arXiv subjects

A. Lopez-Sepulcre

Publications and source records attributed to A. Lopez-Sepulcre.

28 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2021

Seed of Life in Space (SOLIS) XI. First measurement of nitrogen fractionation in shocked clumps of the L1157 protostellar outflow

The isotopic ratio of nitrogen presents a wide range of values in the Solar System and in star forming system whose origin is still unclear. Chemical reactions in the gas phase are one of the possible processes that could modify the $^{14}$N/$^{15}$N ratio. We aim at investigating if and how the passage of a shock wave in the interstellar medium, can affect the relative fraction of nitrogen isotopes. The ideal place for such a study is the L1157 outflow, where several shocked clumps are present. We present the first measurement of the $^{14}$N/$^{15}$N ratio in the two shocked clumps, B1 and B0, of the protostellar outflow L1157, derived from the interferomteric maps of the H$^{13}$CN(1-0) and the HC$^{15}$N(1-0) lines. In B1, we find that the H$^{13}$CN(1-0) and HC$^{15}$N(1-0) emission traces the front of the clump, with averaged column density of $N$(H$^{13}$CN) $\sim$ 7$\times$10$^{12}$ cm$^{-2}$ and $N$(HC$^{15}$N) $\sim$ 2$\times$10$^{12}$ cm$^{-2}$. In this region the ratio H$^{13}$CN(1-0)/HC$^{15}$N(1-0) is quite uniform with an average value of $\sim$ 5$\pm$1. The same average value is also measured in the smaller clump B0e. Assuming the standard $^{12}$C/$^{13}$C = 68, we obtain $^{14}$N/$^{15}$N = 340$\pm$70, similar to those usually found in prestellar cores and protostars. We analysed the prediction of a chemical shock model for several shock conditions and we found that the nitrogen and carbon fractionations do not vary much for the first period after the shock. The observed H$^{13}$CN/HC$^{15}$N can be reproduced by a non-dissociative, C-type shock with parameters in agreement with previous modelling of L1157-B1. Both observations and chemical models indicate that the shock propagation does not affect the nitrogen isotopic ratio that remains similar to that measured in lower temperature gas in prestellar cores and in protostellar envelopes.

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arXiv2020

A search for radio jets from massive young stellar objects. Association of radio jets with H2O and CH3OH masers

Recent theoretical and observational studies debate the similarities between the formation process of high-mass (>8 Msun) and low-mass stars. The formation of low-mass star formation is directly associated with the presence of disks and jets. According to this scenario, radio jets are expected to be common in high-mass star-forming regions. We aim to increase the number of known radio jets in high-mass star forming regions by searching for radio jet candidates at radio continuum wavelengths. We have used the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) to observe 18 high-mass star-forming regions in the C band (6 cm, ~1.0 arcsec resolution) and K band (1.3 cm, ~0.3 arcsec resolution). We have searched for radio jet candidates by studying the association of radio continuum sources with shock activity signposts. We have identified 7 as the most probable radio jets. The radio luminosity of the radio jet candidates is correlated with the bolometric luminosity and the outflow momentum rate. About 7-36% of the radio jet candidates are associated with non-thermal emission. The radio jet candidates associated with 6.7 GHz CH3OH maser emission are preferentially thermal winds and jets, while a considerable fraction of radio jet candidates associated with H2O masers show non-thermal emission, likely due to strong shocks. Our sample of 18 regions is divided in 8 less evolved, infrared-dark regions and 10 more evolved, infrared-bright regions. We have found that ~71% of the identified radio jet candidates are located in the more evolved regions. Similarly, 25% of the less evolved regions harbor one of the most probable radio jets, while up to 50% of the more evolved regions contain one of these radio jet candidates. This suggests that the detection of radio jets in high-mass star forming regions is larger in slightly more evolved regions.

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arXiv2020

Seeds of Life in Space SOLIS. IX. Chemical segregation of $\rm SO_2$ and SO toward the low-mass protostellar shocked region of L1157

We present observations of SO and $\rm SO_2$ lines toward the shocked regions along the L1157 chemically rich outflow, taken in the context of the Seeds Of Life In Space IRAM-NOrthern Extended Millimeter Array Large Program, and supported by data from Submillimeter Array and IRAM-30 m telescope at 1.1--3.6 mm wavelengths. We simultaneously analyze, for the first time, all of the brightest shocks in the blueshifted lobe, namely, B0, B1, and B2. We found the following. (1) SO and $\rm SO_2$ may trace different gas, given that the large(-scale) velocity gradient analysis indicates for $\rm SO_2$ a volume density ($\rm 10^5\text{--}10^6\,cm^{-3}$) denser than that of the gas emitting in SO by a factor up to an order of magnitude. (2) Investigating the 0.1 pc scale field of view, we note a tentative gradient along the path of the precessing jet. More specifically, $\rm χ({SO/SO_2})$ decreases from the B0-B1 shocks to the older B2. (3) At a linear resolution of 500--1400 au, a tentative spatial displacement between the two emitting molecules is detected, with the SO peak closer (with respect to $\rm SO_2$) to the position where the recent jet is impinging on the B1 cavity wall. Our astrochemical modeling shows that the SO and $\rm SO_2$ abundances evolve on timescales less than about 1000 years. Furthermore, the modeling requires high abundances ($2\times10^{-6}$) of both $\rm H_2S/H$ and S/H injected in the gas phase due to the shock occurrence, so pre-frozen OCS only is not enough to reproduce our new observations.

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arXiv2020

No nitrogen fractionation on 600 au scale in the Sun progenitor analogue OMC-2 FIR4

We show the first interferometric maps of the 14N/15N ratio obtained with the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) towards the Solar-like forming protocluster OMC-2 FIR4. We observed N2H+, 15NNH+, N15NH+ (1-0), and N2D+ (2-1), from which we derive the isotopic ratios 14N/15N and D/H. The target is one of the closest analogues of the environment in which our Sun may have formed. The ALMA images, having synthesised beam corresponding to ~600 au, show that the emission of the less abundant isotopologues is distributed in several cores of ~10" (i.e. ~0.02~pc or 4000 au) embedded in a more extended N2H+ emission. Overall, our results indicate that: (1) 14N/15N does not change across the region at core scales, and (2) 14N/15N does not depend on temperature variations. Our findings also suggest that the 14N/15N variations found in pristine Solar System objects are likely not inherited from the protocluster stage, and hence their reason has to be found elsewhere.

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arXiv2017

Seeds Of Life In Space (SOLIS): The organic composition diversity at 300--1000 au scale in Solar-type star forming regions

Complex organic molecules have been observed for decades in the interstellar medium. Some of them might be considered as small bricks of the macromolecules at the base of terrestrial life. It is hence particularly important to understand organic chemistry in Solar-like star forming regions. In this article, we present a new observational project: SOLIS (Seeds Of Life In Space). This is a Large Project at the IRAM-NOEMA interferometer, and its scope is to image the emission of several crucial organic molecules in a sample of Solar-like star forming regions in different evolutionary stage and environments. Here, we report the first SOLIS results, obtained from analysing the spectra of different regions of the Class 0 source NGC1333-IRAS4A, the protocluster OMC-2 FIR4, and the shock site L1157-B1. The different regions were identified based on the images of formamide (NH2CHO) and cyanodiacetylene (HC5N) lines. We discuss the observed large diversity in the molecular and organic content, both on large (3000-10000 au) and relatively small (300-1000 au) scales. Finally, we derive upper limits to the methoxy fractional abundance in the three observed regions of the same order of magnitude of that measured in few cold prestellar objects, namely ~10^-12-10^-11 with respect to H2 molecules.

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arXiv2017

The onset of energetic particle irradiation in Class 0 protostars

The early stages of low-mass star formation are likely to be subject to intense ionization by protostellar energetic MeV particles. As a result, the surrounding gas is enriched in molecular ions, such as HCO$^{+}$ and N$_{2}$H$^{+}$. Nonetheless, this phenomenon remains poorly understood for Class 0 objects. Recently, based on Herschel observations taken as part of the key program Chemical HErschel Surveys of Star forming regions (CHESS), a very low HCO$^{+}$/N$_{2}$H$^{+}$ abundance ratio of about 3-4, has been reported toward the protocluster OMC-2 FIR4. This finding suggests a cosmic-ray ionization rate in excess of 10$^{-14}$ s$^{-1}$, much higher than the canonical value of $ζ$ = 3$\times$10$^{-17}$ s$^{-1}$ (value expected in quiescent dense clouds). To assess the specificity of OMC-2 FIR4, we have extended this study to a sample of sources in low- and intermediate mass. More specifically, we seek to measure the HCO$^{+}$/N$_2$H$^{+}$ abundance ratio from high energy lines (J $\ge$ 6) toward this source sample in order to infer the flux of energetic particles in the warm and dense gas surrounding the protostars. We use observations performed with the Heterodyne Instrument for the FarInfrared spectrometer on board the Herschel Space Observatory toward a sample of 9 protostars. We report HCO$^{+}$/N$_2$H$^{+}$ abundance ratios in the range of 5 up to 73 toward our source sample. The large error bars do not allow us to conclude whether OMC-2~FIR4 is a peculiar source. Nonetheless, an important result is that the measured HCO$^{+}$/N$_2$H$^{+}$ ratio does not vary with the source luminosity. At the present time, OMC-2 FIR4 remains the only source where a high flux of energetic particles is clearly evident. More sensitive and higher angular resolution observations are required to further investigate this process.

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arXiv2017

SOLIS II. Carbon-chain growth in the Solar-type protocluster OMC2-FIR4

The interstellar delivery of carbon atoms locked into molecules might be one of the key ingredients for the emergence of life. Cyanopolyynes are carbon chains delimited at their two extremities by an atom of hydrogen and a cyano group, so that they might be excellent reservoirs of carbon. The simplest member, HC3N, is ubiquitous in the galactic interstellar medium and found also in external galaxies. Thus, understanding the growth of cyanopolyynes in regions forming stars similar to our Sun, and what affects it, is particularly relevant. In the framework of the IRAM/NOEMA Large Program SOLIS (Seeds Of Life In Space), we have obtained a map of two cyanopolyynes, HC3N and HC5N, in the protocluster OMC2-FIR4. Because our Sun is thought to be born in a rich cluster, OMC2-FIR4 is one of the closest and best known representatives of the environment in which the Sun may have been born. We find a HC3N/HC5N abundance ratio across the source in the range ~ 1 - 30, with the smallest values (< 10) in FIR5 and in the Eastern region of FIR4. The ratios < 10 can be reproduced by chemical models only if: (1) the cosmic-ray ionisation rate $ζ$ is ~ $4 \times 10^{-14}$ s$^{-1}$; (2) the gaseous elemental ratio C/O is close to unity; (3) O and C are largely depleted. The large $ζ$ is comparable to that measured in FIR4 by previous works and was interpreted as due to a flux of energetic (> 10 MeV) particles from embedded sources. We suggest that these sources could lie East of FIR4 and FIR5. A temperature gradient across FIR4, with T decreasing by about 10 K, could also explain the observed change in the HC3N/HC5N line ratio, without the need of a cosmic ray ionisation rate gradient. However, even in this case, a high constant cosmic-ray ionisation rate (of the order of $10^{-14}$ s$^{-1}$) is necessary to reproduce the observations.

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arXiv2014

Depletion of chlorine into HCl ice in a protostellar core

The freezeout of gas-phase species onto cold dust grains can drastically alter the chemistry and the heating-cooling balance of protostellar material. In contrast to well-known species such as carbon monoxide (CO), the freezeout of various carriers of elements with abundances $<10^{-5}$ has not yet been well studied. Our aim here is to study the depletion of chlorine in the protostellar core, OMC-2 FIR 4. We observed transitions of HCl and H2Cl+ towards OMC-2 FIR 4 using the Herschel Space Observatory and Caltech Submillimeter Observatory facilities. Our analysis makes use of state of the art chlorine gas-grain chemical models and newly calculated HCl-H$_{2}$ hyperfine collisional excitation rate coefficients. A narrow emission component in the HCl lines traces the extended envelope, and a broad one traces a more compact central region. The gas-phase HCl abundance in FIR 4 is 9e-11, a factor of only 0.001 that of volatile elemental chlorine. The H2Cl+ lines are detected in absorption and trace a tenuous foreground cloud, where we find no depletion of volatile chlorine. Gas-phase HCl is the tip of the chlorine iceberg in protostellar cores. Using a gas-grain chemical model, we show that the hydrogenation of atomic chlorine on grain surfaces in the dark cloud stage sequesters at least 90% of the volatile chlorine into HCl ice, where it remains in the protostellar stage. About 10% of chlorine is in gaseous atomic form. Gas-phase HCl is a minor, but diagnostically key reservoir, with an abundance of <1e-10 in most of the protostellar core. We find the 35Cl/37Cl ratio in OMC-2 FIR 4 to be 3.2\pm0.1, consistent with the solar system value.

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arXiv2013

Evolution and excitation conditions of outflows in high-mass star-forming regions

Theoretical models suggest that massive stars form via disk-mediated accretion, with bipolar outflows playing a fundamental role. A recent study toward massive molecular outflows has revealed a decrease of the SiO line intensity as the object evolves. The present study aims at characterizing the variation of the molecular outflow properties with time, and at studying the SiO excitation conditions in outflows associated with massive YSOs. We used the IRAM30m telescope to map 14 massive star-forming regions in the SiO(2-1), SiO(5-4) and HCO+(1-0) outflow lines, and in several dense gas and hot core tracers. Hi-GAL data was used to improve the spectral energy distributions and the L/M ratio, which is believed to be a good indicator of the evolutionary stage of the YSO. We detect SiO and HCO+ outflow emission in all the sources, and bipolar structures in six of them. The outflow parameters are similar to those found toward other massive YSOs. We find an increase of the HCO+ outflow energetics as the object evolve, and a decrease of the SiO abundance with time, from 10^(-8) to 10^(-9). The SiO(5-4) to (2-1) line ratio is found to be low at the ambient gas velocity, and increases as we move to high velocities, indicating that the excitation conditions of the SiO change with the velocity of the gas (with larger densities and/or temperatures for the high-velocity gas component). The properties of the SiO and HCO+ outflow emission suggest a scenario in which SiO is largely enhanced in the first evolutionary stages, probably due to strong shocks produced by the protostellar jet. As the object evolves, the power of the jet would decrease and so does the SiO abundance. During this process, however, the material surrounding the protostar would have been been swept up by the jet, and the outflow activity, traced by entrained molecular material (HCO+), would increase with time.

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arXiv2009

Molecular outflows towards O-type young stellar objects

We have searched for massive molecular outflows in a sample of high-mass star forming regions, and we have characterised both the outflow properties and those of their associated molecular clumps. With a sample composed largely of more luminous objects than previous ones, this work complements analogous surveys performed by other authors by adding the missing highest luminosity sources. The sample under study has been selected so as to favour the earliest evolutionary phases of star formation, and is composed of very luminous objects (L_bol > 2x10^4 L_sun and up to ~10^6 L_sun), possibly containing O-type stars. Each source has been mapped in 13CO(2-1) and C18O(2-1) with the IRAM-30m telescope on Pico Veleta (Spain). The whole sample shows high-velocity wings in the 13CO(2-1) spectra, indicative of outflowing motions. In addition, we have obtained outflow maps in 9 of our 11 sources, which display well-defined blue and/or red lobes. For these sources, the outflow parameters have been derived from the line wing 13CO(2-1) emission. An estimate of the clump masses from the C18O(2-1) emission is also provided and found to be comparable to the virial masses. From a comparison between our results and those found by other authors at lower masses, it is clear that the outflow mechanical force increases with the bolometric luminosity of the clump and with the ionising photon rate of the associated HII regions, indicating that high-mass stars drive more powerful outflows. A tight correlation between outflow mass and clump mass is also found. Molecular outflows are found to be as common in massive star forming regions as in low-mass star forming regions. This, added to the detection of a few tentative large-scale rotating structures suggests that high-mass stars may generally form via accretion, as low-mass stars.

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