The Messenger 119
March 2005

VISIR, A TASTE OF SCIENTIFIC POTENTIAL

ERIC PANTIN[1,4], PIERRE-OLIVIER LAGAGE[1], ARNAUD CLARET[1], CORALIE DOUCET[1], ANDREAS KAUFER[4], HANS-ULRICH KAUFL[4], JAN-WILLEM PEL[2,3], REYNIER F. PELETIER[2], RALF SIEBENMORGEN[4], ALAIN SMETTE[4,5], MICHAEL STERZIK[4]

[1]DSM/DAPNIA/SERVICE D’ASTROPHYSIQUE, CEA/SACLAY, SACLAY, FRANCE; [2]KAPTEYN INSTITUTE, GRONINGEN UNIVERSITY, GRONINGEN, THE NETHERLANDS; [3]ASTRON (NETHERLANDS FOUNDATION FOR RESEARCH IN ASTRONOMY), DWINGELOO, THE NETHERLANDS; [4]EUROPEAN SOUTHERN OBSERVATORY; [5]F.N.R.S. BELGIUM

Abstract: VISIR, the ESO-VLT instrument made for observations in the two mid-infrared atmospheric windows (the so-called N- and Q-bands), is now producing scientific results. Some first results are discussed from a pedagogic point of view, emphasising the various mechanisms at work that produce mid-infrared radiation (thermal dust emission, transiently heated dust emission, ion line emission, pure rotational line emission of molecular hydrogen, synchrotron emission). The two key advantages of VISIR, i.e., its high angular resolution and its high spectral resolution, are illustrated respectively by the results from the observations of the brown dwarf binary system Epsilon Indi, and by kinematic studies of the galaxy NGC 7582.

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The Messenger 119 March 2005

VISIR, A TASTE OF SCIENTIFIC POTENTIAL

ERIC PANTIN[1,4], PIERRE-OLIVIER LAGAGE[1], ARNAUD CLARET[1], CORALIE DOUCET[1], ANDREAS KAUFER[4], HANS-ULRICH KAUFL[4], JAN-WILLEM PEL[2,3], REYNIER F. PELETIER[2], RALF SIEBENMORGEN[4], ALAIN SMETTE[4,5], MICHAEL STERZIK[4]

[1]DSM/DAPNIA/SERVICE D’ASTROPHYSIQUE, CEA/SACLAY, SACLAY, FRANCE; [2]KAPTEYN INSTITUTE, GRONINGEN UNIVERSITY, GRONINGEN, THE NETHERLANDS; [3]ASTRON (NETHERLANDS FOUNDATION FOR RESEARCH IN ASTRONOMY), DWINGELOO, THE NETHERLANDS; [4]EUROPEAN SOUTHERN OBSERVATORY; [5]F.N.R.S. BELGIUM

The Messenger 119
March 2005