Integral field spectroscopy of the LV2 proplyd is presented taken with the VLT/FLAMES Argus array at an angular resolution of 0.31x0.31 arcsec^2 and velocity resolutions down to 2 km/s per pixel. Following subtraction of the local M42 emission, the s
pectrum of LV2 is isolated from the surrounding nebula. We measured the heliocentric velocities and widths of a number of lines detected in the intrinsic spectrum of the proplyd, as well as in the adjacent Orion nebula within a 6.6 x 4.2 arcsec^2 FoV. It is found that far-UV to optical collisional lines with critical densities, Ncrit, ranging from 10^3 to 10^9 /cm^3 suffer collisional de-excitation near the rest velocity of the proplyd correlating tightly with their critical densities. Lines of low Ncrit are suppressed the most. The bipolar jet arising from LV2 is spectrally and spatially well-detected in several emission lines. We compute the [O III] electron temperature profile across LV2 in velocity space and measure steep temperature variations associated with the red-shifted lobe of the jet, possibly being due to a shock discontinuity. From the velocity-resolved analysis the ionized gas near the rest frame of LV2 has Te = 9200 +/- 800 K and Ne ~ 10^6 /cm^3, while the red-shifted jet lobe has Te ~ 9000 - 10^4 K and Ne ~ 10^6 - 10^7 /cm^3. The jet flow is highly ionized but contains dense semi-neutral clumps emitting neutral oxygen lines. The abundances of N+, O++, Ne++, Fe++, S+, and S++ are measured for the strong red-shifted jet lobe. Iron in the core of LV2 is depleted by 2.54 dex with respect to solar as a result of sedimentation on dust, whereas the efficient destruction of dust grains in the fast microjet raises its Fe abundance to at least 30 per cent solar. Sulphur does not show evidence of significant depletion on dust, but its abundance both in the core and the jet is only about half solar.
The possibility is explored that accretion on an intermediate mass black hole contributes to the ionisation of the interstellar medium of the Compact Blue Dwarf galaxy MRK996. Chandra observations set tight upper limits (99.7 per cent confidence leve
l) in both the X-ray luminosity of the posited AGN, Lx(2-10keV)<3e40erg/s, and the black hole mass, <1e4/lambda Msolar, where lambda, is the Eddington ratio. The X-ray luminosity upper limit is insufficient to explain the high ionisation line [OIV]25.89mu m, which is observed in the mid-infrared spectrum of the MRK996 and is proposed as evidence for AGN activity. This indicates that shocks associated with supernovae explosions and winds of young stars must be responsible for this line. It is also found that the properties of the diffuse X-ray emission of MRK996 are consistent with this scenario, thereby providing direct evidence for shocks that heat the galaxys interstellar medium and contribute to its ionisation.
The evolution of star-forming core analogues undergoing inside-out collapse is studied with a multi-point chemodynamical model which self-consistently computes the abundance distribution of chemical species in the core. For several collapse periods t
he output chemistry of infall tracer species such as HCO+, CS, and N2H+, is then coupled to an accelerated Lambda-iteration radiative transfer code, which predicts the emerging molecular line profiles using two different input gas/dust temperature distributions. We investigate the sensitivity of the predicted spectral line profiles and line asymmetry ratios to the core temperature distribution, the time-dependent model chemistry, as well as to ad hoc abundance distributions. The line asymmetry is found to be strongly dependent on the adopted chemical abundance distribution. In general, models with a warm central region show higher values of blue asymmetry in optically thick HCO+ and CS lines than models with a starless core temperature profile. We find that in the formal context of Shu-type inside-out infall, and in the absence of rotation or outflows, the relative blue asymmetry of certain HCO+ and CS transitions is a function of time and, subject to the foregoing caveats, can act as a collapse chronometer. The sensitivity of simulated HCO+ line profiles to linear radial variations, subsonic or supersonic, of the internal turbulence field is investigated in the separate case of static cores.
(Abridged) Results from the first dedicated study of Galactic PNe by means of optical integral field spectroscopy with the VLT FLAMES Argus IFU are presented. Three typical Galactic-disk PNe have been mapped with the 11.5x7.2 Argus array: two dimensi
onal spectral maps of NGC 5882, 6153 and 7009 with 297 spatial pixels per target were obtained at sub-arcsec resolutions and 297 spectra per target were obtained in the 396.4-507.8 nm range. Spatially resolved maps of emission lines and of nebular physical properties were produced. The abundances of helium and of doubly ionized carbon and oxygen were derived from optical recombination lines (ORLs), while those of O^2+ were also derived from the collisionally excited lines (CELs). The abundance discrepancy problem was investigated by mapping the ratio of ORL/CEL abundances for O^2+ (the abundance discrepancy factor; ADF) across the face of the PNe. The ADF varies between targets and also with position within the targets attaining values of ~40 in the case of NGC 6153. Correlations of the ADF with geometric distance from the nucleus, as well as with [O III] electron temperature, plasma ionization state and other physical properties are established. Very small values of the temperature fluctuation parameter in the plane of the sky are found in all cases. It is argued that these results provide further evidence for the existence in typical PNe of a distinct nebular component consisting of hydrogen-deficient plasma. The zones containing this posited component appear as undulations in the C II and C II ORL abundance diagnostics of about 2 spatial pixels across; any associated structures should have physical sizes of less than ~1000 astronomical units. We propose that circumstellar disks, Abell 30-type knots, or Helix-type cometary globules may be involved.
