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Massive stars end their life as core-collapse supernovae, amongst which some extremes are Type Ic broad-lined supernovae associated with long-duration gamma-ray bursts (LGRBs) having powerful relativistic jets. Their less-extreme brethren make unsuccessful jets that are choked inside the stars, appearing as X-ray flashes or low-luminosity GRBs. On the other hand, there exists a population of extragalactic fast X-ray transients (EFXTs) with timescales ranging from seconds to thousands of seconds, whose origins remain obscure. Known sources that contribute to the observed EFXT population include the softer analogs of LGRBs, shock breakouts of supernovae, or unsuccessful jets. Here, we report the discovery of the bright X-ray transient EP240414a detected by the Einstein Probe (EP), which is associated with the Type Ic supernova SN 2024gsa at a redshift of 0.401. The X-ray emission evolution is characterised by a very soft energy spectrum peaking at < 1.3 keV, which makes it distinct from known LGRBs, X-ray flashes, or low-luminosity GRBs. Follow-up observations at optical and radio bands revealed the existence of a weak relativistic jet that interacts with an extended shell surrounding the progenitor star. Located on the outskirts of a massive galaxy, this event reveals a new population of explosions of Wolf-Rayet stars characterised by a less powerful engine that drives a successful but weak jet, possibly owing to a progenitor star with a smaller core angular momentum than in traditional LGRB progenitors., Comment: 43 pages, 9 figures, 4 tables, submitted. Comments are welcome

Long gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are believed to originate from core collapse of massive stars. High-redshift GRBs can probe the star formation and reionization history of the early universe, but their detection remains rare. Here we report the detection of a GRB triggered in the 0.5--4 keV band by the Wide-field X-ray Telescope (WXT) on board the Einstein Probe (EP) mission, designated as EP240315a, whose bright peak was also detected by the Swift Burst Alert Telescope and Konus-Wind through off-line analyses. At a redshift of $z=4.859$, EP240315a showed a much longer and more complicated light curve in the soft X-ray band than in gamma-rays. Benefiting from a large field-of-view ($\sim$3600 deg$^2$) and a high sensitivity, EP-WXT captured the earlier engine activation and extended late engine activity through a continuous detection. With a peak X-ray flux at the faint end of previously known high-$z$ GRBs, the detection of EP240315a demonstrates the great potential for EP to study the early universe via GRBs., Comment: 41 pages, 8 figures, 7 tables

We performed a rigorous reverberation-mapping analysis of the broad-line region (BLR) in a highly accreting ($L/L_{\mathrm{Edd}}=0.74-3.4$) active galactic nucleus, Markarian 142 (Mrk 142), for the first time using concurrent observations of the inner accretion disk and the BLR to determine a time lag for the $H\beta$ $\mathrm{\lambda}$4861 emission relative to the ultraviolet (UV) continuum variations. We used continuum data taken with the Niel Gehrels Swift Observatory in the UVW2 band, and the Las Cumbres Observatory, Dan Zowada Memorial Observatory, and Liverpool Telescope in the g band, as part of the broader Mrk 142 multi-wavelength monitoring campaign in 2019. We obtained new spectroscopic observations covering the $H\beta$ broad emission line in the optical from the Gemini North Telescope and the Lijiang 2.4-meter Telescope for a total of 102 epochs (over a period of eight months) contemporaneous to the continuum data. Our primary result states a UV-to-$H\beta$ time lag of $8.68_{-0.72}^{+0.75}$ days in Mrk 142 obtained from light-curve analysis with a Python-based Running Optimal Average algorithm. We placed our new measurements for Mrk 142 on the optical and UV radius-luminosity relations for NGC 5548 to understand the nature of the continuum driver. The positions of Mrk 142 on the scaling relations suggest that UV is closer to the "true" driving continuum than the optical. Furthermore, we obtain $\log(M_{\bullet}/M_{\odot}) = 6.32\pm0.29$ assuming UV as the primary driving continuum., Comment: 35 pages, 12 figures, 11 tables, accepted for publication in ApJ

The Lobster Eye Imager for Astronomy (LEIA), a pathfinder of the Wide-field X-ray Telescope of the Einstein Probe (EP) mission, was successfully launched onboard the SATech-01 satellite of the Chinese Academy of Sciences on 27 July 2022. In this paper, we introduce the design and on-ground test results of the LEIA instrument. Using state-of-the-art Micro-Pore Optics (MPO), a wide field-of-view (FoV) of 346 square degrees (18.6 degrees * 18.6 degrees) of the X-ray imager is realized. An optical assembly composed of 36 MPO chips is used to focus incident X-ray photons, and four large-format complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) sensors, each of 6 cm * 6 cm, are used as the focal plane detectors. The instrument has an angular resolution of 4 - 8 arcmin (in FWHM) for the central focal spot of the point spread function, and an effective area of 2 - 3 cm2 at 1 keV in essentially all the directions within the field of view. The detection passband is 0.5 - 4 keV in the soft X-rays and the sensitivity is 2 - 3 * 10-11 erg s-1 cm-2 (about 1 mini-Crab) at 1,000 second observation. The total weight of LEIA is 56 kg and the power is 85 W. The satellite, with a design lifetime of 2 years, operates in a Sun-synchronous orbit of 500 km with an orbital period of 95 minutes. LEIA is paving the way for future missions by verifying in flight the technologies of both novel focusing imaging optics and CMOS sensors for X-ray observation, and by optimizing the working setups of the instrumental parameters. In addition, LEIA is able to carry out scientific observations to find new transients and to monitor known sources in the soft X-ray band, albeit limited useful observing time available., Comment: Accepted by RAA

As a novel X-ray focusing technology, lobster eye micro-pore optics (MPO) feature both a wide observing field of view and true imaging capability, promising sky monitoring with significantly improved sensitivity and spatial resolution in soft X-rays. Since first proposed by Angel (1979), the optics have been extensively studied, developed and trialed over the past decades. In this Letter, we report on the first-light results from a flight experiment of the Lobster Eye Imager for Astronomy ($LEIA$), a pathfinder of the wide-field X-ray telescope of the Einstein Probe mission. The piggyback imager, launched in July 2022, has a mostly un-vignetted field of view of $18.6^\circ \times 18.6^\circ $. Its spatial resolution is in the range of 4$-$7 arcmin in FWHM and the focal spot effective area is 2$-$3 cm$^2$, both showing only mild fluctuations across the field of view. We present images of the Galactic center region, Sco X-1 and the diffuse Cygnus Loop nebular taken in snapshot observations over 0.5$-$4 keV. These are truly wide-field X-ray images of celestial bodies observed, for the first time, by a focusing imaging telescope. Initial analyses of the in-flight data show excellent agreement between the observed images and the on-ground calibration and simulations. The instrument and its characterization are briefly described, as well as the flight experiment. The results provide a solid basis for the development of the present and proposed wide-field X-ray missions using lobster eye MPO., Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures. Accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journal Letter

We have studied the nuclear region of the previously detected dual AGN system in the galaxy pair IRAS 05589+2828 and 2MASX J06021107+2828382 through new optical spectroscopy observations, along with radio and X-ray archival data. Our multiwavelength data strongly suggest that the Sy1 \iras\, (z=0.0330$\pm$0.0002) conforms to a dual AGN system with the Sy2 \twomas\, (z=0.0334$\pm$0.0001) with a projected separation obtained from the radio data of 20.08\arcsec\, ($\sim$13.3\,kpc). Analysis of the optical spectra reveals a faint narrow extended emission from H$\alpha$ and [OIII] amidst the two AGN, supporting evidence for an ongoing merger. \iras\, is a double component narrow emission line AGN, with complex broad Balmer emission line profiles that clearly show a strong red-peaklet with a velocity shift of $\sim$3500\,km\,s$^{-1}$. The black hole mass estimates of \iras\, and \twomas\, are log\,M$\rm_{BH}$\,=\,8.59\,$\pm$\,0.14 (M$_\odot$) and log\,M$\rm_{BH}$\,=\,8.21$\pm$0.2 (M$_\odot$), respectively. In the X-ray bands, \iras\, is compatible with a Type 1 object, showing both spectral and flux variability. \chandra\, data of 2MASX\,J06021107+2828382 allowed us to measure a high hardness ratio in this source, providing evidence for a Type 2 AGN. The 22 GHz image obtained with the {\it Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array} has revealed that both AGN are compact radio objects with spectral indices -0.26$\pm$0.03 and -0.70$\pm$0.11, confirming for the first time its dual AGN nature in the radio bands., Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. 20 pages, 15 figures

We present high-resolution maps of the dust reddening in the Magellanic Clouds (MCs). The maps cover the Large and Small Magellanic Cloud (LMC and SMC) area and have a spatial angular resolution between $\sim$ 26 arcsec and 55 arcmin. Based on the data from the optical and near-infrared (IR) photometric surveys, including the Gaia Survey, the SkyMapper Southern Survey (SMSS), the Survey of the Magellanic Stellar History (SMASH), the Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) and the near-infrared $YJK_{\rm{S}}$ VISTA survey of the Magellanic Clouds system (VMC), we have obtained multi-band photometric stellar samples containing over 6 million stars in the LMC and SMC area. Based on the measurements of the proper motions and parallaxes of the individual stars from Gaia Early Data Release 3 (Gaia EDR3), we have built clean samples that contain stars from the LMC, SMC and Milky Way (MW), respectively. We apply the spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting to the individual sample stars to estimate their reddening values. As a result, we have derived the best-fitting reddening values of ~ 1.9 million stars in the LMC, 1.5 million stars in the SMC and 0.6 million stars in the MW, which are used to construct dust reddening maps in the MCs. Our maps are consistent with those from the literature. The resultant high-resolution dust maps in the MCs are not only important tools for reddening correction of sources in the MCs, but also fundamental for the studies of the distribution and properties of dust in the two galaxies., Comment: 13 pages, 14 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

The mechanism and characteristics of the irregular variations of red supergiants (RSGs) are studied based on the RSG samples in Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and M31. With the time-series data from All-Sky Automated Survey for SuperNovae (ASAS-SN) and Intermediate Palomar Transient Factory survey, we use the continuous time autoregressive moving average model to estimate the variability features of the light curves and their power spectral density. The characteristic evolution timescale and amplitude of granulations are further derived from fitting the posterior power spectral density with the COR function, which is a Harvey-like granulation model. The consistency of theoretical predictions and results is checked to verify the correctness of the assumption that granulations on RSGs contribute to irregular variation. The relations between granulation and stellar parameters are obtained and compared with the results of red giant branch stars and Betelgeuse. It is found that the relations are in agreement with predictions from basic physical process of granulation and fall close to the extrapolated relations of RGB stars. The granulations in most of the RSGs evolve at a timescale of several days to a year with the characteristic amplitude of 10-1000 mmag. The results imply that the irregular variations of RSGs can be attributed to the evolution of granulations. When comparing the results from SMC, LMC and M31, the timescale and amplitude of granulation seem to increase with metallicity. The analytical relations of the granulation parameters with stellar parameters are derived for the RSG sample of each galaxy., Comment: 27 pages, 12 figures, 5 tables, accepted for publication in ApJ

We present results of the long-term multi-wavelength study of optical, UV and X-ray variability of the nearby changing-look (CL) Seyfert NGC 1566 observed with the Swift Observatory and the MASTER Global Robotic Network from 2007 to 2019. We started spectral observations with South African Astronomical Observatory 1.9-m telescope soon after the brightening was discovered in July 2018 and present here the data for the interval between Aug. 2018 to Sep. 2019. This paper concentrates on the remarkable post-maximum behaviour after July 2018 when all bands decreased with some fluctuations. We observed three significant re-brightenings in the post-maximum period during 17 Nov. 2018 - 10 Jan. 2019, 29 Apr. - 19 Jun. 2019 and 27 Jul.- 6 Aug. 2019. An X-ray flux minimum occurred in Mar. 2019. The UV minimum occurred about 3 months later. It was accompanied by a decrease of the Luv/Lx ratio. New post-maximum spectra covering (31 Nov. 2018 - 23 Sep. 2019) show dramatic changes compared to 2 Aug. 2018, with fading of the broad lines and [Fe X]6374 until Mar. 2019. These lines became somewhat brighter in Aug.-Sep. 2019. Effectively, two CL states were observed for this object: changing to type 1.2 and then returning to the low state as a type 1.8 Sy. We suggest that the changes are due mostly to fluctuations in the energy generation. The estimated Eddington ratios are about 0.055% for minimum in 2014 and 2.8% for maximum in 2018., Comment: 11 pages, 9 figured, accepted for publication in MNRAS

Since their discovery in 1991, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) -- a novel one-dimensional carbon allotrope -- have attracted considerable interest worldwide because of their potential technological applications such as electric and optical devices. In the astrophysical context, CNTs may be present in the interstellar space since many of the other allotropes of carbon (e.g., amorphous carbon, fullerenes, nanodiamonds, graphite, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and possibly graphene as well) are known to be widespread in the Universe, as revealed by presolar grains in carbonaceous primitive meteorites and/or by their fingerprint spectral features in astronomical spectra. In addition, there are also experimental and theoretical pathways to the formation of CNTs in the interstellar medium (ISM). In this work, we examine their possible presence in the ISM by comparing the observed interstellar extinction curve with the ultraviolet/optical absorption spectra experimentally obtained for single-walled CNTs of a wide range of diameters and chiralities. Based on the absence in the interstellar extinction curve of the ~4.5 and 5.25 eV $\pi$-plasmon absorption bands which are pronounced in the experimental spectra of CNTs, we place an upper limit of ~10 ppm of C/H (i.e., ~4% of the total interstellar C) on the interstellar CNT abundance., Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures; accepted for publication in MNRAS

The possible presence of graphene in the interstellar medium (ISM) is examined by comparing the interstellar extinction curve with the ultraviolet absorption of graphene calculated from its dielectric functions experimentally obtained with the electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) method. Based on the absence in the interstellar extinction curve of the ~2755 Angstrom $\pi$--$\pi^{\ast}$ electronic interband transition of graphene, we place an upper limit of ~20ppm of C/H on the interstellar graphene abundance, exceeding the previous estimate by a factor of ~3 which made use of the dielectric functions measured with the spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) method. Compared with the SE method which measures graphene in air (and hence its surface is contaminated) in a limited energy range of ~0.7--5 eV, the EELS probes a much wider energy range of ~0--50 eV and is free of contamination. The fact that the EELS dielectric functions are substantially smaller than that of SE naturally explains why a higher upper limit on the graphene abundance is derived with EELS. Inspired by the possible detection of C$_{24}$, a planar graphene sheet, in several Galactic and extragalactic planetary nebulae, we also examine the possible presence of C$_{24}$ in the diffuse ISM by comparing the model IR emission of C$_{24}$ with the observed IR emission of the Galactic cirrus and the diffuse ISM toward $l = 44^{o}20^\prime$ and $b=-0^{o}20^\prime$. An upper limit of ~20 ppm on C$_{24}$ is also derived from the absence of the characteristic vibrational bands of C$_{24}$ at ~6.6, 9.8 and 20 $\mu$m in the observed IR emission., Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures; accepted for publication in MNRAS

We present three dimensional (3D) dust mapping of 12 supernova remnants (SNRs) in the Galactic anti-center (Galactic longitude $l$ between 150\degr\ and 210\degr) based on a recent 3D interstellar extinction map. The dust distribution of the regions which cover the full extents in the radio continuum for the individual SNRs are discussed. Four SNRs show significant spatial coincidences between molecular clouds (MCs) revealed from the 3D extinction mapping and the corresponding radio features. The results confirm the interactions between these SNRs and their surrounding MCs. Based on these correlations, we provide new distance estimates of the four SNRs, G189.1+3.0 (IC443, $d=1729^{+116}_{-94} \rm \,pc$), G190.9-2.2 ($d=1036^{+17}_{-81} \rm \,pc$), G205.5+0.5 ($d=941^{+96}_{-94}$ or $1257^{+92}_{-101} \rm \,pc$) and G213.0-0.6 ($d=1146^{+79}_{-80} \rm \,pc$). In addition, we find indirect evidences of potential interactions between SNRs and MCs for three other SNRs. New distance constraints are also given for these three SNRs., Comment: 14 pages, 13 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

Based on previously selected preliminary samples of Red Supergiants (RSGs) in M33 and M31, the foreground stars and luminous Asymptotic Giant Branch stars (AGBs) are further excluded, which leads to the samples of 717 RSGs in M33 and 420 RSGs in M31. With the time-series data from the iPTF survey spanning nearly 2000 days, the period and amplitude of RSGs are analyzed. According to the lightcurves characteristics, they are classified into four categories in which 84 and 56 objects in M33 and M31 respectively are semi-regular variables. For these semi-regular variables, the pulsation mode is identified by comparing with the theoretical model, which yielded 19 (7) sources in the first overtone mode in M33 (M31), and the other 65 (49) RSGs in M33 (M31) in the fundamental mode. The period-luminosity (P-L) relation is analyzed for the RSGs in the fundamental mode. It is found the P-L relation is tight in the infrared, i.e. the 2MASS $JHK_{\rm S}$ bands and the short-wavelength bands of Spitzer. Meanwhile, the inhomogeneous extinction causes the P-L relation scattering in the $V$ band, and the dust emission causes the less tight P-L relation in the Spitzer/[8.0] and [24] bands. The derived P-L relations in the 2MASS/$K_{\rm S}$ band are in agreement with those of RSGs in SMC, LMC and the Milky Way within the uncertainty range. It is found that the number ratio of RSGs pulsating in the fundamental mode to the first overtone mode increases with metallicity., Comment: 110 pages, 22 figures, 7 tables, accepted for publication in ApJS

Interstellar extinction in ultraviolet is the most severe in comparison with optical and infrared wavebands and a precise determination plays an important role in correctly recovering the ultraviolet brightness and colors of objects. By finding the observed bluest colors at given effective temperature and metallicity range of dwarf stars, stellar intrinsic colors, $C^0_{\rm B,V}$, $C^0_{\rm NUV,B}$, $C^0_{\rm FUV,B}$ and $C^0_{\rm FUV,NUV}$, are derived according to the stellar parameters from the LAMOST spectroscopic survey and photometric results from the $GALEX$ and APASS surveys. With the derived intrinsic colors, the ultraviolet color excesses are calculated for about 25,000 A- and F-type dwarf stars. Analysis of the color excess ratios yields the extinction law related to the $GALEX$ UV bands: $E_{{\rm NUV,B}}$/$E_{{\rm B,V}} = 3.77$, $E_{{\rm FUV,B}}$/$E_{{\rm B,V}} = 3.39$, $E_{{\rm FUV,NUV}}$/$E_{{\rm B,V}} = -0.38$. The results agree very well with previous works in the $NUV$ band and in general with the extinction curve derived by Fitzpatrick (1999) for $R_{\rm V}=3.35$., Comment: 31 pages, 16 figures, 3 tables, APJ in press

The 9.7$\mu$m interstellar spectral feature, arising from the Si--O stretch of amorphous silicate dust, is the strongest extinction feature in the infrared (IR). In principle, the spectral profile of this feature could allow one to diagnose the mineralogical composition of interstellar silicate material. However, observationally, the 9.7$\mu$m interstellar silicate extinction profile is not well determined. Here we utilize the Spitzer/IRS spectra of five early-type (one O- and four B-type) stars and compare them with that of unreddened stars of the same spectral type to probe the interstellar extinction of silicate dust around 9.7$\mu$m. We find that, while the silicate extinction profiles all peak at ~9.7$\mu$m, two stars exhibit a narrow feature of FWHM ~2.0$\mu$m and three stars display a broad feature of FWHM ~3.0$\mu$m. We also find that the width of the 9.7$\mu$m extinction feature does not show any environmental dependence. With a FWHM of ~2.2$\mu$m, the mean 9.7\mu m extinction profile, obtained by averaging over our five stars, closely resembles that of the prototypical diffuse interstellar medium along the lines of sight toward Cyg OB2 No.12 and WR 98a. Finally, an analytical formula is presented to parameterize the interstellar extinction in the IR at $0.9\mu {\rm m} < \lambda < 15\mu {\rm m}$., Comment: 17 pages, 13 figures, 5 tables; accepted for publication in MNRAS

Supernova remnants (SNRs) embody the information of the influence on dust properties by the supernova explosion. Based on the color indexes from the 2MASS photometric survey and the stellar parameters from the SDSS$-$DR12$/$APOGEE and LAMOST$-$DR2$/$LEGUE spectroscopic surveys, the near-infrared extinction law and the distance of the Monoceros SNR are derived together with its nearby two nebulas -- the Rosette Nebula and NGC 2264. The distance is found at the position of the sharp increase of interstellar extinction with distance and the nebular extinction is calculated by subtracting the foreground interstellar extinction. The distance of the Monoceros SNR is determined to be $1.98\,$kpc, larger than previous values. Meanwhile, the distance of the Rosette Nebula is $1.55\,$kpc, generally consistent with previous work. The distance between these two nebulas suggests no interaction between them. The distance of NGC 2264, $1.20\,$kpc, exceeds previous values. The color excess ratio, $E_{\rm JH}/E_{\rm JK_S}$, is 0.657 for the Monoceros SNR, consistent with the average value 0.652 for the Milky Way (Xue et al. 2016). The consistency is resulted from that the SNR material is dominated by interstellar dust rather than the supernova ejecta. $E_{\rm JH}/E_{\rm JK_S}$ equals to 0.658 for the Rosette Nebula, further proving the universality of the near-infrared extinction law., Comment: 28 pages, 15 figures, accepted by ApJ on February 1, 2018

Dust plays a central role in the unification theory of active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Whether the dust that forms the torus around an AGN is tenth-$\mu$m-sized like interstellar grains or much larger has a profound impact on correcting for the obscuration of the dust torus to recover the intrinsic spectrum and luminosity of the AGN. Here we show that the ratio of the optical extinction in the visual band ($A_V$) to the optical depth of the 9.7 $\mu$m silicate absorption feature ($\Delta\tau_{9.7}$) could potentially be an effective probe of the dust size. The anomalously lower ratio of $A_V/\Delta\tau_{9.7} \approx 5.5$ of AGNs compared to that of the Galactic diffuse interstellar medium of $A_V/\Delta\tau_{9.7} \approx 18$ reveals that the dust in AGN torus could be substantially larger than the interstellar grains of the Milky Way and of the Small Magellanic Cloud, and therefore, one might expect a flat extinction curve for AGNs., Comment: 20 pages, 9 figures; accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal

Over two decades ago, a prominent, mysterious emission band peaking at ~20.1 micrometer was serendipitously detected in four preplanetary nebulae (PPNe; also known as "protoplanetary nebulae"). So far, this spectral feature, designated as the "21 micrometer" feature, has been seen in 18 carbon-rich PPNe. The nature of the carriers of this feature remains unknown although many candidate materials have been proposed. The 21 micrometer sources also exhibit an equally mysterious, unidentified emission feature peaking at 30 micrometer. While the 21 micrometer feature is exclusively seen in PPNe, a short-lived evolutionary stage between the end of the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) and planetary nebula (PN) phases, the 30 micrometer feature is commonly observed in all stages of stellar evolution from the AGB through PPN to PNe phases. We derive the stellar mass loss rates (M_{loss}) of these 21 micrometer sources from their dust infrared (IR) emission, using the "2-DUST" radiative transfer code for axisymmetric dusty systems which allows one to distinguish the mass loss rates of the AGB phase (\dot{M_{AGB}}) from that of the superwind (\dot_{M_{SW}}) phase. We examine the correlation between \dot{M_{AGB}} or \dot_{M_{SW}} and the fluxes emitted from the 21 and 30 micrometer features. We find that both features tend to correlate with \dot{M_{AGB}}, suggesting that their carriers are probably formed in the AGB phase. The nondetection of the 21 micrometer feature in AGB stars suggests that, unlike the 30 micrometer feature, the excitation of the carriers of the 21 micrometer feature may require ultraviolet photons which are available in PPNe but not in AGB stars., Comment: 36 pages, 8 figures, 7 tables; accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal

The sizes of interstellar grains are widely distributed, ranging from a few angstroms to a few micrometers. The ultraviolet (UV) and optical extinction constrains the dust in the size range of a couple hundredth micrometers to several submicrometers. The near and mid infrared (IR) emission constrains the nanometer-sized grains and angstrom-sized very large molecules. However, the quantity and size distribution of micrometer-sized grains remain unknown as they are gray in the UV/optical extinction and they are too cold and emit too little in the IR to be detected by IRAS, Spitzer, or Herschel. In this work, we employ the ~3-8 micron mid-IR extinction which is flat in both diffuse and dense regions to constrain the quantity, size, and composition of the micron-sized grain component. We find that, together with nano- and submicron-sized silicate and graphite (as well as PAHs), micron-sized graphite grains with C/H=137 ppm and a mean size of ~1.2 micron closely fit the observed interstellar extinction of the Galactic diffuse interstellar medium from the far-UV to the mid-IR as well as the near-IR to millimeter thermal emission obtained by COBE/DIRBE, COBE/FIRAS, and Planck up to lambda < 1000 micron. The micron-sized graphite component accounts for ~14.6% of the total dust mass and ~2.5% of the total IR emission., Comment: Dedicated to the late Professor J. Mayo Greenberg. 18 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal

The interstellar medium (ISM) seems to have a significant surplus of oxygen which was dubbed as the "O crisis": independent of the adopted interstellar reference abundance, the total number of O atoms depleted from the gas phase far exceeds that tied up in solids by as much as ~160ppm of O/H. Recently, it has been hypothesized that the missing O could be hidden in micrometer-sized H2O ice grains. We examine this hypothesis by comparing the infrared (IR) extinction and far-IR emission arising from these grains with that observed in the Galactic diffuse ISM. We find that it is possible for the diffuse ISM to accommodate ~160ppm of O/H in micron-sized H2O ice grains without violating the observational constraints including the absence of the 3.1micron O-H absorption feature. More specifically, H2O ice grains of radii ~4micron and O/H = 160 ppm are capable of accounting for the observed flat extinction at ~ 3-8 micron and produce no excessive emission in the far-IR. These grains could be present in the diffuse ISM through rapid exchange of material between dense molecular clouds where they form and diffuse clouds where they are destroyed by photosputtering., Comment: Dedicated to the late Professor J. Mayo Greenberg. 8 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

How dust absorbs and scatters starlight as a function of wavelength (known as the interstellar extinction curve) is crucial for correcting for the effects of dust extinction in inferring the true luminosity and colors of reddened astrophysical objects. Together with the extinction spectral features, the extinction curve contains important information about the dust size distribution and composition. This review summarizes our current knowledge of the dust extinction of the Milky Way, three Local Group galaxies (i.e., the Small and Large Magellanic Clouds, and M31), and galaxies beyond the Local Group., Comment: 21 pages, 11 figures; invited review article published in "LESSONS FROM THE LOCAL GROUP -- A Conference in Honour of David Block and Bruce Elmegreen" eds. Freeman, K.C., Elmegreen, B.G., Block, D.L. & Woolway, M. (SPRINGER: NEW YORK), pp. 85-105

The mysterious "21 micrometer" emission feature seen almost exclusively in the short-lived protoplanetary nebula (PPN) phase of stellar evolution remains unidentified since its discovery two decades ago. This feature is always accompanied by the equally mysterious, unidentified "30 micrometer" feature and the so-called "unidentified infrared" (UIR) features at 3.3, 6.2, 7.7, 8.6, and 11.3 micrometer which are generally attributed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules. The 30 micrometer feature is commonly observed in all stages of stellar evolution from the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) through PPN to the planetary nebula phase. We explore the interrelations among the mysterious 21 micrometer, 30 micrometer, and UIR features in the Galactic and Magellanic Cloud of the 21 micrometer sources. We derive the fluxes emitted in the observed UIR, 21 micrometer, and 30 micrometer features from published ISO or Spitzer/IRS spectra. We find that none of these spectral features correlate with each other. This argues against a common carrier (e.g., thiourea) for both the 21 micrometer feature and the 30 micrometer feature (otherwise these two features should correlate). This also does not support large PAH clusters as a possible carrier for the 21 micrometer feature., Comment: 18 pages, 8 figures, 3 tables; published in The Astrophysical Journal, 2015, vol. 802, pp. 39

Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) are powerful cosmological "standardizable candles" and the most precise distance indicators. However, a limiting factor in their use for precision cosmology rests on our ability to correct for the dust extinction toward them. SN 2014J in the starburst galaxy M82, the closest detected SN~Ia in three decades, provides unparalleled opportunities to study the dust extinction toward an SN Ia. In order to derive the extinction as a function of wavelength, we model the color excesses toward SN 2014J, which are observationally derived over a wide wavelength range in terms of dust models consisting of a mixture of silicate and graphite. The resulting extinction laws steeply rise toward the far ultraviolet, even steeper than that of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). We infer a visual extinction of $A_V \approx 1.9~\rm mag$, a reddening of $E(B-V)\approx1.1~ \rm mag$, and a total-to-selective extinction ratio of $R_V \approx 1.7$, consistent with that previously derived from photometric, spectroscopic, and polarimetric observations. The size distributions of the dust in the interstellar medium toward SN 2014J are skewed toward substantially smaller grains than that of the Milky Way and the SMC., Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. Because of the space limitation of ApJL, Table 2, which tabulates the recommended extinction as a function of wavelength, is only published in this arxiv version

We present a three dimensional extinction map in $r$ band. The map has a spatial angular resolution, depending on latitude, between 3 -- 9\,arcmin and covers the entire XSTPS-GAC survey area of over 6,000\,$\rm deg^2$ for Galactic longitude $\rm 140 \leq$ $l$ $ \leq 220\deg$ and latitude $\rm -40\leq$ $b$ $ \leq 40\deg$. By cross-matching the photometric catalog of the Xuyi Schmidt Telescope Photometric Survey of the Galactic Anticentre (XSTPS-GAC) with those of 2MASS and WISE, we have built a multi-band photometric stellar sample of about 30 million stars and applied spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting to the sample. By combining photometric data from the optical to the near-infrared, we are able to break the degeneracy between the intrinsic stellar colours and the amounts of extinction by dust grains for stars with high photometric accuracy, and trace the extinction as a function of distance for low Galactic latitude and thus highly extincted regions. This has allowed us to derive the best-fit extinction and distance information of more than 13 million stars, which are used to construct the three dimensional extinction map. We have also applied a Rayleigh-Jeans colour excess (RJCE) method to the data using the 2MASS and WISE colour $(H-W2)$. The resulting RJCE extinction map is consistent with the integrated two dimensional map deduced using the best-fit SED algorithm. However for individual stars, the amounts of extinction yielded by the RJCE method suffer from larger errors than those given by the best-fit SED algorithm., Comment: 20 pages, 18 figures, accepted in MNRAS

Whether the near-infrared (NIR) extinction law is universal has been a long debated topic. Based on the APOGEE H-band spectroscopic survey as a key project of SDSS-III, the intrinsic colors of a large number of giant stars are accurately determined from the stellar effective temperature. Taking this advantage and using a sample of 5942 K-type giants, the NIR extinction law is carefully re-visited. The color excess ratio E(J-H)/E(J-Ks), representative of the NIR extinction law, shows no dependence on the color excess when E(J-Ks) changes from ~0.3 to ~4.0, which implies a universal NIR extinction law from diffuse to dense regions. The constant value of E(J-H)/E(J-Ks), 0.64, corresponds to a power law index of 1.95. The other two ratios, E(H-Ks)/E(J-Ks) and E(J-H)/E(H-Ks), are 0.36 and 1.78 respectively. The results are consistent with the MRN dust size distribution., Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures, 2 tables; accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal Letters

Three dimensional interstellar extinction maps provide a powerful tool for stellar population analysis. We use data from the VISTA Variables in the Via Lactea survey together with the Besan\c{c}on stellar population synthesis model of the Galaxy to determine interstellar extinction as a function of distance in the Galactic bulge covering $ -10 < l < 10$ and $-10 < b <5$. We adopted a recently developed method to calculate the colour excess. First we constructed the H-Ks vs. Ks and J-Ks vs. Ks colour-magnitude diagrams based on the VVV catalogues that matched 2MASS. Then, based on the temperature-colour relation for M giants and the distance-colour relations, we derived the extinction as a function of distance. The observed colours were shifted to match the intrinsic colours in the Besan\c{c}on model as a function of distance iteratively. This created an extinction map with three dimensions: two spatial and one distance dimension along each line of sight towards the bulge. We present a 3D extinction map that covers the whole VVV area with a resolution of 6' x 6', using distance bins of 0.5 kpc. The high resolution and depth of the photometry allows us to derive extinction maps for a range of distances up to 10 kpc and up to 30 magnitudes of extinction in $A_{V}$. Integrated maps show the same dust features and consistent values as other 2D maps. We discuss the spatial distribution of dust features in the line of sight, which suggests that there is much material in front of the Galactic bar, specifically between 5-7 kpc. We compare our dust extinction map with high-resolution $\rm ^{12}CO$ maps towards the Galactic bulge, where we find a good correlation between $\rm ^{12}CO$ and $\rm A_{V}$. We determine the X factor by combining the CO map and our dust extinction map. Our derived average value is consistent with the canonical value of the Milky Way., Comment: 11 pages, 18 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy&Astrophysics

How dust scatters and absorbs starlight in the interstellar medium (ISM) contains important clues about the size and composition of interstellar dust. While the ultraviolet (UV) and visible interstellar extinction is well studied and can be closely fitted in terms of various dust mixtures (e.g., the silicategraphite mixture), the infrared (IR) extinction is not well understood, particularly, the mid-IR extinction in the 3-8 micron wavelength range is rather flat (or "gray") and is inconsistent with the standard Mathis, Rumpl, & Nordsieck (MRN) silicate-graphite dust model. We attempt to reproduce the flat IR extinction by exploring various dust sizes and species, including amorphous silicate, graphite, amorphous carbon and iron. We find that the flat IR extinction is best explained in terms of micrometer-sized amorphous carbon dust which consumes ~ 60 carbon atoms per million hydrogen atoms (i.e., C/H ~ 60 ppm). To account for the observed UV/visible and near-IR extinction, the silicate-graphite model requires Si/H ~ 34 ppm and C/H ~ 292 ppm. We conclude that the extinction from the UV to the mid-IR could be closely reproduced by a mixture of submicrometer-sized amorphous silicate dust, submicrometer-sized graphitic dust, and micrometer-sized amorphous carbon dust, at the expense of excess C available in the ISM (i.e., this model requires a solid-phase C abundance of C/H ~ 352 ppm, considerably exceeding what could be available in the ISM)., Comment: 23 pages, 6 figures, 1 table; accepted for publication in Planetary and Space Science, special issue on "Cosmic Dust"

A prominent, mysterious emission feature peaking at ~20.1 micrometer --- historically known as the ``21 micrometer' feature --- is seen in over two dozen Galactic and Magellanic Cloud carbon-rich post-asymptotic giant branch (post-AGB) stars. The nature of its carrier remains unknown since the first detection of the 21 micrometer feature in 1989. Over a dozen materials have been suggested as possible carrier candidates. However, none of them has been accepted: they either require too much material (compared to what is available in the circumstellar shells around these post-AGB stars), or exhibit additional emission features which are not seen in these 21 micrometer sources. Recently, iron monoxide (FeO) nanoparticles seem to be a promising carrier candidate as Fe is an abundant element and FeO emits exclusively at ~21 micrometer. In this work, using the proto-typical protoplanetary nebula HD 56126 as a test case, we examine FeO nanoparticles as a carrier for the 21 micrometer feature by modeling their infrared emission, with FeO being stochastically heated by single stellar photons. We find that FeO emits too broad a 21 micrometer feature to explain the observed one and the Fe abundance required to be locked up in FeO exceeds what is available in HD 56126. We therefore conclude that FeO nanoparticles are unlikely responsible for the 21 micrometer feature., Comment: 15 pages, 7 figures; accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal

Based on the photometric data from the Spitzer/SAGE survey and with red giants as the extinction tracers, the mid-infrared (MIR) extinction laws in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) are derived for the first time in the form of A_\lambda/A_Ks, the extinction in the four IRAC bands (i.e., [3.6], [4.5], [5.8] and [8.0]um) relative to the 2MASS Ks band at 2.16um. We obtain the near-infrared (NIR) extinction coefficient to be E(J-H)/E(H-Ks)=1.29\pm0.04 and E(J-Ks)/E(H-Ks)=1.94\pm0.04. The wavelength dependence of the MIR extinction A_\lambda/A_Ks in the LMC varies from one sightline to another. The overall mean MIR extinction is A_[3.6]/A_Ks=0.72\pm0.03, A_[4.5]/A_Ks=0.94\pm0.03, A_[5.8]/A_Ks=0.58\pm0.04, and A_[8.0]/A_Ks=0.62\pm0.05. Except for the extinction in the IRAC [4.5] band which may be contaminated by the 4.6um CO gas absorption of red giants (which are used to trace the LMC extinction), the extinction in the other three IRAC bands show a flat curve, close to the Milky Way Rv = 5.5 model extinction curve (where Rv is the optical total-to-selective extinction ratio). The possible systematic bias caused by the correlated uncertainties of Ks-\lambda and J-Ks is explored in terms of Monte-Carlo simulations. It is found that this could lead to an overestimation of A_lambda/A_Ks in the MIR., Comment: 30 pages, 10 figures, 6 Tables, accepted by ApJ

In recent years the wavelength dependence of interstellar extinction from the ultraviolet (UV), optical, through the near- and mid-infrared (IR) has been studied extensively. Although it is well established that the UV/optical extinction law varies significantly among the different lines of sight, it is not clear how the IR extinction varies among various environments. In this work, using the color-excess method and taking red giants as the extinction tracer, we determine the interstellar extinction Alambda in the four Spitzer/IRAC bands of the Coalsack nebula, a nearby starless dark cloud, based on the data obtained from the 2MASS and Spitzer/GLIMPSE surveys. We select five individual regions across the nebula that span a wide variety of physical conditions, ranging from diffuse, translucent to dense environments, as traced by the visual extinction, the Spitzer/MIPS 24micron emission, and CO emission. We find that Alambda/AKs, the mid-IR extinction relative to AKs, decreases from diffuse to dense environments, which may be explained in terms of ineffective dust growth in dense regions. The mean extinction (relative to AKs) is calculated for the four IRAC bands as well, which exhibits a flat mid-IR extinction law, consistent with previous determinations for other regions. The extinction in the IRAC 4.5micron band is anomalously high, much higher than that of the other three IRAC bands. It cannot be explained in terms of CO and CO2 ices. The mid-IR extinction in the four IRAC bands have also been derived for four representative regions in the Coalsack Globule 2 which respectively exhibit strong ice absorption, moderate or weak ice absorption, and very weak or no ice absorption. The derived mid-IR extinction curves are all flat, with Alambda/AKs increasing with the decrease of the H2O ice absorption optical depth., Comment: 39 pages, 13 figures, accepted by ApJ

We model the ~1--19$\mum$ infrared (IR) extinction curve toward the Galactic Center (GC) in terms of the standard silicate-graphite interstellar dust model. The grains are taken to have a power law size distribution with an exponential decay above some size. The best-fit model for the GC IR extinction constrains the visual extinction to be Av~38--42 mag. The limitation of the model, i.e., its difficulty in simultaneously reproducing both the steep ~1--3$\mum$ near-IR extinction and the flat ~3--8$\mum$ mid-IR extinction is discussed. We argue that this difficulty could be alleviated by attributing the extinction toward the GC to a combination of dust in different environments: dust in diffuse regions (characterized by small Rv and steep near-IR extinction), and dust in dense regions (characterized by large Rv and flat UV extinction)., Comment: 13pages, 4figures, accepted by Earth, Planets and Space

We report the Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) observations of three evolved stars: IRAS 16456-3542, 18354-0638, and 23239+5754. The 9.9--37.2um Spitzer/IRS high resolution spectra of these three sources exhibit rich sets of enstatite-dominated crystalline silicate emission features. IRAS 16456-3542 is extremely rich in crystalline silicates, with >90% of its silicate mass in crystalline form, the highest to date ever reported for crystalline silicate sources., Comment: 21 pages, 6 figures, 4 tables, accepted by the Astrophyical Journal

Studies of the properties of the inner Galactic Bulge depend strongly on the assumptions about the interstellar extinction. Most of the extinction maps available in the literature lack the information about the distance. We combine the observations with the Besancon model of the Galaxy to investigate the variations of extinction along different lines of sight towards the inner Galactic bulge as a function of distance. In addition we study the variations in the extinction law in the Bulge. We construct color-magnitude diagrams with the following sets of colors: H-Ks and J-Ks from the VVV catalogue as well as Ks-[3.6], Ks-[4.5], Ks-[5.8] and Ks-[8.0] from GLIMPSE-II catalogue matched with 2MASS. Using the newly derived temperature-color relation for M giants that match better the observed color-magnitude diagrams we then use the distance-color relations to derive the extinction as a function of distance. The observed colors are shifted to match the intrinsic colors in the Besan\c{c}on model, as a function of distance, iteratively thereby creating an extinction map with three dimensions: two spatial and one distance dimension along each line of sight towards the bulge. Colour excess maps are presented at a resolution of 15' x 15' for 6 different combinations of colors, in distance bins of 1 kpc. The high resolution and depth of the photometry allows to derive extinction maps to 10 kpc distance and up to 35 magnitudes of extinction in Av (3.5 mag in Aks). Integrated maps show the same dust features and consistent values with the other 2D maps. Starting from the color excess between the observations and the model we investigate the extinction law in near-infrared and its variation along different lines of sight., Comment: 25 pages, accepted for publication in Astronomy&Astrophysics

A systematic study of RR Lyrae stars is performed based on a selected sample of 655 objects in the Large Magellanic Cloud with observation of long span and numerous measurements by the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment III project. The Phase Dispersion Method and linear superposition of the harmonic oscillations are used to derive the pulsation frequency and variation properties. It is found that there exists an Oo I and Oo II dichotomy in the LMC RR Lyrae stars. Due to our strict criteria to identify a frequency, a lower limit of the incidence rate of Blazhko modulation in LMC is estimated in various subclasses of RR Lyrae stars. For fundamental-mode RR Lyrae stars, the rate 7.5% is smaller than previous result. In the case of the first-overtone RR Lyr variables, the rate 9.1% is relatively high. In addition to the Blazhko variables, fifteen objects are identified to pulsate in the fundamental/first-overtone double mode. Furthermore, four objects show a period ratio around 0.6 which makes them very likely the rare pulsators in the fundamental/second-overtone double-mode., Comment: 25 pages and 11 figures, accepted for publication in RAA

The characteristics of light variation of RSGs in SMC are analyzed based on the nearly 8-10 year long data collected by the ASAS and MACHO projects. The identified 126 RSGs are classified into five categories accordingly: 20 with poor photometry, 55 with no reliable period, 6 with semi-regular variation, 15 with Long Secondary Period (LSP) and distinguishable short period and 30 with only LSP. For the semi-regular variables and the LSP variables with distinguishable short period, the Ks band period-luminosity (P-L) relation is analyzed and compared with that of the Galaxy, LMC and M33. It is found that the RSGs in these galaxies obey similar P-L relation except the Galaxy. In addition, the P-L relations in the infrared bands, namely the 2MASS JHKs, Spitzer/IRAC and Spitzer/MIPS 24 {\mu}m bands, are derived with high reliability. The best P-L relation occurs in the Spitzer/IRAC [3.6] and [4.5] bands. Based on the comparison with the theoretical calculation of the P-L relation, the mode of pulsation of RSGs in SMC is suggested to be the first overtone radial mode., Comment: 82 pages, 31 figures, 6 tables, accepted for publication in ApJ

From previous samples of Red Supergiants (RSGs) by various groups, 191 objects are assembled to compose a large sample of RSG candidates in LMC. For 189 of them, the identity as a RSG is verified by their brightness and color indexes in several near- and mid-infrared bands related to the 2MASS JHKs bands and the Spitzer/IRAC and Spitzer/MIPS bands. From the visual time-series photometric observations by the ASAS and MACHO projects which cover nearly 8-10 years, the period and amplitude of light variation are analyzed carefully using both the PDM and Period04 methods. According to the properties of light variation, these objects are classified into five categories: (1) 20 objects are saturated in photometry or located in crowded stellar field with poor photometric results, (2) 35 objects with too complex variation to have any certain period, (3) 23 objects with irregular variation, (4) 16 objects with semi-regular variation, and (5) 95 objects with Long Secondary Period (LSP) among which 31 have distinguishable short period, and 51 have a long period shorter than 3000 days that can be determined with reasonable accuracy. For the semi-regular variables and the LSP variables with distinguishable short period, the period-luminosity relation is analyzed in the visual, near-infrared and mid-infrared bands. It is found that the P-L relation is tight in the infrared bands such as the 2MASS JHKs bands and the Spitzer/IRAC bands, in particular in the Spitzer/IRAC [3.6] and [4.5] bands; meanwhile, the P-L relation is relatively sparse in the V band which may be caused by the inhomogeneous interstellar extinction. The results are compared with others' P-L relationships for RSGs and the P-L sequences of red giants in LMC., Comment: 41 pages, 14 figures, 4 tables, accepted by ApJ

The origin of the long secondary periods (LSPs) in red variables remains a mystery up to now, although there exist many models. The light curves of some LSPs stars mimic an eclipsing binary with a pulsating red giant component. To test this hypothesis, the observational data of two LSP variable red giants, 77.7795.29 and 77.8031.42, discovered by the MACHO project from the LMC, are collected and analyzed. The probable eclipsing features of the light curves are simulated by the Wilson-Devinney (W-D) method. The simulation yields a contact and a semidetached geometry for the two systems, respectively. In addition, the pulsation constant of the main pulsating component in each binary system is derived. By combining the results of the binary model and the pulsation component, we investigate the feasibility of the pulsating binary model. It is found that the radial velocity curve expected from the binary model has a much larger amplitude than the observed one and a period double the observed one. Furthermore, the masses of the components based on the density derived from the binary orbit solution are too low to be compatible with both the evolutionary stage and the high luminosity. Although the pulsation mode identified by the pulsation constant which is dependent on the density from the binary-model is consistent with the first or second overtone radial pulsation, we conclude that the pulsating binary model is a defective model for the LSP., Comment: 8 pages,3 figures,3 tables, accepted by the Astronomical Journal

Based on the data obtained from the Spitzer/GLIPMSE Legacy Program and the 2MASS project, we derive the extinction in the four IRAC bands, [3.6], [4.5], [5.8] and [8.0] micron, relative to the 2MASS Ks band (at 2.16 micron) for 131 GLIPMSE fields along the Galactic plane within |l|<65 deg, using red giants and red clump giants as tracers. As a whole, the mean extinction in the IRAC bands (normalized to the 2MASS Ks band), A_[3.6]/A_Ks=0.63, A_[4.5]/A_Ks=0.57, A_[5.8]/A_Ks=0.49, A_[8.0]/A_Ks=0.55, exhibits little variation with wavelength (i.e. the extinction is somewhat flat or gray). This is consistent with previous studies and agrees with that predicted from the standard interstellar grain model for R_V=5.5 by Weingartner & Draine (2001). As far as individual sightline is concerned, however, the wavelength dependence of the mid-infrared interstellar extinction A_{lambda}/A_Ks varies from one sightline to another, suggesting that there may not exist a "universal" IR extinction law. We, for the first time, demonstrate the existence of systematic variations of extinction with Galactic longitude which appears to correlate with the locations of spiral arms as well as with the variation of the far infrared luminosity of interstellar dust., Comment: 37 pages, 9 figures, to be published in ApJ

The mysterious 21micron emission feature seen in sixteen C-rich proto-planetary nebulae (PPNe) remains unidentified since its discovery in 1989. Over a dozen of materials are suggested as the carrier candidates. In this work we quantitatively investigate eight inorganic and one organic carrier candidates in terms of elemental abundance constraints, while previous studies mostly focus on their spectral profiles (which could be largely affected by grain size, shape and clustering effects). It is found that: (1) five candidates (TiC nanoclusters, fullerenes coordinated with Ti atoms, SiS$_2$, doped-SiC, and SiO$_2$-coated SiC dust) violate the abundance constraints (i.e. they require too much Ti, S or Si to account for the emission power of the 21micron band, (2) three candidates (carbon and silicon mixtures, Fe$_2$O$_3$, and Fe$_3$O$_4$),while satisfying the abundance constraints, exhibit secondary features which are not detected in the 21micron sources, and (3) nano FeO, neither exceeding the abundance budget nor producing undetected secondary features, seems to be a viable candidate, supporting the suggestions of Posch et al. 2004., Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

Observationally, both the 3.4micron aliphatic hydrocarbon C--H stretching absorption feature and the 9.7micron amorphous silicate Si--O stretching absorption feature show considerable variations from the local diffuse interstellar medium (ISM) to Galactic center (GC): both the ratio of the visual extinction (A_V) to the 9.7micron Si--O optical depth (\tausil) and the ratio of A_V to the 3.4micron C--H optical depth (\tauahc) of the solar neighborhood local diffuse ISM are about twice as much as that of the GC. In this work, we try to explain these variations in terms of a porous dust model consisting of a mixture of amorphous silicate, carbonaceous organic refractory dust (as well as water ice for the GC dust)., Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures, uses eps.cls. Accepted for publication in "Earth, Planets and Space" (special issue on Cosmic Dust)

The 21micron and 30micron bands are the strongest dust emission features detected in evolved low- and intermediate-mass C-rich stars (i.e. asymptotic giant branch [AGB] stars, proto-planetary nebulae [PPN], and planetary nebulae [PN]). While the 21micron feature is rare and exists only in the transient PPN phase, the 30micron feature is more common and seen in the entire late stage of stellar evolution, from AGB to PPN and PN phases, as well as in the low-metallicity galaxies: the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). The carriers of these features remain unidentified. Eleven of the twelve well-identified 21micron sources also emit in the 30micron band, suggesting that their carriers may be somewhat related., Comment: 7 pages, 1 figure, uses eps.cls. Accepted for publication in "Earth, Planets and Space" (special issue on Cosmic Dust)

The extinction laws at 7um and 15um are derived for more than 120 sightlines in the inner Galactic plane based on the ISOGAL survey data and the near-infrared data from DENIS and 2MASS. The tracers are the ISOGAL point sources with [7]-[15]<0.4 which are RGB tip stars or early AGB stars with moderate mass loss. They have well-defined intrinsic color indices (J-Ks)_0, (Ks-[7])_0 and (Ks-[15])_0. By a linear fitting of the observed color indices Ks-[7] and Ks-[15] to the observed J-Ks, we obtain the ratio between the E(Ks-[7]) and E(Ks-[15]) color excesses and E(J-Ks). We infer the selective extinctions at 7 and 15um in terms of the near-infrared extinction in the Ks band. The distribution of the derived extinctions around 7 micron (A_7) is well represented by a Gaussian function, with the peak at about 0.47A_Ks and ranging from 0.33 to 0.55A_Ks (using the near-infrared extinctions of Rieke & Lebovsky 1985). There is some evidence that A_7/A_Ks may vary significantly depending on the line of sight. The derived selective extinction at 15um suffers uncertainty mainly from the dispersion in the intrinsic color index (Ks-[15])_0 which is affected by dust emission from mass-losing AGB stars. The peak value of A_15 is around 0.40A_Ks., Comment: 21 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics

The mysterious 21mu emission feature seen in 12 proto-planetary nebulae (PPNe) remains unidentified since its first detection in 1989. Over a dozen of candidate materials have been proposed within the past decade, but none of them has received general acceptance. Very recently, silicon carbide (SiC) grains with impurities were suggested to be the carrier of this enigmatic feature, based on recent laboratory data that doped SiC grains exhibit a resonance at \~21mu. This proposal gains strength from the fact that SiC is a common dust species in carbon-rich circumstellar envelopes. However, SiC dust has a strong vibrational band at ~11.3mu. We show in this Letter that in order to be consistent with the observed flux ratios of the 11.3mu feature to the 21mu feature, the band strength of the 21mu resonance has to be very strong, too strong to be consistent with current laboratory measurements. But this does not yet readily rule out the SiC hypothesis since recent experimental results have demonstrated that the 21mu resonance of doped SiC becomes stronger as the C impurity increases. Further laboratory measurements of SiC dust with high fractions of C impurity are urgently needed to test the hypothesis of SiC as the carrier of the 21mu feature., Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in ApJL

A 0.35\degr $\times$ 0.29\degr field centered at $l$=--18.63\degr, $b$=0.35\degr was observed during the ISOGAL survey by ISOCAM imaging at 7$\mu$m and 15{\rm $\mu$m}. 648 objects were detected and their brightness are measured. By combining with the DENIS data in the near-infrared J and K$_{\rm S}$ bands, one derives the extinction at 7{\rm $\mu$m} through ${\rm A_{K_{\rm S}}-A_7= 0.35 (A_J-A_{K_{\rm S}})}$ which yields A$_{7}$/A$_{\it V}$ $\sim$0.03 from the near-IR extinction values of van de Hulst--Glass (Glass 1999). The extinction structure along the line of sight is then determined from the values of J--K$_{\rm S}$ or K$_{\rm S}$--[7] of the ISOGAL sources identified as RGB or early AGB stars with mild mass-loss. The distribution of A$_{\it V}$ ranges from 0 to $\sim$45 and it reflects the concentration of the extinction in the spiral arms. Based on their locations in color-magnitude diagrams and a few cross-identifications with IRAS and MSX sources, the nature of objects is discussed in comparison with the case of a low extinction field in Baade's Window. Most of the objects are either AGB stars with moderate mass loss rate or luminous RGB stars. Some of them may be AGB stars with high mass loss rate. In addition, a few young stellar objects (YSOs) are present., Comment: 14 pages, accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics

Based on the space MSX observation in bands A(8$\mu$m), C(12$\mu$m), D(15$\mu$m) and E(21$\mu$m), and the ground SiO maser observation of evolved stars by the Nobeyama 45-m telescope in the v=1 and v=2 J=1-0 transitions, the relation between SiO maser emission and mid-IR continuum radiation is analyzed. The relation between SiO maser emission and the IR radiation in the MSX bands A, C, D and E is all clearly correlated. The SiO maser emission can be explained by a radiative pumping mechanism according to its correlation with infrared radiation in the MSX band A., Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures, to appear in ApJL

Light variation of the 47 AGB star candidates in the outer Galactic disk has been monitored at I-band for 5 years. Periods were determined well for 18 of them and less reliably for the other 25. The average period of the objects is then 500 days. According to the period-luminosity relation, the mean luminosity of the sample stars is 10000 $\LO$. Based on the absolute luminosity derived from the period-luminosity relation and the apparent luminosity from the observation, the distances to the objects are determined. The distances calculated are slightly greater than those obtained previously on the assumption of constant luminosity of 8000 $\LO$. In addition, SiO maser emission was detected for most of the observed objects so that their radial velocities were known accurately. With the assumption of circular rotation in the Galactic disk, the rotation curve and Oort's constants were derived., Comment: 13 pages including 4 tables, and 13 postscript figures. Accepted for PASJ (Publication of the Astronomical Society of Japan)

This paper reports a detection of the 30 micron emission feature from the C-rich Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) star IRAS 03313+6058 based on the ISO-SWS observation. Modeling of the spectral energy distribution shows that this emission starts at about 20 micron and possibly extends to the limit (45 micron) of the observation. By assuming MgS as the carrier, the number ratio of Sulfur atom in MgS to Hydrogen atom in total, n(S)/n(H), is 3. 10{-6} from model fitting. A comparison of this emission feature is made with other AGB and post-AGB objects., Comment: aa-latex, 5 pages with 3 figures