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Ultraviolet interstellar polarization observed with the Hubble Space Telescope
- Source :
- The Astrophysical Journal. 427:L47
- Publication Year :
- 1994
- Publisher :
- American Astronomical Society, 1994.
-
Abstract
- We have used the Faint Object Spectrograph of the Hubble Space Telescope to observe interstellar linear polarization from 1300 to 3300 A in two stars with well-studied interstellar polarization at visible wavelenths. The wavelength dependence of linear polarization declines smoothly with decreasing wavelength and is devoid of structure associated with the prominent 2175 A absorption bump in the interstellar extinction curve. The data for one star (HD 161056) are consistent with an extrapolation based on the Serkowski formula of a fit to the ground-based polariztion; the other star (HD 7252) shows excess (super-Serkowski) polarization relative to the extrapolation. Out of a total of 10 stars now studied by means of spectropolarimetry in the satellite ultraviolet, including eight obseved with the Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photopolarimeter, five (those of longest lambda (sub max)) show Serkowski behavior, and four others show super-Serkowski behavior; only one (HD 197770) shows evidence for polarization associated with the 2175 A bump. These results place important constraints on the nature of the bump feature.
- Subjects :
- Physics
Faint Object Spectrograph
Cosmic Origins Spectrograph
Hubble Deep Field
Linear polarization
Extinction (astronomy)
Astronomy
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics::Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics
Hubble Ultra-Deep Field
Interstellar medium
Space and Planetary Science
Ultraviolet astronomy
Astrophysics::Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
Astrophysics::Galaxy Astrophysics
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 15384357 and 0004637X
- Volume :
- 427
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- The Astrophysical Journal
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi...........62c216464965219571ed37f1d568b5d0