We used the APEX telescope to observe the 372 GHz o-H$_2$D$^+(J_{K_a,\,K_c}=1_{1,\,0}-1_{1,\,1})$ line towards three prestellar cores and three protostellar cores in Orion B9. We also employed our previous APEX observations of C$^{17}$O, C$^{18}$O, N$_2$H$^+$, and N$_2$D$^+$ line emission, and 870 $μ$m dust continuum emission towards the target sources. The o-H$_2$D$^+$ line was detected in all three prestellar cores, but in only one of the protostellar cores. The corresponding o-H$_2$D$^+$ abundances were derived to be $\sim(12-30)\times10^{-11}$ and $6\times10^{-11}$. Two additional spectral lines, DCO$^+(5-4)$ and N$_2$H$^+(4-3)$, were detected in the observed frequency bands with high detection rates of $100\%$ and $83\%$, respectively. The Orion B9 cores were found to be consistent with the relationship between the o-H$_2$D$^+$ abundance and gas temperature obeyed by other low-mass dense cores. The o-H$_2$D$^+$ abundance was found to decrease as the core evolves. The o-H$_2$D$^+$ abundances in the Orion B9 cores are in line with those found in other low-mass cores and larger than derived for high-mass star-forming regions. The higher o-H$_2$D$^+$ abundance in prestellar cores compared to that in cores hosting protostars is to be expected from chemical reactions where higher concentrations of gas-phase CO and elevated gas temperature accelerate the destruction of H$_2$D$^+$. The validity of using the [o-H$_2$D$^+$]/[N$_2$D$^+$] ratio as an evolutionary indicator, which has been proposed for massive clumps, remains to be determined when applied to these target cores. Overall, as located in a dynamic environment of Orion B, the Orion B9 filament provides an interesting target system to investigate the deuterium-based chemistry, and further observations of species like para-H$_2$D$^+$ and D$_2$H$^+$ would be of particular interest.
The Orion molecular cloud complex harbours the nearest GMCs and site of high-mass star formation. Its YSO populations are thoroughly characterized. The region is therefore a prime target for the study of star formation. Here, we verify the performance of the SuperCAM 64 pixel heterodyne array on APEX. We give a descriptive overview of a set of wide-field CO(3-2) spectral cubes obtained towards the Orion GMC complex, aimed at characterizing the dynamics and structure of the extended molecular gas in diverse regions of the clouds, ranging from very active sites of clustered star formation in Ori…
A high density portion of the Orion Molecular Cloud 1 (OMC-1) contains the prominent, warm Kleinmann-Low (KL) nebula that is internally powered by an energetic event plus a farther region in which intermediate to high mass stars are forming. Its outside is affected by ultraviolet radiation from the neighboring Orion Nebula Cluster and forms the archetypical photon-dominated region (PDR) with the prominent bar feature. Its nearness makes the OMC-1 core region a touchstone for research on the dense molecular interstellar medium and PDRs. Using the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment telescope (APEX), …
We aim to characterize the outflow properties of a sample of early Class 0 phase low-mass protostars in Orion first identified by the Herschel Space Observatory. We also look for signatures of infall in key molecular lines. CO $J$=3-2 and $J$=4-3 maps toward 16 very young Class 0 protostars were obtained using the Atacama Pathfinder EXperiment (APEX) telescope. We search the data for line wings indicative of outflows and calculate masses, velocities, and dynamical times for the outflows. We use additional HCO$^+$, H$^{13}$CO$^+$, and NH$_3$ lines to look for infall signatures toward the protos…
We aim to further constrain the properties and evolutionary stages of dense cores in Orion B9. The central part of Orion B9 was mapped at 350 micron with APEX/SABOCA. A sample of nine cores in the region were observed in C17O(2-1), H13CO+(4-3) (towards 3 sources), DCO+(4-3), N2H+(3-2), and N2D+(3-2) with APEX/SHFI. These data are used in conjunction with our previous APEX/LABOCA 870-micron dust continuum data. Many of the LABOCA cores show evidence of substructure in the higher-resolution SABOCA image. In particular, we report on the discovery of multiple very low-mass condensations in the pre…
High spatial resolution low-J 12CO observations have shown that the wide-angle outflow seen in the Orion BN/KL region correlates with the famous H2 fingers. Recently, high-resolution large-scale mappings of mid- and higher-J CO emissions have been reported toward the Orion molecular cloud 1 core region using the APEX telescope. Therefore, it is of interest to investigate this outflow in the higher-J 12CO emission, which is likely excited by shocks. The observations were carried out using the dual-color heterodyne array CHAMP+ on the APEX telescope. The images of the Orion BN/KL region were obt…
The ortho-to-para ratio (OPR) of H$_2$O is thought to be sensitive to the temperature of water formation. The OPR of H$_2$O is thus useful to study the formation mechanism of water. We investigate the OPR of water in the Orion PDR (Photon-dominated region), at the Orion Bar and Orion S positions, using data from {\it Herschel}/HIFI. We detect the ground-state lines of ortho- and para-H$_2$$^{18}$O in the Orion Bar and Orion S and we estimate the column densities using LTE and non-LTE methods. Based on our calculations, the ortho-to-para ratio (OPR) in the Orion Bar is 0.1 $-$ 0.5, which is une…
We have surveyed a sample of massive star-forming regions located over a range of distances from the Galactic centre for methyl formate, HCOOCH$_{3}$, and its isotopologues H$^{13}$COOCH$_{3}$ and HCOO$^{13}$CH$_{3}$. The observations were carried out with the APEX telescope in the frequency range 283.4--287.4~GHz. Based on the APEX observations, we report tentative detections of the $^{13}$C-methyl formate isotopologue HCOO$^{13}$CH$_{3}$ towards the following four massive star-forming regions: Sgr~B2(N-LMH), NGC~6334~IRS~1, W51 e2 and G19.61-0.23. In addition, we have used the 1~mm ALMA scie…
We present high-spectral resolution observations from 12.96 - 13.33 microns towards Orion IRc2 using the mid-infrared spectrograph, EXES, on SOFIA. These observations probe the physical and chemical conditions of the Orion hot core, which is sampled by a bright, compact, mid-infrared background continuum source in the region, IRc2. All ten of the rovibrational C2H2 transitions expected in our spectral coverage, are detected with high S/N, yielding continuous coverage of the R-branch lines from J=9-8 to J=18-17, including both ortho and para species. Eight of these rovibrational transitions are…
We attempt to achieve a better understanding of the gas distribution and velocity field around the deeply embedded Class 0 protostar SMM 3 in the Orion B9 star-forming region. Using the APEX 12-m telescope, we mapped the line emission from the J=2-1 rotational transition of two CO isotopologues, 13CO and C18O, over a 4' x 4' region around Orion B9/SMM 3. Both the 13CO and C18O lines exhibit two well separated velocity components at about 1.3 and 8.7 km/s. The emission of both CO isotopologues is more widely distributed than the submillimetre dust continuum emission as probed by LABOCA. The LAB…
The accretion-driven outbursts of young FU Orionis-type stars may be a common stage of pre-main sequence evolution and can have a significant impact on the circumstellar environment as it pertains to the growth of solids and eventually planets. This episodic accretion is thought to be sustained by additional gas in-falling from the circumstellar envelope and disk. We present APEX observations of the CO gas in the envelope around V883 Orionis, a young outbursting star. The observations mapped the $^{12}$CO(4-3), $^{12}$CO(3-2), and $^{13}$CO(3-2) lines with the FLASH$^{+}$ instrument and the $^…
We present a long-slit spectroscopic analysis of Herbig-Haro 202 and the surrounding gas of the Orion Nebula using data from the Very Large Telescope. Given the characteristics of the Orion Nebula, it is the ideal object to study the mechanisms that play a role in the evolution of H II regions, notably dust destruction by interstellar shocks, which is a poorly understood subject. The use of long-slit allowed us to determine the spatial variation in its physical conditions and chemical abundances observing a broad area of the Orion Nebula; our results are consistent with those from previous stu…
We present APEX observations of C17O(2-1), N2H+(3-2), and N2D+(3-2) towards the subfragments inside the prestellar core SMM 6 in Orion B9. We combined these spectral line data with our previous SABOCA 350-μm dust continuum map of the source. The subfragments are characterised by subsonic internal non-thermal motions (σNT~0.5cs), and most of them appear to be gravitationally bound. The dispersion of the N2H+ velocity centroids among the condensations is very low (0.02 km/s). The CO depletion factors we derive, fD=0.8+/-0.4 - 3.6+/-1.5, do not suggest any significant CO freeze-out but this may b…
We present Herschel/HIFI observations of the light hydride H$_{2}$S obtained from the full spectral scan of the Orion Kleinmann-Low nebula (Orion KL) taken as part of the HEXOS GT key program. In total, we observe 52, 24, and 8 unblended or slightly blended features from H$_{2}$$^{32}$S, H$_{2}$$^{34}$S, and H$_{2}$$^{33}$S, respectively. We only analyze emission from the so called hot core, but emission from the plateau, extended ridge, and/or compact ridge are also detected. Rotation diagrams for ortho and para H$_{2}$S follow straight lines given the uncertainties and yield T$_{\rm rot}$=14…
A very low ortho-to-para ratio (OPR) of 0.1-0.5 was previously reported in the Orion Bar photon-dominated region (PDR), based on observations of two optically thin $\mathrm{H_2^{18}O}$ lines which were analyzed by using a single-slab large velocity gradient model. The corresponding spin temperature does not coincide with the kinetic temperature of the molecular gas in this UV-illuminated region. This was interpreted as an indication of water molecules being formed on cold icy grains which were subsequently released by UV photodesorption. A more complete set of water observations in the Orion B…
We report on the detection of the ground-state rotational line of ortho-D2H+ at 1.477 THz (203 micron) using the German REceiver for Astronomy at Terahertz frequencies (GREAT) onboard the Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). The line is seen in absorption against far-infrared continuum from the protostellar binary IRAS 16293-2422 in Ophiuchus. The para-D2H+ line at 691.7 GHz was not detected with the APEX telescope toward this position. These D2H+ observations complement our previous detections of para-H2D+ and ortho-H2D+ using SOFIA and APEX. By modeling chemistry and rad…
We present CO(2-1), $^{13}$CO(2-1), CO(6-5), CO(7-6), and SO(6$_5-5_4$) line observations made with the {\it IRAM 30 m} and {\it APEX} radiotelescopes and the {\it Submillimeter Array} toward the highly collimated and extended southwest lobe of the bipolar outflow {\it Ori-S6} located in the Orion South region. We report, for all these lines, the detection of velocity asymmetries about the flow axis, with velocity differences roughly on the order of 1 km s$^{-1}$ over distances of about 5000 AU, 4 km s$^{-1}$ over distances of about 2000 AU, and close to the source of between 7 and 11 km s$^{-…
Using the Expanded Very Large Array, we have mapped the vicinity of the Orion BN/KL Hot Core with sub-arcsecond angular resolution in seven metastable inversion transitions of ammonia: (J,K)=(6,6) to (12,12). This emission comes from levels up to 1500 K above the ground state, enabling identification of source(s) responsible for heating the region. We used this multi-transition dataset to produce images of the rotational/kinetic temperature and the column density of ammonia for ortho and para species separately and on a position-by-position basis. We find rotational temperature and column dens…
(abridged) Within the Orion A molecular cloud, the integral-shaped filament (ISF) is a prominent, degree-long structure of dense gas and dust, with clear signs of recent and on-going high-mass star formation. We used the ArTeMiS bolometer camera at APEX to map a 0.6x0.2 deg^2 region covering OMC-1, OMC-2, OMC-3 at 350 and 450 micron. We combined these data with Herschel-SPIRE maps to recover extended emission. The combined Herschel-ArTeMiS maps provide details on the distribution of dense, cold material, with a high spatial dynamic range, from our 8'' resolution (0.016 pc) up to the size of th…
Context. The star formation rates and stellar densities found in young massive clusters suggest that these stellar systems originate from gas at densities n(H$_2$) $>10^7$ cm$^{-3}$. Until today, however, the physical characterization of this ultra high density material remains largely unconstrained in observations. Aims. We investigated the density properties of the star-forming gas in the OMC-1 region located in the vicinity of the Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC). Methods. We mapped the molecular emission at 652 GHz in OMC-1 as part of the APEX-SEPIA660 Early Science. Results. We detect bright an…
Using the Herschel Space Observatory's Heterodyne Instrument for the Far-Infrared (HIFI), we have observed para-chloronium (H2Cl+) toward six sources in the Galaxy. We detected interstellar chloronium absorption in foreground molecular clouds along the sight-lines to the bright submillimeter continuum sources Sgr A (+50 km/s cloud) and W31C. Both the para-H2-35Cl+ and para-H2-37Cl+ isotopologues were detected, through observations of their 1(11)-0(00) transitions at rest frequencies of 485.42 and 484.23 GHz, respectively. For an assumed ortho-to-para ratio of 3, the observed optical depths imp…
Unveiling the enigma of the Nakashima-Deguchi object (IRAS 19312+1950): a candidate Orion KL analog
Purple Mountain Observatory and Key Laboratory of Radio Astronomy, Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院紫金山天文台）；Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie（马克斯·普朗克射电天文研究所）；Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Center, Polish Academy of Sciences（波兰科学院尼古拉·哥白尼天文学中心）；Leibniz-Institut für Astrophysik Potsdam (AIP)（波茨坦阿基米德莱布尼茨天体物理研究所）；Laboratório Nacional de Astrofísica (LNA/MCTI)（国家天体物理学实验室）；I. Physikalisches Institut der Universität zu Köln（科隆大学第一物理研究所）
The present study aims to characterise the physical and chemical properties of the protostellar core Orion B9-SMM3. The APEX telescope was used to perform a follow-up molecular line survey of SMM3. The following species were identified from the frequency range 218.2-222.2 GHz: $^{13}$CO, C$^{18}$O, SO, para-H$_2$CO, and E$_1$-type CH$_3$OH. The on-the-fly mapping observations at 215.1-219.1 GHz revealed that SMM3 is associated with a dense gas core as traced by DCO$^+$ and p-H$_2$CO. Altogether three different p-H$_2$CO transitions were detected with clearly broadened linewidths (8.2-11 km s$^…
In order to understand the evolution and feedback of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) and star formation it is important to use molecular lines as probes of physical conditions and chemistry. We use H$_{2}$S to investigate the impact of starburst and AGN activity on the chemistry of the molecular interstellar medium in luminous infrared galaxies. Using the APEX single dish telescope, we have observed the $1_{10}$--$1_{01}$ transition of ortho-H$_{2}$S at 168 GHz towards the centres of twelve nearby luminous infrared galaxies. We have also observed the same line towards the ultra luminous infrared …
We present ALMA (0.87~mm and 1.3~mm) and VLA (9~mm) observations toward the candidate intermediate-mass protostar OMC2-FIR3 (HOPS-370; L$_{bol}$~314~L$_{\odot}$) at $\sim$0.1" (40~au) resolution for the continuum emission and ~0.25" (100 au) resolution of nine molecular lines. The dust continuum observed with ALMA at 0.87~mm and 1.3~mm resolve a near edge-on disk toward HOPS-370 with an apparent radius of ~100 au. The VLA observations detect both the disk in dust continuum and free-free emission extended along the jet direction. The ALMA observations of molecular lines (H$_2$CO, SO, CH$_3$OH, …
Using the Herschel Space Observatory's Heterodyne Instrument for the Far-Infrared (HIFI), we have performed mapping observations of the 620.701 GHz 5(32)-4(41) transition of ortho-H2O within a roughly 1.5 x 1.5 arcmin region encompassing the Kleinmann-Low nebula in Orion, and pointed observations of that transition toward the Orion South condensation and the W49N region of high-mass star formation. Using the Effelsberg 100 m radio telescope, we obtained ancillary observations of the 22.23508 GHz 6(16)-5(23) water maser transition; in the case of Orion-KL, the 621 GHz and 22 GHz observations we…
Detection of OH$^+$ and H$_2$O$^+$ towards Orion~KL
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Caltech（加州理工学院喷气推进实验室）；Ohio State University（俄亥俄州立大学）；University of Michigan（密歇根大学）；Johns Hopkins University（约翰斯·霍普金斯大学）；Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics（哈佛-史密森天体物理中心）；Observatorio Astronómico Nacional (IGN), Centro Astronómico de Yebes（国家天文台（西班牙地理与测绘研究所），耶贝斯天文中心）；ETH Zurich（苏黎世联邦理工学院）；California Institute of Technology（加州理工学院）；Centre d’étude Spatiale des Rayonnements, Université de Toulouse（辐射空间研究中心，图卢兹大学）
Q/W-band Observations toward Starless Cores in Orion (QWOSCO) I. Overview, Isotopologues, Isomers, and Complex Organics
Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica（中央研究院天文及天文物理研究所）；Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院上海天文台）；University of Helsinki（赫尔辛基大学）；Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute（韩国天文学与空间科学研究所）；University of Science and Technology, Korea (UST)（韩国科学技术院）；School of Astronomy and Space Science, Nanjing University（南京大学天文与空间科学学院）
Spectral line surveys reveal rich molecular reservoirs in G331.512-0.103, a compact radio source in the center of an energetic molecular outflow. In this first work, we analyse the physical conditions of the source by means of CH$_3$OH and CH$_3$CN. The observations were performed with the APEX telescope. Six different system configurations were defined to cover most of the band within (292-356) GHz; as a consequence we detected a forest of lines towards the central core. A total of 70 lines of $A/E$-CH$_3$OH and $A/E$-CH$_3$CN were analysed, including torsionally excited transitions of CH$_3$…
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…
Young massive stars are usually found embedded in dense massive molecular clumps and are known for being highly obscured and distant. During their formation process, deuteration is regarded as a potentially good indicator of the very early formation stages. In this work, we test the observability of the ground-state transition of ortho-H$_2$D$^+$ $J_{\rm {K_a, K_c}} = 1_{10}$-$1_{11} $ by performing interferometric and single-dish synthetic observations using magneto-hydrodynamic simulations of high-mass collapsing molecular cores, including deuteration chemistry. We studied different evolutio…
(Abridged) We present a large sample of o-H$_2$D$^+$ observations in high-mass star-forming regions and discuss possible empirical correlations with relevant physical quantities to assess its role as a chronometer of star-forming regions through different evolutionary stages. APEX observations of the ground-state transition of o-H$_2$D$^+$ were analysed in a sample of massive clumps selected from ATLASGAL at different evolutionary stages. Column densities and beam-averaged abundances of o-H$_2$D$^+$ with respect to H$_2$, $X$(o-H$_2$D$^+$), were obtained by modelling the spectra under the assu…
Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik（马克斯·普朗克地外物理研究所）；University of Helsinki（赫尔辛基大学）；Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie（马克斯·普朗克射电天文研究所）；Radboud University（拉布德大学）；Universität zu Köln（科隆大学）
Sun-like stars form from the contraction of cold and dense interstellar clouds. How the collapse proceeds and what are the main physical processes driving it, however, is still under debate and a final consensus on the timescale of the process has not been reached. Does this contraction proceed slowly, sustained by strong magnetic fields and ambipolar diffusion, or is it driven by fast collapse with gravity dominating the entire process? One way to answer this question is to measure the age of prestellar cores through statistical methods based on observations or via reliable chemical chronomet…
Context: Supernovae (SNe) inject large amounts of energy and chemically enriched materials into their surrounding interstellar medium and, in some instances, into molecular clouds (MCs). The interaction of a supernova remnant (SNR) with a MC plays a crucial role in the evolution of the cloud's physical and chemical properties. Despite their importance, only a handful of studies have been made addressing the molecular richness in MCs impacted by SNRs. (Sub)millimter wavelength observations of SNR-MC can be used to build a census of their molecular richness, which in turn can motivate various ch…
The 1$_{11}$-1$_{01}$ lines of ortho and para--NH$_2$D (o/p-NH$_2$D), respectively at 86 and 110 GHz, are commonly observed to provide constraints on the deuterium fractionation in the interstellar medium. In cold regions, the hyperfine structure due to the nitrogen ($^{14}$N) nucleus is resolved. To date, this splitting is the only one which is taken into account in the NH$_2$D column density estimates. We investigate how the inclusion of the hyperfine splitting caused by the deuterium (D) nucleus affects the analysis of the rotational lines of NH$_2$D. We present 30m IRAM observations of the…
Isocyanic acid (HNCO), the most stable of the simplest molecules containing the four main elements essential for organic chemistry, has been observed in several astrophysical environments such as molecular clouds, star-forming regions, external galaxies and comets. In this work, we model HNCO spectral line profiles toward the low-mass solar type protostar IRAS 16293$-2$422 observed with the ALMA interferometer, the IRAM, JCMT and APEX single-dish radio telescopes, and the HIFI instrument on board the Herschel Space Observatory. In star-forming environments, the HNCO emission is not always in L…
