To probe the distribution and physical characteristics of interstellar gas at temperatures T ~ 3e5 K in the disk of the Milky Way, we have used the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) to observe absorption lines of OVI toward 148 early-type stars situated at distances 1 kpc. After subtracting off a mild excess of OVI arising from the Local Bubble, combining our new results with earlier surveys of OVI, and eliminating stars that show conspicuous localized X-ray emission, we find an average OVI mid-plane density n_0 = 1.3e-8 cm^-3. The density decreases away from the plane of the Galaxy in a way that is consistent with an exponential scale height of 3.2 kpc at negative latitudes or 4.6 kpc at positive latitudes. Average volume densities of OVI along different sight lines exhibit a dispersion of about 0.26 dex, irrespective of the distances to the target stars. This indicates that OVI does not arise in randomly situated clouds of a fixed size and density, but instead is distributed in regions that have a very broad range of column densities, with the more strongly absorbing clouds having a lower space density. Line widths and centroid velocities are much larger than those expected from differential Galactic rotation, but they are nevertheless correlated with distance and N(OVI), which reinforces our picture of a diverse population of hot plasma regions that are ubiquitous over the entire Galactic disk. The velocity extremes of the OVI profiles show a loose correlation with those of very strong lines of less ionized species, supporting a picture of a turbulent, multiphase medium churned by shock-heated gas from multiple supernova explosions.

To probe the distribution and physical characteristics of interstellar gas at temperatures T approximate to 3 x 10(5) K in the disk of the MilkyWay, we have used the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) to observe absorption lines of O vi lambda 1032 toward 148 early-type stars situated at distances > 1 kpc. After subtracting off a mild excess of O VI arising from the Local Bubble, combining our new results with earlier surveys of O VI, and eliminating stars that show conspicuous localized X-ray emission, we find an average O VI midplane density n(0) 1.3 x 10(-8) cm(-3). The density decreases away from the plane of the Galaxy in a way that is consistent with an exponential scale height of 3.2 kpc at negative latitudes or 4.6 kpc at positive latitudes. Average volume densities of O VI along different sight lines exhibit a dispersion of about 0.26 dex, irrespective of the distances to the target stars. This indicates that O VI does not arise in randomly situated clouds of a fixed size and density, but instead is distributed in regions that have a very broad range of column densities, with the more strongly absorbing clouds having a lower space density. Line widths and centroid velocities are much larger than those expected from differential Galactic rotation, but they are nevertheless correlated with distance and N(O VI), which reinforces our picture of a diverse population of hot plasma regions that are ubiquitous over the entire Galactic disk. The velocity extremes of the O VI profiles show a loose correlation with those of very strong lines of less ionized species, supporting a picture of a turbulent, multiphase medium churned by shock-heated gas from multiple supernova explosions.

BACKGROUND:Transesophageal endoscopic plication (TEP) is a novel endotherapeutic approach in the management of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). This non-randomized prospective study compares TEP with laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication (LNF). METHODS:Twenty-four consecutive patients treated with LNF, and 27 managed by TEP were studied. Symptom severity scores, endoscopy, 24 h esophageal pH and esophageal manometry and quality-of-life assessments were obtained pre- and posttreatment. RESULTS:In the LNF group the mean age was 36 yr (17-68) compared with 39 yr (22-62) in the TEP group. Symptom scoring, acid regurgitation score, reduction in the requirements of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), and quality of life remained significantly improved in both groups at a median of 1 yr [10-18 months] follow-up post procedure. However, the improvement was significantly better in symptom score (p= 0.0383) and the control of acid reflux in the LNF group (p= 0.0007). Post-procedure dysphagia was more common in the LNF group. CONCLUSION:Both techniques improved symptom score, acid regurgitation, quality of life, and reduced the requirements for PPIs. The control of heartburn and acid reflux was better for LNF. TEP, like LNF, is a safe and effective method of management of symptomatic GERD but further developments are necessary to ensure control of esophageal acid reflux.

Green Bank Telescope 21 cm observations have revealed a faint, yet extensive H I cloud population surrounding the Andromeda galaxy (M31). The newfound objects are likely analogs to the high-velocity H I clouds seen around the Milky Way. At least 20 discrete features are detected within 50 kpc of the M31 disk, with radial velocities that are comparable to those of outer disk rotation. In addition, a filamentary "halo" component of at least 30 kpc extent is concentrated at the M31 systemic velocity. Some of the discrete features are organized into elongated systems with velocity continuity, suggestive of tidal streams. The discrete population can be characterized by a steep power-law distribution of number versus H I mass in the range between 105 and 107 M☉. The velocity line width of discrete clouds is correlated with the cloud H I mass such that if the clouds are gravitationally bound this implies a dark matter to H I mass ratio of ~100 : 1. Possible origins for the discrete and halo M31 features include a Local Group "cooling flow," tidal debris from recent mergers or interactions, and the gaseous counterparts of low-mass dark matter halos.

We have used the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer to search for OVI 1031.926, 1037.617 A emission in the halos of the edge-on spiral galaxies NGC4631 and NGC891. In NGC4631, we detected OVI in emission toward a soft X-ray bubble above a region containing numerous Halpha arcs and filaments. The line-of-sight component of the motion of the OVI gas appears to match the underlying disk rotation. The observed OVI luminosities can account for 0.2-2 of the total energy input from supernovae (assuming a full OVI emitting halo) and yield mass flux cooling rates between 0.48 and 2.8 M_sun/yr depending on the model used in the derivations. Based on these findings, we believe it is likely that we are seeing cooling, galactic fountain gas. No emission was detected from the halo of NGC891, a galaxy in a direction with considerably high foreground Galactic extinction.

We present Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) observations of the O VI λλ1031.926, 1037.617 absorption lines associated with gas in and near the Milky Way, as detected in the spectra of a sample of 100 extragalactic targets and two distant halo stars. We combine data from several FUSE Science Team programs with guest observer data that were public before 2002 May 1. The sight lines cover most of the sky above Galactic latitude |b| > 25°—at lower latitude the ultraviolet extinction is usually too large for extragalactic observations. We describe the details of the calibration, alignment in velocity, continuum fitting, and manner in which several contaminants were removed—Galactic H2, absorption intrinsic to the background target and intergalactic Lyβ lines. This decontamination was done very carefully, and in several sight lines very subtle problems were found. We searched for O VI absorption in the velocity range -1200 to 1200 km s-1. With a few exceptions, we only find O VI in the velocity range -400 to 400 km s-1; the exceptions may be intergalactic O VI. In this paper we analyze the O VI associated with the Milky Way (and possibly with the Local Group). We discuss the separation of the observed O VI absorption into components associated with the Milky Way halo and components at high velocity, which are probably located in the neighborhood of the Milky Way. We describe the measurements of equivalent width and column density, and we analyze the different contributions to the errors. We conclude that low-velocity Galactic O VI absorption occurs along all sight lines—the few nondetections only occur in noisy spectra. We further show that high-velocity O VI is very common, having equivalent width >65 mÅ in 50% of the sight lines and equivalent width >30 mÅ in 70% of the high-quality sight lines. The central velocities of high-velocity O VI components range from |vLSR| = 100 to 330 km s-1; there is no correlation between velocity and absorption strength. We discuss the possibilities for studying O VI absorption associated with Local Group galaxies and conclude that O VI is probably detected in M31 and M33. We limit the extent of an O VI halo around M33 to be <100 kpc [at a 3 σ detection limit of log N(O VI) ∼ 14.0]. Using the measured column densities, we present 50 km s-1 wide O VI channel maps. These show evidence for the imprint of Galactic rotation. They also highlight two known H I high-velocity clouds (complex C and the Magellanic Stream). The channel maps further show that O VI at velocities <-200 km s-1 occurs along all sight lines in the region l = 20°-150°, b < -30°, while O VI at velocities >200 km s-1 occurs along all sight lines in the region l = 180°-300°, b > 20°.

Observations obtained with the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) have been used to determine the column densities of D I, N I, and O I along seven sight lines that probe the local interstellar medium (LISM) at distances from 37 to 179 pc. Five of the sight lines are within the Local Bubble, and two penetrate the surrounding H I wall. Reliable values of N(H I) were determined for five of the sight lines from Hubble Space Telescope (HST) data, International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) data, and published Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE) measurements. The weighted mean of D I/H I for these five sight lines is (1.52 ± 0.08) × 10-5 (1 σ uncertainty in the mean). It is likely that the D I/H I ratio in the Local Bubble has a single value. The D I/O I ratio for the five sight lines within the Local Bubble is (3.76 ± 0.20) × 10-2. It is likely that O I column densities can serve as a proxy for H I in the Local Bubble. The weighted mean for O I/H I for the seven FUSE sight lines is (3.03 ± 0.21) × 10-4, comparable to the weighted mean (3.43 ± 0.15) × 10-4 reported for 13 sight lines probing larger distances and higher column densities. The FUSE weighted mean of N I/H I for five sight lines is half that reported by Meyer and colleagues for seven sight lines with larger distances and higher column densities. This result combined with the variability of O I/N I (six sight lines) indicates that at the low column densities found in the LISM, nitrogen ionization balance is important. Thus, unlike O I, N I cannot be used as a proxy for H I or as a metallicity indicator in the LISM.

We present FUSE observations of OVI absorption in a sample of 100 extragalactic targets and 2 distant halo stars. We describe the details of the calibration, alignment in velocity, continuum fitting, and manner in which contaminants were removed (Galactic H2, absorption intrinsic to the background target and intergalactic Ly-beta lines). We searched for OVI absorption in the velocity range -1200 to 1200 km/s. With a few exceptions, we only find OVI between -400 and 400 km/s; the exceptions may be intergalactic OVI. We discuss the separation of the observed OVI absorption into components associated with the Galactic halo and components at high-velocity, which are probably located in the neighborhood of the Galaxy. We describe the measurements of equivalent width and column density, and we analyze the different contributions to the errors. We conclude that low-velocity Galactic OVI absorption occurs along all sightlines - the few non-detections only occur in noisy spectra. We further show that high-velocity OVI is very common, having equivalent width >65 mAA in 50 high-velocity OVI absorption has velocities relative to the LSR of +/-(100–330) km/s; there is no correlation between velocity and absorption strength. We present 50 km/s wide OVI channel maps. These show evidence for the imprint of Galactic rotation. They also highlight two known HI high-velocity clouds (complex C and the Magellanic Stream). The channel maps further show that OVI at velocities <-200 km/s occurs along all sightlines in the region l=20-150, b<-30, while OVI at velocities >200 km/s occurs along all sightlines in the region l=180-300, b>20 (abbreviated).

Very sensitive H I 21 cm observations have been made in 860 directions at delta greater than or equal to -43degrees in search of weak, Galactic, high-velocity H I emission lines at moderate and high Galactic latitudes. One-third of the observations were made toward extragalactic objects that are visible at optical and UV wavelengths. The median rms noise in the survey spectra is 3.4 mK, resulting in a median 4sigma detection level of N-HI = 8 x 10(17) cm(-2) averaged over the 21 0 beam of the telescope. High-velocity H I emission is detected in 37% of the directions; about half of the lines could not have been detected in previous surveys. The median FWHM of detected lines is 30.3 km s(-1). High-velocity H I lines are seen down to the sensitivity limit of the survey, implying that there are likely lines at still lower values of N-H I. The weakest lines have a kinematics and distribution on the sky similar to that of the strong lines and thus do not appear to be a new population. Most of the emission originates from objects which are extended over several degrees; only a few appear to be compact sources. At least 75%, and possibly as many as 90%, of the lines are associated with one of the major high-velocity complexes. With the increased sensitivity of this survey, the Magellanic Stream is seen to extend at least 10 to higher Galactic latitude than previously thought and to be more extended in longitude as well. Wright's Cloud near M33 has an extended low-N-H I component in the direction of the Magellanic Stream. The bright H I features which have dominated most surveys may be mere clumps within larger structures, and not independent objects. Although there are many lines with low column density, their numbers do not increase as rapidly as N-HI(-1), so most of the H I mass in the high-velocity cloud phenomenon likely resides in the more prominent clouds.

We report the first Far-Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer measurements of diffuse O VI (λλ1032, 1038) emission from the general diffuse interstellar medium outside of supernova remnants or superbubbles. We observed a 30′′ × 30′′ region of the sky centered at l = 315.°0 and b = -41.°3. From the observed intensities (2930 ± 290 [random] ± 410 [systematic] and 1790 ± 260 [random] ± 250 [systematic] photons cm-2 s-1 sr-1 in λλ1032 and 1038, respectively), derived equations, and assumptions about the source location, we calculate the intrinsic intensity, electron density, thermal pressure, and emitting depth. The intensities are too large for the emission to originate solely in the Local Bubble. Thus, we conclude that the Galactic thick disk and lower halo also contribute. High-velocity clouds are ruled out because there are none near the pointing direction. The calculated emitting depth is small, indicating that the O VI-bearing gas fills a small volume. The observations can also be used to estimate the cooling rate of the hot interstellar medium and to constrain models. The data also yield the first intensity measurement of the C II 3s 2S1/2-2p 2P3/2 emission line at 1037 Å and place upper limits on the intensities of ultraviolet line emission from C I, C III, Si II, S III, S IV, S VI, and Fe III.

We present far-ultraviolet spectroscopy of the cores of the massive cooling flow clusters Abell 1795 and 2597 obtained with FUSE. As the intracluster gas cools through 3x10^5 K, it should emit strongly in the OVI 1032,1038 resonance lines. We report the detection of OVI 1032 emission in A2597, with a line flux of 1.35 +/- 0.35x10^-15 erg/cm2/s, as well as detection of emission from CIII 977. A marginal detection of CIII 977 emission is also reported for A1795. These observations provide evidence for a direct link between the hot (10^7 K) cooling flow gas and the cool (10^4 K) gas in the optical emission line fients. Assuming simple cooling flow models, the OVI line flux in A2597 corresponds to a mass deposition rate of ~40 Msun/yr within the central 36 kpc. Emission from OVI 1032 was not detected in A1795, with an upper limit of 1.5x10^-15 erg/cm2/s, corresponding to a limit on the mass cooling flow rate of Mdot(28 kpc) < 28 Msun/yr. We have considered several explanations for the lack of detection of OVI emission in A1795 and the weaker than expected flux in A2597, including extinction by dust in the outer cluster, and quenching of thermal conduction by magnetic fields. We conclude that a turbulent mixing model, with some dust extinction, could explain our OVI results while also accounting for the puzzling lack of emission by FeXVII in cluster cooling flows.

We present Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) and Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) observations of interstellar ultraviolet absorption lines in the Galactic high-velocity cloud Complex C and the Intermediate Velocity Arch (IV Arch) in direction of the quasar PG 1259+593 (l=120,b=+58 deg). Absorption lines from CII, NI, NII, OI, AlII, SiII, PII, SII, ArI, FeII, and FeIII are used to study the atomic abundances in these two halo clouds at V_LSR=-130 km/s (Complex C) and V_LSR=-55 km/s (IV Arch). The OI/HI ratio provides the best measure of the overall metallicity in the diffuse interstellar medium, because ionization effects do not alter the ratio, and oxygen is at most only lightly depleted from the gas into dust grains. For Complex C, we find an oxygen abundance of 0.093 (+0.125, -0.047) solar, consistent with the idea that Complex C represents the infall of low metallicity gas onto the Milky Way. In contrast, the oxygen abundance in the IV Arch is 0.98 (+1.21,-0.46) solar, which indicates a Galactic origin. We report the detection of an intermediate- velocity absorption component at +60 km/s that is not seen in HI 21cm emission. The clouds along the PG 1259+593 sight line have a variety of properties, proving that multiple processes are responsible for the creation and circulation of intermediate- and high-velocity gas in the Milky Way halo.

During orbital verification the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer obtained spectra of the terrestrial day airglow between 905 and 1184 Å from an altitude of 766 km. The spectrographs have three apertures that can simultaneously record the atmospheric emissions with limiting instrumental spectral resolutions of approximately 0.4, 0.05, and 0.03 Å. Seven orbits were obtained of observations of the sunlit Earth and disclose a wealth of emissions resulting from the electron impact excitation of N 2 in addition to emissions of O I, N I, and N II produced by both photoelectron impact and by photodestructive excitation and ionization of thermospheric O and N 2 by extreme ultraviolet solar radiation. The argon resonance transitions are unambiguously identified as are previously unreported transitions between highly excited energy levels of O + . These spectra have the highest spectral resolution and sensitivity in this spectral range to date and will provide valuable input to the interpretation of lower resolution spectra from current and future Earth remote sensing missions.

We present far-ultraviolet spectroscopy of the cores of the massive cooling flow clusters Abell 1795 and 2597 obtained with FUSE. As the intracluster gas cools through 3 x 10(exp 5)K, it should emit strongly in the O VI lambda(lambda)1032,1038 resonance lines. We report the detection of O VI (lambda)1032 emission in A2597, with a line flux of 1.35 +/- 0.35 x 10(exp -15) erg/sq cm s, as well as detection of emission from C III (lambda)977. A marginal detection of C III (lambda)977 emission is also reported for A1795. These observations provide evidence for a direct link between the hot (10(exp 7) K) cooling flow gas and the cool (10(exp 4) K) gas in the optical emission line filaments. Assuming simple cooling flow models, the O VI line flux in A2597 corresponds to a mass deposition rate of approx. 40 solar mass /yr within the central 36 kpc. Emission from O VI (lambda)1032 was not detected in A1795, with an upper limit of 1.5 x 10(exp -15) erg/sq cm s, corresponding to a limit on the mass cooling flow rate of M(28 kpc) less than 28M solar mass/ yr. We have considered several explanations for the lack of detection of O VI emission in A1795 and the weaker than expected flux in A2597, including extinction by dust in the outer cluster, and quenching of thermal conduction by magnetic fields. We conclude that a turbulent mixing model, with some dust extinction, could explain our O VI results while also accounting for the puzzling lack of emission by Fe(sub XVII) in cluster cooling flows.

The Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) satellite was launched on June 24, 1999. FUSE is designed to make high resolution (lambda/Delta lambda = 20,000 - 25,000) observations of solar system, galactic, and extragalactic targets in the far ultraviolet wavelength region (905 - 1187 Angstrom). Its high effective area, low background and planned three year life allow observations of objects which have been too faint for previous high resolution instruments in this wavelength range.FUSE has now been in orbit for one year. We discuss the accomplishments of the FUSE mission during this time, and look ahead to the future now that normal operations are under way.

During orbital verification, the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Ex- plorer (FUSE) obtained spectra of the terrestrial day airglow between 905 and 1184 ˚ A from an altitude of 766 km. The spectrographs have three apertures that can simultaneously record the atmospheric emissions with limiting instrumental spectral resolutions of ap- proximately 0.4, 0.05, and 0.03 ˚ A. Seven orbits were obtained of observations of the sunlit Earth and disclose a wealth of emissions resulting from the electron impact excitation of N2 in addition to emissions of O I ,N I ,a nd NII produced by both photoelectron impact and by photodestructive excitation and ionization of thermospheric Oa nd N 2 by extreme ultraviolet solar radiation. The argon resonance transitions are unambiguously identified as are previously unreported transitions between highly excited energy levels of O. These spec- tra have the highest spectral resolution and sensitivity in this spectral range to date and will provide valuable input to the interpretation of lower resolution spectra from current and future Earth remote sensing missions.