Related papers: Interstellar X-ray Absorption and Scattering
The contribution of weakly--magnetized ($B\sim 10^9$ G) neutron stars accreting the interstellar medium to the diffuse X--ray emission observed in the Galactic Center is investigated. It is shown that, under rather conservative assumptions…
This white paper is motivated by open questions in star formation, which can be uniquely addressed by high resolution X-ray imaging and require an X-ray observatory with large collecting area along good spectral resolution. A complete…
Recent interferometric surveys of nearby main-sequence stars show a faint but significant near-infrared excess in roughly two dozen systems, i.$\,$e. around $10\,\%$ to $30\,\%$ of stars surveyed. This excess is attributed to dust located…
We discuss the dust attenuation and the star formation rates in the nearby universe obtained from a comparison of far-infrared (IRAS) and ultraviolet (GALEX) observations. The ratio of the dust to UV flux ratio is used to derive the dust…
Contemporary interstellar dust has never been analyzed in the laboratory, despite its obvious astronomical importance and its potential as a probe of stellar nucleosynthesis and galactic chemical evolution. Here we report the discovery of a…
The census of heavy elements (metals) produced by all stars through cosmic times up to present-day is limited to ~50%; of these only half are still found within their parent galaxy. The majority of metals is expelled from galaxies into the…
Interstellar dust appears in a number of roles in the interstellar medium. Historically, the most familiar one is as a source of extinction in the optical. Absorbed optical and ultraviolet light heats the dust, whence infrared (including…
Cosmic dust is present in many astrophysical objects, and recent observations across the electromagnetic spectrum show that the dust distribution is often strongly three-dimensional (3D). Dust grains are effective in absorbing and…
The meaningful comparison of models of galaxy evolution to observations is critically dependent on the accurate treatment of dust attenuation. To investigate dust absorption and emission in galaxies we have assembled a sample of ~1000…
We study the radial distribution of the temperature of the warm dust and gas-to-dust mass ratios in a sample of 22 spiral galaxies. The heating capabilities of the diffuse interstellar radiation field (ISRF), based on Desert et al. model,…
Investigating the chemical complexity of the interstellar medium (ISM) is key for understanding its physical nature and evolution. In this work, we study parsec-scale interstellar dust clouds in the neutral ISM of the Milky Way using two…
The new observational data on interstellar dust, obtained during the past few years, in particular, revised ISM elemental abundances, the polarization curve from the far UV to the near IR, spectra of dust infrared emission, extended red…
High-mass X-ray binary systems are powered by the stellar wind of their donor stars. The X-ray state of Cygnus X-1 is correlated with the properties of the wind which defines the environment of mass accretion. Chandra-HETGS observations…
Future satellite missions are expected to perform all-sky surveys, thus providing the entire sky near-infrared spectral data and consequently opening a new window to investigate the evolution of galaxies. Specifically, the infrared spectral…
X-ray absorption spectroscopy provides a potentially powerful tool in determining the metal abundances in various phases of the interstellar medium (ISM). We present a case study of the sight line toward 4U 1820-303 (Galactic coordinates l,…
We present the results of X-ray imaging and spectroscopic analysis of a sample of Seyfert 2 galaxies that contain starbursts, based on their optical and UV characteristics. These composite galaxies exhibit extended, soft, thermal X-ray…
Bright, short duration X-ray flares from accreting compact objects produce thin, dust scattering rings that enable dust echo tomography: high precision distance measurements and mapping of the line-of-sight distribution of dust. This work…
Accretion of interplanetary dust onto gas giant exoplanets is considered. Poynting-Robertson drag causes dust particles from distant reservoirs to slowly inspiral toward the star. Orbital simulations for the three-body system of the star,…
In the interstellar medium, the cosmic elemental carbon abundance includes the total carbon in both gas and solid phases. The aim of the study was to trial a new method for measuring the amount and distribution of aliphatic carbon within…
X-ray emission from stars has origins as diverse as the stars themselves: accretion shocks, shocks generated in wind-wind collisions, or release of magnetic energy. Although the scenarios responsible for X-ray emission are thought to be…