Deuteration of Organic Molecules as a Probe of Starless Core and Filament Evolution in Barnard 10

Hanga Andras-Letanovszky; Yancy L. Shirley; Lucille J. Steffes; Brian Svoboda; Hannah Gruber; Samantha Scibelli; Emma Vertachnik

arXiv · 2609.00308

Deuteration of Organic Molecules as a Probe of Starless Core and Filament Evolution in Barnard 10

Hanga Andras-Letanovszky·Yancy L. Shirley·Lucille J. Steffes·Brian Svoboda·Hannah Gruber·Samantha Scibelli·Emma Vertachnik

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Abstract

The deuterium fractionation of molecules in starless cores is sensitive to their dynamical histories, which recent magnetohydrodynamical simulations have shown to be extremely varied. The deuterated isotopologues of formaldehyde (H$_2$CO) and methanol (CH$_3$OH) probe deuterium fractionation in simple organic molecules. This complete survey targets 11 low-mass starless cores in the small, quiescent Barnard 10 (B10) region of the Taurus Molecular Cloud. The cores were observed using the 12m Arizona Radio Observatory telescope with a 100% detection rate in transitions of o/pH$_2$CO, HDCO, pD$_2$CO, A/E-CH$_3$OH, and CH$_2$DOH and the dense gas tracer N$_2$H$^+$. The HDCO and pD$_2$CO column densities and deuterium fractions are not correlated with those of the grain-surface deuteration tracer CH$_2$DOH, indicating significant gas-phase formation of deuterated formaldehyde. The observed deuterium fractions do not correlate with evolutionary indicators (e.g. core central density) or physical conditions (e.g. core mass). We also find that cores within the northwestern filament have lower deuterium fractions than cores of similar densities in the other two filaments. These could indicate differential core evolution both between and within entire filaments. Comparing the deuterium fractions of the B10 sample to published sources across different evolutionary stages suggests the inheritance of D$_2$CO from starless cores, although more surveys of organic deuteration are needed to conclusively determine inheritance.

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Hanga Andras-Letanovszky, Yancy L. Shirley, Lucille J. Steffes, Brian Svoboda, Hannah Gruber, Samantha Scibelli, Emma Vertachnik. 2026-08-11. Deuteration of Organic Molecules as a Probe of Starless Core and Filament Evolution in Barnard 10. https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.00308

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