PRONAOS observations of MCLD 123.5 + 24.9: cold dust in the Polaris cirrus cloud
J. P. Bernard, A. Abergel, I. Ristorcelli, F. Pajot, J. P. Torre, F. Boulanger, M. Giard, G. Lagache, G. Serra, J. M. Lamarre, J. L. Puget, F. Lepeintre, L. Cambrésy;
AaA, 1999, 347, 640
ABSTRACT:We present submillimeter observations between 200 and 600 microns obtained with the French balloon-borne instrument SPM/PRONAOS toward the high
latitude cirrus cloud MCLD 123.5+24.9 in the Polaris Flare.
These sensitive
measurements allow for the first time to study in details the submillimeter dust
emission of cirruses at the arc minute scale.
The extended cirrus as well as a
compact condensation already identified as an N_Htrois core are well detected
in the four photometric channels of the instrument.
We also present
preliminary results of observations of the same region at 150 microns obtained with
PHOT on board the ISO satellite.
The data are consistent with emission from
cold dust at 13 K with a steep dust emissivity index of {beta }=2.2 for the
extended cirrus.
This value is consistent with, although slightly higher than
the one used to describe the FIRAS data at high latitude ({beta }=2.0).
It
is compatible with recent laboratory measurements for amorphous
silicates at low temperature which indicate {beta }>2.0.
We show that the low
value of the dust temperature for the extended cirrus cannot be explained by
extinction from the surrounding medium and/or internal extinction in the cloud.
We propose that the optical properties of dust in regions such as the
Polaris cirrus, which exhibit large 100 microns excess over their 60 microns
emission, are modified compared to those prevailing in the general diffuse
interstellar medium in the Galaxy.
This change in the optical properties of large
grains is likely connected to the coagulation of smaller dust particles on
large size grains.
KEYWORDS: ism: clouds, ism: dust, extinction, ism: individual objects: mcld 123.5+24.9, infrared: ism: continuum, submillimeter
PERSOKEY:submillimeter, dust, CIRRUS, ,
CODE: bernard99