Related papers: What can the occult do for you?
Interstellar dust at high Galactic latitudes can influence astronomical foreground subtraction, produce diffuse scattered light, and soften the ultraviolet spectra of quasars. In a sample of 94 sight lines toward quasars at high latitude…
We map the dust distribution in the central 180" (~680 pc) region of the M31 bulge, based on HST/WFC3 and ACS observations in ten bands from near-ultraviolet (2700 A) to near-infrared (1.5 micron). This large wavelength coverage gives us…
We investigate the amount and spatial distribution of interstellar dust in edge-on spiral galaxies, using detailed radiative transfer modeling of a homogeneous sample of 12 galaxies selected from the CALIFA survey. Our automated fitting…
Using far-infrared 240 micron and near-infrared K band data from the COBE/DIRBE instrument, we model the Galactic stellar and dust distribution. Making the assumption that the Galaxy is transparent in the 240 micron band, the dust emission…
We propose a novel method to constrain the spatial extent of dust around galaxies through the measurement of dust temperature. Our method combines the dust emission of galaxies from far-infrared (FIR) image stacking analysis and the quasar…
In recent years, observations have uncovered a population of massive galaxies that are invisible or very faint in deep optical/near-infrared (near-IR) surveys but brighter at longer wavelengths. However, the nature of these optically dark…
X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) in the 0.2-2 keV band is a crucial component in multi-wavelength studies of dust mineralogy, size, and shape -- parameters that are necessary for interpreting astronomical observations and building…
The presence of dust in the intracluster medium (ICM) has been a long-standing problem that is still awaiting elucidation. Direct observational diagnostics are rather challenging (though not impossible) either because of a sparse…
Galaxies represent the visible fabric of the Universe and there has been considerable progress recently in both observational and theoretical studies. The underlying goal is to understand the present-day diversity of galaxy forms, masses…
Observations of interstellar gas and dust towards nearby stars and within the solar system show that the Sun is embedded in a warm diffuse partially-ionized cloud. This cloud is the leading edge of a flow of interstellar matter (ISM)…
A broad array of interstellar absorption features that appear in the ultraviolet spectra of bright sources allows us to measure the abundances and ionization states of many important heavy elements that exist as free atoms in the…
Knowing the Galactic 3D dust distribution is relevant for understanding many processes in the interstellar medium and for correcting many astronomical observations for dust absorption and emission. Here, we aim for a 3D reconstruction of…
Galaxies behind the Milky Way suffer size reduction and dimming due to their obscuration by dust in the disk of our Galaxy. The degree of obscuration is wavelength dependent. It decreases towards longer wavelengths. Compared to the optical,…
Though half of cosmic starlight is absorbed by dust and reradiated at long wavelengths (3$\mu$m-3mm), constraints on the infrared through millimeter galaxy luminosity function (the `IRLF') are poor in comparison to the rest-frame…
We present a non-parametric model for inferring the three-dimensional (3D) distribution of dust density in the Milky Way. Our approach uses the extinction measured towards stars at different locations in the Galaxy at approximately known…
Dust and stars in the plane of the Milky Way create a "Zone of Avoidance" in the extragalactic sky. Galaxies are distributed in gigantic labyrinth formations, filaments and great walls with occasional dense clusters. They can be traced all…
Circumgalactic dust grains trace the circulation of mass and metals between star-forming regions and gaseous galactic halos, giving insight into feedback and tidal stripping processes. We perform a search for ultraviolet (UV) reflection…
The hot, diffuse gas that fills the largest overdense structures in the Universe -- clusters of galaxies and a web of giant filaments connecting them -- provides us with tools to address a wide array of fundamental astrophysical and…
Existing (Spitzer Space Telescope) and upcoming (Herschel Space Telescope) facilities are deepening our understanding of the role of dust in tracing the energy budget and chemical evolution of galaxies. The tools we are developing while…
Molecules and dust are formed in and around the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars and supernovae (SNe), and are ejected into the interstellar medium (ISM) through the stellar wind. The dust and gas contain elements newly synthesised in…