IRAS observations of dust heating and energy balance in the Rho Ophiuchi dark cloud

Journal Article · Sat Apr 01 04:00:00 EST 1989 · Astrophys. J.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1086/167293· OSTI ID:5629030

Greene, T P; Young, E T

The equilibrium process dust emission in the Rho Ophiuchi dark cloud is studied. The luminosity of the cloud is found to closely match the luminosity of the clouds's known embedded and external radiation sources. There is no evidence for a large population of undetected low-luminosity sources within the cloud and unknown external heating is also only a minor source of energy. Most of the cloud's luminosity is emitted in the mid-to-far-IR. Dust temperature maps indicate that the dust is not hot enough to heat the gas to observed temperatures. A simple cloud model with a radiation field composed of flux HD 147889, S1, and Sco OB2 associations predicts the observed IRAS 60 to 100 micron in-band flux ratios for a mean cloud density n(H2) = 1400. Flattened 12 and 25 micron observations show much extended emission in these bands, suggesting stochastic heating of very small grains or large molecules. 32 refs.

• Research Organization: Steward Observatory, Tucson, AZ (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5629030
• Journal Information: Astrophys. J.; (United States), Journal Name: Astrophys. J.; (United States) Vol. 339; ISSN ASJOA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640105* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Galaxies
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
CHEMISTRY
COSMIC DUST
COSMIC GASES
COSMOCHEMISTRY
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
DUSTS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ENERGY BALANCE
FLUIDS
GASES
GRAIN SIZE
HEATING
HYDROCARBONS
INFRARED RADIATION
INTERSTELLAR GRAINS
INTERSTELLAR SPACE
LUMINOSITY
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MICROSTRUCTURE
NONLUMINOUS MATTER
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PARTICLES
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
RADIATIONS
SATELLITES
SIZE
SPACE