Submillimeter spectroscopy of southern hot cores: NGC6334(I) and G327.3-0.6

High-mass star-forming regions are known to have a rich molecular spectrum from many species. Some of the very highly excited lines are emitted from very hot and dense gas close to the central object(s). The physics and chemistry of the inner cores of two high mass star forming regions, NGC6334(I) and G327.3-0.6, shall be characterized. Submillimeter line surveys with the APEX telescope provide spectra which sample many molecular lines at high excitation stages. Partial spectral surveys were obtained, the lines were identified, physical parameters were determined through fitting of the spectra. Both sources show similar spectra that are comparable to that of the only other high mass star forming region ever surveyed in this frequency range}, Orion-KL, but with an even higher line density. Evidence for very compact, very hot sources is found.Comment: APEX A&A special issue, accepte

Complex organic molecules in the interstellar medium: IRAM 30 m line survey of Sagittarius B2(N) and (M)

The discovery of amino acids in meteorites and the detection of glycine in samples returned from a comet to Earth suggest that the interstellar chemistry is capable of producing such complex organic molecules. Our goal is to investigate the degree of chemical complexity that can be reached in the ISM. We performed an unbiased, spectral line survey toward Sgr B2(N) and (M) with the IRAM 30m telescope in the 3mm window. The spectra were analyzed with a simple radiative transfer model that assumes LTE but takes optical depth effects into account. About 3675 and 945 spectral lines with a peak signal-to-noise ratio higher than 4 are detected toward N and M, i.e. about 102 and 26 lines per GHz, respectively. This represents an increase by about a factor of 2 over previous surveys of Sgr B2. About 70% and 47% of the lines detected toward N and M are identified and assigned to 56 and 46 distinct molecules as well as to 66 and 54 less abundant isotopologues of these molecules, respectively. We also report the detection of transitions from 59 and 24 catalog entries corresponding to vibrationally or torsionally excited states of some of these molecules, respectively. Excitation temperatures and column densities were derived for each species but should be used with caution. Among the detected molecules, aminoacetonitrile, n-propyl cyanide, and ethyl formate were reported for the first time in space based on this survey, as were 5 rare isotopologues of vinyl cyanide, cyanoacetylene, and hydrogen cyanide. We also report the detection of transitions from within 12 new vib. or tors. excited states of known molecules. Although the large number of unidentified lines may still allow future identification of new molecules, we expect most of these lines to belong to vib. or tors. excited states or to rare isotopologues of known molecules for which spectroscopic predictions are currently missing. (abridged)Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A. 266 pages (39 pages of text), 111 tables, 8 figure

First interstellar detection of OH+

The Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX) 12m telescope was used to observe the N=1-0, J=0-1 ground state transitions of OH+ at 909.1588 GHz with the CHAMP+ heterodyne array receiver. Two blended hyperfine structure transitions were detected in absorption against the strong continuum source Sagittarius B2(M) and in several pixels offset by 18". Both, absorption from Galactic center gas as well as absorption from diffuse clouds in intervening spiral arms in a velocity range from -116 to 38.5 km/s is observed. The total OH+ column density of absorbing gas is 2.4 \times 10^15 cm-2. A column density local to Sgr B2(M) of 2.6 \times 10^14 cm-2 is found. On the intervening line-of-sight the column density per unit velocity interval are in the range from 1 to 40 \times 10^12 cm-2/(km/s). OH+ is found to be on average more abundant than other hydrides such as SH+ and CH+. Abundance ratios of OH and atomic oxygen to OH+ are found to be in the range of 10^1-2 and 10^3-4, respectively. The detected absorption of a continuous velocity range on the line-of-sight shows OH+ to be an abundant component of diffuse clouds.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic

Virtually the Same? Understanding Virtual and F2F Farmer Audiences

Agricultural and extension educators frequently employ a variety of methods to provide farmers with information about conservation practices. The introduction of virtual programming brought on in response to the COVID-19 pandemic set the stage for analysis of farmer outreach preferences with respect to face-to-face (F2F) versus virtual outreach. Using survey data of individuals who participated in field days in Iowa, we segmented participants based on their F2F or virtual attendance. We compared the groups based on key variables such as water quality concerns, communication behaviors, outreach preferences, and demographics. Our work suggests that a broad and dynamic communication strategy, including both in-person and virtual events, offers greater opportunities for dissemination of ideas and increases access to content