50 research outputs found
Tentative Detection of the Nitrosylium Ion in Space
We report the tentative detection in space of the nitrosylium ion, NO.
The observations were performed towards the cold dense core Barnard 1-b. The
identification of the NO =2--1 line is supported by new laboratory
measurements of NO rotational lines up to the =8--7 transition
(953207.189\,MHz), which leads to an improved set of molecular constants: \,MHz, \,kHz, and \,MHz. The profile of the feature assigned to NO exhibits two
velocity components at 6.5 and 7.5 km s, with column densities of and cm, respectively. New
observations of NO and HNO, also reported here, allow to estimate the following
abundance ratios: (NO)/(NO), and
(HNO)/(NO). This latter value provides important constraints
on the formation and destruction processes of HNO. The chemistry of NO and
other related nitrogen-bearing species is investigated by the means of a
time-dependent gas phase model which includes an updated chemical network
according to recent experimental studies. The predicted abundance for NO
and NO is found to be consistent with the observations. However, that of HNO
relative to NO is too high. No satisfactory chemical paths have been found to
explain the observed low abundance of HNO. HSCN and HNCS are also reported here
with an abundance ratio of . Finally, we have searched for NNO,
NO, HNNO, and NNOH, but only upper limits have been obtained for
their column density, except for the latter for which we report a tentative
3- detection.Comment: To appear in the Astrophysical Journal October 20, 201
Kinematics of the ionized-to-neutral interfaces in Monoceros R2
Context. Monoceros R2 (Mon R2), at a distance of 830 pc, is the only
ultra-compact H ii region (UC H ii) where its associated photon-dominated
region (PDR) can be resolved with the Herschel Space Observatory. Aims. Our aim
is to investigate observationally the kinematical patterns in the interface
regions (i.e., the transition from atomic to molecular gas) associated with Mon
R2. Methods. We used the HIFI instrument onboard Herschel to observe the line
profiles of the reactive ions CH+, OH+ and H2O+ toward different positions in
Mon R2. We derive the column density of these molecules and compare them with
gas-phase chemistry models. Results. The reactive ion CH+ is detected both in
emission (at central and red-shifted velocities) and in absorption (at
blue-shifted velocities). OH+ is detected in absorption at both blue- and
red-shifted velocities, with similar column densities. H2O+ is not detected at
any of the positions, down to a rms of 40 mK toward the molecular peak. At this
position, we find that the OH+ absorption originates in a mainly atomic medium,
and therefore is associated with the most exposed layers of the PDR. These
results are consistent with the predictions from photo-chemical models. The
line profiles are consistent with the atomic gas being entrained in the ionized
gas flow along the walls of the cavity of the H ii region. Based on this
evidence, we are able to propose a new geometrical model for this region.
Conclusions. The kinematical patterns of the OH+ and CH+ absorption indicate
the existence of a layer of mainly atomic gas for which we have derived, for
the first time, some physical parameters and its dynamics.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures. Accepted for publication in A&
Deuteration around the ultracompact HII region Mon R2
The massive star-forming region Mon R2 hosts the closest ultra-compact HII
region that can be spatially resolved with current single-dish telescopes. We
used the IRAM-30m telescope to carry out an unbiased spectral survey toward two
important positions (namely IF and MP2), in order to studying the chemistry of
deuterated molecules toward Mon R2. We found a rich chemistry of deuterated
species at both positions, with detections of C2D, DCN, DNC, DCO+, D2CO, HDCO,
NH2D, and N2D+ and their corresponding hydrogenated species and isotopologs.
Our high spectral resolution observations allowed us to resolve three velocity
components: the component at 10 km/s is detected at both positions and seems
associated with the layer most exposed to the UV radiation from IRS 1; the
component at 12 km/s is found toward the IF position and seems related to the
molecular gas; finally, a component at 8.5 km/s is only detected toward the MP2
position, most likely related to a low-UV irradiated PDR. We derived the column
density of all the species, and determined the deuterium fractions (Dfrac). The
values of Dfrac are around 0.01 for all the observed species, except for HCO+
and N2H+ which have values 10 times lower. The values found in Mon R2 are well
explained with pseudo-time-dependent gas-phase model in which deuteration
occurs mainly via ion-molecule reactions with H2D+, CH2D+ and C2HD+. Finally,
the [H13CN]/[HN13C] ratio is very high (~11) for the 10 km/s component, which
also agree with our model predictions for an age of ~0.01-0.1 Myr. The
deuterium chemistry is a good tool for studying star-forming regions. The
low-mass star-forming regions seem well characterized with Dfrac(N2H+) or
Dfrac(HCO+), but it is required a complete chemical modeling to date massive
star-forming regions, because the higher gas temperature together with the
rapid evolution of massive protostars.Comment: 14 pages of manuscript, 17 pages of apendix, 7 figures in the main
text, accepted for publication in A&
Spatial distribution of small hydrocarbons in the neighborhood of the Ultra Compact HII region Monoceros R2
We study the chemistry of small hydrocarbons in the photon-dominated regions
(PDRs) associated with the ultra-compact HII region Mon R2. Our goal is to
determine the variations of the abundance of small hydrocarbons in a high-UV
irradiated PDR and investigate their chemistry. We present an observational
study of CH, CCH and c-CH in Mon R2 combining data obtained with the
IRAM 30m telescope and Herschel. We determine the column densities of these
species, and compare their spatial distributions with that of polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH). We compare the observational results with different
chemical models to explore the relative importance of gas-phase, grain-surface
and time-dependent chemistry in these environments. The emission of the small
hydrocarbons show different patterns. The CCH emission is extended while CH and
c-CH are concentrated towards the more illuminated layers of the PDR.
The ratio of the column densities of c-CH and CCH shows spatial
variations up to a factor of a few, increasing from
_3_2 in the envelope to a maximum of
towards the 8m emission peak. Comparing these results
with other galactic PDRs, we find that the abundance of CCH is quite constant
over a wide range of G, whereas the abundance of c-CH is higher in
low-UV PDRs. In Mon R2, the gas-phase steady-state chemistry can account
relatively well for the abundances of CH and CCH in the most exposed layers of
the PDR, but falls short by a factor of 10 to reproduce c-CH.
In the molecular envelope, time-dependent effects and grain surface chemistry
play a dominant role in determining the hydrocarbons abundances. Our study
shows that CCH and c-CH present a complex chemistry in which UV
photons, grain-surface chemistry and time dependent effects contribute to
determine their abundances.Comment: 18 pages, 11 figures, 7 tables. Proposed for acceptance in A&A.
Abstract abridge
Far-infrared observations of a massive cluster forming in the Monoceros R2 filament hub
We present far-infrared observations of Monoceros R2 (a giant molecular cloud at approximately 830 pc distance, containing several sites of active star formation), as observed at 70 μm, 160 μm, 250 μm, 350 μm, and 500 μm by the Photodetector Array Camera and Spectrometer (PACS) and Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receiver (SPIRE) instruments on the Herschel Space Observatory as part of the Herschel imaging survey of OB young stellar objects (HOBYS) Key programme. The Herschel data are complemented by SCUBA-2 data in the submillimetre range, and WISE and Spitzer data in the mid-infrared. In addition, C18O data from the IRAM 30-m Telescope are presented, and used for kinematic information. Sources were extracted from the maps with getsources, and from the fluxes measured, spectral energy distributions were constructed, allowing measurements of source mass and dust temperature. Of 177 Herschel sources robustly detected in the region (a detection with high signal-to-noise and low axis ratio at multiple wavelengths), including protostars and starless cores, 29 are found in a filamentary hub at the centre of the region (a little over 1% of the observed area). These objects are on average smaller, more massive, and more luminous than those in the surrounding regions (which together suggest that they are at a later stage of evolution), a result that cannot be explained entirely by selection effects. These results suggest a picture in which the hub may have begun star formation at a point significantly earlier than the outer regions, possibly forming as a result of feedback from earlier star formation. Furthermore, the hub may be sustaining its star formation by accreting material from the surrounding filaments
Gas phase Elemental abundances in Molecular cloudS (GEMS) : IV. Observational results and statistical trends
Gas phase Elemental abundances in Molecular CloudS (GEMS) is an IRAM 30 m Large Program designed to provide estimates of the S, C, N, and O depletions and gas ionization degree, X(e(-)), in a selected set of star-forming filaments of Taurus, Perseus, and Orion. Our immediate goal is to build up a complete and large database of molecular abundances that can serve as an observational basis for estimating X(e(-)) and the C, O, N, and S depletions through chemical modeling. We observed and derived the abundances of 14 species ((CO)-C-13, (CO)-O-18, HCO+, (HCO+)-C-13, (HCO+)-O-18, HCN, (HCN)-C-13, HNC, HCS+, CS, SO, (SO)-S-34, H2S, and OCS) in 244 positions, covering the A(V) similar to 3 to similar to 100 mag, n(H-2) similar to a few 10(3) to 10(6) cm(-3), and T-k similar to 10 to similar to 30 K ranges in these clouds, and avoiding protostars, HII regions, and bipolar outflows. A statistical analysis is carried out in order to identify general trends between different species and with physical parameters. Relations between molecules reveal strong linear correlations which define three different families of species: (1) (CO)-C-13 and (CO)-O-18 isotopologs; (2) (HCO+)-C-13, (HCO+)-O-18, H-13 CN, and HNC; and (3) the S-bearing molecules. The abundances of the CO isotopologs increase with the gas kinetic temperature until T-K similar to 15 K. For higher temperatures, the abundance remains constant with a scatter of a factor of similar to 3. The abundances of H-13 CO+, HC18 O+, H-13 CN, and HNC are well correlated with each other, and all of them decrease with molecular hydrogen density, following the law proportional to n(H-2)(-0.8 +/- 0.2). The abundances of S-bearing species also decrease with molecular hydrogen density at a rate of (S-bearing/H)(gas) proportional to n(H-2)(-0.6 +/- 0.1). The abundances of molecules belonging to groups 2 and 3 do not present any clear trend with gas temperature. At scales of molecular clouds, the (CO)-O-18 abundance is the quantity that better correlates with the cloud mass. We discuss the utility of the (CO)-C-13/(CO)-O-18, HCO+/(HCO+)-C-13, and H-13 CO+/(HCN)-C-13 abundance ratios as chemical diagnostics of star formation in external galaxies.Peer reviewe
Chemical footprint of star formation feedback in M 82 on scales of ~100 pc
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