Kenneth Hinkle
Tucson Nighttime Scientific Staff
Areas of Interest
Circumstellar and Interstellar Matter, Molecular Spectroscopy, Peculiar
Stars, Instrumentation
Recent Research Results
During the past year Hinkle has worked extensively on the high
resolution infrared spectrograph Phoenix. While this instrument is in
regular use by KPNO visitors, several components needed modification
before commissioning as a facility instrument. As part of this effort
a paper was published documenting the instrument (SPIE 3354 in press).
A number of observing runs have been undertaken to characterize the
instrument. These runs have produced data or partial data sets for a
number of projects. While most of the data is still not fully reduced,
and one of the commissioning projects underway is the development of
optimized reduction software, some early results have been published.
With co-investigators B. McCall and T. Oka (U. Chicago) and T. Geballe
(Gemini) Hinkle has collaborated in a program to measure the abundance
of the ion H3+ in the interstellar medium. H3+ is formed as cosmic
rays ionize molecular hydrogen. H3+ then reacts via a proton hop route
to produce the wide variety of complex molecules observed by radio
astronomers. H3+ is not easy to detect due to its symmetry,
reactivity, and the nature of the spectrum. The first detection of H3+
in the diffuse interstellar medium was reported (1998 Science 279 1910)
using Phoenix spectra. An additional article by McCall et al. on H3+
is in the 1998 Faraday discussion. In the last year Hinkle also
completed a number of papers on projects not related to Phoenix. With
R. Joyce, L. Wallace, M. Dulick (NOAO) and D. Lambert (Texas) Hinkle
has submitted to AJ a paper on medium resolution spectra of cool stars,
particular those of S-type, in the 1.0-1.3 micron region. Unidentified
features were search for in a spectral region where sulfur compounds
have been identified. Previously identified bands from exotic
molecules like TiS and ZrS were confirmed but no strong new bands were
seen. With M. Meyer (Arizona), S. Edwards (Smith), and S. Strom
(Massachusetts), a paper has been submitted to ApJ on spectral
classification in the H band. With L. Wallace a paper has been
published (1997 ApJS 111 445) on spectral classification in the K
band. Hinkle and T. Lebzelter (Vienna) published a paper (1997 AJ 114
2686) on the pulsation velocities of AGB variables as measured in the K
and H bands. In the area of instrumentation, Joyce (NOAO), Hinkle,
Meyer (Arizona), and Skrutskie (Massachusetts) have published (SPIE
3354 in press) an article on the use of a thermal blind infrared array
in a warm spectrograph.
Future Research Plans
For three years Hinkle, F. Fekel (Tenn. State) and R. Joyce (NOAO)
have been observing on a quarterly basis a group of late-type binary
stars, which include interacting symbiotic pairs, with the coude feed
telescope and the IR NICMAS array. Visual spectroscopy of interacting
binaries is confused by (hot) emission from the accretion disk. The
infrared spectrum is dominated by radiation from the cool star in the
system. A few of the symbiotic systems now have well defined orbits
from the coude feed data and as expected the results are considerably
improved over visual data. Another motivation of this project is a
planned extension of the object list using Phoenix to, for instance,
massive binary systems too highly reddened to be observed in the
optical. Hinkle has also engaged in a search for several circumstellar
organic molecules using Phoenix. With M. Kress (NASA Ames) and P.
Bernath (U. Waterloo), Hinkle is looking for various symmetric organic
molecules of interest in the early solar system, for example methane,
ethane, and allene, as well as the pure carbon chain molecules.
Initial problems with astigmatism in Phoenix hindered this research.
Work by Hinkle and others at NOAO to improve the image quality should
make Phoenix very productive in searching for circumstellar and
interstellar lines. Hinkle and collaborators B. Hrivnak (Valparaiso)
and S. Kwok (Calgary) plan to use the Phoenix spectrograph to explore
the velocity structure and ionization structure of the circumstellar
shells of post-AGB stars. These shells show considerable spatial
structure and are intermediate between the complex spatial structure of
planetary nebula and the simple geometry of AGB mass loss. With L.
Wallace (NOAO) and J. Valenti (NOAO) Hinkle is investigating rotation,
magnetic field, and temperature determinations from high resolution K
band spectra of M dwarfs. In early 1999 Phoenix will be taken to
CTIO. Hinkle is looking forward to extending his work on late-type
variables to the southern sky. His collaborators on AGB variables are
J. Hron and T. Lebzelter (Vienna). Several papers on northern field
Miras are in preparation with Hron and Lebzelter and work is planned on
a number of important southern objects.
Service
Hinkle's service activities include being project scientist for the
Phoenix spectrograph. This project started in 1991 and has accounted
for nearly full-time effort by Hinkle since then. The Phoenix project
is a major observatory contribution to the community. Phoenix now
allows high resolution (R=100,000) spectroscopy in the 1-5 micron
infrared to much fainter limiting magnitudes than previously possible.
Phoenix will ultimately serve a larger community than Kitt Peak.
Current plans call for use of this instrument at CTIO in early 1999 and
with Gemini as well as on Kitt Peak. Hinkle has done a large part of
the program management for Phoenix, has provided the astronomical
input, and has resolved many engineering and optical design issues.
Hinkle did the optical assembly and oversaw the mechanical assembly.
Hinkle is now in charge of bringing the instrument to complete user
readiness as well as supporting user runs. Hinkle also maintains FTS
spectra dating back to 1976 in an archive. Spectra are available upon
request. Hinkle and collaborators are continuing to publish atlases
based on this and other archival material making these spectra more
readily available to the community. Since Phoenix is a Gemini
instrument Hinkle serves on the Gemini infrared instrumentation working
group. Hinkle is also the 2.1 m telescope scientist.
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NOAO is operated by the Association of U
niversities for Research in Astronomy
(AURA), Inc. under cooperative agreement with the
National Science Foundation
Posted: 06Dec1996