Detection of highly excited OH towards AGB stars

Aims. We characterise the gas in the extended atmospheres of the oxygen-rich asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars W Hya and R Dor using high angular resolution ALMA observations. Methods. We report the detection and investigate the properties of high-excitation Λ-doubling line emission of hydroxyl (OH). Results. The OH lines are produced very close to the central stars and seem optically thin and with no maser effect. We analyse the molecular excitation using a population diagram and find rotational temperatures of ∼2500 K and column densities of ∼1019 cm−2 for both sources. For W Hya, we observe emission from vibrationally excited H2O arising from the same region as the OH emission. Moreover, CO v = 1, J = 3 − 2 emission also shows a brightness peak in the same region. Considering optically thin emission and the rotational temperature derived for OH, we find a CO column density ∼15 times higher than that of OH, within an area of (92 × 84) mas2 centred on the OH emission peak. These results should be considered tentative because of the simple methods employed. The observed OH line frequencies differ significantly from the predicted transition frequencies in the literature, and provide the possibility of using OH lines observed in AGB stars to improve the accuracy of the Hamiltonian used for the OH molecule. We predict stronger OH Λ-doubling lines at millimetre wavelengths than those we detected. These lines will be a good probe of shocked gas in the extended atmosphere and are possibly even suitable as probes of the magnetic field in the atmospheres of close-by AGB stars through the Zeeman effect.

MASER OSCILLATION FROM ELECTRONIC SPIN RESONANCE IN A CRYOGENIC SAPPHIRE FREQUENCY STANDARD

We report the first observation of an Fe3+ maser oscillation at zero magnetic field inside a whispering gallery (WG) sapphire resonator. The described maser is new in that it operates at zero-field and with low ion concentration. At zero-field, the Fe3+ ion shows a 3-level structure related to the electron spin resonance (ESR). By applying a 31 GHz pump (|1/2〉 → |5/2〉), the ion operates as a maser at 12 GHz (|5/2〉 → |3/2〉). The maser effect is made possible by the high Q-factor (several 108) of the cryogenic whispering gallery resonator. Additionnaly, the sharp cavity resonance provides short term stability. Preliminary measurements indicate a frequency stability of parts in 10-14 (Allan deviation at 100 s), still limited by the instrument. The ultimate maser stability is still unknown.

Modeling water emission induced by the Shoemaker-Levy 9/Jupiter catastrophic impact

We reconsider the water emission observed at 22.2 GHz by Cosmovici et al. (1996) during the Shoemaker–Levy 9/Jupiter impact. In contrast to the maser effect proposed by the authors, we discuss the detection in terms of thermal emission. A statistical equilibrium and radiative transfer model is constructed and the results that can be obtained depending on different input parameters are evaluated in the light of literature data. PACS No.: 96.30K