From star-formation to recombination: expanding our view of the radio recombination line universe

The origin and evolution of galaxies are closely tied to the cyclic feedback processes between stars and the interstellar medium (ISM). The aim of this thesis is to explore characteristics of the ISM, on global (galactic) scales down to sub-cloud (pc) scales. We explore new methods to investigate the ISM in external galaxies, through radio recombination line observations, and develop the tools and strategies needed to process new low-frequency observations with the Low Frequency Array. We also infer the presence of massive stars and characterize their properties and influence on the ISM. This thesis addresses the questions:- How does low-density ionized gas affect the evolution of the massive, galactic star-forming region, Cygnus X? Are the same fingerprints present in surveys of low-density ionized gas in our Galaxy?- What are the properties of star formation (star clusters) in the central starburst of the galaxy NGC 4945?- Can the ISM be explored outside of the local universe through radio recombination line observations? What are the ISM properties of a dwarf-like galaxy at z=1.1?- What techniques are best suited to detect faint radio recombination lines (at a previously unknown redshift) in extragalactic sources?Interstellar matter and star formatio

Arecibo-green bank-LOFAR carbon radio recombination line observations toward cold H I clouds

Interstellar matter and star formatio

The ionization fraction in OMC-2 and OMC-3

Context. The electron density (n) plays an important role in setting the chemistry and physics of the interstellar medium. However, measurements of n in neutral clouds have been directly obtained only toward a few lines of sight or they rely on indirect determinations. Aims. We use carbon radio recombination lines and the far-infrared lines of C to directly measure neand the gas temperature in the envelope of the integral shaped filament (ISF) in the Orion A molecular cloud. Methods. We observed the C102 alpha (6109.901 MHz) and C109 alpha (5011.420 MHz) carbon radio recombination lines (CRRLs) using the Effelsberg 100 m telescope at approximate to 2 ' resolution toward five positions in OMC-2 and OMC-3. Since the CRRLs have similar line properties, we averaged them to increase the signal-to-noise ratio of the spectra. We compared the intensities of the averaged CRRLs, and the 158 mu m-[CII] and [(CII)-C-13] lines to the predictions of a homogeneous model for the C/C interface in the envelope of a molecular cloud and from this comparison we determined the electron density, temperature and C column density of the gas. Results. We detect the CRRLs toward four positions, where their velocity (v approximate to 11 km s) and widths (sigma v approximate to 1 km s) confirms that they trace the envelope of the ISF. Toward two positions we detect the CRRLs, and the 158 mu m-[CII] and [13CII] lines with a signal-to-noise ratio >= 5, and we find ne= 0.65 +/- 0.12 cm-3 and 0.95 +/- 0.02 cm(-3), which corresponds to a gas density nH approximate to 5 x 10(3) cm(-3) and a thermal pressure of p approximate to 4 x 10. We also constrained the ionization fraction in the denser portions of the molecular cloud using the HCN(1-0) and CH(1-0) lines to x(e) = 100 between the Clayer and the regions probed by HCN(1-0). This suggests that electron collisional excitation does not play a significant role in setting the excitation of HCN(1-0) toward the region studied, as it is responsible for only approximate to 10% of the observed emission.Interstellar matter and star formatio

Mapping low-frequency carbon radio recombination lines towards Cassiopeia A at 340, 148, 54, and 43 MHz

Quantitative understanding of the interstellar medium requires knowledge of its physical conditions. Low-frequency carbon radio recombination lines (CRRLs) trace cold interstellar gas and can be used to determine its physical conditions (e.g. electron temperature and density). In this work, we present spatially resolved observations of the low-frequency (≤390 MHz) CRRLs centred around C268α, C357α, C494α, and C539α towards Cassiopeia A on scales of ≤1.2 pc. We compare the spatial distribution of CRRLs with other interstellar medium tracers. This comparison reveals a spatial offset between the peak of the CRRLs and other tracers, which is very characteristic for photodissociation regions and that we take as evidence for CRRLs being preferentially detected from the surfaces of molecular clouds. Using the CRRLs, we constrain the gas electron temperature and density. These constraints on the gas conditions suggest variations of less than a factor of 2 in pressure over ˜1 pc scales, and an average hydrogen density of 200-470 cm-3. From the electron temperature and density maps, we also constrain the ionized carbon emission measure, column density, and path length. Based on these, the hydrogen column density is larger than 1022 cm-2, with a peak of ˜4 × 1022 cm-2 towards the south of Cassiopeia A. Towards the southern peak, the line-of-sight length is ˜40 pc over a ˜2 pc wide structure, which implies that the gas is a thin surface layer on a large (molecular) cloud that is only partially intersected by Cassiopeia A. These observations highlight the utility of CRRLs as tracers of low-density extended H I and CO-dark gas halo's around molecular clouds.Interstellar matter and star formatio

PKS 1413+135: OH and H i at z = 0.247 with MeerKAT

The BL Lac object PKS 1413+135 was observed by the Large Survey Project MeerKAT Absorption Line Survey (MALS) in the L-band, at 1139 MHz and 12931379 MHz, targeting the HI and OH lines in absorption at z=0.24671. The radio continuum might come from the nucleus of the absorbing galaxy or from a background object at redshift lower than 0.5, as suggested by the absence of gravitational images. The HI absorption line is detected at a high signal-To-noise ratio, with a narrow central component, and with a red wing, confirming previous results. The OH 1720 MHz line is clearly detected in (maser) emission, peaking at a velocity shifted by-10 to-15 km s-1 with respect to the HI peak. The 1612 MHz line is lost due to radio frequency interference. The OH 1667 MHz main line is tentatively detected in absorption, but not the 1665 MHz line. Over 30 years a high variability is observed in optical depths, due to the rapid changes of the line of sight caused by the superluminal motions of the radio knots. The HI line has varied by 20% in depth, while the OH-1720 MHz depth has varied by a factor of ∼3. The position of the central velocity and the widths also varied. The absorbing galaxy is an early-Type spiral (maybe S0) seen edge-on, with a prominent dust lane, covering the whole disk. Given the measured mass concentration and the radio continuum size at centimeter wavelengths (100 mas corresponding to 400 pc at z=0.25), the width of the absorption lines from the nuclear regions are expected up to 250 km s-1. The narrowness of the observed lines (< 15 km s-1) suggests that the absorption comes from an outer gas ring, as frequently observed in S0 galaxies. The millimetric lines are even narrower (< 1 km s-1), which corresponds to the continuum size restricted to the core. The radio core is covered by individual 1 pc molecular clouds, whose column density is a few 1022 cm-2, which is compatible with the gas screen detected in X-rays

Discovery of Hydrogen Radio Recombination Lines at z = 0.89 toward PKS 1830-211

We report the detection of stimulated hydrogen radio recombination line (RRL) emission from ionized gas in a z = 0.89 galaxy using 580-1670 MHz observations from the MeerKAT Absorption Line Survey. The RRL emission originates in a galaxy that intercepts and strongly lenses the radio blazar PKS 1830−211 (z = 2.5). This is the second detection of RRLs outside of the local Universe and the first clearly associated with hydrogen. We detect effective H144α (and H163α) transitions at observed frequencies of 1156 (798) MHz by stacking 17 (27) RRLs with 21σ (14σ) significance. The RRL emission contains two main velocity components and is coincident in velocity with H i 21 cm and OH 18 cm absorption. We use the RRL spectral line energy distribution and a Bayesian analysis to constrain the density (n e ) and the volume-averaged path length (ℓ) of the ionized gas. We determine log ( n e ) = 2.0 − 0.7 + 1.0 cm−3 and log ( ℓ ) = − 0.7 − 1.1 + 1.1 pc toward the northeast (NE) lensed image, likely tracing the diffuse thermal phase of the ionized ISM in a thin disk. Toward the southwest (SW) lensed image, we determine log ( n e ) = 3.2 − 1.0 + 0.4 cm−3 and log ( ℓ ) = − 2.7 − 0.2 + 1.8 pc, tracing gas that is more reminiscent of H scii regions. We estimate a star formation (surface density) rate of ΣSFR ∼ 0.6 M ⊙ yr−1 kpc−2 or SFR ∼ 50 M ⊙ yr−1, consistent with a star-forming main-sequence galaxy of M ⋆ ∼ 1011 M ⊙. The discovery presented here opens up the possibility of studying ionized gas at high redshifts using RRL observations from current and future (e.g., SKA and ngVLA) radio facilities

ALCHEMI Finds a “Shocking” Carbon Footprint in the Starburst Galaxy NGC 253

The centers of starburst galaxies may be characterized by a specific gas and ice chemistry due to their gas dynamics and the presence of various ice desorption mechanisms. This may result in a peculiar observable composition. We analyse the abundances of CO2, a reliable tracer of ice chemistry, from data collected as part of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array large program ALCHEMI, a wide-frequency spectral scan toward the starburst galaxy NGC 253 with an angular resolution of 1.″6. We constrain the CO2 abundances in the gas phase using its protonated form HOCO+. The distribution of HOCO+ is similar to that of methanol, which suggests that HOCO+ is indeed produced from the protonation of CO2 sublimated from ice. The HOCO+ fractional abundances are found to be (1-2) 7 10−9 at the outer part of the central molecular zone (CMZ), while they are lower (∼10−10) near the kinematic center. This peak fractional abundance at the outer CMZ is comparable to that in the Milky Way CMZ, and orders of magnitude higher than that in Galactic disk, star-forming regions. From the range of HOCO+/CO2 ratios suggested from chemical models, the gas-phase CO2 fractional abundance is estimated to be (1-20) 7 10−7 at the outer CMZ, and orders of magnitude lower near the center. We estimate the CO2 ice fractional abundances at the outer CMZ to be (2-5) 7 10−6 from the literature. A comparison between the ice and gas CO2 abundances suggests an efficient sublimation mechanism. This sublimation is attributed to large-scale shocks at the orbital intersections of the bar and CMZ

Tracing Interstellar Heating: An ALCHEMI Measurement of the HCN Isomers in NGC 253

We analyze HCN and HNC emission in the nearby starburst galaxy NGC 253 to investigate its effectiveness in tracing heating processes associated with star formation. This study uses multiple HCN and HNC rotational transitions observed using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array via the ALCHEMI Large Program. To understand the conditions and associated heating mechanisms within NGC 253\u27s dense gas, we employ Bayesian nested sampling techniques applied to chemical and radiative transfer models, which are constrained using our HCN and HNC measurements. We find that the volume density n H 2 and cosmic-ray ionization rate (CRIR) ζ are enhanced by about an order of magnitude in the galaxy’s central regions as compared to those further from the nucleus. In NGC 253\u27s central giant molecular clouds (GMCs), where observed HCN/HNC abundance ratios are the lowest, n ∼ 105.5 cm−3 and ζ ∼ 10−12 s−1 (greater than 104 times the average Galactic rate). We find a positive correlation in the association of both density and CRIR with the number of star formation-related heating sources (supernova remnants, H ii regions, and super hot cores) located in each GMC, as well as a correlation between CRIRs and supernova rates. Additionally, we see an anticorrelation between the HCN/HNC ratio and CRIR, indicating that this ratio will be lower in regions where ζ is higher. Though previous studies suggested HCN and HNC may reveal strong mechanical heating processes in NGC 253\u27s CMZ, we find cosmic-ray heating dominates the heating budget, and mechanical heating does not play a significant role in the HCN and HNC chemistry

Filamentary structures of ionized gas in Cygnus X

Interstellar matter and star formatio

ALCHEMI finds a "shocking'' carbon footprint in the starburst galaxy NGC 253

Galaxie