Far-Infrared Detection of H[TINF]3[/TINF]O[TSUP]+[/TSUP] in Sagittarius B2

Abstract

We report the first far-infrared detection of the hydronium ion (H3O+) toward the Sagittarius B2 molecular cloud, near the Galactic center. Using the Infrared Space Observatory Long-Wavelength Spectrometer, we have detected three lines arising from the ν2 ground-state inversion mode (0+ → 0-) at 55.3 cm-1. All transitions are observed in absorption against the optically thick infrared continuum emission of the dust. Two different absorption regions can be distinguished, the H3O+ associated with the Sgr B2 extended envelope and that of foreground gas along the line of sight. The derived abundances for both components are rather similar, 1 × 10-9, and may explain the high water abundance found in the low-density gas toward Sgr B2 as its dissociative recombination leads to the formation of important molecules OH and H2O. Contribution of the Q(1, 1) line of para-H3O+ to the 212-101 line of H218O is also analyzed. This allows a better determination of water abundance from far-infrared observations. The corrected H2O abundances are ≤10-6 for the diffuse clouds along the line of sight and a few times 10-6 for the gas associated with the Sgr B2 envelope, in good agreement with water vapor observations from the Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite.