Search results for "ISM: molecule"
showing 9 items of 9 documents
The hyperfine structure in the rotational spectrum of CF+
2012
Context. CF+ has recently been detected in the Horsehead and Orion Bar photo-dissociation regions. The J=1-0 line in the Horsehead is double-peaked in contrast to other millimeter lines. The origin of this double-peak profile may be kinematic or spectroscopic. Aims. We investigate the effect of hyperfine interactions due to the fluorine nucleus in CF+ on the rotational transitions. Methods. We compute the fluorine spin rotation constant of CF+ using high-level quantum chemical methods and determine the relative positions and intensities of each hyperfine component. This information is used to fit the theoretical hyperfine components to the observed CF+ line profiles, thereby employing the h…
Zeeman effect in sulfur monoxide: A tool to probe magnetic fields in star forming regions
2017
[Context] Magnetic fields play a fundamental role in star formation processes and the best method to evaluate their intensity is to measure the Zeeman effect of atomic and molecular lines. However, a direct measurement of the Zeeman spectral pattern from interstellar molecular species is challenging due to the high sensitivity and high spectral resolution required. So far, the Zeeman effect has been detected unambiguously in star forming regions for very few non-masing species, such as OH and CN.
Chemical Evolution of Interstellar Methanol Ice Analogs upon Ultraviolet Irradiation: The Role of the Substrate
2018
An important issue in the chemistry of interstellar ices is the role of dust materials. In this work, we study the effect of an amorphous water-rich magnesium silicate deposited onto ZnSe windows on the chemical evolution of ultraviolet-irradiated methanol ices. For comparison, we also irradiate similar ices deposited onto bare ZnSe windows. Silicates are produced at relatively low temperatures exploiting a sol-gel technique. The chemical composition of the synthesized material reflects the forsterite stoichiometry. Si-OH groups and magnesium carbonates are incorporated during the process. The results show that the substrate material does affect the chemical evolution of the ice. In particu…
SOFT X-RAY IRRADIATION OF PURE CARBON MONOXIDE INTERSTELLAR ICE ANALOGUES
2012
There is an increasing evidence for the existence of large organic molecules in the interstellar and circumstellar medium. Very few among such species are readily formed in conventional gas-phase chemistry under typical conditions of interstellar clouds. Attention has therefore focused on interstellar ices as a potential source of these relatively complex species. Laboratory experiments show that irradiation of interstellar ice analogues by fast particles or ultraviolet radiation can induce significant chemical complexity. However, stars are sources of intense X-rays at almost every stage of their formation and evolution. Such radiation may thus provide chemical changes in regions where ult…
PRECISE LABORATORY MEASUREMENTS OF TRANS-DCOOH AND TRANS-HCOOD FOR ASTROPHYSICAL OBSERVATIONS
2011
The rotational spectra of the mono-deuterated isotopologues of trans-formic acid, trans-DCOOH and trans-HCOOD, were investigated. In the millimeter- and submillimeter-wave frequency regions the Lamb-dip technique was exploited to obtain sub-Doppler resolution and to resolve the hyperfine structure due to the deuterium and hydrogen nuclei, thus enabling the accurate determination of the corresponding hyperfine constants. The experimental determination was supported by high-level quantum-chemical calculations at the coupled-cluster level of theory using large atomic-orbital basis sets. The Lamb-dip measurements were also supplemented by THz Doppler- limited measurements in order to extend the…
THE HYPERFINE STRUCTURE of the ROTATIONAL SPECTRUM of HDO and ITS EXTENSION to the THz REGION: ACCURATE REST FREQUENCIES and SPECTROSCOPIC PARAMETERS…
2015
The rotational spectrum of the mono-deuterated isotopologue of water, HD16O, has been investigated in the millimeter- and submillimeter-wave frequency regions, up to 1.6 THz. The Lamb-dip technique has been exploited to obtain sub-Doppler resolution and to resolve the hyperfine (hf) structure due to the deuterium and hydrogen nuclei, thus enabling the accurate determination of the corresponding hf parameters. Their experimental determination has been supported by high-level quantum-chemical calculations. The Lamb-dip measurements have been supplemented by Doppler-limited measurements (weak high-J and high-frequency transitions) in order to extend the predictive capability of the available s…
Soft X-Ray Irradiation of Methanol Ice: Implication for H2CO Formation in Interstellar Regions
2010
We performed 0.3 keV soft X-ray irradiation of a methanol ice at 8 K under ultra-high vacuum conditions. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that soft X-rays are used to study photolysis of ice analogs. Despite the low irradiation dose of 10{sup -6} photons molecule{sup -1}, the formation of formaldehyde has been observed. The results of our experiments suggest that X-rays may be a promising candidate to the formation of complex molecules in regions where UV radiation is severely inhibited.
Rare isotopic species of hydrogen sulfide: the rotational spectrum of H236S
2014
The rotational spectrum of the 36 S-bearing isotopologue of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has been investigated for the first time in the 167 GHz−1.6 THz frequency range, thus providing an accurate and reliable set of spectroscopic parameters. The experimental investigation was backed up by state-of-the-art quantum-chemical calculations, which also allowed us to demonstrate the incorrectness of the previously reported spectroscopic constants. The present results are of suitable accuracy to attempt the astrophysical detection of the isotopic species under consideration. Finally, reliable predictions for the spectroscopic constants of other rare isotopologues of H2S, namely the mono- and bi-deuterat…
Laboratory measurements and astronomical search for the HSO radical
2016
[Context] Despite the fact that many sulfur-bearing molecules, ranging from simple diatomic species up to astronomical complex molecules, have been detected in the interstellar medium, the sulfur chemistry in space is largely unknown and a depletion in the abundance of S-containing species has been observed in the cold, dense interstellar medium. The chemical form of the missing sulfur has yet to be identified.