scholarly journals A new proxy to estimate the cosmic ray ionization rate in dense cores

2020 ◽  
Vol 495 (1) ◽  
pp. L7-L11
Author(s):  
S Bovino ◽  
S Ferrada-Chamorro ◽  
A Lupi ◽  
D R G Schleicher ◽  
P Caselli
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Cosmic Ray ◽  
Ionization Rate ◽  
Fundamental Parameter ◽  
Star Forming ◽  
Star Forming Regions ◽  
Dense Cores ◽  
Statistical Relevance ◽  
Theoretical Predictions ◽  
Diffuse Clouds

ABSTRACT Cosmic rays are a global source of ionization, and the ionization fraction represents a fundamental parameter in the interstellar medium. Ions couple to magnetic fields, and affect the chemistry and the dynamics of star-forming regions as well as planetary atmospheres. However, the cosmic ray ionization rate represents one of the bottlenecks for astrochemical models, and its determination is one of the most puzzling problems in astrophysics. While for diffuse clouds reasonable values have been provided from ${\mathrm{ H}_3}^+$ observations, for dense clouds, due to the lack of rotational transitions, this is not possible, and estimates are strongly biased by the employed model. We present here an analytical expression, obtained from first principles, to estimate the cosmic ray ionization rate from observational quantities. The theoretical predictions are validated with high-resolution 3D numerical simulations and applied to the well-known core L1544; we obtained an estimate of ζ2 ∼ 2–3 × 10−17 s−1. Our results and the analytical formulae provided represent the first model-independent robust tool to probe the cosmic ray ionization rate in the densest part of star-forming regions (on spatial scales of R ≤ 0.05 pc). An error analysis is presented to give statistical relevance to our study.

scholarly journals Hydride spectroscopy of the diffuse interstellar medium: new clues on the gas fraction in molecular form and cosmic ray ionization rate in relation to H 3 +

2012 ◽  
Vol 370 (1978) ◽  
pp. 5174-5185 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Gerin ◽  
F. Levrier ◽  
E. Falgarone ◽  
B. Godard ◽  
P. Hennebelle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Form ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Cosmic Ray ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Ionization Rate ◽  
Spectral Lines ◽  
Interstellar Gas ◽  
Interstellar Molecules ◽  
Star Forming ◽  
Star Forming Regions

The Herschel-guaranteed time key programme PRobing InterStellar Molecules with Absorption line Studies (PRISMAS) 1 is providing a survey of the interstellar hydrides containing the elements C, O, N, F and Cl. As the building blocks of interstellar molecules, hydrides provide key information on their formation pathways. They can also be used as tracers of important physical and chemical properties of the interstellar gas that are difficult to measure otherwise. This paper presents an analysis of two sight-lines investigated by the PRISMAS project, towards the star-forming regions W49N and W51. By combining the information extracted from the detected spectral lines, we present an analysis of the physical properties of the diffuse interstellar gas, including the electron abundance, the fraction of gas in molecular form, and constraints on the cosmic ray ionization rate and the gas density.

Using H 3 + and H 2 D + as probes of star-forming regions

2006 ◽  
Vol 364 (1848) ◽  
pp. 3101-3106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Floris F.S van der Tak
Keyword(s):  
Cosmic Ray ◽  
Ionization Rate ◽  
High Mass ◽  
Mass Star ◽  
Future Prospects ◽  
Star Forming ◽  
Star Forming Regions ◽  
Chemical Conditions ◽  
Physical And Chemical ◽  
Kinematic Properties

The and H 2 D + ions are important probes of the physical and chemical conditions in regions of the interstellar medium where new stars are forming. This paper reviews how observations of these species and of heavier ions such as HCO + and H 3 O + can be used to derive chemical and kinematic properties of nearby pre-stellar cores and the cosmic ray ionization rate towards more distant regions of high-mass star formation. Future prospects in the field are outlined at the end.

scholarly journals Ionization: a possible explanation for the difference of mean disk sizes in star-forming regions

2020 ◽  
Vol 639 ◽  
pp. A86
Author(s):  
M. Kuffmeier ◽  
B. Zhao ◽  
P. Caselli
Keyword(s):  
Cosmic Ray ◽  
Ionization Rate ◽  
Ohmic Dissipation ◽  
Star Forming ◽  
Star Forming Regions ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Protostellar Collapse ◽  
Different Levels ◽  
Collapse Phase ◽  
Ionization Rates

Context. Surveys of protoplanetary disks in star-forming regions of similar age revealed significant variations in average disk mass in some regions. For instance, disks in the Orion Nebular Cluster (ONC) and Corona Australis (CrA) are on average smaller than disks observed in Lupus, Taurus, Chamaeleon I, or Ophiuchus. Aims. In contrast to previous models that studied the truncation of disks at a late stage of their evolution, we investigate whether disks may already be born with systematically smaller disk sizes in more massive star-forming regions as a consequence of higher ionization rates. Methods. Assuming various cosmic-ray ionization rates, we computed the resistivities for ambipolar diffusion and Ohmic dissipation with a chemical network, and performed 2D nonideal magnetohydrodynamical protostellar collapse simulations. Results. A higher ionization rate leads to stronger magnetic braking, and hence to the formation of smaller disks. Accounting for recent findings that protostars act as forges of cosmic rays and considering only mild attenuation during the collapse phase, we show that a high average cosmic-ray ionization rate in star-forming regions such as the ONC or CrA can explain the detection of smaller disks in these regions. Conclusions. Our results show that on average, a higher ionization rate leads to the formation of smaller disks. Smaller disks in regions of similar age can therefore be the consequence of different levels of ionization, and may not exclusively be caused by disk truncation through external photoevaporation. We strongly encourage observations that allow measuring the cosmic-ray ionization degrees in different star-forming regions to test our hypothesis.

scholarly journals Nitrogen and hydrogen fractionation in high-mass star-forming cores from observations of HCN and HNC

2018 ◽  
Vol 609 ◽  
pp. A129 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Colzi ◽  
F. Fontani ◽  
P. Caselli ◽  
C. Ceccarelli ◽  
P. Hily-Blant ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar System ◽  
Solar Nebula ◽  
Rotational Transition ◽  
High Mass ◽  
Evolutionary Stage ◽  
Mass Star ◽  
Stellar Cluster ◽  
Star Forming ◽  
Star Forming Regions ◽  
Dense Cores

The ratio between the two stable isotopes of nitrogen, 14N and 15N, is well measured in the terrestrial atmosphere (~272), and for the pre-solar nebula (~441, deduced from the solar wind). Interestingly, some pristine solar system materials show enrichments in 15N with respect to the pre-solar nebula value. However, it is not yet clear if and how these enrichments are linked to the past chemical history because we have only a limited number of measurements in dense star-forming regions. In this respect, dense cores, which are believed to be the precursors of clusters and also contain intermediate- and high-mass stars, are important targets because the solar system was probably born within a rich stellar cluster, and such clusters are formed in high-mass star-forming regions. The number of observations in such high-mass dense cores has remained limited so far. In this work, we show the results of IRAM-30 m observations of the J = 1−0 rotational transition of the molecules HCN and HNC and their 15N-bearing counterparts towards 27 intermediate- and high-mass dense cores that are divided almost equally into three evolutionary categories: high-mass starless cores, high-mass protostellar objects, and ultra-compact Hii regions. We have also observed the DNC(2–1) rotational transition in order to search for a relation between the isotopic ratios D/H and 14N/15N. We derive average 14N/15N ratios of 359 ± 16 in HCN and of 438 ± 21 in HNC, with a dispersion of about 150–200. We find no trend of the 14N/15N ratio with evolutionary stage. This result agrees with what has been found for N2H+ and its isotopologues in the same sources, although the 14N/15N ratios from N2H+ show a higher dispersion than in HCN/HNC, and on average, their uncertainties are larger as well. Moreover, we have found no correlation between D/H and 14N/15N in HNC. These findings indicate that (1) the chemical evolution does not seem to play a role in the fractionation of nitrogen, and that (2) the fractionation of hydrogen and nitrogen in these objects is not related.

scholarly journals Survey of ortho-H2D+ in high-mass star-forming regions

2020 ◽  
Vol 644 ◽  
pp. A34
Author(s):  
G. Sabatini ◽  
S. Bovino ◽  
A. Giannetti ◽  
F. Wyrowski ◽  
M. A. Órdenes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Formation Process ◽  
Strong Dependence ◽  
Cosmic Ray ◽  
High Mass ◽  
Clear Correlation ◽  
Mass Star ◽  
Large Sample ◽  
Star Forming ◽  
Star Forming Regions

Context. Deuteration has been suggested to be a reliable chemical clock of star-forming regions due to its strong dependence on density and temperature changes during cloud contraction. In particular, the H3+ isotopologues (e.g. ortho-H2D+) seem to act as good proxies of the evolutionary stages of the star formation process. While this has been widely explored in low-mass star-forming regions, in the high-mass counterparts only a few studies have been pursued, and the reliability of deuteration as a chemical clock remains inconclusive. Aims. We present a large sample of o-H2D+ 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. Methods. APEX observations of the ground-state transition of o-H2D+ were analysed in a large sample of high-mass clumps selected from the ATLASGAL survey at different evolutionary stages. Column densities and beam-averaged abundances of o-H2D+ with respect to H2, X(o-H2D+), were obtained by modelling the spectra under the assumption of local thermodynamic equilibrium. Results. We detect 16 sources in o-H2D+ and find clear correlations between X(o-H2D+) and the clump bolometric luminosity and the dust temperature, while only a mild correlation is found with the CO-depletion factor. In addition, we see a clear correlation with the luminosity-to-mass ratio, which is known to trace the evolution of the star formation process. This would indicate that the deuterated forms of H3+ are more abundant in the very early stages of the star formation process and that deuteration is influenced by the time evolution of the clumps. In this respect, our findings would suggest that the X(o-H2D+) abundance is mainly affected by the thermal changes rather than density changes in the gas. We have employed these findings together with observations of H13CO+, DCO+, and C17O to provide an estimate of the cosmic-ray ionisation rate in a sub-sample of eight clumps based on recent analytical work. Conclusions. Our study presents the largest sample of o-H2D+ in star-forming regions to date. The results confirm that the deuteration process is strongly affected by temperature and suggests that o-H2D+ can be considered a reliable chemical clock during the star formation processes, as proved by its strong temporal dependence.

scholarly journals THE FRACTAL DIMENSION OF STAR-FORMING REGIONS AT DIFFERENT SPATIAL SCALES IN M33

2010 ◽  
Vol 720 (1) ◽  
pp. 541-547 ◽  
Author(s):  
Néstor Sánchez ◽  
Neyda Añez ◽  
Emilio J. Alfaro ◽  
Mary Crone Odekon
Keyword(s):  
Fractal Dimension ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Star Forming ◽  
Star Forming Regions

ERRATUM: “THE FRACTAL DIMENSION OF STAR-FORMING REGIONS AT DIFFERENT SPATIAL SCALES IN M33” (2010, ApJ, 720, 541)

2010 ◽  
Vol 723 (1) ◽  
pp. 969-969
Author(s):  
Néstor Sánchez ◽  
Neyda Añez ◽  
Emilio J. Alfaro ◽  
Mary Crone Odekon
Keyword(s):  
Fractal Dimension ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Star Forming ◽  
Star Forming Regions

scholarly journals NGC 7469 as seen by MEGARA: new results from high-resolution IFU spectroscopy

2020 ◽  
Vol 493 (3) ◽  
pp. 3656-3675 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Cazzoli ◽  
A Gil de Paz ◽  
I Márquez ◽  
J Masegosa ◽  
J Iglesias ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
High Signal ◽  
Ionized Gas ◽  
Narrow Component ◽  
Star Forming ◽  
Star Forming Regions ◽  
Solar Metallicity ◽  
Field Unit ◽  
Ngc 7469

ABSTRACT We present our analysis of high-resolution (R ∼ 20 000) GTC/MEGARA integral-field unit spectroscopic observations, obtained during the commissioning run, in the inner region (12.5 arcsec × 11.3 arcsec) of the active galaxy NGC 7469, at spatial scales of 0.62 arcsec. We explore the kinematics, dynamics, ionization mechanisms, and oxygen abundances of the ionized gas, by modelling the H α-[N ii] emission lines at high signal-to-noise (> 15) with multiple Gaussian components. MEGARA observations reveal, for the first time for NGC 7469, the presence of a very thin (20 pc) ionized gas disc supported by rotation (V/σ = 4.3), embedded in a thicker (222 pc), dynamically hotter (V/σ  =  1.3) one. These discs nearly corotate with similar peak-to-peak velocities (163  versus  137 km s−1), but with different average velocity dispersion (38 ± 1 versus 108 ± 4 km s−1). The kinematics of both discs could be possibly perturbed by star-forming regions. We interpret the morphology and the kinematics of a third (broader) component (σ > 250 km s−1) as suggestive of the presence of non-rotational turbulent motions possibly associated either to an outflow or to the lense. For the narrow component, the [N ii]/H α ratios point to the star-formation as the dominant mechanism of ionization, being consistent with ionization from shocks in the case of the intermediate component. All components have roughly solar metallicity. In the nuclear region of NGC 7469, at r ≤ 1.85 arcsec, a very broad (FWHM  =  2590 km s−1) H α component is contributing (41 per cent) to the global H α-[N ii] profile, being originated in the (unresolved) broad line region of the Seyfert 1.5 nucleus of NGC 7469.

scholarly journals ATOMS: ALMA Three-millimeter Observations of Massive Star-forming regions – I. Survey description and a first look at G9.62+0.19

2020 ◽  
Vol 496 (3) ◽  
pp. 2790-2820 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tie Liu ◽  
Neal J Evans ◽  
Kee-Tae Kim ◽  
Paul F Goldsmith ◽  
Sheng-Yuan Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Star Formation ◽  
Survey Data ◽  
Massive Star ◽  
High Mass ◽  
Dense Gas ◽  
Star Forming ◽  
Star Forming Regions ◽  
Stellar Feedback ◽  
Dense Cores

ABSTRACT The ATOMS, standing for ALMA Three-millimeter Observations of Massive Star-forming regions, survey has observed 146 active star-forming regions with ALMA band 3, aiming to systematically investigate the spatial distribution of various dense gas tracers in a large sample of Galactic massive clumps, to study the roles of stellar feedback in star formation, and to characterize filamentary structures inside massive clumps. In this work, the observations, data analysis, and example science of the ATOMS survey are presented, using a case study for the G9.62+0.19 complex. Toward this source, some transitions, commonly assumed to trace dense gas, including CS J = 2−1, HCO+J = 1−0, and HCN J = 1−0, are found to show extended gas emission in low-density regions within the clump; less than 25 per cent of their emission is from dense cores. SO, CH3OH, H13CN, and HC3N show similar morphologies in their spatial distributions and reveal well the dense cores. Widespread narrow SiO emission is present (over ∼1 pc), which may be caused by slow shocks from large–scale colliding flows or H ii regions. Stellar feedback from an expanding H ii region has greatly reshaped the natal clump, significantly changed the spatial distribution of gas, and may also account for the sequential high-mass star formation in the G9.62+0.19 complex. The ATOMS survey data can be jointly analysed with other survey data, e.g. MALT90, Orion B, EMPIRE, ALMA_IMF, and ALMAGAL, to deepen our understandings of ‘dense gas’ star formation scaling relations and massive protocluster formation.

scholarly journals Drama of HII regions: Clustered and Triggered Star Formation

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (S316) ◽  
pp. 129-130
Author(s):  
Jin-Zeng Li ◽  
Jinghua Yuan ◽  
Hong-Li Liu ◽  
Yuefang Wu ◽  
Ya-Fang Huang
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Hii Regions ◽  
Radio Telescopes ◽  
Physical Status ◽  
Mid Infrared ◽  
Star Forming ◽  
Star Forming Regions ◽  
Dense Cores ◽  
Compressed Gas ◽  
Multi Wavelength

AbstractIn order to understand the star formation process under the influence of H ii regions, we have carried out extensive investigations to well selected star-forming regions which all have been profoundly affected by existing massive O type stars. On the basis of multi-wavelength data from mid-infrared to millimeter collected using Spitzer, Herschel, and ground based radio telescopes, the physical status of interstellar medium and star formation in these regions have been revealed. In a relatively large infrared dust bubble, active star formation is undergoing and the shell is still expanding. Signs of compressed gas and triggered star formation have been tentatively detected in a relatively small bubble. The dense cores in the Rosette Molecular Complex detected at 1.1 mm using SMA have been speculated to have a likely triggered origin according to their spatial distribution. Although some observational results have been obtained, more efforts are necessary to reach trustworthy conclusions.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document