Related papers: Solid-phase C_60 in the peculiar binary XX Oph?
Recent Spitzer Space Telescope observations of several astrophysical environments such as Planetary Nebulae, Reflection Nebulae, and R Coronae Borealis stars show the simultaneous presence of mid-infrared features attributed to neutral…
The C60 molecule has been recently detected in a wide range of astrophysical environments through its four active intramolecular vibrational modes (T1u) near 18.9, 17.4, 8.5, and 7.0 microns. The strengths of the mid-infrared emission bands…
We propose that thermal electron attachment to C$_{60}$ should occur preferentially in the p-wave channel, following an analysis of the vibron excitation spectrum of C$_{60}^-$. A very simple model based on this idea is shown to account…
We present 4.5$\mu$m and 8$\mu$m photometric observations of 18 cool white dwarfs obtained with the Spitzer Space Telescope. Our observations demonstrate that four white dwarfs with T_eff< 6000 K show slightly depressed mid-infrared fluxes…
Past studies based on optical spectroscopy suggest that the five $\omega$ Cen pulsators form a rather homogeneous group of hydrogen-rich subdwarf O stars with effective temperatures of around 50 000 K. This places the stars below the red…
We have retrieved Spitzer archive data of pre-stellar cores taken with the Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer (MIPS) at a wavelength of 160 um. Seventeen images, containing eighteen cores, were constructed. Flux densities were…
Data from the VSX, SDSS DR12, and Gaia DR2 catalogs were combined in order to explore the observed temperature distribution of known contact binaries. Color-temperature relations were applied to calculate the effective temperatures of…
We present spot properties on 32 periodic young stellar objects in IC 5070. Long term, $\sim$5 yr, light curves in the $V$, $R$, and $I$-bands are obtained through the HOYS (Hunting Outbursting Young Stars) citizen science project. These…
Although fullerenes have long been hypothesized to occur in interstellar environments, their actual unambiguous spectroscopic identification is of more recent date. C60, C70 and C60+ now constitute the largest molecular species individually…
In early type stars the ultraviolet spectral region is important for several reasons. Firstly, since the majority of the total flux is emitted here, it provides a rather sensitive indicator of a photospheric temperature and luminosity.…
Context. Solid methane (CH$_4$) is an important molecule in interstellar and planetary environments, serving as a precursor to complex organic compounds, and it is a potential biosignature in exoplanetary studies. Despite its significance,…
In the light of the recent results of the stellar interferometry, we examine the nature of the extra molecular layer outside the photosphere of red super- giant stars, so far studied mostly with the use of the infrared spectra. Although the…
Spitzer IRAC and MIPS images of the Trifid Nebula (M20) reveal its spectacular appearance in infrared light, highlighting the nebula's special evolutionary stage. The images feature recently-formed massive protostars and numerous young…
We present SPEAR/FIMS far-ultraviolet observations near the North Ecliptic Pole. This area, at b~30 degrees and with intermediate HI column, seems to be a fairly typical line of sight that is representative of general processes in the…
In the last decade or so, there have been numerous searches for hot subdwarfs in close binaries. There has been little to no attention paid to wide binaries however. The advantages of understanding these systems can be many. The stars can…
Deriving the distribution of binary parameters for a particular class of stars over the full range of orbital separations usually requires the combination of results from many different observing techniques (radial velocities,…
About a third of the hot subdwarfs of spectral type B, which are mostly core-helium burning objects on the extreme horizontal branch, are found in close binaries with cool, low-mass stellar, substellar, or white dwarf companions. They can…
The optical excitations in C$_{60}$ and higher fullerenes, including isomers of C$_{76}$, C$_{78}$, and C$_{84}$, are theoretically investigated. We use a tight binding model with long-range Coulomb interactions, treated by the Hartree-Fock…
The C_{60} molecule exhibits a remarkable stability and inertness that leads to its survival in ancient carbonaceous rocks initially subject to the high temperatures requisite for its formation. Elementary particles having very high…
We present Spitzer Space Telescope archival mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectroscopy of a sample of eleven planetary nebulae (PNe). The observations, acquired with the Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph (IRS), cover the spectral range 5.2-14.5 {\mu}m…