Subscribe to the gold package and get unlimited access to Shamra Academy
Register a new userMolecular-Cloud-Scale Chemical Composition III: Constraints of Average Physical Properties through Chemical Models
101
0
0.0
(
0
)
Ask ChatGPT about the research
No Arabic abstract
It is important to understand the origin of molecular line intensities and chemical composition in the molecular-cloud scale in the Galactic sources because it serves as a benchmark to compare with the chemical compositions of extragalactic sources. Recent observations of the 3-mm spectra averaged over the 10-pc scale show similar spectral pattern among sources for molecular lines HCN, HCO$^+$, CCH, HNC, HNCO, c-C$_3$H$_2$, CS, SO, N$_2$H$^+$, and CN. To constrain the average physical property emitting such spectral pattern, we model molecular spectra using a time-dependent gas-grain chemical model followed by a radiative transfer calculation. We use a grid of physical parameters such as the density $n=3 times 10^2 - 3times 10^4$ cm$^{-3}$, the temperature, $T=10-30$ K, the visual extinction $A_{rm V} = 2,4,10$ mag, the cosmic-ray ionization rate $zeta = 10^{-17} - 10^{-16}$ s$^{-1}$, and the sulfur elemental abundance $S/H = 8times 10^{-8} - 8times 10^{-7}$. Comparison with the observed spectra indicates that spectra are well reproduced with the relatively low density of $n=(1-3) times 10^3,$cm$^{-3}$, $T=10,$K, $zeta = 10^{-17}$ s$^{-1}$, and the short chemistry timescale of $10^5$ yrs. This short chemistry timescale may indicate that molecular clouds are constantly affected by the turbulence, and exposed to low-density, low $A_{rm V}$ regions that refreshes the chemical clock by UV radiation. The relatively low density obtained is orders of magnitude lower than the commonly-quoted critical density in the optically thin case. Meanwhile, this range of density is consistent with results from recent observational analysis of molecular-cloud-scale mapping.
rate research
Read More
We aim to reveal the physical properties and chemical composition of the cores in the California molecular cloud (CMC), so as to better understand the initial conditions of star formation. We made a high-resolution column density map (18.2) with Herschel data, and extracted a complete sample of the cores in the CMC with the textsl{fellwalker} algorithm. We performed new single-pointing observations of molecular lines near 90 GHz with the IRAM 30m telescope along the main filament of the CMC. In addition, we also performed a numerical modeling of chemical evolution for the cores under the physical conditions. We extracted 300 cores, of which 33 are protostellar and 267 are starless cores. About 51% (137 of 267) of the starless cores are prestellar cores. Three cores have the potential to evolve into high-mass stars. The prestellar core mass function (CMF) can be well fit by a log-normal form. The high-mass end of the prestellar CMF shows a power-law form with an index $alpha=-0.9pm 0.1$ that is shallower than that of the Galactic field stellar mass function. Combining the mass transformation efficiency ($varepsilon$) from the prestellar core to the star of $15pm 1%$ and the core formation efficiency (CFE) of 5.5%, we suggest an overall star formation efficiency of about 1% in the CMC. In the single-pointing observations with the IRAM 30m telescope, we find that 6 cores show blue-skewed profile, while 4 cores show red-skewed profile. [$rm {HCO}^{+}$]/[HNC] and [$rm {HCO}^{+}$]/$rm [N_{2}H^{+}]$ in protostellar cores are higher than those in prestellar cores; this can be used as chemical clocks. The best-fit chemical age of the cores with line observations is $sim 5times 10^4$~years.
We have conducted a mapping spectral line survey toward the Galactic giant molecular cloud W51 in the 3 mm band with the Mopra 22 m telescope in order to study an averaged chemical composition of the gas extended over a molecular cloud scale in our Galaxy. We have observed the area of $25 times 30$, which corresponds to 39 pc $times$ 47 pc. The frequency ranges of the observation are 85.1 - 101.1 GHz and 107.0 - 114.9 GHz. In the spectrum spatially averaged over the observed area, spectral lines of 12 molecular species and 4 additional isotopologues are identified. An intensity pattern of the spatially-averaged spectrum is found to be similar to that of the spiral arm in the external galaxy M51, indicating that these two sources have similar chemical compositions. The observed area has been classified into 5 sub-regions according to the integrated intensity of $^{13}$CO($J=1-0$) ($I_{rm ^{13}CO}$), and contributions of the fluxes of 11 molecular lines from each sub-region to the averaged spectrum have been evaluated. For most of molecular species, 50 % or more of the flux come from the sub-regions with $I_{rm ^{13}CO}$ from 25 K km s$^{-1}$ to 100 K km s$^{-1}$, which does not involve active star forming regions. Therefore, the molecular-cloud-scale spectrum observed in the 3 mm band hardly represents the chemical composition of star forming cores, but mainly represents the chemical composition of an extended quiescent molecular gas. The present result constitutes a sound base for interpreting the spectra of external galaxies at a resolution of a molecular cloud scale ($sim10$ pc) or larger.
In order to study a molecular-cloud-scale chemical composition, we have conducted a mapping spectral line survey toward the Galactic molecular cloud W3(OH), which is one of the most active star forming regions in the Perseus arm, with the NRO 45 m telescope. We have observed the area of 16 $times$ 16, which corresponds to 9.0 pc $times$ 9.0 pc. The observed frequency ranges are 87--91, 96--103, and 108--112 GHz. We have prepared the spectrum averaged over the observed area, in which 8 molecular species CCH, HCN, HCO$^+$, HNC, CS, SO, C$^{18}$O, and $^{13}$CO are identified. On the other hand, the spectrum of the W3(OH) hot core observed at a 0.17 pc resolution shows the lines of various molecules such as OCS, H$_2$CS CH$_3$CCH, and CH$_3$CN, in addition to the above species. In the spatially averaged spectrum, emission of the species concentrated just around the star-forming core such as CH$_3$OH and HC$_3$N is fainter than in the hot core spectrum, whereas emission of the species widely extended over the cloud such as CCH is relatively brighter. We have classified the observed area into 5 subregions according to the integrated intensity of $^{13}$CO, and have evaluated the contribution to the averaged spectrum from each subregion. The CCH, HCN, HCO$^+$, and CS lines can be seen even in the spectrum of the subregion with the lowest $^{13}$CO integrated intensity range ($< 10$ K km s$^{-1}$). Thus, the contributions of the spatially extended emission is confirmed to be dominant in the spatially averaged spectrum.
We present a study of the elemental depletion in the interstellar medium. We combined the results of a Galatic model describing the gas physical conditions during the formation of dense cores with a full-gas-grain chemical model. During the transition between diffuse and dense medium, the reservoirs of elements, initially atomic in the gas, are gradually depleted on dust grains (with a phase of neutralisation for those which are ions). This process becomes efficient when the density is larger than 100~cm$^{-3}$. If the dense material goes back into diffuse conditions, these elements are brought back in the gas-phase because of photo-dissociations of the molecules on the ices followed by thermal desorption from the grains. Nothing remains on the grains for densities below 10~cm$^{-3}$ or in the gas-phase in a molecular form. One exception is chlorine, which is efficiently converted at low density. Our current gas-grain chemical model is not able to reproduce the depletion of atoms observed in the diffuse medium except for Cl which gas abundance follows the observed one in medium with densities smaller than 10~cm$^{-3}$. This is an indication that crucial processes (involving maybe chemisorption and/or ice irradiation profoundly modifying the nature of the ices) are missing.
Chemical reactions in starless molecular clouds are heavily dependent on interactions between gas phase material and solid phase dust and ices. We have observed the abundance and distribution of molecular gases in the cold, starless core DC 000.4-19.5 (SL42) in Corona Australis using data from the Swedish ESO Submillimeter Telescope. We present column density maps determined from measurements of C18O(J=2-1,1-0) and N2H+(J=1-0) emission features. Herschel data of the same region allow a direct comparison to the dust component of the cloud core and provide evidence for gas phase depletion of CO at the highest extinctions. The dust color emperature in the core calculated from Herschel maps ranges from roughly 10.7 to 14.0 K. This range agrees with the previous determinations from Infrared Space Observatory and Planck observations. The column density profile of the core can be fitted with a Plummer-like density distribution approaching n(r) ~ r^{-2} at large distances. The core structure deviates clearly from a critical Bonnor-Ebert sphere. Instead, the core appears to be gravitationally bound and to lack thermal and turbulent support against the pressure of the surrounding low-density material: it may therefore be in the process of slow contraction. We test two chemical models and find that a steady-state depletion model agrees with the observed C18O column density profile and the observed N(C18O) versus AV relationship.
Log in to be able to interact and post comments
comments
Fetching comments
Sign in to be able to follow your search criteria
