scholarly journals Molecular depletions in cloud cores

1997 ◽  
Vol 178 ◽  
pp. 183-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lee G. Mundy ◽  
Joseph P. McMullin

The condensation of gas-phase molecules onto grain surfaces in cold molecular clouds is widely expected, and the presence of the resultant icy mantles well established, but quantitative study of the gas-phase depletions has not proved easy. This paper reviews the methods for determining depletions and the associated problems. Further observations are critical to testing our expectations for depletions and for the chemical evolution of forming stellar systems.

2000 ◽  
Vol 197 ◽  
pp. 51-60
Author(s):  
Edwin A. Bergin

We discuss recent models of chemical evolution in the developing and collapsing protostellar envelopes associated with low-mass star formation. In particular, the effects of depletion of gas-phase molecules onto grain surfaces is considered. We show that during the middle to late evolutionary stages, prior to the formation of a protostar, various species selectively deplete from the gas phase. The principal pattern of selective depletions is the depletion of sulfur-bearing molecules relative to nitrogen-bearing species: NH3 and N2H+. This pattern is shown to be insensitive to the details of the dynamics and marginally sensitive to whether the grain mantle is dominated by polar or non-polar molecules. Based on these results we suggest that molecular ions are good tracers of collapsing envelopes. The effects of coupling chemistry and dynamics on the resulting physical evolution are also examined. Particular attention is paid to comparisons between models and observations.


1992 ◽  
Vol 150 ◽  
pp. 171-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masatoshi Ohishi ◽  
William M. Irvine ◽  
Norio Kaifu

The latest table of molecular abundances in the cold, dark clouds TMC-1 and L134N is presented. Molecular abundance variations between TMC-1 and L134N, those within TMC-1 and L134N, and those among 49 dark cloud cores surveyed by Suzuki et al. (1991) are interpreted as an effect of chemical evolution.


2003 ◽  
Vol 95 (5) ◽  
pp. 1896-1900
Author(s):  
Wenfei Yan ◽  
Stephen B. Hall

Captive bubbles are commonly used to determine how interfacial films of pulmonary surfactant respond to changes in surface area, achieved by varying hydrostatic pressure. Although assumed to be isothermal, the gas phase temperature (Tg) would increase by >100°C during compression from 1 to 3 atm if the process were adiabatic. To determine the actual change in temperature, we monitored pressure (P) and volume (V) during compressions lasting <1 s for bubbles with and without interfacial films and used P · V to evaluate Tg. P · V fell during and after the rapid compressions, consistent with reductions in n, the moles of gas phase molecules, because of increasing solubility in the subphase at higher P. As expected for a process with first-order kinetics, during 1 h after the rapid compression P · V decreased along a simple exponential curve. The temporal variation of n moles of gas was determined from P · V >10 min after the compression when the two phases should be isothermal. Back extrapolation of n then allowed calculation of Tg from P · V immediately after the compression. Our results indicate that for bubbles with or without interfacial films compressed to >3 atm within 1 s, the change in Tg is <2°C.


1983 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 209-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.A. Graham

In talking about the overall distance scale of the Universe and the Hubble Constant, the Magellanic Clouds are good places to start. They are stellar systems large enough to contain stars, clusters and nebulae of all types, covering a wide age range. With modern telescopes and detectors, we are able to observe stars from the very bright down to those fainter intrinsically than our own Sun. From comparative studies, we may thus establish our basic calibrations of bright objects before moving out to measure the Universe at large. At the same time, the fact that both Magellanic Clouds are independently evolving galaxies, enables us to separate the effects of stellar age and chemical evolution on the calibrations that we make.


Author(s):  
Austin Michael Wallace ◽  
Ryan C. Fortenberry

Ices in the interstellar medium largely exist as amorphous solids composed of small molecules including ammonia, water, and carbon dioxide. Describing gas-phase molecules can be readily accomplished with current high-level...


2020 ◽  
Vol 633 ◽  
pp. A163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Cicone ◽  
Roberto Maiolino ◽  
Susanne Aalto ◽  
Sebastien Muller ◽  
Chiara Feruglio

We present interferometric observations of the CN(1–0) line emission in Mrk 231 and combine them with previous observations of CO and other H2 gas tracers to study the physical properties of the massive molecular outflow. We find a strong boost of the CN/CO(1–0) line luminosity ratio in the outflow of Mrk 231, which is unprecedented compared to any other known Galactic or extragalactic astronomical source. For the dense gas phase in the outflow traced by the HCN and CN emissions, we infer XCN ≡ [CN]/[H2]> XHCN by at least a factor of three, with H2 gas densities of nH2 ∼ 105−6 cm−3. In addition, we resolve for the first time narrow spectral features in the HCN(1–0) and HCO+(1–0) high-velocity line wings tracing the dense phase of the outflow. The velocity dispersions of these spectral features, σv ∼ 7−20 km s−1, are consistent with those of massive extragalactic giant molecular clouds detected in nearby starburst nuclei. The H2 gas masses inferred from the HCN data are quite high, Mmol ∼ 0.3−5 × 108 M⊙. Our results suggest that massive complexes of denser molecular gas survive embedded into the more diffuse H2 phase of the outflow, and that the chemistry of these outflowing dense clouds is strongly affected by UV radiation.


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