Bérengère Parise | Searcharxiv

arXiv2024

First map of D$_2$H$^+$ emission revealing the true centre of a prestellar core: further insights into deuterium chemistry

Context. IRAS 16293E is a rare case of a prestellar core being subjected to the effects of at least one outflow.Aims. We want to disentangle the actual structure of the core from the outflow impact and evaluate the evolutionary stage of the core. Methods. Prestellar cores being cold and depleted, the best tracers of their central regions are the two isotopologues of trihydrogren cation which are observable from the ground, ortho-H$_2$D and para-D$_2$H . We used the Atacama Pathfinder EXperiment (APEX) telescope to map the para-D$_2$H$^+$ emission in IRAS 16293E and collected James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) archival data of ortho-H$_2$D$^+$ . We compare their emission to that of other tracers, including dust emission, and analyse their abundance with the help of a 1D radiative transfer tool. The ratio of the abundances of ortho-H$_2$D$^+$ and para-D$_2$H$^+$ can be used to estimate the stage of the chemical evolution of the core.Results. We have obtained the first complete map of para-D$_2$H$^+$ emission in a prestellar core. We compare it to a map of ortho-H$_2$D$^+$ and show their partial anti-correlation. This reveals a strongly evolved core with a para-D$_2$H$^+$/ortho-H$_2$D$^+$ abundance ratio towards the centre for which we obtain a conservative lower limit from 3.9 (at 12 K) up to 8.3 (at 8 K) while the high extinction of the core is indicative of a central temperature below 10 K. This ratio is higher than predicted by the known chemical models found in the literature. Para-D$_2$H$^+$ (and indirectly ortho-H$_2$D$^+$) is the only species that reveals the true centre of this core, while the emission of other molecular tracers and dust are biased by the temperature structure that results from the impact of the outflow.Conclusions. This study invites to reconsider the analysis of previous observations of this source and possibly questions the validity of the deuteration chemical models or of the reaction and inelastic collisional rate coefficients of the H$^{+3}$ isotopologue family. This could impact the deuteration clock predictions for all sources.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2010

Nitrogen hydrides in the cold envelope of IRAS16293-2422

Nitrogen is the fifth most abundant element in the Universe, yet the gas-phase chemistry of N-bearing species remains poorly understood. Nitrogen hydrides are key molecules of nitrogen chemistry. Their abundance ratios place strong constraints on the production pathways and reaction rates of nitrogen-bearing molecules. We observed the class 0 protostar IRAS16293-2422 with the heterodyne instrument HIFI, covering most of the frequency range from 0.48 to 1.78~THz at high spectral resolution. The hyperfine structure of the amidogen radical o-NH2 is resolved and seen in absorption against the continuum of the protostar. Several transitions of ammonia from 1.2 to 1.8~THz are also seen in absorption. These lines trace the low-density envelope of the protostar. Column densities and abundances are estimated for each hydride. We find that NH:NH2:NH3=5:1:300. {Dark clouds chemical models predict steady-state abundances of NH2 and NH3 in reasonable agreement with the present observations, whilst that of NH is underpredicted by more than one order of magnitude, even using updated kinetic rates. Additional modelling of the nitrogen gas-phase chemistry in dark-cloud conditions is necessary before having recourse to heterogen processes.

astro-ph.GA↗