69 research outputs found
The abundance of S- and Si-bearing molecules in O-rich circumstellar envelopes of AGB stars
Aims: We aim to determine the abundances of SiO, CS, SiS, SO, and SO in a
large sample of oxygen-rich AGB envelopes covering a wide range of mass loss
rates to investigate the potential role that these molecules could play in the
formation of dust in these environments.
Methods:We surveyed a sample of 30 oxygen-rich AGB stars in the 2
mm band using the IRAM 30m telescope. We performed excitation and radiative
transfer calculations based on the LVG method to model the observed lines of
the molecules and to derive their fractional abundances in the observed
envelopes.
Results:We detected SiO in all 30 targeted envelopes, as well as CS, SiS, SO,
and SO in 18, 13, 26, and 19 sources, respectively. Remarkably, SiS is not
detected in any envelope with a mass loss rate below M
yr, whereas it is detected in all envelopes with mass loss rates above
that threshold. From a comparison with a previous, similar study on C-rich
sources, it becomes evident that the fractional abundances of CS and SiS show a
marked differentiation between C-rich and O-rich sources, being two orders of
magnitude and one order of magnitude more abundant in C-rich sources,
respectively, while the fractional abundance of SiO turns out to be insensitive
to the C/O ratio. The abundance of SiO in O-rich envelopes behaves similarly to
C-rich sources, that is, the denser the envelope the lower its abundance. A
similar trend, albeit less clear than for SiO, is observed for SO in O-rich
sources.
Conclusions: The marked dependence of CS and SiS abundances on the C/O ratio
indicates that these two molecules form more efficiently in C- than O-rich
envelopes. The decline in the abundance of SiO with increasing envelope density
and the tentative one for SO indicate that SiO and possibly SO act as gas-phase
precursors of dust in circumstellar envelopes around O-rich AGB stars.Comment: 22 pages, 3 figures, Accepted for publications in Astronomy &
Astrophysic
The abundance of 28Si32S, 29Si32S, 28Si34S, and 30Si32S in the inner layers of the envelope of IRC+10216
We present high spectral resolution mid-IR observations of SiS towards the
C-rich AGB star IRC+10216 carried out with the Texas Echelon-cross-Echelle
Spectrograph mounted on the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility. We have
identified 204 ro-vibrational lines of 28Si32S, 26 of 29Si32S, 20 of 28Si34S,
and 15 of 30Si32S in the frequency range 720-790 cm-1. These lines belong to
bands v=1-0, 2-1, 3-2, 4-3, and 5-4, and involve rotational levels with
Jlow<90. About 30 per cent of these lines are unblended or weakly blended and
can be partially or entirely fitted with a code developed to model the mid-IR
emission of a spherically symmetric circumstellar envelope composed of
expanding gas and dust. The observed lines trace the envelope at distances to
the star <35R* (~0.7 arcsec). The fits are compatible with an expansion
velocity of 1+2.5(r/R*-1) km/s between 1 and 5R*, 11 km/s between 5 and 20R*,
and 14.5 km/s outwards. The derived abundance profile of 28Si32S with respect
to H2 is 4.9e-6 between the stellar photosphere and 5R*, decreasing linearly to
1.6e-6 at 20R* and to 1.3e-6 at 50R*. 28Si32S seems to be rotationally under
LTE in the region of the envelope probed with our observations and
vibrationally out of LTE in most of it. There is a red-shifted emission excess
in the 28Si32S lines of band v=1-0 that cannot be found in the lines of bands
v=2-1, 3-2, 4-3, and 5-4. This excess could be explained by an enhancement of
the vibrational temperature around 20R* behind the star. The derived isotopic
ratios 28Si/29Si, and 32S/34S are 17 and 14, compatible with previous
estimates.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures, and 4 tables. Accepted for publication in MNRA
Clues to NaCN formation
ALMA is providing us essential information on where certain molecules form.
Observing where these molecules emission arises from, the physical conditions
of the gas, and how this relates with the presence of other species allows us
to understand the formation of many species, and to significantly improve our
knowledge of the chemistry that occurs in the space. We studied the molecular
distribution of NaCN around IRC +10216, a molecule detected previously, but
whose origin is not clear. High angular resolution maps allow us to model the
abundance distribution of this molecule and check suggested formation paths. We
modeled the emission of NaCN assuming local thermal equilibrium (LTE)
conditions. These profiles were fitted to azimuthal averaged intensity profiles
to obtain an abundance distribution of NaCN. We found that the presence of NaCN
seems compatible with the presence of CN, probably as a result of the
photodissociation of HCN, in the inner layers of the ejecta of IRC +10216.
However, similar as for CH 3 CN, current photochemical models fail to reproduce
this CN reservoir. We also found that the abundance peak of NaCN appears at a
radius of 3 x 10 15 cm, approximately where the abundance of NaCl, suggested to
be the parent species, starts to decay. However, the abundance ratio shows that
the NaCl abundance is lower than that obtained for NaCN. We expect that the LTE
assumption might result in NaCN abundances higher than the real ones. Updated
photochemical models, collisional rates, and reaction rates are essential to
determine the possible paths of the NaCN formation.Comment: 7 pages, 10 figures. Accepted for publication in A&A letter
Through the magnifying glass: ALMA acute viewing of the intricate nebular architecture of OH231.8+4.2
We present continuum and molecular line emission ALMA observations of OH
231.8+4.2, a well studied bipolar nebula around an asymptotic giant branch
(AGB) star. The high angular resolution (~0.2-0.3 arcsec) and sensitivity of
our ALMA maps provide the most detailed and accurate description of the overall
nebular structure and kinematics of this object to date. We have identified a
number of outflow components previously unknown. Species studied in this work
include 12CO, 13CO, CS, SO, SO2, OCS, SiO, SiS, H3O+, Na37Cl, and CH3OH. The
molecules Na37Cl and CH3OH are first detections in OH 231.8+4.2, with CH3OH
being also a first detection in an AGB star. Our ALMA maps bring to light the
totally unexpected position of the mass-losing AGB star (QX Pup) relative to
the large-scale outflow. QX Pup is enshrouded within a compact (<60 AU) parcel
of dust and gas (clump S) in expansion (V~5-7 km/s) that is displaced by
0.6arcsec to the south of the dense equatorial region (or waist) where the
bipolar lobes join. Our SiO maps disclose a compact bipolar outflow that
emerges from QX Pup's vicinity. This outflow is oriented similarly to the
large-scale nebula but the expansion velocities are about ten times lower (~35
km/s). We deduce short kinematical ages for the SiO outflow, ranging from
~50-80 yr, in regions within ~150 AU, to ~400-500 yr at the lobe tips (~3500
AU). Adjacent to the SiO outflow, we identify a small-scale hourglass-shaped
structure (mini-hourglass) that is probably made of compressed ambient material
formed as the SiO outflow penetrates the dense, central regions of the nebula.
The lobes and the equatorial waist of the mini-hourglass are both radially
expanding with a constant velocity gradient. The mini-waist is characterized by
extremely low velocities, down to ~1 km/s at ~150 AU, which tentatively suggest
the presence of a stable structure. (abridged
The Abundance of SiC2 in Carbon Star Envelopes: Evidence that SiC2 is a gas-phase precursor of SiC dust
Silicon carbide dust is ubiquitous in circumstellar envelopes around C-rich
AGB stars. However, the main gas-phase precursors leading to the formation of
SiC dust have not yet been identified. The most obvious candidates among the
molecules containing an Si--C bond detected in C-rich AGB stars are SiC2, SiC,
and Si2C. We aim to study how widespread and abundant SiC2, SiC, and Si2C are
in envelopes around C-rich AGB stars and whether or not these species play an
active role as gas-phase precursors of silicon carbide dust in the ejecta of
carbon stars. We carried out sensitive observations with the IRAM 30m telescope
of a sample of 25 C-rich AGB stars to search for emission lines of SiC2, SiC,
and Si2C in the 2 mm band. We performed non-LTE excitation and radiative
transfer calculations based on the LVG method to model the observed lines of
SiC2 and to derive SiC2 fractional abundances in the observed envelopes. We
detect SiC2 in most of the sources, SiC in about half of them, and do not
detect Si2C in any source, at the exception of IRC +10216. Most of these
detections are reported for the first time in this work. We find a positive
correlation between the SiC and SiC2 line emission, which suggests that both
species are chemically linked, the SiC radical probably being the
photodissociation product of SiC2 in the external layer of the envelope. We
find a clear trend in which the denser the envelope, the less abundant SiC2 is.
The observed trend is interpreted as an evidence of efficient incorporation of
SiC2 onto dust grains, a process which is favored at high densities owing to
the higher rate at which collisions between particles take place. The observed
behavior of a decline in the SiC2 abundance with increasing density strongly
suggests that SiC2 is an important gas-phase precursor of SiC dust in envelopes
around carbon stars.Comment: Published in A&A. 16 pages and 10 figure
Zooming in on VY CMa ejecta
The Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA), Cagliari, Italy 14–18 October 2019ALMA has allowed us to study the ejecta around evolved stars with unprecedented resolution. This extremely high resolution at the millimeter domain provides a unique tool to study the processes taking place in the innermost regions of these evolved stars. In particular, the processes leading to the mass ejections of the Red Supergiant stars are unknown. The pulsation process responsible for mass ejection in the intermediate mass AGB phase does not work in the high mass evolved stars. Therefore, studying the characteristics of the mass ejections near the photosphere of the massive stars is essential to constrain the processes leading to the observed gas ejection. In this sense, we have obtained interferometric maps in the range 231.7 ¿ 235.3 GHz of the ejecta around the Red Supergiant star VY CMa with an spatial resolution of 0.02>. These maps revealed a level of complexity higher than previously anticipated from previous observations. The complexity seems to be due both to structural and chemical processes. The molecular lines covered within these maps range from upper energies 19 up to 3400 K, tracing different excitation conditions. We will present a global view of the different structures observedThe research leading to these results has received funding from the European
Research Council under the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
(FP/2007-2013) / ERC Grant Agreement n. 610256 (NANOCOSMOS). We would also
like to thank the Spanish MINECO for funding support from grants CSD2009-00038,
AYA2012-32032, AYA2016-75066-C2-1-P & AYA2016-78994-P. M.A. also thanks for
funding support from the Ramón y Cajal programme of Spanish MINECO (RyC-2014-
16277)
Discovery of SiCSi in IRC+10216: A missing link between gas and dust carriers of SiC bonds
We report the discovery in space of a disilicon species, SiCSi, from
observations between 80 and 350 GHz with the IRAM 30m radio telescope. Owing to
the close coordination between laboratory experiments and astrophysics, 112
lines have now been detected in the carbon-rich star CWLeo. The derived
frequencies yield improved rotational and centrifugal distortion constants up
to sixth order. From the line profiles and interferometric maps with the
Submillimeter Array, the bulk of the SiCSi emis- sion arises from a region of 6
arcseconds in radius. The derived abundance is comparable to that of SiC2. As
expected from chemical equilibrium calculations, SiCSi and SiC2 are the most
abundant species harboring a SiC bond in the dust formation zone and certainly
both play a key role in the formation of SiC dust grains.Comment: To be published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters; Accepted May 6
201
The Maser-emitting Structure and Time Variability of the SiS Lines J =14-13 and 15-14 in IRC+10216
2 pags., 1 tab. -- Why Galaxies Care About AGB Stars: A Continuing Challenge through Cosmic Time Proceedings IAU Symposium No. 343, 2019
F. Kerschbaum, M. Groenewegen & H. Olofsson, eds.AGB stars are important contributors of processed matter to the ISM. However, the physical and chemical mechanisms involved in its ejection are still poorly known. This process is expected to have remarkable effects in the innermost envelope, where the dust grains are formed, the gas is accelerated, the chemistry is active, and the radiative excitation becomes important. A good tracer of this region in C-rich stars is SiS, an abundant refractory molecule that can display maser lines, very sensitive to changes in the physical conditions. We present high angular resolution interferometer observations (HPBW â‰30.″.25) of the v = 0 J = 14-13 and 15-14 SiS maser lines towards the archetypal AGB star IRC+10216, carried out with CARMA and ALMA to explore the inner 1> region around the central star. We also present an ambitious monitoring of these lines along one single pulsation period carried out with the IRAM 30 m telescope.The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Research
Council under the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013)/
ERC grant agreement nâ—¦ 610256: NANOCOSMO
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