For about two decades, a population of relative small and nearby molecular clouds has been known to exist at high Galactic latitudes. Lying more than 10 from the Galactic plane, these clouds have typical distances of ∼150 pc, angular sizes of ∼1, and masses of order tens of solar masses. These objects are passive sources of high-energy γ-rays through cosmic ray-gas interactions. Using a new wid...

We report the ASCA and Chandra discovery of a diffuse X-ray source in the Galactic center region. The X-ray spectrum is fitted with a nonequilibrium ionization (NEI) plasma model of about 6-keV temperature. The model requires higher than solar metal abundances, a young plasma age of ' 100 years and a large NH value of about 1023 cm−2. The NH value constrains the source position to be in the Gal...

For about two decades, a population of relative small and nearby molecular clouds has been known to exist at high Galactic latitudes. Lying more than 10◦ from the Galactic plane, these clouds have typical distances of ∼150 pc, angular sizes of ∼1◦, and masses of order tens of solar masses. These objects are passive sources of high-energy γ-rays through cosmic ray-gas interactions. Using a new w...

Observationally, both the 3.4 µm aliphatic hydrocarbon C–H stretching absorption feature and the 9.7 µm 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 9.7 µm Si–O optical depth (∆τ 9.7 µm) and the ratio of A V to the 3.4 µm C–H optica...

We used magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations of interstellar turbulence to study the probability distribution functions (PDFs) of increments of density, velocity, and magnetic field. We found that the PDFs are well described by a Tsallis distribution, following the same general trends found in solar wind and Electron MHD studies. We found that the PDFs of density are different in subsonic and ...

Scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM) revealed unique structures and development of the venomous spicules of tussock moth caterpillars of the genus Euproctis: (1) Flower-like structure at the distal end and a longitudinal minute depression on the proximal subapical wall of these spicules were observed by SEM. This depression was revealed to be a small hole by TEM. (2) Duri...

We propose to observe the mid-IR spectroscopic signatures of biologically important organic molecules in molecular clouds, protostellar envelopes, planet forming systems, and planetary debris disks. In addition to yielding a more complete census of organic materials in the ISM, these observations will provide insight into how these molecules are physically and chemically processed into the chem...

The propagation of cosmic rays through the interstellar medium (ISM) inevitably produces LiBeB nuclei, and the accumulation of these elements over lifetime of galaxy can broadly account for the solar LiBeB abundances. Furthermore, data in old (Population II) stars provides crucial new information: the LiBeB trend versus heavy element abundances traces the Galactic evolution of LiBeB. We summari...

High-resolution ultraviolet observations of nearby bright and faint stars are required to evaluate changes in the past and future galactic environments of the Sun, and the possibly impact of these changes on the interplanetary environment at 1 AU (around the Earth). The boundary conditions of the heliosphere and interplanetary environments are constrained by the characteristics of the surroundi...

Carbon monoxide (CO) is one of the primary coolants of gas and an easily accessible tracer of molecular gas in spiral galaxies but it is unclear if CO plays a similar role in metal poor dwarfs. We carried out a deep observation with IRAM 30 m to search for CO emission by targeting the brightest far-IR peak in a nearby extremely metal poor galaxy, Sextans A, with 7% Solar metallicity. A weak CO ...