Browsing by Subject "organic-molecules"

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The c2d Spitzer Spectroscopic Survey Of Ices Around Low-Mass Young Stellar Objects. III. CH4
(2008-05) Oberg, Karin I.; Boogert, Adwin C. A.; Pontoppidan, Klaus M.; Blake, Geoffrey A.; Evans, Neal J.; Lahuis, Fred; van Dishoeck, Ewine F.; Evans, Neal J.
CH4 is proposed to be the starting point of a rich organic chemistry. Solid CH4 abundances have previously been determined mostly toward high-mass star-forming regions. Spitzer IRS now provides a unique opportunity to probe solid CH4 toward low-mass star-forming regions as well. Infrared spectra from the Spitzer Space Telescope are presented to determine the solid CH4 abundance toward a large sample of low-mass young stellar objects. A total of 25 out of 52 ice sources in the "Cores to Disks'' (c2d) Legacy program have an absorption feature at 7.7 mu m, attributed to the bending mode of solid CH4. The solid CH4/H2O abundances are 2%-8%, except for three sources with abundances as high as 11%-13%. The latter sources have relatively large uncertainties due to small total ice column densities. Toward sources with H2O column densities above 2 x 10(18) cm(-2), the CH4 abundances (20 out of 25) are nearly constant at 4.7% +/- 1.6%. Correlation plots with solid H2O, CH3OH, CO2, and CO column densities and abundances relative to H2O reveal a closer relationship of solid CH4 with CO2 and H2O than with solid CO and CH3OH. The inferred solid CH4 abundances are consistent with models where CH4 is formed through sequential hydrogenation of C on grain surfaces. Finally, the equal or higher abundances toward low-mass young stellar objects compared with high-mass objects and the correlation studies support this formation pathway as well, but not the two competing theories: formation from CH3OH and formation in gas phase with subsequent freezeout.
DIGIT Survey Of Far-Infrared Lines From Protoplanetary Disks I. Oi , Cii , Oh, H2O, And CH+
(2013-11) Fedele, Davide; Bruderer, Simon; van Dishoeck, Ewine F.; Carr, J.; Herczeg, G. J.; Salyk, C.; Evans, Neal J.; Bouwman, J.; Meeus, Gwendolyn; Henning, Thomas; Green, Joel; Najita, J. R.; Gudel, M.; Evans, Neal J.; Green, Joel
We present far-infrared (50-200 mu m) spectroscopic observations of young pre-main-sequence stars taken with Herschel/PACS as part of the DIGIT key project. The sample includes 16 Herbig AeBe and 4 T Tauri sources observed in SED mode covering the entire spectral range. An additional 6 Herbig AeBe and 4 T Tauri systems have been observed in SED mode with a limited spectral coverage. Multiple atomic fine structure and molecular lines are detected at the source position: [OI], [CII], CO, OH, H2O, CH+. The most common feature is the [OI] 63 mu m line detected in almost all of the sources, followed by OH. In contrast with CO, OH is detected toward both Herbig AeBe groups (flared and non-flared sources). An isothermal LTE slab model fit to the OH lines indicates column densities of 10(13) < N-OH < 10(16) cm(-2), emitting radii 15 < r < 100 AU and excitation temperatures 100 < T-ex < 400 K. We used the non-LTE code RADEX to verify the LTE assumption. High gas densities (n greater than or similar to 10(10) cm(-3)) are needed to reproduce the observations. The OH emission thus comes from a warm layer in the disk at intermediate stellar distances. Warm H2O emission is detected through multiple lines toward the T Tauri systems AS 205, DG Tau, S CrA and RNO 90 and three Herbig AeBe systems HD 104237, HD 142527, HD 163296 (through line stacking). Overall, Herbig AeBe sources have higher OH/H2O abundance ratios across the disk than do T Tauri disks, from near-to far-infrared wavelengths. Far-infrared CH+ emission is detected toward HD 100546 and HD 97048. The slab model suggests moderate excitation (T-ex similar to 100 K) and compact (r similar to 60 AU) emission in the case of HD 100546. Off-source [OI] emission is detected toward DG Tau, whose origin is likely the outflow associated with this source. The [CII] emission is spatially extended in all sources where the line is detected. This suggests that not all [CII] emission is associated with the disk and that there is a substantial contribution from diffuse material around the young stars. The flux ratios of the atomic fine structure lines ([OI] 63 mu m, [OI] 145 mu m, [CII]) are analyzed with PDR models and require high gas density (n greater than or similar to 10(5) cm(-3)) and high UV fluxes (G(o) similar to 10(3)-10(7)), consistent with a disk origin for the oxygen lines for most of the sources.
DIGIT Survey Of Far-Infrared Lines From Protoplanetary Disks I. Oi , Cii , Oh, H2O, And CH+
(2013-11) Fedele, Davide; Bruderer, Simon; van Dishoeck, Ewine F.; Carr, J.; Herczeg, G. J.; Salyk, C.; Evans, Neal J.; Bouwman, J.; Meeus, Gwendolyn; Henning, Thomas; Green, Joel; Najita, J. R.; Gudel, M.; Evans, Neal J.; Green, Joel
We present far-infrared (50-200 mu m) spectroscopic observations of young pre-main-sequence stars taken with Herschel/PACS as part of the DIGIT key project. The sample includes 16 Herbig AeBe and 4 T Tauri sources observed in SED mode covering the entire spectral range. An additional 6 Herbig AeBe and 4 T Tauri systems have been observed in SED mode with a limited spectral coverage. Multiple atomic fine structure and molecular lines are detected at the source position: [OI], [CII], CO, OH, H2O, CH+. The most common feature is the [OI] 63 mu m line detected in almost all of the sources, followed by OH. In contrast with CO, OH is detected toward both Herbig AeBe groups (flared and non-flared sources). An isothermal LTE slab model fit to the OH lines indicates column densities of 10(13) < N-OH < 10(16) cm(-2), emitting radii 15 < r < 100 AU and excitation temperatures 100 < T-ex < 400 K. We used the non-LTE code RADEX to verify the LTE assumption. High gas densities (n greater than or similar to 10(10) cm(-3)) are needed to reproduce the observations. The OH emission thus comes from a warm layer in the disk at intermediate stellar distances. Warm H2O emission is detected through multiple lines toward the T Tauri systems AS 205, DG Tau, S CrA and RNO 90 and three Herbig AeBe systems HD 104237, HD 142527, HD 163296 (through line stacking). Overall, Herbig AeBe sources have higher OH/H2O abundance ratios across the disk than do T Tauri disks, from near-to far-infrared wavelengths. Far-infrared CH+ emission is detected toward HD 100546 and HD 97048. The slab model suggests moderate excitation (T-ex similar to 100 K) and compact (r similar to 60 AU) emission in the case of HD 100546. Off-source [OI] emission is detected toward DG Tau, whose origin is likely the outflow associated with this source. The [CII] emission is spatially extended in all sources where the line is detected. This suggests that not all [CII] emission is associated with the disk and that there is a substantial contribution from diffuse material around the young stars. The flux ratios of the atomic fine structure lines ([OI] 63 mu m, [OI] 145 mu m, [CII]) are analyzed with PDR models and require high gas density (n greater than or similar to 10(5) cm(-3)) and high UV fluxes (G(o) similar to 10(3)-10(7)), consistent with a disk origin for the oxygen lines for most of the sources.
Warm H2O And OH In The Disk Around The Herbig Star HD 163296
(2012-08) Fedele, D.; Bruderer, S.; van Dishoeck, E. F.; Herczeg, G. J.; Evans, Neal J.; Bouwman, J.; Henning, T.; Green, J.; Evans, Neal J.
We present observations of far-infrared (50-200 mu m) OH and H2O emission of the disk around the Herbig Ae star HD 163296 obtained with Herschel/PACS in the context of the DIGIT key program. In addition to strong [OI] emission, a number of OH doublets and a few weak highly excited lines of H2O are detected. The presence of warm H2O in this Herbig disk is confirmed by a line stacking analysis, enabled by the full PACS spectral scan, and by lines seen in Spitzer data. The line fluxes are analyzed using a local-thermal-equilibrium slab model including line opacity. The H2O column density is 10(14)-10(15) cm(-2), and the excitation temperature is 200-300 K, implying warm gas with a density n > 10(5) cm(-3). For OH, we find N-mol of 10(14)-10(15) cm(-2) and T-ex similar to 300-500 K. For both species, we find an emitting region of r similar to 15-20 AU from the star. We argue that the molecular emission arises from the protoplanetary disk rather than the outflow. This far-infrared detection of both H2O and OH contrasts with near-and mid-infrared observations, which have generally found a lack of water in the inner disk around Herbig AeBe stars owing to the strong photodissociation of H2O. Given the similar column density and emitting region, OH and H2O emission seems to arise from an upper layer of the disk atmosphere of HD 163296, which probes a new reservoir of water. The slightly lower temperature of H2O compared to OH suggests a vertical stratification of the molecular gas with OH located higher and H2O deeper in the disk, consistent with thermo-chemical models.