1,450 research outputs found
Characterizing the chemical pathways for water formation -- A deep search for hydrogen peroxide
In 2011, hydrogen peroxide (HOOH) was observed for the first time outside the
solar system (Bergman et al., A&A, 2011, 531, L8). This detection appeared a
posteriori quite natural, as HOOH is an intermediate product in the formation
of water on the surface of dust grains. Following up on this detection, we
present a search for HOOH in a diverse sample of sources in different
environments, including low-mass protostars and regions with very high column
densities, such as Infrared Dark Clouds (IRDCs). We do not detect the molecule
in any other source than Oph A, and derive 3 upper limits for the
abundance of HOOH relative to H lower than in Oph A for most sources. This
result sheds a different light on our understanding of the detection of HOOH in
Oph A, and shifts the puzzle to why this source seems to be special. Therefore
we rediscuss the detection of HOOH in Oph A, as well as the implications of the
low abundance of HOOH, and its similarity with the case of O. Our chemical
models show that the production of HOOH is extremely sensitive to the
temperature, and favored only in the range 2030 K. The relatively high
abundance of HOOH observed in Oph A suggests that the bulk of the material lies
at a temperature in the range 2030 K.Comment: 18 pages, 3 figures, invited refereed paper at the Faraday Discussion
16
Massive Infrared-Quiet Dense Cores: Unveiling the Initial Conditions of High-Mass Star Formation
As Pr. Th. Henning said at the conference, cold precursors of high-mass stars
are now "hot topics". We here propose some observational criteria to identify
massive infrared-quiet dense cores which can host the high-mass analogs of
Class 0 protostars and pre-stellar condensations. We also show how far-infrared
to millimeter imaging surveys of entire complexes forming OB stars are starting
to unveil the initial conditions of high-mass star formation
Physical conditions in the Protoplanetary Nebula CRL 618 derived from observations of vibrationally excited HCCCN
We used the Effelsberg 100m and IRAM 30m telescopes to observe vibrationally
excited cyanoacetylene (HCCCN) in several rotational transitions toward the
proto-planetary nebula CRL618. Lines from 9 different vibrationally excited
states with energies ranging up to 1600 K above ground were detected. The lines
show P Cygni profiles indicating that the HCCCN emission originates from an
expanding and accelerating molecular envelope. The HCCCN rotational temperature
varies with velocity, peaks at 520 K, 3 km/s blue-shifted from the systemic
velocity and decreases with higher blueshift of the gas. The column density of
the absorbing HCCCN is 3-6 x 1E17 cm^2. We modeled spectra based on spherical
models of the expanding envelope which provide an excellent fit to the
observations, and discuss the implications of the models. Additionally, lines
from 13C substituted cyanoacetylene were observed. They can be used to
constrain the 12C/13C ratio in this source to 10+-2.Comment: 27 pages, 9 figures, to appear in Ap
Detection of a branched alkyl molecule in the interstellar medium: iso-propyl cyanide
The largest non-cyclic molecules detected in the interstellar medium (ISM)
are organic with a straight-chain carbon backbone. We report an interstellar
detection of a branched alkyl molecule, iso-propyl cyanide (i-C3H7CN), with an
abundance 0.4 times that of its straight-chain structural isomer. This
detection suggests that branched carbon-chain molecules may be generally
abundant in the ISM. Our astrochemical model indicates that both isomers are
produced within or upon dust grain ice mantles through the addition of
molecular radicals, albeit via differing reaction pathways. The production of
iso-propyl cyanide appears to require the addition of a functional group to a
non-terminal carbon in the chain. Its detection therefore bodes well for the
presence in the ISM of amino acids, for which such side-chain structure is a
key characteristic.Comment: This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by
permission of the AAAS for non-commercial use. The definitive version was
published in Science 345, 1584 (2014), doi:10.1126/science.125667
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
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