Spectroscopy of ``Argo-Knots'' in the Crab Nebula

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Session 2 -- Planetary Nebula and Supernova Remnants
Display presentation, Monday, 9:20-6:30, Pauley Room

[2.09] Spectroscopy of ``Argo-Knots'' in the Crab Nebula

G.M. MacAlpine, S.S. Lawrence, and B.A. Brown (U. Mich.)

Peculiar line-emitting knots in the Crab Nebula, possibly aligned along the spin axis of the pulsar, have been reported by MacAlpine et al. (1992, Bull. AAS, 24, 791). Spectroscopy for some of the knots has been obtained at the Michigan-Dartmouth-MIT Observatory 2.4m Hiltner telescope. The most distinguishing spectral characteristic is exceptionally strong [ArIII] emission (``argo-knots''). Collisionally-excited emission lines of other elements are also strong, and a possible explanation is abnormally high temperature in the knots.

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