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arXiv · astro-ph/9701057

DI in the outer Galaxy

Abstract

We report on a deep search with the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope towards the galactic anticenter for the 327 MHz hyperfine transition of DI. This is a favorable direction for a search because: (i) the HI optical depth is high due to velocity crowding; (ii) the observed molecular column density is low (implying that most of the deuterium would probably be in atomic form, rather than in HD); and (iii) the stellar reprocessing should be minimal. Our observations are about a factor of two more sensitive than previous searches for DI in this direction. We detect a low significance (about 4 sigma) feature, consistent in both amplitude and center frequency with an emission feature reported previously (Blitz & Heiles 1987). If this is the DI line, then the implied N_D/N_H of 3.9+/-1.0 x 10^-5 is comparable to the inferred pre-solar deuterium abundance. Our observation is consistent with the recent low measurements of D/H towards high-redshift Lyman-limit systems. On the other hand, if the reports of high DI abundance (about 24 x 10^-5) in such systems are confirmed, then our observations imply that even in regions of reduced star formation within the outer Galaxy, the DI abundance has been reduced by a factor of about 6 from the primordial abundance.

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Jayaram N. Chengalur, Robert Braun, W. Butler Burton. 1997-01-13. DI in the outer Galaxy. https://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/9701057

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