High Deuterium Fractionation Research Articles

Deuterium fractionation in cold dense cores in the low-mass star-forming region L1688

ABSTRACT In this work, we study deuterium fractionation in four starless cores in the low-mass star-forming region L1688 in the Ophiuchus molecular cloud. We study how the deuterium fraction (RD) changes with environment, compare deuteration of ions and neutrals, core centre and its envelope, and attempt to reproduce the observed results with a gas–grain chemical model. We chose high and low gas density tracers to study both core centre and the envelope. With the IRAM 30 m antenna, we mapped N2H+(1–0), N2D+(1–0), H13CO+ (1–0) and (2–1), DCO+(2–1), and p-NH2D(111–101) towards the chosen cores. The missing p-NH3 and N2H+(1–0) data were taken from the literature. To measure the molecular hydrogen column density, dust and gas temperature within the cores, we used the Herschel/SPIRE dust continuum emission data, the Green Bank Ammonia Survey data (NH3), and the COMPLETE survey data to estimate the upper limit on CO depletion. We present the deuterium fraction maps for three species towards four starless cores. Deuterium fraction of the core envelopes traced by DCO+/H13CO+ is one order of magnitude lower (∼0.08) than that of the core central parts traced by the nitrogen-bearing species (∼0.5). Deuterium fraction increases with the gas density as indicated by high deuterium fraction of high gas density tracers and low deuterium fraction of lower gas density tracers and by the decrease of RD with core radii, consistent with the predictions of the chemical model. Our model results show a good agreement with observations for RD(N2D+/N2H+) and RD(DCO+/HCO+) and underestimate the RD(NH2D/NH3).

Laboratory Measurement of CH2DOH Line Intensities in the Millimeter-wave Region

Deuterium fractionation in molecules is known as one of the most powerful tools to study chemical processes during star and planet formation. Among various interstellar molecules, methanol often shows very high deuterium fractionation. It is the most abundant saturated organic molecule and is known as a parent species to form more complex organic molecules. However, deriving the abundance of deuterated methanol suffers from the uncertainty in the intrinsic line intensities (S μ 2) of CH3OH isotopologues. Due to their floppy nature, theoretical evaluation of the S μ 2 values is not straightforward, particularly for asymmetric-top asymmetric-frame isotopologues such as CH2DOH. In this study, we have measured the line frequencies and their intensities for CH2DOH in the millimeter-wave region from 216 to 264 GHz by using an emission-type millimeter and submillimeter-wave spectrometer. For the a-type J = 5 − 4 transition, the derived S μ 2 values are 13%–27% larger than those theoretically calculated, except for the transitions of K a = 2 for e 0 and K a = 1 for e 1 affected by avoided level crossing. For b-type transitions, significant systematic differences are found between theoretical and experimental S μ 2 values. The results of the present study enable us to accurately derive from observations the CH2DOH abundances, which are essential for understanding deuterium fractionation in various sources.

SOFIA/GREAT observations of OD and OH rotational lines towards high-mass star forming regions

Context. Only recently, OD, the deuterated isotopolog of hydroxyl, OH, has become accessible in the interstellar medium; spectral lines from both species have been observed in the supra-Terahertz and far infrared regime. Studying variations of the OD/OH abundance amongst different types of sources can deliver key information on the formation of water, H2O. Aims. With observations of rotational lines of OD and OH towards 13 Galactic high-mass star forming regions, we aim to constrain the OD abundance and infer the deuterium fractionation of OH in their molecular envelopes. For the best studied source in our sample, G34.26+0.15, we were able to perform detailed radiative transfer modelling to investigate the OD abundance profile in its inner envelope. Methods. We used the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) to observe the 2Π3∕2 J = 5∕2−3∕2 ground-state transition of OD at 1.3 THz (215 μm) and the rotationally excited OH line at 1.84 THz (163 μm). We also used published high-spectral-resolution SOFIA data of the OH ground-state transition at 2.51 THz (119.3 μm). Results. Absorption from the 2Π3∕2 OD J = 5∕2−3∕2 ground-state transition is prevalent in the dense clumps surrounding active sites of high-mass star formation. Our modelling suggests that part of the absorption arises from the denser inner parts, while the bulk of it as seen with SOFIA originates in the outer, cold layers of the envelope for which our constraints on the molecular abundance suggest a strong enhancement in deuterium fractionation. We find a weak negative correlation between the OD abundance and the bolometric luminosity to mass ratio, an evolutionary indicator, suggesting a slow decrease of OD abundance with time. A comparison with HDO shows a similarly high deuterium fractionation for the two species in the cold envelopes, which is of the order of 0.48% for the best studied source, G34.26+0.15. Conclusions. Our results are consistent with chemical models that favour rapid exchange reactions to form OD in the dense cold gas. Constraints on the OD/OH ratio in the inner envelope could further elucidate the water and oxygen chemistry near young high-mass stars.

Stellar initial mass function variation in massive early-type galaxies: the potential role of the deuterium abundance

ABSTRACT The observed stellar initial mass function (IMF) appears to vary, becoming bottom-heavy in the centres of the most massive, metal-rich early-type galaxies. It is still unclear what physical processes might cause this IMF variation. In this paper, we demonstrate that the abundance of deuterium in the birth clouds of forming stars may be important in setting the IMF. We use models of disc accretion on to low-mass protostars to show that those forming from deuterium-poor gas are expected to have zero-age main-sequence masses significantly lower than those forming from primordial (high deuterium fraction) material. This deuterium abundance effect depends on stellar mass in our simple models, such that the resulting IMF would become bottom-heavy – as seen in observations. Stellar mass loss is entirely deuterium free and is important in fuelling star formation across cosmic time. Using the Evolution and Assembly of GaLaxies and their Environments (EAGLE) simulation we show that stellar mass-loss-induced deuterium variations are strongest in the same regions where IMF variations are observed: at the centres of the most massive, metal-rich, passive galaxies. While our analysis cannot prove that the deuterium abundance is the root cause of the observed IMF variation, it sets the stage for future theoretical and observational attempts to study this possibility.

A magnetohydrodynamic model of a low current vacuum arc jet with a deuterium-impregnated Zr cathode

This work investigates the characteristics of the vacuum arc jet (VAJ) with deuterium-impregnated Zr electrodes. The magnetohydrodynamic model is used considering different components including ions, electrons, and atoms. The radius of the arc root is assumed to be 1–1.5 mm, and thus, the cathode spots and the cathode spot mixing zone are not studied. The density distributions of different components are calculated to obtain the average charge number. Simulation results are discussed to analyze some experimental results. The simulation results show that atom density decreases rapidly near the cathode side. With a more focused beam, the electron temperature increases significantly, leading to more highly charged ions and a higher average charge number. Compared with pure Zr electrodes, deuterium-impregnated electrodes can emit light D ions that can increase the ion velocity and decrease the electron temperature. Therefore, the average charge number of Zr is lower. With more deuterium in the cathode, the arc voltage is lower. However, the arc column cannot change the fraction of deuterium in the VAJ, indicating that the high deuterium fraction in the experiments is caused by the deuterium emitted from the adjacent area of the cathode spots.

Deuterium Fractionation in the Oph-H-MM1 Dense Core of the L1688 Low Mass Star-Forming Region

Molecular clouds fragment to form dense cores, which are the first stage of star formation. Such objects are cold, with temperature of ~10 K and density of $${{10}^{4}}{-} {{10}^{7}}$$ cm–3, with predominance of thermal motions and high deuterium fraction. These objects give us information about the initial conditions of star formation and thus they are very important to understand this process. High abundance of deuterated species indicates that a dense core is close to the onset of star formation. In this work, we study deuterium fractionation, which occurs due to chemical reactions that take place under cold core conditions. To measure deuterium fraction, we use nitrogen-bearing species, because they stay longer in the gas phase at low temperatures. We choose the L1688 low-mass star-forming region as one of the closest ones, containing a large number of cold dense cores. We use spectral maps of two lines, N2H+(1–0) and N2D+(1–0), towards one of the dense cores in L1688, Oph-H-MM1, observed with the IRAM 30 m telescope. We measure column densities of N2D+ and N2H+ and deuterium fraction as the ratio of column densities. The map shows an increase in deuterium fraction towards the core center, which is consistent with theoretical predictions.

Molecular Cloud Cores with a High Deuterium Fraction: Nobeyama Single-pointing Survey

Abstract We present the results of a single-pointing survey of 207 dense cores embedded in Planck Galactic Cold Clumps distributed in five different environments (λ Orionis, Orion A, Orion B, the Galactic plane, and high latitudes) to identify dense cores on the verge of star formation for the study of the initial conditions of star formation. We observed these cores in eight molecular lines at 76–94 GHz using the Nobeyama 45 m telescope. We find that early-type molecules (e.g., CCS) have low detection rates and that late-type molecules (e.g., N2H+ and c-C3H2) and deuterated molecules (e.g., N2D+ and DNC) have high detection rates, suggesting that most of the cores are chemically evolved. The deuterium fraction (D/H) is found to decrease with increasing distance, indicating that it suffers from differential beam dilution between the D/H pair of lines for distant cores (>1 kpc). For λ Orionis, Orion A, and Orion B located at similar distances, D/H is not significantly different, suggesting that there is no systematic difference in the observed chemical properties among these three regions. We identify at least eight high-D/H cores in the Orion region and two at high latitudes, which are most likely to be close to the onset of star formation. There is no clear evidence of the evolutionary change in turbulence during the starless phase, suggesting that the dissipation of turbulence is not a major mechanism for the beginning of star formation as judged from observations with a beam size of 0.04 pc.

Probing the initial conditions of high-mass star formation

Context. The initial stage of star formation is a complex area of study because of the high densities (nH2 > 106 cm−3) and low temperatures (Tdust < 18 K) involved. Under such conditions, many molecules become depleted from the gas phase by freezing out onto dust grains. However, the deuterated species could remain gaseous under these extreme conditions, which would indicate that they may serve as ideal tracers. Aims. We investigate the gas dynamics and NH2D chemistry in eight massive precluster and protocluster clumps (G18.17, G18.21, G23.97N, G23.98, G23.44, G23.97S, G25.38, and G25.71). Methods. We present NH2D 111–101 (at 85.926 GHz), NH3 (1, 1), and (2, 2) observations in the eight clumps using the PdBI and the VLA, respectively. We used 3D GAUSSCLUMPS to extract NH2D cores and provide a statistical view of their deuterium chemistry. We used NH3 (1, 1) and (2, 2) data to investigate the temperature and dynamics of dense and cold objects. Results. We find that the distribution between deuterium fractionation and kinetic temperature shows a number density peak at around Tkin = 16.1 K and the NH2D cores are mainly located at a temperature range of 13.0 to 22.0 K. The 3.5 mm continuum cores have a kinetic temperature with a median width of 22.1 ± 4.3 K, which is obviously higher than the temperature in NH2D cores. We detected seven instances of extremely high deuterium fractionation of 1.0 ≤ Dfrac ≤ 1.41. We find that the NH2D emission does not appear to coincide exactly with either dust continuum or NH3 peak positions, but it often surrounds the star-formation active regions. This suggests that the NH2D has been destroyed by the central young stellar object (YSO) due to heating. The detected NH2D lines are very narrow with a median width of 0.98 ± 0.02 km s−1, which is dominated by non-thermal broadening. The extracted NH2D cores are gravitationally bound (αvir < 1), they are likely to be prestellar or starless, and can potentially form intermediate-mass or high-mass stars in future. Using NH3 (1, 1) as a dynamical tracer, we find evidence of very complicated dynamical movement in all the eight clumps, which can be explained by a combined process with outflow, rotation, convergent flow, collision, large velocity gradient, and rotating toroids. Conclusions. High deuterium fractionation strongly depends on the temperature condition. Tracing NH2D is a poor evolutionary indicator of high-mass star formation in evolved stages, but it is a useful tracer in starless and prestellar cores.

ALMA ACA and Nobeyama Observations of Two Orion Cores in Deuterated Molecular Lines

Abstract We mapped two molecular cloud cores in the Orion A cloud with the 7 m Array of the Atacama Compact Array (ACA) of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeterArray (ALMA) and with the Nobeyama 45 m radio telescope. These cores have bright N2D+ emission in single-pointing observations with the Nobeyama 45 m radio telescope, have a relatively high deuterium fraction, and are thought to be close to the onset of star formation. One is a star-forming core, and the other is starless. These cores are located along filaments observed in N2H+ and show narrow line widths of 0.41 km s−1 and 0.45 km s−1 in N2D+, respectively, with the Nobeyama 45 m telescope. Both cores were detected with the ALMA ACA 7 m Array in the continuum and molecular lines at Band 6. The starless core G211 shows a clumpy structure with several sub-cores, which in turn show chemical differences. Also, the sub-cores in G211 have internal motions that are almost purely thermal. The starless sub-core G211D, in particular, shows a hint of the inverse P Cygni profile, suggesting infall motion. The star-forming core G210 shows an interesting spatial feature of two N2D+ peaks of similar intensity and radial velocity located symmetrically with respect to the single dust continuum peak. One interpretation is that the two N2D+ peaks represent an edge-on pseudo-disk. The CO outflow lobes, however, are not directed perpendicular to the line connecting both N2D+ peaks.

A centrally concentrated sub-solar-mass starless core in the Taurus L1495 filamentary complex

Abstract The formation scenario of brown dwarfs is still unclear because observational studies to investigate its initial condition are quite limited. Our systematic survey of nearby low-mass star-forming regions using the Atacama Compact Array (aka the Morita array) and the IRAM 30-m telescope in 1.2 mm continuum has identified a centrally concentrated starless condensation with a central H2 volume density of ∼106 cm−3, MC5-N, connected to a narrow (width ∼0.03 pc) filamentary cloud in the Taurus L1495 region. The mass of the core is $\sim {0.2\!-\!0.4}\, M_{\odot }$, which is an order of magnitude smaller than typical low-mass pre-stellar cores. Taking into account a typical core to star formation efficiency for pre-stellar cores (∼20%–40%) in nearby molecular clouds, brown dwarf(s) or very low-mass star(s) may be going to be formed in this core. We have found possible substructures at the high-density portion of the core, although much higher angular resolution observation is needed to clearly confirm them. The subsequent N2H+ and N2D+ observations using the Nobeyama 45-m telescope have confirmed the high-deuterium fractionation (∼30%). These dynamically and chemically evolved features indicate that this core is on the verge of proto-brown dwarf or very low-mass star formation and is an ideal source to investigate the initial conditions of such low-mass objects via gravitational collapse and/or fragmentation of the filamentary cloud complex.

D2O and HDS in the coma of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

The European Rosetta mission has been following comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko for 2 years, studying the nucleus and coma in great detail. For most of these 2 years the Rosetta Orbiter Sensor for Ion and Neutral Analysis (ROSINA) has analysed the volatile part of the coma. With its high mass resolution and sensitivity it was able to not only detect deuterated water HDO, but also doubly deuterated water, D2O and deuterated hydrogen sulfide HDS. The ratios for [HDO]/[H2O], [D2O]/[HDO] and [HDS]/[H2S] derived from our measurements are (1.05 ± 0.14) × 10-3, (1.80 ± 0.9) × 10-2 and (1.2 ± 0.3) × 10-3, respectively. These results yield a very high ratio of 17 for [D2O]/[HDO] relative to [HDO]/[H2O]. Statistically one would expect just 1/4. Such a high value can be explained by cometary water coming unprocessed from the presolar cloud, where water is formed on grains, leading to high deuterium fractionation. The high [HDS]/[H2S] ratio is compatible with upper limits determined in low-mass star-forming regions and also points to a direct correlation of cometary H2S with presolar grain surface chemistry.This article is part of the themed issue 'Cometary science after Rosetta'.

Deuteration of ammonia in the starless core Ophiuchus/H-MM1

Ammonia and its deuterated isotopologues probe physical conditions in dense molecular cloud cores. With the aim of testing the current understanding of the spin-state chemistry of these molecules, we observed spectral lines of NH3, NH2D, NHD2, ND3, and N2D+ towards a dense, starless core in Ophiuchus with the APEX, GBT, and IRAM 30-m telescopes. The observations were interpreted using a gas-grain chemistry model combined with radiative transfer calculations. The chemistry model distinguishes between the different nuclear spin states of light hydrogen molecules, ammonia, and their deuterated forms. High deuterium fractionation ratios with NH2D/NH3=0.4, NHD2/NH2D=0.2, and ND3/NHD2=0.06 were found in the core. The observed ortho/para ratios of NH2D and NHD2 are close to the corresponding nuclear spin statistical weights. The chemistry model can approximately reproduce the observed abundances, but predicts uniformly too low ortho/para-NH2D, and too large ortho/para-NHD2 ratios. The longevity of N2H+ and NH3 in dense gas, which is prerequisite to their strong deuteration, can be attributed to the chemical inertia of N2 on grain surfaces. The discrepancies between the chemistry model and the observations are likely to be caused by the fact that the model assumes complete scrambling in principal gas-phase deuteration reactions of ammonia, which means that all the nuclei are mixed in reactive collisions. If, instead, these reactions occur through proton hop/hydrogen abstraction processes, statistical spin ratios are to be expected. The present results suggest that while the deuteration of ammonia changes with physical conditions and time, the nuclear spin ratios of ammonia isotopologues do not probe the evolutionary stage of a cloud.

MEASUREMENT OF HDCO/H2CO RATIOS IN THE ENVELOPES OF EXTREMELY COLD PROTOSTARS IN ORION

We present observations of HDCO and H2CO emission toward a sample of 15 Class 0 protostars in the Orion A and B clouds. Of these, eleven protostars are Herschel-identified PACS Bright Red Sources (PBRS) and four are previously identified protostars. Our observations revealed the chemical properties of the PBRS envelope for the first time. The column densities of HDCO and H2CO are derived from single dish observations at an angular resolution of ~20 arcsec (~8400 AU). The degree of deuteration in H2CO ([HDCO]/[H2CO]) was estimated to range from 0.03 to 0.31. The deuterium fractionation of most PBRS (70%) is similar to that of the non-PBRS sources. Three PBRS (30%) exhibit high deuterium fractionation, larger than 0.15. The large variation of the deuterium fractionation of H2CO in the whole PBRS sample may reflect the diversity in the initial conditions of star forming cores. There is no clear correlation between the [HDCO]/[H2CO] ratio and the evolutionary sequence of protostars.

First detection of ND in the solar-mass protostar IRAS16293-2422

In the past decade, much progress has been made in characterising the processes leading to the enhanced deuterium fractionation observed in the ISM and in particular in the cold, dense parts of star forming regions such as protostellar envelopes. Very high molecular D/H ratios have been found for saturated molecules and ions. However, little is known about the deuterium fractionation in radicals, even though simple radicals often represent an intermediate stage in the formation of more complex, saturated molecules. The imidogen radical NH is such an intermediate species for the ammonia synthesis in the gas phase. Herschel/HIFI represents a unique opportunity to study the deuteration and formation mechanisms of such species, which are not observable from the ground. We searched here for the deuterated radical ND in order to determine the deuterium fractionation of imidogen and constrain the deuteration mechanism of this species. We observed the solar-mass Class 0 protostar IRAS16293-2422 with the heterodyne instrument HIFI as part of the Herschel key programme CHESS (Chemical HErschel Surveys of Star forming regions). The deuterated form of the imidogen radical ND was detected and securely identified with 2 hyperfine component groups of its fundamental transition in absorption against the continuum background emitted from the nascent protostar. The 3 groups of hyperfine components of its hydrogenated counterpart NH were also detected in absorption. We derive a very high deuterium fractionation with an [ND]/[NH] ratio of between 30 and 100%. The deuterium fractionation of imidogen is of the same order of magnitude as that in other molecules, which suggests that an efficient deuterium fractionation mechanism is at play. We discuss two possible formation pathways for ND, by means of either the reaction of N+ with HD, or deuteron/proton exchange with NH.

TIMASSS: the IRAS16293-2422 millimeter and submillimeter spectral survey: tentative detection of deuterated methyl formate (DCOOCH3)

High deuterium fractionation is observed in various types of environment such as prestellar cores, hot cores and hot corinos. It has proven to be an efficient probe to study the physical and chemical conditions of these environments. The study of the deuteration of different molecules helps us to understand their formation. This is especially interesting for complex molecules such as methanol and bigger molecules for which it may allow to differentiate between gas-phase and solid-state formation pathways. Methanol exhibits a high deuterium fractionation in hot corinos. Since CH3OH is thought to be a precursor of methyl formate we expect that deuterated methyl formate is produced in such environments. We have searched for the singly-deuterated isotopologue of methyl formate, DCOOCH3, in IRAS 16293-2422, a hot corino well-known for its high degree of methanol deuteration. We have used the IRAM/JCMT unbiased spectral survey of IRAS 16293-2422 which allows us to search for the DCOOCH3 rotational transitions within the survey spectral range (80-280 GHz, 328-366 GHz). The expected emission of deuterated methyl formate is modelled at LTE and compared with the observations.} We have tentatively detected DCOOCH3 in the protostar IRAS 16293-2422. We assign eight lines detected in the IRAM survey to DCOOCH3. Three of these lines are affected by blending problems and one line is affected by calibration uncertainties, nevertheless the LTE emission model is compatible with the observations. A simple LTE modelling of the two cores in IRAS 16293-2422, based on a previous interferometric study of HCOOCH3, allows us to estimate the amount of DCOOCH3 in IRAS 16293-2422. Adopting an excitation temperature of 100 K and a source size of 2\arcsec and 1\farcs5 for the A and B cores, respectively, we find that N(A,DCOOCH3) = N(B,DCOOCH3) ~ 6.10^14 /cm2. The derived deuterium fractionation is ~ 15%, consistent with values for other deuterated species in this source and much greater than that expected from the deuterium cosmic abundance. DCOOCH3, if its tentative detection is confirmed, should now be considered in theoretical models that study complex molecule formation and their deuteration mechanisms. Experimental work is also needed to investigate the different chemical routes leading to the formation of deuterated methyl formate.

Deuterium chemistry in the Orion Bar PDR

High levels of deuterium fractionation in gas-phase molecules are usually associated with cold regions, such as prestellar cores. Significant fractionation ratios are also observed in hot environments such as hot cores or hot corinos, where they are believed to be produced by the evaporation of the icy mantles surrounding dust grains, and thus are remnants of a previous cold (either gas-phase or grain surface) chemistry. The recent detection of DCN towards the Orion Bar, in a clump at a characteristic temperature of 70K, has shown that high deuterium fractionation can also be detected in PDRs. The Orion Bar clumps thus appear as a good environment for the observational study of deuterium fractionation in luke-warm gas, allowing to validate chemistry models in a different temperature range, where dominating fractionation processes are predicted to be different than in cold gas (< 20K). We aimed at studying observationally in detail the chemistry at work in the Orion Bar PDR, to understand if DCN is produced by ice mantle evaporation, or is the result of warm gas-phase chemistry, involving the CH2D+ precursor ion (which survives higher temperatures than the usual H2D+ precursor). Using the APEX and the IRAM 30m telescopes, we targetted selected deuterated species towards two clumps in the Orion Bar. We confirmed the detection of DCN and detected two new deuterated molecules (DCO+ and HDCO) towards one clump in the Orion Bar PDR. Significant deuterium fractionations are found for HCN and H2CO, but a low fractionation in HCO+. We also give upper limits for other molecules relevant for the deuterium chemistry. (...) We show evidence that warm deuterium chemistry driven by CH2D+ is at work in the clumps.

DEUTERATED MOLECULES IN WARM CARBON CHAIN CHEMISTRY: THE L1527 CASE

We have conducted millimeter-wave observations of deuterated species of various carbon-chain molecules toward a low-mass star-forming region, L1527, which shows extraordinary richness of carbon-chain molecules in a vicinity of the protostar (Warm Carbon Chain Chemistry; WCCC). We have detected the spectral lines of l-C3D, C4D, C4HD, DC3N, DC5N, and c-C3HD, where l-C3D and C4HD are detected for the first time in space. The deuterium fractionation ratios are found to be moderate (2% to 7%), although they tend to be higher than those in the starless core, TMC-1. The upper limit to the [CH2DOH]/[CH3OH] ratio is also as low as 3%. Therefore, high deuterium fractionation ratios reported for hot corino sources are not seen in L1527. The observed ratios mean that the depletion of CO onto dust grains had not proceeded far in L1527, compared to the hot corino case. This would be consistent with a short timescale of the starless core phase, as suggested for the possible origin of WCCC.

Deuterium fractionation in the Horsehead edge

Deuterium fractionation is known to enhance the [DCO+]/[HCO+] abundance ratio over the D/H elemental ratio of about 1e-5 in the cold and dense gas typically found in pre-stellar cores. We report the first detection and mapping of very bright DCO+ J=3-2 and J=2-1 lines (3 and 4 K respectively) towards the Horsehead photodissociation region (PDR) observed with the IRAM-30m telescope. The DCO+ emission peaks close to the illuminated warm edge of the nebula (< 50" or about 0.1 pc away). Detailed nonlocal, non-LTE excitation and radiative transfer analyses have been used to determine the prevailing physical conditions and to estimate the DCO+ and H13CO+ abundances from their line intensities. A large [DCO+]/[HCO+] abundance ratio (>= 0.02) is inferred at the DCO+ emission peak, a condensation shielded from the illuminating far-UV radiation field where the gas must be cold (10-20 K) and dense (>= 2x10^5 cm-3). DCO+ is not detected in the warmer photodissociation front, implying a lower [DCO+]/[HCO+] ratio (< 1e-3). According to our gas phase chemical predictions, such a high deuterium fractionation of HCO+ can only be explained if the gas temperature is below 20 K, in good agreement with DCO+ excitation calculations.

Deuterated Interstellar Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons

We report infrared spectral evidence of deuterated interstellar polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Two bands are detected in the infrared emission from the ionization bar in Orion at 4.4 and 4.65 � m. The one at 4.65 � m is present at the 4.4 � level, while the one at 4.4 � m is more tentative, with aequal to 1.9. An emission band at 4.65 � m is also detected in the infrared emission from M17 by Verstraete and coworkers at the 4.4 � level. These wavelengths are highly characteristic of C-D stretching modes of deuterated PAHs and fall in a featureless region oftheinterstellarspectrum.TheIRspectroscopicpropertiesofdeuteratedPAHsaresummarized,andanestimateof the deuterium fractionation between the aromatic and aliphatic carbons associated with the PAHs is given. High deuterium fractionation is implied; this is discussed in terms of interstellar PAH fractionation mechanisms. Subject headings: astrochemistry — infrared: ISM — ISM: abundances — ISM: molecules — line: identification — techniques: spectroscopic

High NH2D/NH3 ratios in protostellar cores

Observations of low mass protostars which probe small enough size scales to be within likely CO depletion regions show the highest [NH2D]/[NH3] ratios yet measured, of 4--33%. These molecular D/H ratios are higher than those measured on larger scales, showing that deuterium fractionation increases towards protostellar cores. As in cold clouds, such high ratios can be produced by gas-phase ion-molecule chemistry in the presence of depletion. Grain surface chemistry is less likely to explain the deuterium enhancement, as it would require higher fractionation in ices than current models predict. The link between accretion, depletion and high molecular deuterium fractionation is strongly supported.