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Fabry-perot for airborne infrared astronomy and the (Si II) emission from the galactic center

Thesis/Dissertation ·
OSTI ID:6594355
A Fabry-Perot spectrometer for infrared astronomy was built for and used on NASA's Kuiper Airborne Observatory. This instrument produces very high resolution spectra between 15 and 50 ..mu..m. The Fabry-Perot uses free-standing metal mesh for its optical resonant cavity and servo-controlled motors to vary the transmitted wavelengths. The fine-structure lines of (S III) to 18.71 ..mu..m (M42) and 33.482 ..mu..m (M17) in Galactic HII regions and (Si II) at 34.816 ..mu..m (S 106) in a photodissociation region (PDR) were observed with the Fabry-Perot. The distribution of the (Si II) 34.816-..mu..m emission from within 5 parsecs of the Galactic center is measured with the Cornell high-resolution grating spectrometer, which is also used as the order-sorter for the Fabry-Perot. The gas-phase abundance of silicon within the neutral gas ring surrounding the Galactic center is 4.5 x 10/sup -6/. The Si II 34.8-..mu..m/O I 63.2-..mu..m line ratio is independent of the emitting region temperature and density, so the relative abundance of Si II to O I may be determined directly.
Research Organization:
Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY (USA)
OSTI ID:
6594355
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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