Rotational Line Emission Research Articles

Detection of antifreeze molecule ethylene glycol in the hot molecular core G358.93–0.03 MM1

ABSTRACT The identification of complex pre-biotic molecules using millimetre and submillimetre telescopes allows us to understand how the basic building blocks of life are formed in the universe. In the interstellar medium, ethylene glycol ($({\rm CH}_2{\rm OH})_{2}$) is the simplest sugar alcohol molecule, and it is the reduced alcohol of the simplest sugar-like molecule, glycolaldehyde (${\rm CH}_{2}{\rm OHCHO}$). We present the detection of the rotational emission lines of $aGg^{\prime }$ conformer of ethylene glycol ($({\rm CH}_2{\rm OH})_{2}$) towards the hot molecular core G358.93–0.03 MM1 using the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array. The estimated column density of $aGg^{\prime }$-$({\rm CH}_2{\rm OH})_{2}$ towards the G358.93–0.03 MM1 is (4.5$\pm 0.1)\times 10^{16}$ cm$^{-2}$ with an excitation temperature of 155$\pm$35 K. The abundance of $aGg^{\prime }$-$({\rm CH}_2{\rm OH})_{2}$ with respect to ${\rm H}_{2}$ is (1.4$\pm 0.5)\times 10^{-8}$. Similarly, the abundances of $aGg^{\prime }$-$({\rm CH}_2{\rm OH})_{2}$ with respect to ${\rm CH}_{2}{\rm OHCHO}$ and ${\rm CH}_{3}{\rm OH}$ are 3.1$\pm$0.5 and (6.1$\pm 0.3)\times 10^{-3}$. We compare the estimated abundance of $aGg^{\prime }$-$({\rm CH}_2{\rm OH})_{2}$ with the existing three-phase warm-up chemical model abundance of $({\rm CH}_2{\rm OH})_{2}$, and we notice the observed abundance and modelled abundance are nearly similar. We discuss the possible formation pathways of $aGg^{\prime }$-$({\rm CH}_2{\rm OH})_{2}$ towards the hot molecular cores, and we find that $aGg^{\prime }$-$({\rm CH}_2{\rm OH})_{2}$ is probably created via the recombination of two ${\rm CH}_{2}{\rm OH}$ radicals on the grain surface of G358.93–0.03 MM1.

Observation of Complex Organic Molecules Containing Peptide-like Bonds Toward Hot Core G358.93–0.03 MM1

In star formation regions, the complex organic molecules (COMs) that contain peptide bonds (–NH–C(=O)–) play a major role in the metabolic process because –NH–C(=O)– is connected to amino acids (R-CHNH2–COOH). Over the past few decades, many COMs containing peptide-like bonds have been detected in hot molecular cores (HMCs), hot corinos, and cold molecular clouds, however, their prebiotic chemistry is poorly understood. We present the first detection of the rotational emission lines of formamide (NH2CHO) and isocyanic acid (HNCO), which contain peptide-like bonds toward the chemically rich HMC G358.93–0.03 MM1, using high-resolution and high-sensitivity Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array bands 6 and 7. We estimate that the column densities of NH2CHO and HNCO toward G358.93–0.03 MM1 are (2.80 ± 0.29) × 1015 cm−2 and (1.80 ± 0.42) × 1016 cm−2 with excitation temperatures of 165 ± 21 K and 170 ± 32 K, respectively. The fractional abundances of NH2CHO and HNCO toward G358.93–0.03 MM1 are (9.03 ± 1.44) × 10−10 and (5.80 ± 2.09) × 10−9. We compare the estimated abundances of NH2CHO and HNCO with the existing three-phase warm-up chemical model abundance values and notice that the observed and modeled abundances are very close. We conclude that NH2CHO is produced by the reaction of NH2 and H2CO in the gas phase toward G358.93–0.03 MM1. Likewise, HNCO is produced on the surface of grains by the reaction of NH and CO toward G358.93–0.03 MM1. We also find that NH2CHO and HNCO are chemically linked toward G358.93–0.03 MM1.

Study of Complex Nitrogen and Oxygen-bearing Molecules toward the High-mass Protostar IRAS 18089–1732

The observation of oxygen (O)- and nitrogen (N)-bearing molecules gives an idea about the complex prebiotic chemistry in the interstellar medium. Recent millimeter and submillimeter wavelength observations have shown the presence of complex O- and N-bearing molecules in the star formation regions. So, the investigation of those molecules is crucial to understanding the chemical complexity in the star-forming regions. In this article, we present the identification of the rotational emission lines of N-bearing molecules ethyl cyanide ( C2H5CN ) and cyanoacetylene (HC3N), and O-bearing molecule methyl formate (CH3OCHO) toward high-mass protostar IRAS 18089–1732 using the Atacama Compact Array. We also detected the emission lines of both the N- and O-bearing molecule formamide (NH2CHO) in the envelope of IRAS 18089–1732. We have detected the v = 0 and 1 state rotational emission lines of CH3OCHO. We also detected the two vibrationally excited states of HC3N (v7 = 1 and v7 = 2). The estimated fractional abundances of C2H5CN , HC3N (v7 = 1), HC3N (v7 = 2), and NH2CHO toward IRAS 18089–1732 are (1.40 ± 0.5) × 10−10, (7.5 ± 0.7) × 10−11, (3.1 ± 0.4) × 10−11, and (6.25 ± 0.82) × 10−11 respectively. Similarly, the estimated fractional abundances of CH3OCHO (v = 0) and CH3OCHO (v = 1) are (1.90 ± 0.9) × 10−9 and (8.90 ± 0.8) × 10−10, respectively. We also created the integrated emission maps of the detected molecules, and the observed molecules may have originated from the extended envelope of the protostar. We show that C2H5CN and HC3N are most probably formed via the subsequential hydrogenation of the CH2CHCN and the reaction between C2H2 and CN on the grain surface of IRAS 18089–1732. We found that NH2CHO is probably produced due to the reaction between NH2 and H2CO in the gas phase. Similarly, CH3OCHO is possibly created via the reaction between radical CH3O and radical HCO on the grain surface of IRAS 18089–1732.

Calcium Chemistry in Carbon-rich Circumstellar Environments: The Laboratory and Astronomical Discovery of Calcium Dicarbide, CaC2 * * This work is based on observations done using the 100 m Green Bank Telescope (GBT), the Yebes 40 m telescope (projects 19A010, 20A017, 20B014, and 21A019), and the IRAM 30 m telescope. The 100 m GBT is an instrument of the Green Bank

Calcium dicarbide, CaC2, has been characterized at high resolution in the laboratory, and its main isotopologue, 40CaC2, has been assigned to 14 rotational emission lines between 14 and 115 GHz, including 12 previously unassigned lines, in the expanding molecular envelope of the evolved carbon star IRC+10216. Aided by high-level quantum calculations and measurements of multiple isotopologues, CaC2 is determined to be a T-shaped molecule with a highly ionic bond linking the metal atom to the C2 unit, very similar in structure to isovalent magnesium dicarbide (MgC2). The excitation of CaC2 is characterized by a very low rotational temperature of 5.8 ± 0.6 K and a kinetic temperature of 36 ± 16 K, similar to values derived for MgC2. On the assumption that the emission originates from a 30″ shell in IRC+10216, the column density of CaC2 is (5.6 ± 1.7) × 1011 cm−2. CaC2 is only the second Ca-bearing molecule besides CaNC and only the second metal dicarbide besides MgC2 identified in space. Owing to the similarity between the predicted ion–molecule chemistry of Ca and Mg, a comparison of the CaC2 abundance with that of MgC2 and related species permits empirical inferences about the radiative association–dissociative recombination processes postulated to yield metal-bearing molecules in IRC+10216 and similar objects.

ALMA detection of CO rotational line emission in red supergiant stars of the massive young star cluster RSGC1

Context. The fate of stars largely depends on the amount of mass lost during the end stages of evolution. For single stars with an initial mass between ∼8–30 M⊙, most mass is lost during the red supergiant (RSG) phase, when stellar winds deplete the H-rich envelope. However, the RSG mass-loss rate (Ṁ) is poorly understood theoretically, and so stellar evolution models rely on empirically derived mass-loss rate prescriptions. However, it has been shown that these empirical relations differ largely, with differences up to 2 orders of magnitude. Aims. We aim to derive a new mass-loss rate prescription for RSGs that is not afflicted with some uncertainties inherent in preceding studies. Methods. We have observed CO rotational line emission towards a sample of RSGs in the open cluster RSGC1 that all are of a similar initial mass. The ALMA CO(2–1) line detections allowed us to retrieve the gas mass-loss rates (ṀCO). In contrast to mass-loss rates derived from the analysis of dust spectral features (ṀSED), the data allowed us a direct determination of the wind velocity and no uncertain dust-to-gas correction factor was needed. Results. Five RSGs in RSGC1 have been detected in CO(2–1). The retrieved ṀCO values are systematically lower than ṀSED. Although only five RSGs in RSGC1 have been detected, the data allow us to propose a new mass-loss rate relation for M-type red supergiants with effective temperatures between ∼3200 and 3800 K that is dependent on the luminosity and initial mass, and that is valid during the phase where nuclear burning determines the evolution along the RSG branch. The new mass-loss rate relation is based on the new ṀCO values for the RSGs in RSGC1 and on prior ṀSED values for RSGs in four clusters, including RSGC1. The new Ṁ-prescription yields a good prediction for the mass-loss rate of some well-known Galactic RSGs that are observed in multiple CO rotational lines, including α Ori, μ Cep and VX Sgr. Moreover, there are indications that a stronger, potentially eruptive, mass-loss process is occurring during some fraction of the RSG lifetime, suggesting that RSGs might experience a phase change in mass loss leading to the wind mass-loss rate dominating the RSG evolution at that stage. Conclusions. Implementing a lower mass-loss rate in evolution codes for massive stars has important consequences as to the nature of their end-state. A reduction of the RSG mass-loss rate implies that quiescent RSG mass loss is not enough to strip a single star’s hydrogen-rich envelope. Upon core collapse such single stars would explode as RSGs. Mass-loss rates of order ∼6 times higher would be needed to strip the H-rich envelope and produce a Wolf-Rayet star while evolving back to the blue side of the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram. Future observations of a larger sample of RSGs in open clusters should allow a more stringent determination of the ṀCO–luminosity relation and a sharper diagnostic as to when the phase change in mass loss is occurring.

Detection and prebiotic chemistry of possible glycine precursor molecule methylenimine towards the hot molecular core G10.47+0.03

Abstract Amino acids are essential for the synthesis of protein. Amino acids contain both amine (R–NH2) and carboxylic acid (R–COOH) functional groups, which help to understand the possible formation mechanism of life in the universe. Among the 20 types of amino acids, glycine (NH2CH2COOH) is known as the simplest non-essential amino acid. In the last 40 years, all surveys of NH2CH2COOH in the interstellar medium, especially in the star-formation regions, have failed at the millimetre and sub-millimetre wavelengths. We aimed to identify the possible precursors of NH2CH2COOH, because it is highly challenging to identify NH2CH2COOH in the interstellar medium. Many laboratory experiments have suggested that methylenimine (CH2NH) plays a key role as a possible precursor of NH2CH2COOH in the star-formation regions via the Strecker synthesis reaction. After spectral analysis using the local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) model, we successfully identified the rotational emission lines of CH2NH towards the hot molecular core G10.47+0.03 using the Atacama Compact Array (ACA). The estimated column density of CH2NH towards G10.47+0.03 is (3.40 ± 0.2) × 1015 cm−2 with a rotational temperature of 218.70 ± 20 K, which is estimated from the rotational diagram. The fractional abundance of CH2NH with respect to H2 towards G10.47+0.03 is 2.61 × 10−8. We found that the derived abundance of CH2NH agree fairly well with the existing two-phase warm-up chemical modelling abundance value of CH2NH. We discuss the possible formation pathways of CH2NH within the context of hot molecular cores, and we find that CH2NH is likely mainly formed via neutral–neutral gas-phase reactions of CH3 and NH radicals towards G10.47+0.03.

LIMpy: A Semianalytic Approach to Simulating Multiline Intensity Maps at Millimeter Wavelengths

Mapping of multiple lines such as the fine-structure emission from [C ii] (157.7 μm), [O iii] (52 and 88.4 μm), and rotational emission lines from CO are of particular interest for upcoming line intensity mapping (LIM) experiments at millimeter wavelengths, due to their brightness features. Several upcoming experiments aim to cover a broad range of scientific goals, from detecting signatures of the epoch of reionization to the physics of star formation and its role in galaxy evolution. In this paper, we develop a semianalytic approach to modeling line strengths as functions of the star formation rate (SFR) or infrared luminosity based on observations of local and high-z galaxies. This package, LIMpy (Line Intensity Mapping in Python), estimates the intensity and power spectra of [C ii], [O iii], and CO rotational transition lines up to the J levels (1–0) to (13–12) based both on analytic formalism and on simulations. We develop a relation among halo mass, SFR, and multiline intensities that permits us to construct a generic formula for the evolution of several line strengths up to z ∼ 10. We implement a variety of star formation models and multiline luminosity relations to estimate the astrophysical uncertainties on the intensity power spectrum of these lines. As a demonstration, we predict the signal-to-noise ratio of [C ii] detection for an EoR-Spec-like instrument on the Fred Young Submillimeter Telescope. Furthermore, the ability to use any halo catalog allows the LIMpy code to be easily integrated into existing simulation pipelines, providing a flexible tool to study intensity mapping in the context of complex galaxy formation physics.

Dissecting the Mid-infrared Heart of M83 with JWST

We present a first look at the MRS observations of the nucleus of the nearby galaxy M83, taken with MIRI on board JWST. The observations show a rich set of emission features from the ionized gas, warm molecular gas, and dust. To begin dissecting the complex processes in this part of the galaxy, we divide the observations into four different regions. We find that the strength of the emission features varies strongly from region to region, with the southeast region displaying the weakest features tracing the dust continuum and interstellar medium (ISM) properties. Comparison between the cold molecular gas traced by the 12CO (1–0) transition with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array and the H2 S(1) transition shows a similar spatial distribution. This is in contrast to the distribution of the much warmer H2 emission from the S(7) transition found to be concentrated around the optical nucleus. We use the rotational emission lines and model the H2 excitation to estimate a total molecular gas mass accounting for the warm H2 component of M(>50 K) = 67.90 (±5.43) × 106 M ⊙. We compare this value to the total gas mass inferred by probing the cold H2 gas through the 12CO (1–0) emission, M(CO) = 17.15 × 106 M ⊙. We estimate that ∼75% of the total molecular gas mass is contained in the warm H2 component. We also identify [O iv] 25.89 μm and [Fe ii] 25.99 μm emission. We propose that the diffuse [Fe ii] 25.99 μm emission might be tracing shocks created during the interactions between the hot wind produced by the starburst and the much cooler ISM above the galactic plane. More detailed studies are needed to confirm such a scenario.

Detection of complex nitrogen-bearing molecule ethyl cyanide towards the hot molecular core G10.47 + 0.03

The studies of the complex organic molecular lines towards the hot molecular cores at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths provide instructive knowledge about the chemical complexity in the interstellar medium (ISM). We present the detection of the rotational emission lines of the complex nitrogen-bearing molecule ethyl cyanide (C2H5CN) towards the chemically rich hot molecular core G10.47 + 0.03 using the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) band 4 observations. The estimated column density of C2H5CN towards the G10.47 + 0.03 is (7.7 ± 0.5) × $10^{16}\text{ cm}^{-2}$ with the high rotational temperature of 352.9 ± 66.8 K. The estimated fractional abundance of C2H5CN with respect to H2 towards the G10.47 + 0.03 is 5.70 × $10^{-9}$ . We observe that the estimated fractional abundance of C2H5CN is similar to the existing three-phase warm-up chemical modelling abundance of C2H5CN. We also discuss the possible formation mechanism of C2H5CN towards the hot molecular cores, and we claim the barrierless and exothermic radical-radical reaction between CH2 and CH2CN is responsible for the production of low abundance of C2H5CN ( ${\sim} 10^{-9}$ ) in the grain surface of G10.47 + 0.03.

PHANGS–JWST First Results: A Global and Moderately Resolved View of Mid-infrared and CO Line Emission from Galaxies at the Start of the JWST Era

We explore the relationship between mid-infrared (mid-IR) and CO rotational line emission from massive star-forming galaxies, which is one of the tightest scalings in the local universe. We assemble a large set of unresolved and moderately (∼1 kpc) spatially resolved measurements of CO (1–0) and CO (2–1) intensity, I CO, and mid-IR intensity, I MIR, at 8, 12, 22, and 24 μm. The I CO versus I MIR relationship is reasonably described by a power law with slopes 0.7–1.2 and normalization I CO ∼ 1 K km s−1 at I MIR ∼ 1 MJy sr−1. Both the slopes and intercepts vary systematically with choice of line and band. The comparison between the relations measured for CO (1–0) and CO (2–1) allow us to infer that , in good agreement with other work. The 8 μm and 12 μm bands, with strong polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) features, show steeper CO versus mid-IR slopes than the 22 and 24 μm, consistent with PAH emission arising not just from CO-bright gas but also from atomic or CO-dark gas. The CO-to-mid-IR ratio correlates with global galaxy stellar mass (M ⋆) and anticorrelates with star formation rate/M ⋆. At ∼1 kpc resolution, the first four PHANGS–JWST targets show CO-to-mid-IR relationships that are quantitatively similar to our larger literature sample, including showing the steep CO-to-mid-IR slopes for the JWST PAH-tracing bands, although we caution that these initial data have a small sample size and span a limited range of intensities.

GOALS-JWST: Mid-infrared Spectroscopy of the Nucleus of NGC 7469

We present mid-infrared spectroscopic observations of the nucleus of the nearby Seyfert galaxy NGC 7469 taken with the MIRI instrument on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) as part of Directors Discretionary Time Early Release Science program 1328. The high-resolution nuclear spectrum contains 19 emission lines covering a wide range of ionization. The high-ionization lines show broad, blueshifted emission reaching velocities up to 1700 km s−1 and FWHM ranging from ∼500 to 1100 km s−1. The width of the broad emission and the broad-to-narrow line flux ratios correlate with ionization potential. The results suggest a decelerating, stratified, AGN-driven outflow emerging from the nucleus. The estimated mass outflow rate is 1–2 orders of magnitude larger than the current black hole accretion rate needed to power the AGN. Eight pure rotational H2 emission lines are detected with intrinsic widths ranging from FWHM ∼125 to 330 km s−1. We estimate a total mass of warm H2 gas of ∼1.2 × 107 M ⊙ in the central 100 pc. The PAH features are extremely weak in the nuclear spectrum, but a 6.2 μm PAH feature with an equivalent width of ∼0.07 μm and a flux of 2.7 × 10−17 W m−2 is detected. The spectrum is steeply rising in the mid-infrared, with a silicate strength of ∼0.02, significantly smaller than seen in most PG QSOs but comparable to other Seyfert 1s. These early MIRI mid-infrared IFU data highlight the power of JWST to probe the multiphase interstellar media surrounding actively accreting supermassive black holes.

Detection of interstellar cyanamide (NH$$_{2}$$CN) towards the hot molecular core G10.47$$+$$0.03

In the interstellar medium, the amide-type molecules play an important role in the formation of the prebiotic molecules in the hot molecular cores or high-mass star formation regions. The complex amide-related molecule cyanamide (NH$_{2}$CN) is known as one of the rare interstellar molecule which has played a major role in the formation of urea (NH$_{2}$CONH$_{2}$). In this article, we presented the detection of the emission lines of cyanamide (NH$_{2}$CN) towards the hot molecular core G10.47+0.03 between the frequency range 158.49$-$160.11 GHz using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) interferometric radio telescope. The estimated column density of the emission lines of NH$_{2}$CN using the rotational diagram model was $N$(NH$_{2}$CN) = (6.60$\pm$0.1)$\times$10$^{15}$ cm$^{-2}$ with rotational temperature ($T_{rot}$) = 201.2$\pm$3.3 K. The fractional abundance of NH$_{2}$CN with respect to H$_{2}$ towards G10.47+0.03 was $f$(NH$_{2}$CN) = 5.076$\times$10$^{-8}$. Additionally, we estimated the NH$_{2}$CN/NH$_{2}$CHO abundance ratio towards the G10.47+0.03 was 0.170, which was nearly similar with NH$_{2}$CN/NH$_{2}$CHO abundance ratio towards IRAS 16293$-$2422 B and Sgr B2 (M). We found that the observed abundance of NH$_{2}$CN with respect to H$_{2}$ towards G10.47+0.03 fairly agrees with the theoretical value predicted by Garrod (2013). We also discussed the possible formation and destruction pathways of NH$_{2}$CN.

First detection of methyl formate in the hot molecular core IRAS 18566+0408

The studies of the complex molecular emission lines in millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths towards the hot molecular cores demonstrate valuable details about the chemical complexity in the interstellar medium (ISM). We presented the first detection of the rotational emission lines of the complex organic molecule methyl formate (CH$_{3}$OCHO) towards the hot molecular core region IRAS 18566+0408 using the high-resolution Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) band 3 observation. The estimated column density of CH$_{3}$OCHO using the rotational diagram analysis was (4.1$\pm$0.1)$\times$10$^{15}$ cm$^{-2}$ with rotational temperature 102.8$\pm$1.2 K. The estimated fractional abundance of CH$_{3}$OCHO towards the IRAS 18566+0408 relative to hydrogen (H$_{2}$) was 3.90$\times$10$^{-9}$. We noted that the estimated fractional abundance of CH$_{3}$OCHO is fairly consistent with the simulation value predicted by the three-phase warm-up model from Garrod (2013). We also discussed the possible formation mechanism of CH$_{3}$OCHO towards the hot molecular cores.

The role of highly vibrationally excited H2 initiating the nitrogen chemistry

The formation of hydrides by gas-phase reactions between H2 and a heavy element atom is a very selective process. Reactions with ground-state neutral carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur atoms are very endoergic and have high energy barriers because the H2 molecule has to be fragmented before a hydride bond is formed. In cold interstellar clouds, these barriers exclude the formation of CH, OH, NH, and SH radicals through hydrogen abstraction reactions. Here we study a very energetically unfavorable process, the reaction of N(4S) atoms with H2 molecules. We calculated the reaction rate coefficient for H2 in different vibrational levels, using quantum methods for v = 0−7 and quasi-classical methods up to v =12; for comparison purposes, we also calculated the rate coefficients of the analogous reaction S (3P)+ H2(v) → SH + H. Owing to the high energy barrier, these rate coefficients increase with v and also with the gas temperature. We implemented the new rates in the Meudon photodissociation region (PDR) code and studied their effect on models with different ultraviolet (UV) illumination conditions. In strongly UV-irradiated dense gas (Orion Bar conditions), the presence of H2 in highly vibrationally excited levels (v ≥ 7) enhances the NH abundance by two orders of magnitude (at the PDR surface) compared to models that use the thermal rate coefficient for reaction N(4S) + H2 → NH + H. The increase in NH column density, N(NH), across the PDR is a factor of ~25. We investigate the excitation and detectability of submillimeter NH rotational emission lines. Being a hydride, NH excitation is very subthermal (Trot ≪ Tk) even in warm and dense gas. We explore existing Herschel/HIFI observations of the Orion Bar and Horsehead PDRs. We report a 3σ emission feature at the ~974 GHz frequency of the NH NJ = 12 − 01 line toward the Bar. The emission level implies N(NH) ≃ 1013 cm−2, which is consistent with PDR models using the new rate coefficients for reactions between N and UV-pumped H2. This formation route dominates over hydrogenation reactions involving the less abundant N+ ion. JWST observations will quantify the amount and reactivity of UV-pumped H2 in many interstellar and circumstellar environments.

Anomalous HCN emission from warm giant molecular clouds

Hydrogen cyanide (HCN) is considered a good tracer of the dense molecular gas that serves as fuel for star formation. However, recent large-scale surveys of giant molecular clouds (GMCs) have detected extended HCN rotational line emission far from star-forming cores. Such observations often spectroscopically resolve the HCN J = 1–0 (partially also the J = 2–1 and 3–2) hyperfine structure (HFS). A precise determination of the physical conditions of the gas requires treating the HFS line overlap effects. Here, we study the HCN HFS excitation and line emission using nonlocal radiative transfer models that include line overlaps and new HFS-resolved collisional rate coefficients for inelastic collisions of HCN with both para-H2 and ortho-H2 (computed via the scaled-infinite order sudden approximation up to Tk = 500 K). In addition, we account for the role of electron collisions in the HFS level excitation. We find that line overlap and opacity effects frequently produce anomalous HCN J = 1–0 HFS line intensity ratios (i.e., inconsistent with the common assumption of the same Tex for all HFS lines) as well as anomalous HFS line width ratios. Line overlap and electron collisions also enhance the excitation of the higher J rotational lines. Our models explain the anomalous HCN J = 1–0 HFS spectra observed in the Orion Bar and Horsehead photodissociation regions. As shown in previous studies, electron excitation becomes important for molecular gas with H2 densities below a few 105 cm−3 and electron abundances above ~10−5. We find that when electron collisions are dominant, the relative intensities of the HCN J = 1–0 HFS lines can be anomalous too. In particular, electron excitation can produce low-surface-brightness HCN emission from very extended but low-density gas in GMCs. The existence of such a widespread HCN emission component may affect the interpretation of the extragalactic relationship HCN luminosity versus star-formation rate. Alternatively, extended HCN emission may arise from dense star-forming cores and become resonantly scattered by large envelopes of lower density gas. There are two scenarios – namely, electron-assisted (weakly) collisionally excited versus scattering – that lead to different HCN J = 1–0 HFS intensity ratios, which can be tested on the basis of observations.

Bayesian inference of three-dimensional gas maps

Carbon monoxide (CO) is the best tracer of Galactic molecular hydrogen (H2). Its lowest rotational emission lines are in the radio regime, and thanks to Galactic rotation, emission at different distances is Doppler shifted. For a given gas flow model, the observed spectra can thus be deprojected along the line of sight to infer the gas distribution. We used the CO-line survey of Dame et al. (2001, ApJ, 547, 792) to reconstruct the three-dimensional density of H2. We considered the deprojection as a Bayesian variational inference problem. The posterior distribution of the gas densities allowed us to estimate the mean and uncertainty of the reconstructed density. Unlike most of the previous attempts, we took the correlations of gas on a variety of scales into account, which allowed us to correct for some of the well-known pathologies, such as finger-of-god effects. The two gas flow models that we adopted incorporate a Galactic bar that induces radial motions in the inner few kiloparsecs and thus offers spectral resolution towards the Galactic centre. We compared our gas maps with those of earlier studies and characterise their statistical properties, for instance the radial profile of the average surface mass density.

Observability of the vertical shear instability in protoplanetary disk CO kinematics

Context. Dynamical and turbulent motions of gas in a protoplanetary disk are crucial for their evolution and are thought to affect planet formation. Recent (sub-)millimeter observations show evidence of weak turbulence in the disk’s outer regions. However, the detailed physical mechanism of turbulence in these outer regions remains uncertain. The vertical shear instability (VSI) is a promising candidate mechanism to produce turbulence in the outer parts of the disk. Aims. Our objective is to study the observability of the gas velocity structure produced by the VSI via CO kinematics with the Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array (ALMA). Methods. We performed global 3D hydrodynamical simulations of an inviscid and locally isothermal VSI-unstable disk. We post-processed the simulation results with radiative transfer calculations and produced synthetic predictions of CO rotational emission lines. Next, we computed the line of sight velocity map and its deviations from a sub-Keplerian equilibrium solution. We explored the detectability of the VSI by identifying kinematic signatures using realistic simulated observations using the CASA package. Results. Our 3D hydrodynamical simulations of the VSI show the steady state dynamics of the gas in great detail. From the velocity structure, we infer a turbulent stress value of αrϕ = 1.4 × 10−4. On large scales, we observe clear velocity deviations of the order of 50 m s−1 as axisymmetric rings with radially interspersed signs. By comparing synthetic observations at different inclinations we find optimal conditions at i ≲ 20° to trace for the kinematic structures of the VSI. We found that current diagnostics to constrain gas turbulence from nonthermal broadening of the molecular line emission are not applicable to anisotropic VSI turbulence. Conclusions. We conclude that the detection of kinematic signatures produced by the VSI is possible with ALMA’s current capabilities. Observations including an extended antenna configuration are required to resolve the structure (beam sizes below ~10 au). The highest spectral resolution available is needed (~0.05 km s−1 with ALMA Band 6) for a robust detection. The characterization of the large-scale velocity perturbations is required to constrain the turbulence level produced by the VSI from gas observations.

Molecular remnant of Nova 1670 (CK Vulpeculae)

CK Vul is the remnant of an energetic eruption known as Nova 1670 that is thought to be caused by a stellar merger. The remnant is composed of (1) a large hourglass nebula of recombining gas (of 71′′ in size), very similar to some classical planetary and pre-planetary nebulae (PPNe), and (2) a much smaller and cooler inner remnant that is prominent in millimeter-wave emission from molecules. We investigate the three-dimensional spatio-kinematic structure of both components. Our analysis of the hourglass structure yields a revised distance to the object of >2.6 kpc, at least 3.7 times greater than previously assumed. At this distance, the stellar remnant has a bolometric luminosity >12 L⊙ and is surrounded by molecular material with a total mass >0.8 M⊙ (the latter value has a large systematic uncertainty). We also analyzed the architecture of the inner molecular nebula using ALMA observations of rotational emission lines obtained at subarcsecond resolution. We find that the distribution of neutral and ionized gas in the lobes can be reproduced by several nested and incomplete shells or jets with different velocity fields and varying orientations. The analysis indicates that the molecular remnant was created in several ejection episodes, possibly involving an interacting binary system. We calculated the linear momentum (≈1040 g cm s−1) and kinetic energy (≈1047 erg) of the CK Vul outflows and find values that are within the limits typical for classical PPNe. Given the similarities of the CK Vul outflows to PPNe, we suggest there may be CK Vul analogs among wrongly classified PPNe with low intrinsic luminosities, especially among PPNe with post-red-giant-branch central stars.

A revised comprehensive approach for determining the H2 and D2 rovibrational population from the Fulcher-α emission in low temperature plasmas

The emission of the Fulcher- transition is well-known for providing access to the rovibrational population of the hydrogen molecule in low temperature plasmas by means of optical emission spectroscopy. A revised comprehensive approach is developed for the evaluation that omits several simplifying assumptions, which are often made. The rovibrational distribution is directly calculated in the state considering the typically observed hockey-stick population. The projection into the d 3Π u state is performed via vibrationally resolved electron impact excitation cross sections and radiative decay into the is considered via vibrationally resolved transition probabilities. The obtained steady-state population is fitted to the experimentally measured one via varying the population parameters in the electronic ground state. The impact of this evaluation routine compared to the simplified ones is demonstrated both for H2 and D2 at two experiments: a standard CW low-power laboratory ICP and the pulsed high-power negative ion source plasma of the Linac4 accelerator at CERN. This assessment demonstrates that especially the simplification of measuring only the first five rotational emission lines (i.e. neglecting the rotational hockey-stick distribution) can affect the evaluation results significantly. In the application example, this leads to an overestimation of the gas temperature up to a factor of nine and to an underestimation of the determined intensity of the full Fulcher-α transition (required for applying collisional radiative models) up to a factor of three.

A Search for Light Hydrides in the Envelopes of Evolved Stars

Abstract We report a search for the diatomic hydrides SiH, PH, and FeH along the line of sight toward the chemically rich circumstellar envelopes of IRC+10216 and VY Canis Majoris. These molecules are thought to form in high-temperature regions near the photospheres of those stars, and may then further react via gas-phase and dust-grain interactions leading to more complex species, but have yet to be constrained by observation. We used the German Receiver for Astronomy at Terahertz Frequencies spectrometer on the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy to search for rotational emission lines of these molecules in four spectral windows ranging from 600 to 1500 GHz. Although none of the targeted species was detected in our search, we report their upper limit abundances in each source and discuss how they influence the current understanding of hydride chemistry in dense circumstellar media. We attribute the nondetections of these hydrides to their compact source sizes, high barriers of formation, and proclivity to react with other molecules in the winds.