94 research outputs found

    Chemistry of the High-Mass Protostellar Molecular Clump IRAS 16562-3959

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    We present molecular line observations of the high-mass molecular clump IRAS 16562-3959 taken at 3 mm using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) at 1.\!\!^{\prime\prime}7 angular resolution (0.0140.014 pc spatial resolution). This clump hosts the actively accreting high-mass young stellar object (HMYSO) G345.4938+01.4677, associated with a hypercompact HII region. We identify and analyze emission lines from 22 molecular species (encompassing 34 isomers) and classify them into two groups, depending on their spatial distribution within the clump. One of these groups gathers shock tracers (e.g., SiO, SO, HNCO) and species formed in dust grains like methanol (CH3_3OH), ethenone or ketene (H2_2CCO), and acetaldehyde (CH3_3CHO). The second group collects species resembling the dust continuum emission morphology and which are formed mainly in the gas-phase, like hydrocarbons (CCH, c-C3_3H2_2, CH3_3CCH), cyanopolyynes (HC3_3N and HC5_5N) and cyanides (HCN and CH3_3C3_3N). Emission from complex organic molecules (COMs) like CH3_3OH, propanenitrile (CH3_3CH2_2CN), and methoxymethane (CH3_3OCH3_3) arise from gas in the vicinity of a hot molecular core (T100T\gtrsim100 K) associated with the HMYSO. Other COMs such as propyne (CH3_3CCH), acrylonitrile (CH2_2CHCN), and acetaldehyde seem to better trace warm (T80T\lesssim80 K) dense gas. In addition, deuterated ammonia (NH2_2D) is detected mostly in the outskirts of IRAS 16562-3959, associated with near-infrared dark globules, probably gaseous remnants of the clump's prestellar phase. The spatial distribution of molecules in IRAS 16562-3959 supports the view that in protostellar clumps, chemical tracers associated with different evolutionary stages --- starless to hot cores/HII regions --- exist coevally.Comment: 97 pages, Accepted in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. Journal file version have better quality figure

    Pillars of creation amongst destruction: Star formation in molecular clouds near R136 in 30 Doradus

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    New sensitive CO(2-1) observations of the 30 Doradus region in the Large Magellanic Cloud are presented. We identify a chain of three newly discovered molecular clouds we name KN1, KN2 and KN3 lying within 2--14 pc in projection from the young massive cluster R136 in 30 Doradus. Excited H2_2 2.12μ\mum emission is spatially coincident with the molecular clouds, but ionized Brγ\gamma emission is not. We interpret these observations as the tails of pillar-like structures whose ionized heads are pointing towards R136. Based on infrared photometry, we identify a new generation of stars forming within this structure.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ (includes 13 pages, 8 figures). For higher resolution figures please see http://www.das.uchile.cl/~vkalari/staplervk.pd

    Chemical complexity in the Horsehead photodissociation region

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    The interstellar medium is known to be chemically complex. Organic molecules with up to 11 atoms have been detected in the interstellar medium, and are believed to be formed on the ices around dust grains. The ices can be released into the gas-phase either through thermal desorption, when a newly formed star heats the medium around it and completely evaporates the ices; or through non-thermal desorption mechanisms, such as photodesorption, when a single far-UV photon releases only a few molecules from the ices. The first one dominates in hot cores, hot corinos and strongly UV-illuminated PDRs, while the second one dominates in colder regions, such as low UV-field PDRs. This is the case of the Horsehead were dust temperatures are ~20-30K, and therefore offers a clean environment to investigate what is the role of photodesorption. We have carried-out an unbiased spectral line survey at 3, 2 and 1mm with the IRAM-30m telescope in the Horsehead nebula, with an unprecedented combination of bandwidth high spectral resolution and sensitivity. Two positions were observed: the warm PDR and a cold condensation shielded from the UV field (dense core), located just behind the PDR edge. We summarize our recently published results from this survey and present the first detection of the complex organic molecules HCOOH, CH2CO, CH3CHO and CH3CCH in a PDR. These species together with CH3CN present enhanced abundances in the PDR compared to the dense core. This suggests that photodesorption is an efficient mechanism to release complex molecules into the gas-phase in far-UV illuminated regions.Comment: 15 pages, 7 figures, 7 tables, Accepted in Faraday discussions 16

    A gap-sharing planet pair shaping the crescent in HD 163296: a disk sculpted by a resonant chain

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    ALMA observations of the disk around HD 163296 have resolved a crescent-shape substructure at around 55 au, inside and off-center from a gap in the dust that extends from 38 au to 62 au. In this work we propose that both the crescent and the dust rings are caused by a compact pair (period ratio 4:3\simeq 4:3) of sub-Saturn-mass planets inside the gap, with the crescent corresponding to dust trapped at the L5L_5 Lagrange point of the outer planet. This interpretation also reproduces well the gap in the gas recently measured from the CO observations, which is shallower than what is expected in a model where the gap is carved by a single planet. Building on previous works arguing for outer planets at 86\approx 86 and 137\approx 137 au, we provide with a global model of the disk that best reproduces the data and show that all four planets may fall into a long resonant chain, with the outer three planets in a 1:2:4 Laplace resonance. We show that this configuration is not only an expected outcome from disk-planet interaction in this system, but it can also help constraining the radial and angular position of the planet candidates using three-body resonances.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures, re-submitted to ApJL, comments welcom

    The effect of reproductive system on invasiveness: lessons from South American weevils

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    Successful invasion of a species into novel, marginal areas often requires the ability to face different ecological characteristics than those prevailing in its native environment. In insects, one of the factors that affect invasiveness is the reproductive system. Unisexuality provides advantages because a single specimen can initiate a new population. Unisexual reproduction precludes breakup of genetic combinations that promote ecological specialization, although it may limit evolutionary potential for colonization. In order to assess the importance of the reproductive mode in the colonization ability of the weevils that are native to South America, we compared 1 bisexual and 2 parthenogenetic species that expanded their ranges in the last 2 centuries. First, for parthenogenetic species we tested clonality of the sample. Second, we proposed central and marginal areas through phylogeographic and habitat modeling analyses, and identified the pathways of dispersal for each species. Bisexual Naupactus xanthographus (Germar) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) expanded its range westward to areas with similar environmental constraints than in its native ecosystem. Conversely, parthenogenetic Naupactus leucoloma Boheman and Naupactus cervinus Boheman (both Coleoptera: Curculionidae) invaded other continents where they had low to null predicted habitat suitability. While a single clone of N. cervinus successfully established around the world in areas with apparently adverse conditions, clones of N. leucoloma expanded their range to areas only moderately suitable. We conclude that parthenogenesis is a driver in these particular species for colonization of marginal habitats. However, N. cervinus also would have pre-existing adaptations that allowed it to establish in areas with apparently low potential to surviveLa colonización de áreas marginales a menudo requiere que la especie invasora sea capaz de enfrentar características ecológicas diferentes a aquellas que predominan en su área nativa. En los insectos, uno de los factores que afectan la capacidad invasiva figura el sistema reproductivo. La unisexualidad proporciona varias ventajas, entre ellas la capacidad de fundar una nueva población a partir de un único especimen y evitar la ruptura de las combinaciones genéticas que promueven la especialización ecológica, esta última puede limitar el potencial evolutivo para la colonización. A fin de evaluar la importancia del modo reproductivo en la capacidad colonizadora de un grupo de gorgojos nativos de Sudamérica, comparamos dos especies con reproducción partenogenética y una especie bisexual que expandieron su rango geográfico a lo largo de los últimos 200 años. Por un lado, para las especies partenogenéticas pusimos a prueba la hipótesis de reproducción clonal. Además, propusimos áreas centrales y marginales a través de análisis filogeográficos y de modelado ecológico del hábitat e identificamos las rutas de dispersión de cada especie. La especie bisexual Naupactus xanthographus (Germar) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) expandió su rango hacia el oeste, estableciéndose en áreas con restricciones ambientales similares a las de su área nativa. Por el contrario, las especies partenogenéticas Naupactus leucoloma Boheman y Naupactus cervinus Boheman (ambos Coleoptera: Curculionidae) invadieron otros continentes, donde las predicciones de ocurrencia en base a las condiciones del hábitat son bajas a nulas. Un único clon de N. cervinus consiguió establecerse en áreas con condiciones aparentemente adversas y los clones de N. leucoloma solo expandieron su rango a áreas moderadamente adecuadas. Concluimos que la partenogénesis es un factor fundamental en la colonización exitosa de hábitats marginales de estos gorgojos. Sin embargo, N. cervinus tendría adaptaciones pre-existentes que le habrían permitido el establecimiento en áreas con un potencial aparentemente bajo para la supervivencia.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

    The Disk Substructures at High Angular Resolution Project (DSHARP). IV. Characterizing Substructures and Interactions in Disks around Multiple Star Systems

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    To characterize the substructures induced in protoplanetary disks by the interaction between stars in multiple systems, we study the 1.25 mm continuum and the 12CO(J = 2–1) spectral line emission of the triple systems HT Lup and AS 205, at scales of ≈5 au, as part of the Disk Substructures at High Angular Resolution Project (DSHARP). In the continuum emission, we find two symmetric spiral arms in the disk around AS 205 N, with a pitch angle of 14°, while the southern component AS 205 S, itself a spectroscopic binary, is surrounded by a compact inner disk and a bright ring at a radius of 34 au. The 12CO line exhibits clear signatures of tidal interactions, with spiral arms, extended arc-like emission, and high velocity gas, possible evidence of a recent close encounter between the disks in the AS 205 system, as these features are predicted by hydrodynamic simulations of flyby encounters. In the HT Lup system, we detect continuum emission from all three components. The primary disk, HT Lup A, also shows a two-armed symmetric spiral structure with a pitch angle of 4°, while HT Lup B and C, located at 25 and 434 au in projected separation from HT Lup A, are barely resolved with ~5 and ~10 au in diameter, respectively. The gas kinematics for the closest pair indicates a different sense of rotation for each disk, which could be explained by either a counter rotation of the two disks in different, close to parallel, planes, or by a projection effect of these disks with a close to 90° misalignment between them

    The Disk Substructures at High Angular Resolution Project (DSHARP). VI. Dust Trapping in Thin-ringed Protoplanetary Disks

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    A large fraction of the protoplanetary disks observed with ALMA display multiple well-defined and nearly perfectly circular rings in the continuum, in many cases with substantial peak-to-valley contrast. The DSHARP campaign shows that several of these rings are very narrow in radial extent. In this Letter we test the hypothesis that these dust rings are caused by dust trapping in radial pressure bumps, and if confirmed, put constraints on the physics of the dust trapping mechanism. We model this process analytically in 1D, assuming axisymmetry. By comparing this model to the data, we find that all rings are consistent with dust trapping. Based on a plausible model of the dust temperature we find that several rings are narrower than the pressure scale height, providing strong evidence for dust trapping. The rings have peak absorption optical depth in the range between 0.2 and 0.5. The dust masses stored in each of these rings is of the order of tens of Earth masses, though much ambiguity remains due to the uncertainty of the dust opacities. The dust rings are dense enough to potentially trigger the streaming instability, but our analysis cannot give proof of this mechanism actually operating. Our results show, however, that the combination of very low and very large grains can be excluded by the data for all the rings studied in this Letter

    The Disk Substructures at High Angular Resolution Project (DSHARP). VII. The Planet–Disk Interactions Interpretation

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    The Disk Substructures at High Angular Resolution Project (DSHARP) provides a large sample of protoplanetary disks with substructures that could be induced by young forming planets. To explore the properties of planets that may be responsible for these substructures, we systematically carry out a grid of 2D hydrodynamical simulations, including both gas and dust components. We present the resulting gas structures, including the relationship between the planet mass, as well as (1) the gaseous gap depth/width and (2) the sub/super-Keplerian motion across the gap. We then compute dust continuum intensity maps at the frequency of the DSHARP observations. We provide the relationship between the planet mass, as well as (1) the depth/width of the gaps at millimeter intensity maps, (2) the gap edge ellipticity and asymmetry, and (3) the position of secondary gaps induced by the planet. With these relationships, we lay out the procedure to constrain the planet mass using gap properties, and study the potential planets in the DSHARP disks. We highlight the excellent agreement between observations and simulations for AS 209 and the detectability of the young solar system analog. Finally, under the assumption that the detected gaps are induced by young planets, we characterize the young planet population in the planet mass–semimajor axis diagram. We find that the occurrence rate for \u3e5 M J planets beyond 5–10 au is consistent with direct imaging constraints. Disk substructures allow us to probe a wide-orbit planet population (Neptune to Jupiter mass planets beyond 10 au) that is not accessible to other planet searching techniques
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