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The CHARA Array is a six 1-m telescope optical/IR interferometric array located on Mount Wilson California, designed and built by the Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy of Georgia State University. In this paper we describe the main elements of the Array hardware and software control systems as well as the data reduction methods currently being used. Our plans for upgrades in the near future are also described.

High signal-to-noise ratio measurements of the S III lines 18.71 and 33.47 microns from the galactic center, Sgr A West, are reported. The average electron density is calculated for the S III-emitting region and is found to be 1800 + or - 500 per cu cm. This value is much less than the rms electron density of the clumps as derived from radio observations. The implications for various models are discussed. The S III result is consistent with the electron density previously derived from low signal-to-noise ratio measurements of the O III lines at 88 and 52 microns, if newer values are used for the O III atomic constants.

Low surface brightness photometry of the intergalactic neutral hydrogen cloud in Leo sets upper limits on the intensity of this object of 28.0 mag/sq arcsec in the V photometric band and 22.8 mag/sq arcsec in the K band. The corresponding ratio of the H I mass to blue luminosity in the H I emission peaks of the cloud must be greater than 2.9 (solar units) depending on the star formation history of the object. The limits imposed on the star formation rate suggest a strong dependence of this rate on gas density.

Near-infrared images of two star-forming regins, AFGL 2591 and S140, reveal nearly circular loops with the young stellar object at one edge. The loops are aligned with the direction of high-velocity outflow and are interpreted as the outline of a bubble or cavity of dimensions about 10,000 AU in the dense molecular cloud material. In both cases, the bubble appears on only one side of the young stellar object. For AFGL 2591, it corresponds to the blueshifted CO lobe, while for S140 IRS 1 it corresponds to the redshifted CO lobe. In 1982, Koenigl predicted this shape and geometry bubble for a stellar wind impinging on a molecular cloud with density gradient of roughly 1/z-squared. A similar density gradient is implied by reddening measurements of the bubble in AFGL 2591. These images show directly the interaction of the stellar wind from a newly forming star with its environment on about 1000 AU (arcsec) scales.

A novel method is presented for the determination of electron temperatures in the high excitation zones of planetary nebulae and active galactic nuclei, using the ratio of the O IV line at 25.87 microns to those near 1400 A to calculate a temperature within the He III zone of the galaxy NGC 7662. The observed fluxes yield a lower bound to the temperature of 14,730 K, which is noted to be significantly higher than the O III temperature of about 12,000 K.

A strong detection at the S III forbidden 18.71 micron line is reported for the galactic center region, Sgr A West. A line flux of 1.7 + or - 0.2 x 10 to the -17th W/sq cm is found for a 20 inch beam size measurement centered on IRS 1. A preliminary analysis indicates that the S III abundance relative to hydrogen is consistent with the cosmic abundance of sulfur, 0.000016, if a filling factor of unity within the known clumps is assumed. However, the sulfur abundance in the galactic center may be as much as a factor of 3 overabundant if a filling factor of 0.03 is adopted, a value found to hold for some galactic H II regions.

Upper limits have been set to the luminosity from the massive halos of three late-type edge-on spiral galaxies: NGC 2683 (Sb), NGC 4244 (Scd), and NGC 5907 (Sc). The limits resulted from simultaneous photometry in the visual (V) and 2.2-micron (K) photometric bands which is sensitive to both luminosity and color changes along the minor axes of the three galaxies. The mass-to-light ratios for the halo of NGC 5907 are the largest ever recorded: M/L(V) greater than 2000 and M/L(K) greater than 64 in solar units. The results virtually eliminate the possibility that hydrogen-burning stars comprise more than a fraction of the halo masses. Variations of the V-K color along and perpendicular to the disks show no sign of population changes toward redder objects at large galactocentric radii. The nucleus of NGC 5907 contains an unresolved source less than 330 pc in size with a 2.2-micron luminosity of order 5 x 10 to the 9th solar luminosity and may be an example of a starburst galactic nucleus overlooked by visual observations.

Strong detections have been made of both the 18.7 microns and 33.4 microns lines of S III in the irregular galaxy M82. This represents the first detection of the 33.4 microns line in an extragalactic object. These measurements sample the ionized gas component which dominates the observed infrared forbidden line and infrared hydrogen recombination line emission. From the ratio of the line fluxes an electron density of 120 (+ 280, - 120) per cu cm is deduced. This result is in agreement with previous estimates of the density derived from high-frequency radio continuum measurements and an assumed emitting volume. They impose further constraints on possible starburst models.

Near-infrared images of VB 8 taken at K (2.2 microns) and L-prime (3.75 microns) during a period of good seeing at the IRTF show no evidence of the brown dwarf companion reported by McCarthy et al. (1985). Any companion 1.0 arcsec away from the primary must be at least 4 mag fainter than the primary at K and 3 mag fainter at L-prime in order to escape detection. A faint nebula centered on the star with scattering properties similar to a nebula detected near another main-sequence M star, Lalande 21185 (reported by McCarthy in 1986), may account for the extended emission detected by speckle observations.

Airborne observations of the infrared forbidden lines (SIII) 18.71 microns, (NeV) 24.28 microns and (OIV) 25.87 microns were made for twelve planetary nebulae. One or more of the lines was detected in seven of these nebulae and ionic abundances were calculated. These results are insensitive to nebula temperatures, in contrast to the case for optical or UV lines. However, density estimates from optical and UV forbidden lines were required to obtain abundances. The NeV infrared line flux from NGC 7662 was combined with the 3426A flux to obtain a NeV electron temperature of 11,200 (+2000, - 1100) K, which overlaps OIII temperature measurements. Since the ionization potential of NeIV is much greater than that of OII, T sub e (NeV) would be expected to be much greater than T sub e (OIII). In fact, numerical models predict T sub e (NeV) (16-20) x 1000 K. This discrepancy may indicate inaccuracies in currently available atomic parameters for NeV.

Infrared fine-structure lines provide a particularly useful probe of ionized nebulae. The present investigation is concerned with measurements of the forbidden S III lines at 18.71 and 33.47 micrometers for four H II regions, S158A, S158G, G75.84+0.4, and W3 IRS 1. These lines are used to estimate densities, and comparisons are made with rms densities determined from radio observations to evaluate the importance of clumping. For the case of the optical H II region S158A, comparisons are made with both optical and forbidden O III line determinations of the density. The reported observations were made using a dual-grating, liquid-helium-cooled spectrometer containing a three-element Si:Sb detector array and a three-element Ge:Ga detector array. It is found that clumping is important in the cases of G75.84+0.4, W3 IRS 1, and M42. These three H II regions have filling factors of 0.024, 0.09, and 0.03, respectively.

The first observation of the Ne III 36.02 micron forbidden line in a planetary nebula, NGC 6543, is presented. Since the dominant form of neon in medium-excitation to high-excitation planetary nebulae is Ne III, the abundance of this ion is important in determining the total neon abundance. Use of the 36 micron line for an abundance determination has the advantage of insensitivity to temperature uncertainties. However, current atomic parameters lead to a Ne III abundance in NGC 6543 which is 4.5 times the cosmic neon abundance and 2.6 times the abundance from optical line studies. Although such a high abundance cannot be ruled out immediately, inaccuracies in the infrared level collision strengths are suspected because resonances were neglected in their calculation. The 36 micron line is also useful as a temperature probe when combined with the Ne III 3868-A forbidden line. When compared to Ne III 15.56 micron forbidden line fluxes, a temperature-insensitive density estimate may be obtained. The utility of these line ratios depends upon the actual infrared level collision strengths, which will affect the density range over which they are sensitive.