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T. Shimonishi

Publications and source records attributed to T. Shimonishi.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

Simulating the spatial distributions of gas- and ice-phase molecules in galaxies: a new method and preliminary results

Recent observations have revealed significant variations in the abundances of gas- and ice-phase molecules in galaxies with different luminosities and types. In order to discuss the physical origins of these variations, we incorporate gas- and dust-phase interstellar chemistry into galaxy-scale simulations with various baryonic physics including dust formation, evolution, and destruction, all of which are essential for the calculations of 400 interstellar molecule species. The new simulations can accordingly predict the abundances of gas- and ice-phase molecular species such as H_2O and CO_2 ice within individual molecular gas cloud of galaxies based on gas density and temperature, dust temperature (T_dust), elemental abundances (e.g., CHNOPS), UV radiation strength (F_UV), and cosmic ray ionisation rate (zeta_CR) within the clouds. Since this is the first of the series of papers, we describe the details of the new simulations and present the preliminary results focused on the spatial distributions of H_2O, CO, CO_2, and CH_3OH ice species in a disk galaxy similar to the Milky Way. We particularly discuss how T_dust and gas-phase elemental abundances can control the spatial distributions of the above molecules in galaxies. We briefly discuss the total amount of H_2O and CO_2 ices and radial distributions of PN and PO molecules in the Galaxy.

astro-ph.GA

An Ice Age JWST inventory of dense molecular cloud ices

Icy grain mantles are the main reservoir of the volatile elements that link chemical processes in dark, interstellar clouds with the formation of planets and composition of their atmospheres. The initial ice composition is set in the cold, dense parts of molecular clouds, prior to the onset of star formation. With the exquisite sensitivity of JWST, this critical stage of ice evolution is now accessible for detailed study. Here we show the first results of the Early Release Science program "Ice Age" that reveal the rich composition of these dense cloud ices. Weak ices, including, $^{13}$CO$_2$, OCN$^-$, $^{13}$CO, OCS, and COMs functional groups are now detected along two pre-stellar lines of sight. The $^{12}$CO$_2$ ice profile indicates modest growth of the icy grains. Column densities of the major and minor ice species indicate that ices contribute between 2 and 19% of the bulk budgets of the key C, O, N, and S elements. Our results suggest that the formation of simple and complex molecules could begin early in a water-ice rich environment.

astro-ph.GA

The formation of planetary systems with SPICA

In this era of spatially resolved observations of planet forming disks with ALMA and large ground-based telescopes such as the VLT, Keck and Subaru, we still lack statistically relevant information on the quantity and composition of the material that is building the planets, such as the total disk gas mass, the ice content of dust, and the state of water in planetesimals. SPICA is an infrared space mission concept developed jointly by JAXA and ESA to address these questions. The key unique capabilities of SPICA that enable this research are (1) the wide spectral coverage 10-220 micron, (2) the high line detection sensitivity of (1-2) 10-19 W m-2 with R~2000-5000 in the far-IR (SAFARI) and 10-20 W m-2 with R~29000 in the mid-IR (SMI, spectrally resolving line profiles), (3) the high far-IR continuum sensitivity of 0.45 mJy (SAFARI), and (4) the observing efficiency for point source surveys. This paper details how mid- to far-IR infrared spectra will be unique in measuring the gas masses and water/ice content of disks and how these quantities evolve during the planet forming period. These observations will clarify the crucial transition when disks exhaust their primordial gas and further planet formation requires secondary gas produced from planetesimals. The high spectral resolution mid-IR is also unique for determining the location of the snowline dividing the rocky and icy mass reservoirs within the disk and how the divide evolves during the build-up of planetary systems. Infrared spectroscopy (mid- to far-IR) of key solid state bands is crucial for assessing whether extensive radial mixing, which is part of our Solar System history, is a general process occurring in most planetary systems and whether extrasolar planetesimals are similar to our Solar System comets/asteroids. ... (abbreviated)

astro-ph.EP