Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Zainab Awad, Audrey Coutens, Serena Viti, Jonathan Holdship
Summary: The study investigated the formation mechanism of interstellar methyl formate and its deuterated isotopologues using a gas-grain chemical model. It was found that radical-radical association on grains and H-D substitution reactions play crucial roles in the formation of these molecules in low-mass star-forming regions. Additional experimental and theoretical studies are needed for a better understanding of the interstellar formation of these species.
MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
(2021)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
P. Riviere-Marichalar, A. Fuente, G. Esplugues, V. Wakelam, R. le Gal, C. Baruteau, A. Ribas, E. Macias, R. Neri, D. Navarro-Almaida
Summary: This study investigates the abundance of sulfuretted species and their contribution to the sulfur budget in the region surrounding AB Aur. The results show that H2S is an important sulfur carrier in the protoplanetary disk. The observed abundances are still far from the cosmic sulfur abundance, indicating the need for further research.
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
E. Bianchi, C. Ceccarelli, C. Codella, A. Lopez-Sepulcre, S. Yamamoto, N. Balucani, P. Caselli, L. Podio, R. Neri, R. Bachiller, C. Favre, F. Fontani, B. Lefloch, N. Sakai, D. Segura-Cox
Summary: By observing and analyzing the methyl cyanide (CH3CN) and its deuterated isotopologue (CH2DCN) in I-class protostar SVS13-A, researchers found that the deuterization degree of methyl cyanide did not decrease compared to younger protostars and prestellar cores. This result suggests that methyl cyanide is likely synthesized through gas-phase reactions and frozen onto dust grain mantles during the cold prestellar phase.
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
C. Codella, E. Bianchi, L. Podio, S. Mercimek, C. Ceccarelli, A. Lopez-Sepulcre, R. Bachiller, P. Caselli, N. Sakai, R. Neri, F. Fontani, C. Favre, N. Balucani, B. Lefloch, S. Viti, S. Yamamoto
Summary: Recent astrochemical studies have shed light on the distribution and properties of sulphuretted species, providing valuable insights into the chemical processes in star-forming regions. Analysis of the abundances and ratios of sulphuretted species in gas reveals variations in the sulphur-to-oxygen ratio during the formation of Sun-like stars. Overall, the findings suggest a consistent enrichment of sulphur with respect to other elements in the stages of low-mass star formation.
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
(2021)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Yuqiang Li, Junzhi Wang, Juan Li, Shu Liu, Qiuyi Luo
Summary: Sensitive observations of NH2D 1(11)(a)-1(0)(1)(s) were conducted towards 50 Galactic massive star-forming regions, yielding a detection rate of 72%. Column densities of NH2D, HC3N, and (CO)-O-18 were derived, along with the deuterium ratio of NH3 for 19 sources.
MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
C. Bordiu, F. Bufano, L. Cerrigone, G. Umana, J. R. Rizzo, C. S. Buemi, P. Leto, F. Cavallaro, A. Ingallinera, S. Loru, C. Trigilio, S. Riggi
Summary: New observations have revealed a ring-like molecular structure surrounding the AG Car star, with warm and moderately dense gas totaling 2.7 M-circle dot. The radio continuum map indicates a current mass-loss rate of (1.55 +/- 0.21) x 10(-5) M-circle dot yr(-1). Possible formation scenarios for the ring are discussed, shedding light on the complex mass-loss history of AG Car and the interplay between LBV stars and their surroundings.
MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
(2021)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Marta De Simone, Claudio Codella, Cecilia Ceccarelli, Ana Lopez-Sepulcre, Roberto Neri, Pedro Ruben Rivera-Ortiz, Gemma Busquet, Paola Caselli, Eleonora Bianchi, Francesco Fontani, Bertrand Lefloch, Yoko Oya, Jaime E. Pineda
Summary: There is evidence that the star formation process is influenced by external triggers, which compress the gas and shape the intricate network of filaments in molecular clouds. In order to understand this process, a study was conducted on the southern region of the Perseus NGC 1333 molecular cloud, where external triggers heavily affected the filament containing Class 0 IRAS4 protostars. Through new observations of SiO and CH3OH, it was found that there are three parallel elongated structures called fingers, which trace gas with high density and temperature. These structures are chemically different, with one being traced by both SiO and CH3OH, while the other two are only traced by SiO. A proposed explanation for the observations is the presence of a train of three shocks distanced by at least 5000 years. It is suggested that an expanding gas bubble from the south-west collided with the filament where IRAS 4A lies, resulting in the observed shock train. Furthermore, a solution is presented for the long-standing debate on the nature and origin of the narrow SiO emission in the south part of NGC 1333, suggesting that it is due to unresolved trains of shocks.
MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Yaping Peng, Tie Liu, Sheng-Li Qin, Tapas Baug, Hong-Li Liu, Ke Wang, Guido Garay, Chao Zhang, Long-Fei Chen, Chang Won Lee, Mika Juvela, Dalei Li, Ken'ichi Tatematsu, Xun-Chuan Liu, Jeong-Eun Lee, Gan Luo, Lokesh Dewangan, Yue-Fang Wu, Li Zhang, Leonardo Bronfman, Jixing Ge, Mengyao Tang, Yong Zhang, Feng-Wei Xu, Yao Wang, Bing Zhou
Summary: Investigating the physical and chemical structure of massive star-forming regions is vital for understanding the formation and early evolution of massive stars. In this study, detailed line surveys were conducted towards six dense cores in the G9.62+0.19 star-forming region, revealing the presence of various organic oxygen-, nitrogen-, and sulphur-bearing molecules. Modelling of these spectra and analysis of molecular column densities indicate temperature and chemical differences among the cores.
MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Long-Fei Chen, Qiang Chang, Yao Wang, Di Li
Summary: This study investigates the roles of stochastic grain heating in the formation of complex organic molecules (COMs) in cold cores. The research finds that grain coagulation can affect the formation of certain gas-phase species in cold core environments, and COMs formed on stochastically heated grains may help explain the observed abundances of gas-phase COMs in cold cores.
MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Yao Wang, Fujun Du, Dmitry Semenov, Hongchi Wang, Juan Li
Summary: The study observed spatial distribution differences of seven complex organic molecules around Sgr B2, potentially due to various desorption mechanisms contributing to the discrepancy.
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
(2021)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
K. Giers, S. Spezzano, F. Alves, P. Caselli, E. Redaelli, O. Sipilae, M. Ben Khalifa, L. Wiesenfeld, S. Brunken, L. Bizzocchi
Summary: This study investigates the distribution of deuterated molecules in the pre-stellar core L1544 using emission maps of cyclopropenylidene. The results show that the highest deuterium fractions are found near the dust peak at the center of L1544, indicating a more efficient deuteration process in the core's center. The study also suggests the presence of carbon-chain molecules at high densities.
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
A. G. Pazukhin, I. I. Zinchenko, E. A. Trofimova, C. Henkel, D. A. Semenov
Summary: In this study, we investigated the deuteration processes in five high-mass star-forming regions using spectra and maps. The results show that temperature and density play important roles in determining the deuterium fraction and relative abundances of different species.
MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
A. Fuente, S. P. Trevino-Morales, T. Alonso-Albi, A. Sanchez-Monge, P. Riviere-Marichalar, D. Navarro-Almaida
Summary: Observations of the massive protocluster Mon R2 IRS 3 using high angular resolution 1.1mm continuum and spectroscopy revealed two components, IRS 3 A and IRS 3 B, with IRS 3 A contributing to 80% of the continuum flux. Chemical analysis showed the presence of intense S-bearing species and complex organic molecules in IRS 3 A.
MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
(2021)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Lisa Giani, Cecilia Ceccarelli, Luca Mancini, Eleonora Bianchi, Fernando Pirani, Marzio Rosi, Nadia Balucani
Summary: This article presents a revised reaction network for the formation of methyl cyanide in the gas phase and explores the chemical link between methyl cyanide and methanol. The study identifies two new reactions that play a significant role in the formation of methyl cyanide and confirms the importance of a radiative association and electron recombination reaction in both cold and warm environments.
MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Agata Karska, Maciej Koprowski, Aleksandra Solarz, Ryszard Szczerba, Marta Sewilo, Natasza Siodmiak, Davide Elia, Marcin Gawronski, Konrad Grzesiak, Bosco H. K. Yung, William J. Fischer, Lars E. Kristensen
Summary: This study aims to develop a methodology to identify and classify young stellar objects in the outer Galaxy and resolve the distance and evolutionary status of a specific star. By using machine learning algorithms and publicly available data, the researchers were able to identify and classify YSO candidates and determine their physical properties and distances.
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
P. Nazari, B. Tabone, G. P. Rosotti
Summary: This study investigates the lack of methanol emission from some massive protostellar systems. It finds that the presence of a disk does not significantly affect the temperature structure and methanol emission from high-mass protostars. The methanol emission is lower for models with high millimeter opacity dust, but a large disk is needed for this effect to be effective. The low methanol emission in high-luminosity sources can be explained by the presence of HII regions without methanol.
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
T. Paneque-Carreno, A. Miotello, E. F. van Dishoeck, B. Tabone, A. F. Izquierdo, S. Facchini
Summary: This study aims to directly trace the vertical location of multiple molecular tracers in protoplanetary disks to study the environment of planet formation. The distribution of CO isotopologues is found to be in agreement with theoretical predictions, while the distribution of other molecules does not fully match the theoretical predictions, requiring further research and understanding.
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
M. Villenave, L. Podio, G. Duchene, K. R. Stapelfeldt, C. Melis, C. Carrasco-Gonzalez, V. J. M. Le Gouellec, F. Menard, M. de Simone, C. Chandler, A. Garufi, C. Pinte, E. Bianchi, C. Codella
Summary: We conducted new VLA observations on the Class I disk IRAS04302+2247, detecting thermal emission from the disk at 6.8 mm and 9.2 mm. The radial brightness profile of the disk changes from extended to centrally brightened at these wavelengths, indicating optical depth effects. Our radiative transfer modeling suggests that the grain scale height emitting at millimeter wavelengths is between 1 au and 6 au, while gas scale height is estimated to be about 7 au, indicating moderate settling.
ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Yuki Okoda, Yoko Oya, Logan Francis, Doug Johnstone, Cecilia Ceccarelli, Claudio Codella, Claire J. Chandler, Nami Sakai, Yuri Aikawa, Felipe O. Alves, Eric Herbst, Maria Jose Maureira, Mathilde Bouvier, Paola Caselli, Spandan Choudhury, Marta De Simone, Izaskun Jimenez-Serra, Jaime Pineda, Satoshi Yamamoto
Summary: We detected a hot corino in the low-mass protostellar source IRAS 15398-3359 using the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array. Nine CH3OH lines were observed, including high-excitation lines with upper-state energies up to 500 K. The derived CH3OH rotational temperature is 119(-26)(+20) K, with a column density of 3.2(-1.0)(+2.5) x 10^18 cm(-2). The emitting region of CH3OH is much smaller than the synthesized beam size and is not resolved. The source shows hybrid properties, with complex organic molecules on small scales and carbon-chain species on large scales.
ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Eleonora Bianchi, Anthony Remijan, Claudio Codella, Cecilia Ceccarelli, Francois Lique, Silvia Spezzano, Nadia Balucani, Paola Caselli, Eric Herbst, Linda Podio, Charlotte Vastel, Brett McGuire
Summary: In this study, a comprehensive investigation of the cyanopolyyne chemistry in the prototypical prestellar core L1544 is conducted. HC9N is detected for the first time towards the source. The high spectral resolution reveals double-peak spectral line profiles, with the redshifted peak being 3-5 times brighter. The emission of cyanopolyyne is likely associated with the southern region of the core where free carbon atoms are available for the formation of long chains.
ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
M. J. Jimenez-Donaire, A. Usero, I. Beslic, M. Tafalla, A. Chacon-Tanarro, Q. Salome, C. Eibensteiner, A. Garcia-Rodriguez, A. Hacar, A. T. Barnes, F. Bigiel, M. Chevance, D. Colombo, D. A. Dale, T. A. Davis, S. C. O. Glover, J. Kauffmann, R. S. Klessen, A. K. Leroy, L. Neumann, H. Pan, J. Pety, M. Querejeta, T. Saito, E. Schinnerer, S. Stuber, T. G. Williams
Summary: Nitrogen hydrides like NH3 and N2H+ are commonly used to trace cold dense regions in interstellar medium, while HCN has become the most common tracer in external galaxies. This study presents the first systematic measurements of N2H+ (1-0) in different environments of an external spiral galaxy, NGC 6946. The results show a strong correlation between the intensities of HCN (1-0) and N2H+ (1-0) across the inner region of the galaxy, indicating that HCN (1-0) emission can be used to predict N2H+ (1-0) at kiloparsec scales.
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Stefano Ferrero, Cecilia Ceccarelli, Piero Ugliengo, Mariona Sodupe, Albert Rimola
Summary: The carbon atom can condensate with interstellar ice components, which is crucial for interstellar medium chemistry. Carbon condensation on CO-rich ices forms ketene, which can be a potential candidate for interstellar complex organic molecules. Quantum chemical calculations show that the addition of H to ketene to form the acetyl radical is the most preferred path, and the reactions with OH and NH2 have high activation energies. Astrophysical implications of these findings are discussed considering the James Webb Space Telescope observations.
ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Lorenzo Tinacci, Aurele Germain, Stefano Pantaleone, Cecilia Ceccarelli, Nadia Balucani, Piero Ugliengo
Summary: Water plays a crucial role in star-forming regions and protoplanetary disks. A new study presents ab initio calculations on interstellar ice, revealing 144 different adsorption sites for water molecules. The calculated binding energy (BE) distribution peaks at 35.4 kJ mol(-1) (4230 K) and significantly affects the snowline in protoplanetary disks. The results indicate that the previous models might have overestimated the release of water into the gas phase.
ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Cecilia Ceccarelli
Summary: Astrochemistry is the interdisciplinary study of the chemistry in the Universe, combining astronomy and chemistry. Over the past fifty years, it has experienced rapid advancements spurred by new telescopes, particularly in understanding the formation and survival of interstellar molecules. The collaboration between astronomers and chemists is crucial, especially with the aid of advanced astronomical facilities, in studying the formation of interstellar complex organic molecules (iCOMs) and addressing the uncertainties in this field.
FARADAY DISCUSSIONS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Eleonora Bianchi, Ana Lopez-Sepulcre, Cecilia Ceccarelli, Claudio Codella, Linda Podio, Mathilde Bouvier, Joan Enrique-Romero, Rafael Bachiller, Bertrand Lefloch
Summary: We present high-angular resolution observations of the binary system SVS13-A using ALMA, focusing on the emission of deuterated water and sulfur dioxide. The molecular emission is associated with both components of the binary system. The spatial distribution of deuterated water shows an additional component coincident with the dust-accretion streamer, suggesting an origin at the interface between the accretion streamer and the disk of VLA4A.
FARADAY DISCUSSIONS
(2023)