Radiative lifetimes and cooling functions for astrophysically important molecules

Abstract

Extensive line lists generated as part of the ExoMol project are used to compute lifetimes for individual rotational, rovibrational and rovibronic excited states, and temperature-dependent cooling functions by summing over all dipole-allowed transitions for the states concerned. Results are presented for SiO, CaH, AlO, ScH, H2O and methane. The results for CH4 are particularly unusual with four excited states with no dipole-allowed decay route and several others, where these decays lead to exceptionally long lifetimes. These lifetime data should be useful in models of masers and estimates of critical densities, and can provide a link with laboratory measurements. Cooling functions are important in stellar and planet formation.