Hostname: page-component-68945f75b7-gkscv Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-08-06T08:24:53.715Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Interstellar Matter with Very Large Telescopes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 April 2016

J. Lequeux
J. Lequeux*
Affiliation:
Observatoire de Marseille, F 13248 Marseille Cedex 4

Extract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Interstellar matter is certainly one of the fields where a very large telescope (VLT) will prove to be most fruitful. This includes (somewhat paradoxically, but this will be explained later) the study of extended emissions. I will now examine in turn the different domains of interest for a VLT.

I. Neutral diffuse matter

Optical and near IR observations will mainly contribute to this domain through high-resolution spectroscopy of interstellar absorption lines in the spectra of stars. These lines are resonant lines of atoms (NaI, KI, etc.) or ions (CaII, TiII, etc.) as well as of some molecules (CH+, CH, CN, CS+, C2 in the near IR). Clearly this kind of study is always photon - limited; a VLT will collect more photons than present telescopes, thus increase the possibilities considerably.

Type
V. Astronomical Programs For A Very Large Telescope
Information
International Astronomical Union Colloquium , Volume 79: Very Large Telescopes, their Instrumentation and Programs , 1984 , pp. 675 - 678
Copyright
Copyright © ESO 1984

References

Atherton, P.D., Taylor, K., David, P.C., Harmer, C.F.W., Parker, N.M., Hook, R.N.: 1982, M.N.R.A.S., 201, 661 Google Scholar
Blades, J.C., Meaburn, J.: 1980, M.N.R.A.S., 190, 59 Google Scholar
Federman, S.R., Danks, A.C., Lambert, D.L.: 1984, Astrophys. J., submittedGoogle Scholar
Ferlet, R., Dennefeld, M.: 1983, in ESQ Workshop on Primordial Helium, ed. Shaver, P.A., Kunth, D., Kjär, K., p. 373 Google Scholar
Hobbs, L.M.; 1969, Astrophys. J., 157, 135 Google Scholar
Hu, E.M., Cowie, L.L., Kaaret, P., Jenkins, E.B., York, D.G., Roesler, F.L.: 1983, Astrophys. J. Letters, 275, L27Google Scholar
Kessler, M.F., Phillips, J.P., ed.: 1983, Galactic and Extragalactic Infrared Spectroscopy, Proc. of XVIth ESLAB Symposium, ESAGoogle Scholar
Léger, A., Puget, J-L.: 1984, Astron. Astrophys., submittedGoogle Scholar
Lequeux, J.: 1983, in Workshop on ESQ’s Very Large Telescope, ed. Swings, J.P., Kjär, K., p. 29 Google Scholar
Marcelin, M., Boulesteix, J., Georgelin, Y.: 1983, Astron. Astrophys. 128, 140 Google Scholar
Thaddeus, P.: 1972, Ann. Rev. Astron. Astrophys., 10, 305 Google Scholar
York, D.G.: 1982, Ann. Rev. Astron. Astrophys., 20, 221 Google Scholar