12,026 research outputs found
The far-IR spectrum of Sagittarius B2 region: Extended molecular absorption, photodissociation and photoionization
We present large scale 9'x 27'(25 pc x 70 pc) far-IR observations around Sgr
B2 using the Long-wavelength spectrometer (LWS) on board the Infrared Space
Observatory (ISO). The spectra are dominated by the strong continuum emission
of dust, the widespread molecular absorption of light hydrides (OH, CH and H2O)
and the fine structure lines of [NII], [NIII], [OIII], [CII] and [OI]. The
molecular richness in the outer layers of Sgr B2 is probed by the ISO-LWS
Fabry-Perot (35 km s^-1) detections towards Sgr B2(M), where more that 70 lines
from 15 molecular and atomic species are observed at high signal to noise
ratio.Comment: 46 pages, 10 figures, 5 tables, accepted in ApJ part I. (Figs. 1, 2,
3, 9 and 10 have been bitmapped to low resolution
The largest oxigen bearing organic molecule repository
We present the first detection of complex aldehydes and isomers in three
typical molecular clouds located within 200pc of the center of our Galaxy.
We find very large abundances of these complex organic molecules (COMs) in
the central molecular zone (CMZ), which we attribute to the ejection of COMs
from grain mantles by shocks. The relative abundances of the different COMs
with respect to that of CH3OH are strikingly similar for the three sources,
located in very different environments in the CMZ. The similar relative
abundances point toward a unique grain mantle composition in the CMZ. Studying
the Galactic center clouds and objects in the Galactic disk having large
abundances of COMs, we find that more saturated molecules are more abundant
than the non-saturated ones. We also find differences between the relative
abundance between COMs in the CMZ and the Galactic disk, suggesting different
chemical histories of the grain mantles between the two regions in the Galaxy
for the complex aldehydes. Different possibilities for the grain chemistry on
the icy mantles in the GC clouds are briefly discussed. Cosmic rays can play an
important role in the grain chemistry. With these new detections, the molecular
clouds in the Galactic center appear to be one of the best laboratories for
studying the formation of COMs in the Galaxy.Comment: 20 pages, 4 figures, accepted in Ap
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