ESA Science & Technology - Publication Archive

In September 2003, the executives of ESO and ESA agreed to establish a number of working groups to explore possible synergies between these two major European astronomical institutions on key scientific issues. The first two working group reports (on Extrasolar Planets and the Herschel-ALMA Synergies) were released in 2005 and 2006, and this third report covers the area of Fundamental Cosmology.

We have used HST imaging of the central regions of the globular cluster 47 Tucanae (=NGC 104), taken with the WFPC2 and ACS instruments between 1995 and 2002, to derive proper motions and U- and V-band magnitudes for 14 366 stars within 100" (about 5 core radii) of the cluster center. This represents the largest set of member velocities collected for any globular cluster. The stars involved range in brightness from just fainter than the horizontal branch of the cluster to more than 2.5 mag below the main-sequence turnoff. In the course of obtaining these kinematic data, we also use a recent set of ACS images to define a list of astrometrically calibrated positions (and F475W magnitudes) for nearly 130 000 stars in a larger, ~3'×3' central area. We describe our data reduction procedures in some detail and provide the full position, photometric, and velocity data in the form of downloadable electronic tables. We have used the star counts to obtain a new estimate for the position of the cluster center and to define the density profile of main-sequence turnoff and giant branch stars in to essentially zero radius, thus constraining the global spatial structure of the cluster better than before. A single-mass, isotropic King model fit to it is then used as a rough point of reference against which to compare the gross characteristics of our proper-motion data. We search in particular for any evidence of very fast-moving stars, in significantly greater numbers than expected for the extreme tails of the velocity distribution in a sample of our size. We find that likely fewer than 0.1%, and no more than about 0.3%, of stars with measured proper motions have total speeds above the nominal central escape velocity of the cluster. At lower speeds, the proper-motion velocity distribution very closely matches that of a regular King model (which is itself nearly Gaussian given the high stellar density) at all observed radii.

We study the nuclear star clusters in spiral galaxies of various Hubble types using spectra obtained with STIS on-board HST. We observed the nuclear clusters in 40 galaxies, selected from two previous HST/WFPC2 imaging surveys. At a spatial resolution of about 0.2", the spectra provide a better separation of cluster light from underlying galaxy light than is possible with ground-based spectra. Approximately half of the spectra have sufficient signal-to-noise ratio for detailed stellar population analysis. For the other half we only measure the continuum slope, as quantified by the B-V color. To infer the star formation history, metallicity and dust extinction, we fit weighted superpositions of single-age stellar population templates to the high signal-to-noise spectra. We use the results to determine the luminosity-weighted age, mass-to-light ratio, and masses of the clusters. The models provide excellent fits to the data and generally require a mixture of populations of different ages. Approximately half of the sample clusters contain a population younger than 1 Gyr.

Contents

• Foreword
• INTEGRAL AO-4 Results
• INTEGRAL AO-5 Key Programme
• INTEGRAL Publication Status
• Science Highlights
• Science Operations - Highlights
• The ISOC Science Data Archive
• The 6th INTEGRAL Workshop
• Changes at ISOC

Context. In coded mask techniques, reconstructed sky images are pseudo-images: they are maps of the correlation between the image recorded on a detector and an array derived from the coded mask pattern.

Aims. The INTEGRAL/IBIS telescope provides images where the flux of each detected source is given by the height of the local peak in the correlation map. As such, it cannot provide an estimate of the flux of an extended source. What is needed is intensity sky images giving the flux per solide angle as typically done at other wavelengths.

Methods. In this paper, we present the response of the INTEGRAL IBIS/ISGRI coded mask instrument to extended sources. We develop a general method based on analytical calculations in order to measure the intensity and the associated error of any celestial source and validated with Monte-Carlo simulations.

Results. We find that the sensitivity degrades almost linearly with the source extent. Analytical formulae are given as well as an easy-to-use recipe for the INTEGRAL user. We check this method on IBIS/ISGRI data but these results are general and applicable to any coded mask telescope.

Spectra from Cassini's Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer reveal the presence of a vast tropospheric cloud on Titan at latitudes 51° to 68° north and all longitudes observed (10° to 190° west). The derived characteristics indicate that this cloud is composed of ethane and forms as a result of stratospheric subsidence and the particularly cool conditions near the moon's north pole. Preferential condensation of ethane, perhaps as ice, at Titan's poles during the winters may partially explain the lack of liquid ethane oceans on Titan's surface at middle and lower latitudes.

Variations in the Sun's total energy output (luminosity) are caused by changing dark (sunspot) and bright structures on the solar disk during the 11-year sunspot cycle. The variations measured from spacecraft since 1978 are too small to have contributed appreciably to accelerated global warming over the past 30 years. In this Review, we show that detailed analysis of these small output variations has greatly advanced our understanding of solar luminosity change, and this new understanding indicates that brightening of the Sun is unlikely to have had a significant influence on global warming since the seventeenth century. Additional climate forcing by changes in the Sun's output of ultraviolet light, and of magnetized plasmas, cannot be ruled out. The suggested mechanisms are, however, too complex to evaluate meaningfully at present.

We present details of the discovery of XLSS J022303.0-043622, a z = 1.2 cluster of galaxies. This cluster was identified from its X-ray properties and selected as a z>1 candidate from its optical/near-infrared (IR) characteristics in the XMM Large-Scale Structure Survey (XMM-LSS). It is the most distant system discovered in the survey to date. We present ground-based optical and near-IR observations of the system carried out as part of the XMM-LSS survey. The cluster has a bolometric X-ray luminosity of 1.1 +/- 0.7 × erg, fainter than most other known z >1 X-ray selected clusters. In the optical it has a remarkably compact core, with at least a dozen galaxies inside a 125 kpc radius circle centred on the X-ray position. Most of the galaxies within the core, and those spectroscopically confirmed to be cluster members, have stellar masses similar to those of massive cluster galaxies at low redshift. They have colours comparable to those of galaxies in other z >1 clusters, consistent with showing little sign of strong ongoing star formation. The bulk of the star formation within the galaxies appears to have ceased at least 1.5 Gyr before the observed epoch. Our results are consistent with massive cluster galaxies forming at z >1 and passively evolving thereafter. We also show that the system is straightforwardly identified in Spitzer/IRAC 3.6- and 4.5-mm data obtained by the Spitzer Wide-area Infrared Extragalactic (SWIRE) survey emphasizing the power and utility of joint XMM and Spitzer searches for the most distant clusters.

We present an analysis of the electric and magnetic wave spectra on kinetic scales during several crossings of a reconnecting current sheet. The spectra were measured from 1 Hz or less up to 4096 Hz by the EFW, FGM and STAFF instruments onboard the Cluster spacecraft between 3 and 4 UT on 11 October 2001. During the event plasma flows of order of the local Alfvén speed reversed from tailward to earthward, suggesting that a reconnection site moved over the spacecraft. We ordered the observed electric and magnetic field wave spectrum by the position within the current sheet using the magnitude of the magnetic field B. We found that the electric and magnetic wave power decreased considerably at all frequencies towards the center of the current sheet (B ~ 0 nT). The electric energy density decreases 5 orders of magnitude from the edge of the current sheet (B = 19 nT) to the center and the magnetic energy density peaks within the current sheet (B = 13 nT) and is decreased by 2.5 orders of magnitude at the center. Within the current sheet, the electric and magnetic wave spectra were dominantly broadband electromagnetic noise (i.e., power law spectra with exponents ~ -1.4 and ~ -2.4, respectively) throughout the frequency range ~0.1-1000 Hz, spanning from MHD (i.e., ion cyclotron frequency ~0.2 Hz) to almost the electron plasma frequency (~4000 Hz). We argue that the wave activity is likely to be whistler wave turbulence and discuss the implications of these results for reconnection from wave-particle interactions.

The martian polar caps are among the most dynamic regions on Mars, growing substantially in winter as a significant fraction of the atmosphere freezes out in the form of CO₂ ice. Unusual dark spots, fans and blotches form as the south-polar seasonal CO₂ ice cap retreats during spring and summer. Small radial channel networks are often associated with the location of spots once the ice disappears. The spots have been proposed to be simply bare, defrosted ground; the formation of the channels; has remained uncertain. Here we report infrared and visible observations that show that the spots and fans remain at CO₂ ice temperatures well into summer, and must be granular materials that have been brought up to the surface of the ice, requiring a complex suite of processes to get them there. We propose that the seasonal ice cap forms an impermeable, translucent slab of CO₂ ice that sublimates from the base, building up high-pressure gas beneath the slab. This gas levitates the ice, which eventually ruptures, producing high-velocity CO₂ vents that erupt sand-sized grains in jets to form the spots and erode the channels. These processes are unlike any observed on Earth.

The seasonal polar ice caps of Mars are composed mainly of CO₂ ice. A region of low (< 30%) albedo has been observed within the south seasonal cap during early to mid-spring. The low temperature of this 'cryptic region' has been attributed to a clear slab of nearly pure CO₂ ice, with the low albedo resulting from absorption by the underlying surface. Here we report near-infrared imaging spectroscopy of the south seasonal cap. The deep and broad CO₂ absorption bands that are expected in the near-infrared with a thick transparent slab of CO₂ ice are not observed. Models of the observed spectra indicate that the low albedo results from extensive dust contamination close to the surface of a CO₂ ice layer, which could be linked to atmospheric circulation patterns. The strength of the CO₂ absorption increases after mid-spring, so part of the dust is either carried away or buried more deeply in the ice layer during the CO₂ ice sublimation process.

Submitted to the Planetary Report, to appear September 2006.

SMART-1 is Europe's first lunar mission, the current step in developing an international program of lunar exploration. The spacecraft was launched on 23 September 2003 as an Ariane 5 Auxiliary passenger to Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO), performed a 14 month long cruise using the tiny thrust of electric propulsion alone, reached lunar capture in Nov 2004, and lunar science orbit in March 2005. SMART-1 carries seven hardware experiments (performing 10 investigations, including three remote sensing instruments, used during the cruise, the mission's nominal six months and one year extension in lunar science orbit. The remote sensing instruments contribute to key planetary scientific questions, related to theories of lunar origin and evolution, the global and local crustal composition, the search for cold traps at the lunar poles and the mapping of potential lunar resources.

We report the detection of both the 67.9 and 78.4 keV ⁴⁴Sc gamma-ray lines in Cassiopeia A with the INTEGRAL IBIS/ISGRI instrument. Besides the robustness provided by spectroimaging observations, the main improvements compared to previous measurements are a clear separation of the two ⁴⁴Sc lines together with an improved significance of the detection of the hard X-ray continuum up to 100 keV. These allow us to refine the determination of the ⁴⁴Ti yield and to constrain the nature of the nonthermal continuum emission. By combining COMPTEL, BeppoSAX PDS and ISGRI measurements, we find a line flux of (2.5+/-0.3)×10^-5 cm^-2s^-1 leading to a synthesized ⁴⁴Ti mass of 1.6^+0.6_-0.3×10^-4 M_solar. This high value suggests that Cas A is peculiar in comparison to other young supernova remnants, from which so far no line emission from ⁴⁴Ti decay has been unambiguously detected.

In the early morning of 9 November 2005, Venus Express left Earth aboard a Soyuz launch vehicle and headed for Venus. After several months of interplanetary cruise, a perfect capture burn on 11 April 2006 placed the spacecraft in orbit around our neighbouring planet. Only 48 hours later, the first astonishing images of the south pole were received on Earth. A few weeks later, after orbital manoeuvres, Venus Express achieved its operational science orbit ready to begin several years of observations.

We have carried out a high spectral resolution (lambda/Deltalambda ~ 6800-9700) line survey towards the Orion Kleinmann-Low (KL) cluster from 44 to 188 micron. The observations were taken with the Long Wavelength Spectrometer (LWS) in Fabry-Pérot mode, on board the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO). A total of 152 lines are clearly detected and a further 34 features are present as possible detections. The spectrum is dominated by the molecular species H₂O, OH and CO, along with [OI] and [CII] lines from photodissociation region (PDR) or shocked gas and [O III] and [NIII] lines from the foreground M42 HII region. Several isotopic species, as well as NH₃, are also detected. HDO and H₃O+ are tentatively detected for the first time in the far-infrared (FIR) range towards Orion KL. A basic analysis of the line observations is carried out, by comparing with previous measurements and published models and deriving rotational temperatures and column densities in the case of the molecular species.

New results on a steady state Vlasov theory of current sheets, which generalizes the Harris (1962) model by assuming anisotropic and nongyrotropic plasmas and using the invariant of particle motion in regions of strong gradients, are presented with the aim to explain multiprobe observations of thin current sheets in the geomagnetotail and laboratory experiments, including the effects of current sheet embedding and bifurcation. The dynamics of these sheets is explored using a full particle code with more realistic mass ratio and anisotropy parameters than those used in our earlier works. The results relevant to 2001 CLUSTER observations, with the sheet thickness appreciably exceeding the thermal ion gyroradius, include ion distributions and pressure tensor components, which reveal the important role of nongyrotropic effects on the structure of these sheets. Their flapping motions are distinguished by north-south asymmetry of current profiles, quasi-rectangular shape of the flapping waves, and their small propagation speed, suggesting an explanation of their propagation toward the flanks of the tail sheet. The main effect of the ion anisotropy on the sheets with thickness less than the thermal ion gyroradius, relevant to 2003 CLUSTER observations and laboratory experiments, is their charging, which may limit their minimum thickness, while their structure can be modified by electron anisotropy. Other distinctive features of these sheets are three-peaked current density profiles, found both in simulations and in the steady state theory, the north-south asymmetry of flapping sheets, and the shape of flapping waves, which is drastically different from the case of thicker sheets.

On May 10, 2002 the Cluster spacecraft (SC) encountered a ~450 km (five magnetosheath thermal proton gyro-radii) wide high-latitude magnetopause (MP). Magnetic field observations indicate the crossing of a ~130 km thick MP current sheet (CS) located inside a magnetic hole. Proton flux measurements diagnose a dense boundary layer (BL) directly attached to the MP and an additional rare BL located earthwards from the MP. Enhanced magnetic fluctuations are found near the local proton-cyclotron frequency Omega_cp (0.4-2 Hz). Applying the phase-differencing technique we obtained a wavelength of 150-250 km and the propagating direction earthward perpendicular to the MP. Inside the MP the pitch-angle proton distribution demonstrates the presence of a transverse population. The formation of the two BLs can be understood by enhanced collisionless diffusion of magnetosheath protons due to wave-particle interaction, while higher-energy protons (W_p > 300 eV) penetrate into the BLs also via finite gyro-radius effect.

Energetic electrons (E >= 30 keV) travelling along and perpendicular to the magnetic field lines have been observed in the magnetotail at L~17:00 and 22:00 MLT during the recovery phase of a storm-time substorm on 7 October 2002. Three-dimensional electron distributions of the full unit sphere obtained from the IES/RAPID sensor system demonstrated a rather complicated and random behavior of the energetic electrons. Occasionally these electrons were appearing to travel parallel, perpendicular, or in both directions, relative to the magnetic field direction, forming in this way bi-directional, perpendicular-peaked, and mixed distributions. The electron enhancements occurred while the Cluster spacecraft were on closed field lines in the central plasma sheet approaching the neutral sheet from the northern tail lobe. Magnetic field and energetic particle measurements have been used from geosynchronous and Cluster satellites, in order to describe the general context of the event and then give a possible interpretation regarding the occurrence of the electron anisotropies observed by the IES/RAPID spectrometer on board Cluster. According to geosynchronous measurements an electron dispersionless ejection is very well correlated with a dipolar re-configuration of the magnetic field. The latter fact supports the idea that electrons and, in general, particle ejections at geosynchronous altitude are directly related to electric fields arising from field dipolarization caused by current disruption. Also, having as a main objective the understanding of the way 3-D electron distributions are formed, we have analyzed electron energy spectra along and perpendicular to the magnetic field direction, demonstrating the fact that the electron population consists of two distinct components acting independently and in a random manner relative to each other.

We investigate in detail a reversal of plasma flow from tailward to earthward detected by Cluster at the downstream distance of ~19 R_E in the midnight sector of the magnetotail on 22 August 2001. This flow reversal was accompanied by a sign reversal of the B_z component and occurred during the late substorm expansion phase as revealed by simultaneous global view of auroral activity from IMAGE. We examine the associated Hall current system signature, current density, electric field, Lorentz force, and current dissipation/dynamo term, the last two parameters being new features that have not been studied previously for plasma flow reversals. It is found that (1) there was no clear quadrupole Hall current system signature organized by the flow reversal time, (2) the x-component of the Lorentz force did not change sign while the other two did, (3) the timing sequence of flow reversal from the Cluster configuration did not match tailward motion of a single plasma flow source, (4) the electric field was occasionally dawnward, producing a dynamo effect, and (5) the electric field was occasionally larger at the high-latitude plasma sheet than near the neutral sheet. These observations are consistent with the current disruption model for substorms in which these disturbances are due to shifting dominance of multiple current disruption sites and turbulence at the observing location.

Observations by the Cluster spacecraft of VLF/ELF wave activity show distinct signatures for different regions in the vicinity of high altitude polar cusps, which are identified by using magnetic field and plasma data along spacecraft trajectories. These waves include: (1) Broad band magnetic noise observed in the polar cusp at frequencies from several Hz to ~100 Hz, below the local electron cyclotron frequency, f_ce. Similar magnetic noise is also observed in the high latitude magnetosheath and the magnetopause boundary layer. (2) Strong broad band electrostatic emissions observed in the cusp, in the magnetosheath, and in the high latitude magnetopause boundary layer, at frequencies extending from several Hz to tens of kHz, with maximum intensities below ~100 Hz. (3) Narrow-band electromagnetic whistler waves at frequencies ~0.2-0.6 f_ce, frequently observed in the closed boundary layer (CBL) adjacent to the polar cusp. These waves are for the first time observed in this region to be accompanied by counter-streaming electron beams of ~100 eV, which suggests that the waves are excited by these electrons through wave-particle interaction. (4) Narrow-band electrostatic waves observed slightly above the local f_ce in the CBL. (5) Lion roars, observed in the high latitude magnetosheath, often in magnetic troughs of mirror mode oscillations. The above wave signatures can serve as indicators of the regions in the vicinity of the magnetospheric cusp.