114,044 research outputs found
An updated catalog of OH-maser-emitting planetary nebulae
Aims. We studied the characteristics of planetary nebulae (PNe) that show
both OH maser and radio continuum emission (hereafter OHPNe). These have been
proposed to be very young PNe, and therefore, they could be key objects for
understanding the formation and evolution of PNe. Methods. We consulted the
literature searching for interferometric observations of radio continuum and OH
masers toward evolved stars, including the information from several surveys. We
also processed radio continuum and OH maser observations toward PNe in the Very
Large Array data archive. The high positional accuracy provided by
interferometric observations allow us to confirm or reject the association
between OH maser and radio continuum emission. Results. We found a total of six
PNe that present both OH maser and radio continuum emissions, as confirmed with
radio interferometric observations. These are bona fide OHPNe. The confirmed
OHPNe present a bipolar morphology in resolved images of their ionized emission
at different wavelengths, suggesting that the OH maser emission in PNe is
related to nonspherical mass-loss phenomena. The OH maser spectra in PNe
present a clear asymmetry, tending to show blueshifted emission with respect to
the systemic velocity. Their infrared colors suggest that most of these objects
are very young PNe. OHPNe do not form a homogeneous group, and seem to
represent a variety of different evolutionary stages. We suggest that OH masers
pumped in the AGB phase may disappear during the post-AGB phase, but reappear
once the source becomes a PN and its radio continuum emission is amplified by
the OH molecules. Therefore, OH maser emission could last significantly longer
than the previously assumed 1000 yr after the end of the AGB phase. This maser
lifetime may be longer in PNe with more massive central stars, which ionize a
larger amount of gas in the envelope.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figures, 4 tables. Accepted for publication by Astronomy
& Astrophysic
Thermal OH (1667/65 MHz) Absorption and Nonthermal OH (1720 MHz) Emission Towards the W28 Supernova Remnant
The W28 supernova remnant is an excellent prototype for observing shocked gas
resulting from the interaction of supernova remnants (SNRs) and adjacent
molecular clouds (MCs). We present two new signatures of shocked molecular gas
in this remnant. One is the detection of main-line extended OH (1667 MHz)
absorption with broad linewidths. The column density of OH estimated from the
optical depth profiles is consistent with a theoretical model in which
OH is formed behind a C-type shock front. The second is the detection of
extended, weak OH (1720 MHz) line emission with narrow linewidth distributed
throughout the shocked region of W28. These give observational support to the
idea that compact maser sources delineate the brightest component of a much
larger region of main line OH absorption and nonthermal OH (1720 MHz) emission
tracing the global structure of shocked molecular gas. Main line OH (1665/67)
absorption and extended OH (1720 MHz) emission line studies can serve as
powerful tools to detect SNR-MC interaction even when bright OH (1720 MHz)
masers are absent.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures, one table, to appear in ApJ (Jan 10, 2003
OH+ in astrophysical media: state-to-state formation rates, Einstein coefficients and inelastic collision rates with He
The rate constants required to model the OH observations in different
regions of the interstellar medium have been determined using state of the art
quantum methods.
First, state-to-state rate constants for the H+ O()
H + OH reaction have been obtained using
a quantum wave packet method. The calculations have been compared with
time-independent results to asses the accuracy of reaction probabilities at
collision energies of about 1 meV. The good agreement between the simulations
and the existing experimental cross sections in the 1 eV energy range
shows the quality of the results.
The calculated state-to-state rate constants have been fitted to an
analytical form. Second, the Einstein coefficients of OH have been obtained
for all astronomically significant ro-vibrational bands involving the
and/or electronic states.
For this purpose the potential energy curves and electric dipole transition
moments for seven electronic states of OH are calculated with {\it ab
initio} methods at the highest level and including spin-orbit terms, and the
rovibrational levels have been calculated including the empirical spin-rotation
and spin-spin terms. Third, the state-to-state rate constants for inelastic
collisions between He and OH have been calculated using a
time-independent close coupling method on a new potential energy surface. All
these rates have been implemented in detailed chemical and radiative transfer
models. Applications of these models to various astronomical sources show that
inelastic collisions dominate the excitation of the rotational levels of
OH. In the models considered the excitation resulting from the chemical
formation of OH increases the line fluxes by about 10 % or less depending
on the density of the gas
OH far-infrared emission from low- and intermediate-mass protostars surveyed with Herschel-PACS
OH is a key species in the water chemistry of star-forming regions, because
its presence is tightly related to the formation and destruction of water. This
paper presents OH observations from 23 low- and intermediate-mass young stellar
objects obtained with the PACS integral field spectrometer on-board Herschel in
the context of the Water In Star-forming Regions with Herschel (WISH) key
program. Most low-mass sources have compact OH emission (< 5000 AU scale),
whereas the OH lines in most intermediate-mass sources are extended over the
whole PACS detector field-of-view (> 20000 AU). The strength of the OH emission
is correlated with various source properties such as the bolometric luminosity
and the envelope mass, but also with the OI and H2O emission. Rotational
diagrams for sources with many OH lines show that the level populations of OH
can be approximated by a Boltzmann distribution with an excitation temperature
at around 70 K. Radiative transfer models of spherically symmetric envelopes
cannot reproduce the OH emission fluxes nor their broad line widths, strongly
suggesting an outflow origin. Slab excitation models indicate that the observed
excitation temperature can either be reached if the OH molecules are exposed to
a strong far-infrared continuum radiation field or if the gas temperature and
density are sufficiently high. Using realistic source parameters and radiation
fields, it is shown for the case of Ser SMM1 that radiative pumping plays an
important role in transitions arising from upper level energies higher than 300
K. The compact emission in the low-mass sources and the required presence of a
strong radiation field and/or a high density to excite the OH molecules points
towards an origin in shocks in the inner envelope close to the protostar.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics. Abstract
abridge
OH(1720 MHz) Masers As Signposts of Molecular Shocks
We present observations of molecular gas made with the 15-m James Clark
Maxwell Telescope toward the sites of OH(1720 MHz) masers in three supernova
remnants: W28, W44 and 3C391. Maps made in the 12CO J=3-2 line reveal that the
OH masers are preferentially located along the edges of thin filaments or
clumps of molecular gas. There is a strong correlation between the morphology
of the molecular gas and the relativistic gas traced by synchrotron emission at
centimeter wavelengths. Broad CO line widths (dV=30-50 km/s) are seen along
these gaseous ridges, while narrow lines are seen off the ridges. The ratio of
H2CO line strengths is used to determine temperatures in the broad-line gas of
80 K, and the 13CO J=3-2 column density suggests densities of 10^4-10^5 cm{-3}.
These observations support the hypothesis that the OH(1720 MHz) masers
originate in post-shock gas, heated by the passage of a supernova remnant shock
through dense molecular gas. From the observational constraints on the density,
velocity and magnetic field we examine the physical properties of the shock and
discuss the shock-production of OH. These OH(1720 MHz) masers are useful
``signposts'', which point to the most promising locations to study supernova
remnant/molecular cloud interactions.Comment: ApJ (in press
Herschel observations of the hydroxyl radical (OH) in young stellar objects
Water in Star-forming regions with Herschel (WISH) is a Herschel Key Program
investigating the water chemistry in young stellar objects (YSOs) during
protostellar evolution. Hydroxyl (OH) is one of the reactants in the chemical
network most closely linked to the formation and destruction of H2O.
High-temperature chemistry connects OH and H2O through the OH + H2 H2O + H
reactions. Formation of H2O from OH is efficient in the high-temperature regime
found in shocks and the innermost part of protostellar envelopes. Moreover, in
the presence of UV photons, OH can be produced from the photo-dissociation of
H2O. High-resolution spectroscopy of the OH 163.12 micron triplet towards HH 46
and NGC 1333 IRAS 2A was carried out with the Heterodyne Instrument for the Far
Infrared (HIFI) on board Herschel. The low- and intermediate-mass YSOs HH 46,
TMR 1, IRAS 15398-3359, DK Cha, NGC 7129 FIRS 2, and NGC 1333 IRAS 2A were
observed with the Photodetector Array Camera and Spectrometer (PACS) in four
transitions of OH and two [OI] lines. The OH transitions at 79, 84, 119, and
163 micron and [OI] emission at 63 and 145 micron were detected with PACS
towards the class I low-mass YSOs as well as the intermediate-mass and class I
Herbig Ae sources. No OH emission was detected from the class 0 YSO NGC 1333
IRAS 2A, though the 119 micron was detected in absorption. With HIFI, the
163.12 micron was not detected from HH 46 and only tentatively detected from
NGC 1333 IRAS 2A. The combination of the PACS and HIFI results for HH 46
constrains the line width (FWHM > 11 km/s) and indicates that the OH emission
likely originates from shocked gas. This scenario is supported by trends of the
OH flux increasing with the [OI] flux and the bolometric luminosity. Similar OH
line ratios for most sources suggest that OH has comparable excitation
temperatures despite the different physical properties of the sources.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics (Herschel
special issue
Water depletion in the disk atmosphere of Herbig AeBe stars
We present high resolution (R = 100,000) L-band spectroscopy of 11 Herbig
AeBe stars with circumstellar disks. The observations were obtained with the
VLT/CRIRES to detect hot water and hydroxyl radical emission lines previously
detected in disks around T Tauri stars. OH emission lines are detected towards
4 disks. The OH P4.5 (1+,1-) doublet is spectrally resolved as well as the
velocity profile of each component of the doublet. Its characteristic
double-peak profile demonstrates that the gas is in Keplerian rotation and
points to an emitting region extending out to ~ 15-30 AU. The OH, emission
correlates with disk geometry as it is mostly detected towards flaring disks.
None of the Herbig stars analyzed here show evidence of hot water vapor at a
sensitivity similar to that of the OH lines. The non-detection of hot water
vapor emission indicates that the atmosphere of disks around Herbig AeBe stars
are depleted of water molecules. Assuming LTE and optically thin emission we
derive a lower limit to the OH/H2O column density ratio > 1 - 25 in contrast to
T Tauri disks for which the column density ratio is 0.3 -- 0.4.Comment: Accepted for publication in Ap
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