearly distinct from the hot core. The non-detection of SMA1 at cm and infrared wavelengths suggests that it may be one of the youngest sources in the entire Orion-KL region. The molecular line maps show emission mainly from the sources I, SMA1 and the hot core peak position. An analysis of the CH$3CN(37_K-36_K) K-ladder (K=0...3) indicates a warm gas component of the order 600+-200K. In addition, we detect a large fraction (~58%) of unidentified lines and discuss the difficulties of line identifications at these frequencies., Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures, accepted for ApJ, sched. v.636 January 2006, higher resolution version available at http://www.mpia-hd.mpg.de/homes/beuther

We present high angular resolution (0.7'') observations made with the Very Large Array (VLA) of the radio recombination line (RRL) H53alpha and radio continuum emission at 43 GHz from the ultraluminous infrared galaxy (ULIRG) Arp 220. The 43 GHz continuum emission shows a compact structure (~2'') with two peaks separated by ~1'', the East (E) and West (W) components, that correspond to each galactic nucleus of the merger. The spectral indices for both the E and W components, using radio continuum images at 8.3 and 43 GHz are typical of synchrotron emission (alpha ~ -1.0). Our 43 GHz continuum and H53alpha line observations confirm the flux densities predicted by the models proposed by Anantharamaiah et al. This agreement with the models implies the presence of high-density (~ 100,000 cm^-3) compact HII regions (~ 0.1 pc) in Arp 220. The integrated H53alpha line emission is stronger toward the non-thermal radio continuum peaks, which are also coincident with the peaks of molecular emission of the H2CO. The coincidence between the integrated H53alpha and the H2CO maser line emission suggests that the recent star forming regions, traced by the high density gas, are located mainly in regions that are close to the two radio continuum peaks. A velocity gradient of ~ 0.30 km/s/pc in the H53alpha RRL is observed toward the E component and a second velocity gradient of ~ 0.15 km/s/pc is detected toward the W component. The orientations of these velocity gradients are in agreement with previous CO, HI and OH observations. The kinematics of the high-density ionized gas traced by the H53alpha line are consistent with two counter rotating disks as suggested by the CO and HI observations., Comment: The original version was published in the ApJ,633,198,2005. This new version is submitted with the corrected velocity scale

We observed Sgr A* using the Very Large Array (VLA) and the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) at multiple cm and mm wavelengths on 17 June 2003. The measured flux densities of Sgr A*, together with those obtained from the Submillimeter Array (SMA) and the Keck II 10 m telescope on the same date, are used to construct a simultaneous spectrum of Sgr A* from 90 cm to 3.8 $\mu$m. The simultaneous spectrum shows a spectral break at about 3.6 cm, a possible signature of synchrotron self-absorption of the strong radio outburst which occurred near epoch 17 July 2003. At 90 cm, the flux density of Sgr A* is $0.22\pm0.06$ Jy, suggesting a sharp decrease in flux density at wavelengths longer than 47 cm. The spectrum at long cm wavelengths appears to be consistent with free-free absorption by a screen of ionized gas with a cutoff $\sim$100 cm. This cutoff wavelength appears to be three times longer than that of $\sim$30 cm suggested by Davies, Walsh & Booth based on observations in 1974 and 1975. Our analysis suggests that the flux densities of Sgr A* at wavelengths longer than 30 cm could be attenuated and modulated by stellar winds from massive stars close to Sgr A*., Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures, accepted by ApJ Letter

We present a spectrum of Sgr A* observed simultaneously on June 17, 2003 at wavelengths from 90 to 0.7 cm with the VLA. In the spectrum, we also include the measurements of Sgr A* observed on the same day with the GMRT at 49 cm, the SMA at 0.89 mm and the Keck II at 3.8 $\mu$m. The spectrum at the centimeter wavelengths suggests the presence of a break wavelength at 3.8 cm (8 GHz). The spectral index is alpha=0.43+-0.03 (propto nu(alpha}) at 3.8 cm and shorter wavelengths. The spectrum between 3.8 cm and 49 cm can be described by a power law with spectral index of alpha=0.10+-0.03$. We detected Sgr A* with 0.22+-0.06 Jy at 90 cm, suggesting a sharp decrease in flux density at the wavelengths longer than 49 cm. The best fit to the spectrum at the wavelengths longer than lambda_b appears to be consistent with free-free absorption by a screen of ionized gas with a turnover wavelength at nu(tau_ff}=1) = 100 cm (300 MHz). This turnover wavelength appears to be three times longer than that of 30 cm (1 GHz) as suggested by Davies et al. (1976) based on the observations in 1994 and 1995. Our analysis suggests that stellar winds from the massive stars near Sgr A* could modulate the flux density at the wavelengths longer than 30 cm (or frequencies below 1 GHz)., Comment: 2 pages. 1 figures. Proceedings of the 7th European VLBI Network Symposium held in Toledo, Spain on October 12-15, 2004. Editors: R. Bachiller, F. Colomer, J.-F. Desmurs, P. de Vicente (Observatorio Astronomico Nacional), p. 159-160. Needs evn2004.cls

We present images of NRAO530 observed with the EVN (VLBI) at 5 GHz, the MERLIN at 1 .6 and 5 GHz, and the VLA at 5 and 8 GHz showing the complex morphology on scales from pc to kpc. The VLBI image shows a core-jet structure indicating a somehow oscillation trajectory on a scale of 30 mas, north to the strongest compact component (core). A core-jet structure extended to several hundreds mas at about P.A. -50 deg and a distant component located 11 arcsec west to the core are detected in both the MERLIN and the VLA observations. An arched structure of significant emission between the core and the distant component is also revealed in both the MERLIN image at 1.6 cm and the VLA images at 8.4 and 5 GHz. The core component shows a flat spectrum with alpha = -0.02 (S proportional to the frequency power -alpha) while alpha = 0.8 for the distant component. The steep spectrum of the distant component and the detection of the arched emission suggests that the western distant component is a lobe or a hot-spot powered by the nucleus of NRAO530. A patch of diffuse emission, 12 arcsec nearly east (P.A. = 70 deg) to the core component, is also observed with the VLA at 5 GHz, suggesting a presence of a counter lobe in the source., Comment: 4 pages. 6 figures. Proceedings of the 7th European VLBI Network Symposium held in Toledo, Spain on October 12-15, 2004. Editors: R. Bachiller, F. Colomer, J.-F. Desmurs, P. de Vicente (Observatorio Astronomico Nacional), p. 77-80. Needs evn2004.cls

We have imaged a region of about 5' extent surrounding Sgr A* in the HI 21 cm-line absorption using the Very Large Array. A Gaussian decomposition of the optical depth spectra at positions within about 2' (approx. 5 pc at 8.5 kpc) of Sgr A* detects a wide line underlying the many narrow absorption lines. The wide line has a mean peak optical depth of 0.32 +/- 0.12 centered at a mean velocity of V(lsr) = -4 +/- 15 km/s. The mean full width at half maximum is 119 +/- 42 km/s. Such a wide line is absent in the spectra at positions beyond about 2' from Sgr A*. The position-velocity diagrams in optical depth reveal that the wide line originates in various components of the circumnuclear disk (radius approx. 1.3') surrounding Sgr A*. These components contribute to the optical depth of the wide line in different velocity ranges. The position-velocity diagrams do not reveal any diffuse feature which could be attributed to a large number of HI clouds along the line of sight to Sgr A*. Consequently, the wide line has no implications either to a global population of shocked HI clouds in the Galaxy or to the energetics of the interstellar medium as was earlier thought., Comment: LaTeX, 12 pages and 9 figures, accepted for publication in J. Astrophys. Astr

We present high angular resolution (0.6'') observations made with the VLA of the radio continuum at 8.3 and 43 GHz as well as H92 Alpha and H53 Alpha radio recombination lines from the nearby (3 Mpc) starburst galaxy M82. In the continuum we report 19 newly identified sources at 8.3 GHz and 5 at 43 GHz that were unknown previously. The spatial distribution of the H92 Alpha line is inhomogeneous; we identify 27 features. The line and continuum emission are modeled using a collection of HII regions at different distances from the nucleus assuming a single-density component and two-density components. The high-density component has a density of 4 X 10^{4} cm^{-3}. However, the bulk of the ionization is in regions with densities which are typically a factor 10 lower. The gas kinematics, using the H92 Alpha line, confirms the presence of steep velocity gradient (26 km s^{-1} arcsec^{-1}) in the nuclear region. As this steep gradient is observed not only on the major axis but also at large distances along a band of PA of 150 degrees, the interpretation in terms of x2 orbits elongated along the minor axis of the bar, which would be observed at an angle close to the inclination of the main disk, seems inadequate. Ad-hoc radial motions must be introduced to reproduce the pattern of the velocity field. Different families of orbits are indicated as we detect a signature in the kinematics at the transition between the two plateaus observed in the NIR light distribution. The H92 Alpha line also reveals the base of the outflow where the injection towards the halo on the Northern side occurs. The kinematical pattern suggests a connection between the gas flowing in the plane of M82 towards the center; this behavior most likely originates due to the presence of a bar and the outflow out of the plane., Comment: 45 pages, 11 figures and 6 tables. Accepted for publication in ApJ

Submillimeter Array (SMA) observations of the high-mass star-forming region IRAS 18089-1732 in the 1 mm and 850 $\mu$m band with 1 GHz bandwidth reveal a wealth of information. We present the observations of 34 lines from 16 different molecular species. Most molecular line maps show significant contributions from the outflow, and only few molecules are confined to the inner core. We present and discuss the molecular line observations and outline the unique capabilities of the SMA for future imaging line surveys at high spatial resolution., Comment: Accepted for ApJ Letters, SMA special volume

We present initial results of an ongoing search for interferometric calibrators at submillimeter (sub-mm) wavelengths with the Submillimeter Array (SMA). Powerful radio galaxies are commonly used as calibrators at centimeter and millimeter wavelengths, but many are not strong enough to serve as calibrators at sub-mm wavelengths because of their rapidly declining flux densities toward shorter wavelengths. The inability to find a calibrator close to the target source may limit or even prevent us from imaging many interesting sources at sub-mm wavelengths. Here, we investigate whether high-mass protostellar objects and ultracompact HII regions can serve as useful calibrators for the SMA. The dust emission associated with these objects makes them among the brightest sub-mm sources in the sky. Our observations at 0.85 mm (345 GHz) with an angular resolution of ~3" reveal that although a large fraction of the dust emission originates from an extended ``halo'' component, a compact unresolved component often remains that when sufficiently strong may serve as a useful calibrator. These observations also provide a first glimpse at the small-scale distribution of dust around ultracompact HII regions and high-mass protostellar objects at sub-mm wavelengths. We discuss the origin of the core-halo structure seen in many sources, and conclude with suggestions for future searches for calibrators with the SMA., Comment: 3 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ Letters

We have mapped the ultracompact HII region, G5.89-0.39, and its molecular surroundings with the Submillimeter Array at 2".8 x 1".8 angular resolution in 1.3 mm continuum, SiO(5-4), and eight other molecular lines. We have resolved for the first time the highly energetic molecular outflow in this region. At this resolution, the outflow is definitely bipolar and appears to originate in a 1.3 mm continuum source. The continuum source peaks in the center of the HII region. The axis of the outflow lines up with a recently discovered O5V star., Comment: 3 Figures, Accepted for publication in ApJ Letters

We present the results of a 3.3-year project to monitor the flux density of Sagittarius A* at 2.0, 1.3, and 0.7 cm with the VLA. The fully calibrated light curves for Sgr A* at all three wavelengths are presented. Typical errors in the flux density are 6.1%, 6.2%, and 9.2% at 2.0, 1.3, and 0.7 cm, respectively. There is preliminary evidence for a bimodal distribution of flux densities, which may indicate the existence of two distinct states of accretion onto the supermassive black hole. At 1.3 and 0.7 cm, there is a tail in the distribution towards high flux densities. Significant variability is detected at all three wavelengths, with the largest amplitude variations occurring at 0.7 cm. The rms deviation of the flux density of Sgr A* is 0.13, 0.16, and 0.21 Jy at 2.0, 1.3, and 0.7 cm, respectively. During much of this monitoring campaign, Sgr A* appeared to be relatively quiescent compared to results from previous campaigns. At no point during the monitoring campaign did the flux density of Sgr A* more than double its mean value. The mean spectral index of Sgr A* is alpha=0.20+/-0.01, with a standard deviation of 0.14. The spectral index appears to depend linearly on the observed flux density at 0.7 cm with a steeper index observed during outbursts. This correlation is consistent with the expectation for outbursts that are self-absorbed at wavelengths of 0.7 cm or longer and inconsistent with the effects of simple models for interstellar scintillation. Much of the variability of Sgr A*, including possible time lags between flux density changes at the different wavelengths, appears to occur on time scales less than the time resolution of our observations (8 days). Future observations should focus on the evolution of the flux density on these time scales., Comment: 16 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in AJ

SMA observations of the massive star-forming region IRAS 18089-1732 in the 1mm and 850mu band reveal outflow and disk signatures in different molecular lines. The SiO(5--4) data show a collimated outflow in the northern direction. In contrast, the HCOOCH3(20--19) line, which traces high-density gas, is confined to the very center of the region and shows a velocity gradient across the core. The HCOOCH3 velocity gradient is not exactly perpendicular to the outflow axis but between an assumed disk plane and the outflow axis. We interpret these HCOOCH3 features as originating from a rotating disk that is influenced by the outflow and infall. Based on the (sub-)mm continuum emission, the mass of the central core is estimated to be around 38M_sun. The dynamical mass derived from the HCOOCH3 data is 22Msun, of about the same order as the core mass. Thus, the mass of the protostar/disk/envelope system is dominated by its disk and envelope. The two frequency continuum data of the core indicate a low dust opacity index beta ~ 1.2 in the outer part, decreasing to beta ~ 0.5 on shorter spatial scales., Comment: 7 pages of text, 1 table, 3 figures, accepted for ApJ Letters

At radio wavelengths, images of the compact radio source Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*) in the Galactic Center are scatter broadened with a lambda^2 dependence due to an intervening ionized medium. We present VLBI observations of Sgr A* at 86 GHz using a six station array including the VLBA antennas at Pie Town, Fort Davis and Los Alamos, the 12m antenna at Kitt Peak and the millimeter arrays at Hat Creek and Owens Valley. To avoid systematic errors due to imperfect antenna calibration, the data were modeled using interferometric closure information. The data are best modeled by a circular Gaussian brightness distribution of FWHM 0.18 +- 0.02 mas. The data are also shown to be consistent with an elliptical model corresponding to the scattering of a point source. The source structure in the N-S direction, which is less well determined than in the E-W direction due to the limited N-S (u,v) coverage of the array, is constrained to be less than 0.27 mas by these measurements. These results are consistent with extrapolations of intrinsic structure estimates obtained with VLBI at 7mm wavelength assuming the intrinsic size of Sgr A* has a greater dependence than lambda^0.9 with wavelength., Comment: 24 pages, 7 figures. Accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journal

We present observations of radio recombination lines from the starburst galaxy Arp 220 at 1.4, 8.1, 84, 96 and 207 GHz (sensitive upper limit for the 1.4 GHz line and firm detections at the other frequencies), and the radio continuum spectrum between 330 MHz and 207 GHz. We show that a model with three components of ionized gas with different densities and area covering factors can consistently explain both RRL and continuum data. The total mass of ionized gas in the three components is 3 x 10^7 M_sun requiring 3 x 10^5 O5 stars with a total Lyman continuum production rate (NLyc) of 1.3 x 10^{55} photons /s. These values imply a dust extinction A_V ~ 45 magnitudes and an SFR of ~240 M_sun/yr. The NLyc of ~3% associated with the high density HII regions implies similar SFR at recent epochs. The data is also consistent with multiple starbursts of very high SFR and short durations. The derived value of 24 for the IR-excess favours a starburst rather than an AGN as the origin of the observed FIR luminosity. (the abstract has been abridged), Comment: 45 pages including 12 figures, Latex format, accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journal, July 2000