We have carried out observations of CCH and its two $^{13}$C isotopologues, $^{13}$CCH and C$^{13}$CH, in the 84 - 88 GHz band toward two starless cores, L1521B and L134N (L183), using the Nobeyama 45 m radio telescope. We have detected C$^{13}$CH with a signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio of 4, whereas no line of $^{13}$CCH was detected in either the dark clouds. The column densities of the normal species were derived to be ($1.66 \pm 0.18$)$\times 10^{14}$ cm$^{-2}$ and ($7.3 \pm 0.9$)$\times 10^{13}$ cm$^{-2}$ ($1 σ$) in L1521B and L134N, respectively. The column density ratios of $N$(C$^{13}$CH)/$N$($^{13}$CCH) were calculated to be $>1.1$ and $>1.4$ in L1521B and L134N, respectively. The characteristic that $^{13}$CCH is less abundant than C$^{13}$CH is likely common for dark clouds. Moreover, we find that the $^{12}$C/$^{13}$C ratios of CCH are much higher than those of HC$_{3}$N in L1521B by more than a factor of 2, as well as in Taurus Molecular Cloud-1 (TMC-1). In L134N, the differences in the $^{12}$C/$^{13}$C ratios between CCH and HC$_{3}$N seem to be smaller than those in L1521B and TMC-1. We discuss the origins of the $^{13}$C isotopic fractionation of CCH and investigate possible routes that cause the significantly high $^{12}$C/$^{13}$C ratio of CCH especially in young dark clouds, with the help of chemical simulations. The high $^{12}$C/$^{13}$C ratios of CCH seem to be caused by reactions between hydrocarbons (e.g., CCH, C$_{2}$H$_{2}$, $l,c$-C$_{3}$H) and C$^{+}$.
We observed the $J=5-4$ rotational lines of the normal species and three $^{13}$C isotopologues of HC$_{3}$N at the 45 GHz band toward two low-mass starless cores, L1521B and L134N (L183), using the Nobeyama 45 m radio telescope in order to study the main formation pathways of HC$_{3}$N in each core. The abundance ratios of the three $^{13}$C isotopologues in L1521B are derived to be [H$^{13}$CCCN]:[HC$^{13}$CCN]:[HCC$^{13}$CN] = 0.98 (+- 0.14) : 1.00 : 1.52 (+- 0.16) (1 sigma). The fractionation pattern is consistent with that at the cyanopolyyne peak in Taurus Molecular Cloud-1. This fractio…
We have performed a pointed survey of N2D+ 2-1 and N2D+ 3-2 emission toward 64 N2H+-bright starless and protostellar cores in the Perseus molecular cloud using the Arizona Radio Observatory Submillimeter Telescope and Kitt Peak 12 m telescope. We find a mean deuterium fractionation in N2H+, R_D = N(N2D+)/N(N2H+), of 0.08, with a maximum R_D = 0.2. In detected sources, we find no significant difference in the deuterium fractionation between starless and protostellar cores, nor between cores in clustered or isolated environments. We compare the deuterium fraction in N2H+ with parameters linked t…
Measurements of the nitrogen isotopic ratio in Solar System comets show a constant value, ~140, which is three times lower than the protosolar ratio, a highly significant difference that remains unexplained. Observations of static starless cores at early stages of collapse confirm the theoretical expectation that nitrogen fractionation in interstellar conditions is marginal for most species. Yet, observed isotopic ratios in N2H+ are at variance with model predictions. These gaps in our understanding of how the isotopic reservoirs of nitrogen evolve, from interstellar clouds to comets, and, mor…
Aims. We measure the deuterium fraction, RD, and the CO-depletion factor, fd, toward a number of starless and protostellar cores in the L1688 region of the Ophiuchus molecular cloud complex and search for variations based upon environmental differences across L1688. The kinematic properties of the dense gas traced by the N2H+ and N2D+ (1-0) lines are also discussed. Methods. RD has been measured via observations of the J=1-0 transition of N2H+ and N2D+ toward 33 dense cores in different regions of L1688. fd estimates have been done using C17O(1-0) and 850 micron dust continuum emission from th…
The inheritance of material across the star and planet formation process is traced by deuterium fractionation. We report here the first detection of doubly deuterated methanol towards pre-stellar cores. We study the deuterium fractionation of methanol, CH$_{3}$OH, towards two starless and two pre-stellar cores. We derive a D/H ratio of 0.8-1.9$\%$ with CH$_{2}$DOH in pre-stellar cores H-MM1 and L694-2, consistent with measurements in more evolved Class 0/I objects and comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, suggesting a direct chemical link arising in the pre-stellar stage. Furthermore, the column de…
We have carried out observations of CCH ($N=1-0$), CH$_{3}$CN ($J=5-4$), and three $^{13}$C isotopologues of HC$_{3}$N ($J=10-9$) toward three massive young stellar objects (MYSOs), G12.89+0.49, G16.86--2.16, and G28.28--0.36, with the Nobeyama 45-m radio telescope. Combined with previous results on HC$_{5}$N, the column density ratios of $N$(CCH)/$N$(HC$_{5}$N), hereafter the CCH/HC$_{5}$N ratios, in the MYSOs are derived to be $\sim 15$. This value is lower than that in a low-mass warm carbon chain chemistry (WCCC) source by more than one order of magnitude. We compare the observed CCH/HC$_{…
We used the new IRAM 30-m FTS backend to perform an unbiased ~15 GHz wide survey at 3 mm toward the Pipe Nebula young diffuse starless cores. We found an unexpectedly rich chemistry. We propose a new observational classification based on the 3 mm molecular line emission normalized by the core visual extinction (Av). Based on this classification, we report a clear differentiation in terms of chemical composition and of line emission properties, which served to define three molecular core groups. The "diffuse" cores, Av<~15, show poor chemistry with mainly simple species (e.g. CS and CCH). The "…
Recent observations indicate that organic molecules are prevalent towards starless and prestellar cores. Deuteration of these molecules has not been well-studied during the starless phase. Published observations of singly-deuterated methanol, CH$_2$DOH, have only been observed in a couple of well-studied, dense and evolved prestellar cores (e.g. L1544, L183). Since the formation of gas-phase methanol during this cold phase is believed to occur via desorption from the icy grain surfaces, observations of CH$_2$DOH may be useful as a probe of the deuterium fraction in the ice mantles of dust grai…
12C/13C isotopologue abundance anomalies have long been predicted for gas-phase chemistry in molecules other than CO and have recently been observed in the Taurus molecular cloud in several species hosting more than one carbon atom, i.e. CCH, CCS, CCCS and HC$_3$N. Here we work to ascertain whether these isotopologic anomalies actually result from the predicted depletion of the 13C+ ion in an oxygen-rich optically-shielded dense gas, or from some other more particular mechanism or mechanisms. We observed $λ$3mm emission from carbon, sulfur and nitrogen-bearing isotopologues of HNC, CS and \HH …
The ratio between the two stable isotopes of nitrogen, $^{14}$N and $^{15}$N, is well measured in the terrestrial atmosphere ($\sim 272$), and in the pre-Solar nebula ($\sim 441$). Interestingly, some pristine Solar System materials show enrichments in $^{15}$N with respect to the pre-Solar nebula value. However, it is not yet clear if, and how, these enrichments are linked to the past chemical history, due to the limited number of measurements in dense star-forming regions. In this respect, dense cores believed to be precursors of clusters containing also intermediate- and high-mass stars are…
We study deuterium fractionation in two massive starless/early-stage cores C1-N and C1-S in Infrared Dark Cloud (IRDC) G028.37+00.07, first identified by Tan et al. (2013) with ALMA. Line emission from multiple transitions of $\rm N_2H^+$ and $\rm N_2D^+$ were observed with the ALMA, CARMA, SMA, JCMT, NRO 45m and IRAM 30m telescopes. By simultaneously fitting the spectra, we estimate the excitation conditions and deuterium fraction, $D_{\rm frac}^{\rm N_2H^+} \equiv [\rm N_2D^+]/[N_2H^+]$, with values of $D_{\rm frac}^{\rm N_2H^+} \simeq 0.2$--$0.7$, several orders of magnitude above the cosmi…
We present N2D+ 3-2 (IRAM) and H2D+ 1_11 - 1_10 and N2H+ 4-3 (JCMT) maps of the small cluster-forming Ophiuchus B2 core in the nearby Ophiuchus molecular cloud. In conjunction with previously published N2H+ 1-0 observations, the N2D+ data reveal the deuterium fractionation in the high density gas across Oph B2. The average deuterium fractionation R_D = N(N2D+)/N(N2H+) ~ 0.03 over Oph B2, with several small scale R_D peaks and a maximum R_D = 0.1. The mean R_D is consistent with previous results in isolated starless and protostellar cores. The column density distributions of both H2D+ and N2D+ …
Clouds of high infrared extinction are promising sites of massive star/cluster formation. A large number of cloud cores discovered in recent years allows investigation of possible evolutionary sequence among cores in early phases. We have conducted a survey of deuterium fractionation toward 15 dense cores in various evolutionary stages, from high-mass starless cores to ultracompact Hii regions, in the massive star-forming clouds of high extinction, G34.43+0.24, IRAS 18151-1208, and IRAS 18223-1243, with the Submillimeter Telescope (SMT). Spectra of N2H+ (3 - 2), N2D+ (3 - 2), and C18O (2 - 1) …
To deepen our understanding of the chemical properties of the Planck Galactic Cold Clump (PGCC) G168.72-15.48, we performed observations of nine molecular species, namely, \ce{c-C3H}, \ce{H2CO}, \ce{HC5N}, \ce{HC7N}, \ce{SO}, \ce{CCH}, \ce{N2H+}, \ce{CH3OH}, and \ce{CH3CCH}, toward two dense cores in PGCC G168.72-15.48 using the Tianma Radio Telescope and Purple Mountain Observatory Telescope. We detected \ce{c-C3H}, \ce{H2CO}, \ce{HC5N}, \ce{N2H+}, \ce{CCH}, and \ce{CH3OH} in both G168-H1 and G168-H2 cores, whereas \ce{HC7N} and \ce{CH3CCH} were detected only in G168-H1 and SO was detected on…
In the context of the IRAM 30m Large Program GEMS, we present a study of thioformaldehyde in several starless cores located in star-forming filaments of Taurus, Perseus, and Orion. We investigate the influence of the environmental conditions on the abundances of these molecules in the cores, and the effect of time evolution. We have modelled the observed lines of H2CS, HDCS, and D2CS using the radiative transfer code RADEX. We have also used the chemical code Nautilus to model the evolution of these species depending on the characteristics of the starless cores. We derive column densities and …
Context The Vela Molecular Ridge is one of the nearest (700 pc) giant molecular cloud (GMC) complexes hosting intermediate-mass (up to early B, late O stars) star formation, and is located in the outer Galaxy, inside the Galactic plane. Vela C is one of the GMCs making up the Vela Molecular Ridge, and exhibits both sub-regions of robust and sub-regions of more quiescent star formation activity, with both low- and intermediate(high)-mass star formation in progress. Aims We aim to study the individual and global properties of dense dust cores in Vela C, and aim to search for spatial variations i…
The deuterium fractionation in starless cores gives us a clue to estimate their lifetime scales, thus allowing us to distinguish between different dynamical theories of core formation. Cores also seem to be subject to a differential N2 and CO depletion which was not expected from models. We aim to make a survey of 10 cores to estimate their lifetime scales and depletion profiles in detail. After L183, in Serpens, we present the second cloud of the series, L1512 in Auriga. To constrain the lifetime scale, we perform chemical modeling of the deuteration profiles across L1512 based on dust extinc…
Inventories of Rich Carbon-Chain Chemistry in Prestellar and Starless Cores in the Perseus Molecular Cloud
University of California, Berkeley(加州大学伯克利分校);National Radio Astronomy Observatory(美国国家射电天文台);RIKEN Cluster for Pioneering Research(理化学研究所先导研究集群);Steward Observatory, University of Arizona(亚利桑那大学斯图尔德天文台);Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), CSIC-INTA(天体生物学中心,西班牙科学研究中心-国家航空航天技术研究所)
A tale of two isotopes: Spatial variation in HCN fractionation toward young cores
Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik(马克斯·普朗克地外物理研究所);Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), CSIC-INTA(天体生物学中心(CAB),西班牙国家科学研究委员会-国家航空技术研究所);European Southern Observatory(欧洲南方天文台)
Aims. We aim to investigate whether a multilayer ice model can be as successful as a bulk ice model in reproducing the observed abundances of various deuterated gas-phase species toward starless cores. Methods. We calculate abundances for various deuterated species as functions of time adopting fixed physical conditions. We also estimate abundance gradients by adopting a modified Bonnor-Ebert sphere as a core model. In the multilayer ice scenario, we consider desorption from one or several monolayers on the surface. Results. We find that the multilayer model predicts abundances of $\rm DCO^+$ …
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 Morita array) and the IRAM 30 m telescope in 1.2 mm continuum has identified a centrally concentrated starless condensation with a central H$_2$ volume density of $\sim$10$^6$ cm$^{-3}$, MC5-N, connected to a narrow (width $\sim$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 mag…
We have conducted a spectral line survey in the 3 mm and 2 mm bands toward two positions in a spiral arm of M51 (NGC 5194) with the IRAM 30 m telescope. In this survey, we have identified 13 molecular species, including CN, CCH, N2H+, HNCO, and CH3OH. Furthermore, 6 isotopologues of the major species have been detected. On the other hand, SiO, HC3N, CH3CN, and the deuterated species such as DCN and DCO+ are not detected. The deuterium fractionation ratios are evaluated to be less than 0.8 % and 1.2 % for DCN/HCN and DCO+/HCO+, respectively. By comparing the results of the two positions with di…
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 fo…
(Abridged) We aim to determine the degrees of CO depletion, deuterium fractionation, and ionisation in a sample of seven massive clumps associated with IRDCs. The APEX telescope was used to observe the C17O(2-1), H13CO+(3-2), DCO+(3-2), N2H+(3-2), and N2D+(3-2) transitions towards the clumps. The CO molecules do not appear to be significantly depleted in the observed clumps. The DCO+/HCO+ and N2D+/N2H+ column density ratios are about 0.0002-0.014 and 0.002-0.028, respectively. The former ratio is found to decrease as a function of gas kinetic temperature. A simple chemical analysis suggests th…
c-C3H2 deuteration towards prestellar and starless cores in the Perseus Molecular Cloud
RIKEN Cluster for Pioneering Research(理化学研究所前沿研究集群);National Radio Astronomy Observatory(国家射电天文台);University of Virginia(弗吉尼亚大学);University of California, Berkeley(加州大学伯克利分校);University of Arizona(亚利桑那大学);Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), CSIC-INTA(天体生物学中心(CAB),西班牙高等科学研究委员会-国家航空航天技术研究所)
Understanding the origin of the composition of solar system cosmomaterials is a central question, not only in the cosmochemistry and astrochemistry fields, and requires various approaches to be combined. Measurements of isotopic ratios in cometary materials provide strong constraints on the content of the protosolar nebula. Their relation with the composition of the parental dark clouds is, however, still very elusive. In this paper, we bring new constraints based on the isotopic composition of nitrogen in dark clouds, with the aim of understanding the chemical processes that are responsible f…
Using the Green Bank 100 m telescope and the Nobeyama 45 m telescope, we have observed the rotational emission lines of the three 13C isotopic species of HC3N in the 3 and 7 mm bands toward the low-mass star-forming region L1527 in order to explore their anomalous 12C/13C ratios. The column densities of the 13C isotopic species are derived from the intensities of the J = 5-4 lines observed at high signal-to-noise ratios. The abundance ratios are determined to be 1.00:1.01 +- 0.02:1.35 +- 0.03:86.4 +- 1.6 for [H13CCCN]:[HC13CCN]:[HCC13CN]:[HCCCN], where the errors represent one standard deviati…
The $^{13}$CO molecule is often used as a column density tracer in regions where the $^{12}$CO emission saturates. The $^{13}$CO column density is then related to that of $^{12}$CO by a uniform isotopic ratio. A similar approximation is frequently used when deriving $^{13}$CO emission maps from numerical simulations of molecular clouds. To test this assumption we calculate the $^{12}$CO/$^{13}$CO ratio self-consistently, taking the isotope selective photodissociation and the chemical fractionation of CO into account. We model the coupled chemical, thermal and dynamical evolution and the emerge…
High degrees of deuterium fractionation are commonly found in cold prestellar cores and in the envelopes around young protostars. As it brings strong constraints to chemical models, deuterium chemistry is often used to infer core history or molecule formation pathways. Whereas a large number of observations is available regarding interstellar deuterated stable molecules, relatively little is known about the deuteration of hydride radicals, as their fundamental rotational transitions are at high frequencies where the atmosphere is mostly opaque. Nitrogen hydride radicals are important species i…