arXiv subjects

V. Lattanzi

Publications and source records attributed to V. Lattanzi.

15 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Resolved Gas Temperatures and 12C/13C ratios in SVS13A from ALMA Observations of CH3CN and CH3-13-CN

Context. Multiple systems are common in field stars, and the frequency is found to be higher in early evolutionary stages. Thus, the study of young multiple systems during the embedded stages is key to have a comprehensive understanding of star formation. In particular, how material accretes from the large-scale envelope into the inner region and how this flow interacts with the system physically and chemically has not yet been well characterized observationally. Aims. We aim to provide a snapshot of the forming protobinary system SVS13A, consisting of VLA4A and VLA4B. This includes clear pictures of its kinematic structures, physical conditions, and chemical properties. Methods. We conducted ALMA observations toward SVS13A targeting CH3CN and CH3-13CN J=12-11 K-ladder line emission with a high spatial resolution of ~30 au at a spectral resolution of ~0.08 km s-1 Results. We perform LTE radiative transfer models to fit the spectral features of the line emission. We find the two-layer LTE radiative model including dust absorption is essential to interpret the CH3CN and CH3-13-CN line emission. We identify two major and four small kinematic components, and derive their physical and chemical properties. Conclusions. We find a possible infalling signature toward the bursting secondary source VLA4A, which may be fed by an infalling streamer from the large-scale envelope. The mechanical heating in the binary system, as well as the infalling shocked gas, likely play a role in the thermal structure of the protobinary system. By accumulating mass from the streamer, the system might have experienced a gravitationally unstable phase before the accretion outburst. Finally, the derived CH3CN/CH3-13-CN ratio is lower than the canonical ratio in the ISM and is different between VLA4A and VLA4B.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

Accurate ab initio spectroscopic studies of promising interstellar ethanolamine iminic precursors

Context. The detection of NH2CH2CH2OH (ethanolamine) in molecular cloud G+0.693-0.027 adds an additional player to the prebiotic molecules discovered so far in the interstellar medium (ISM). As this molecule might be formed through condensed-phase hydrogenation steps, detecting one or more of the molecules involved might help to elucidate the chemical pathway leading to its production. Aims. The chemical path involves the formation of four chemical species. In this work, we study the energies of the isomers involved, indicate the best candidates for detection purposes, and provide the distortion constants of the most energetically favoured isomers undetected so far. Methods. We used highly accurate CCSD(T)-F12/cc-pCVTZ-F12 computations to predict the lowest energy isomers as well as their spectroscopic constants, taking corrections for core electron correlation and scalar relativity into account. Results. We studied 14 isomers. We find that the lowest energy isomer proposed in previous studies is not the actual minimum. We provide a set of rotational and distortion constants of the two new most stable isomers together with their fundamental vibrational frequencies in order to guide the search for these important astrochemical precursors of prebiotic molecules in the ISM.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2023

A high-resolution spectroscopic analysis of aminoacrylonitrile and an interstellar search towards G+0.693

Cyanides, ranging from three carbon atoms to PAHs, and alkenyl compounds are abundant in the interstellar medium (ISM). Aminoacrylonitrile (3-Amino-2-propenenitrile, H$_{2}$N-CH=CH-CN), an alkenyl cyanide, thus represents a promising candidate for new interstellar detection. A comprehensive spectroscopic laboratory investigation of aminoacrylonitrile in its rotational ground vibrational state has been herein performed. The measurements carried out up to the THz regime made it possible to generate a precise set of reliable rest frequencies for its search in space up to sub-millimetre wavelengths. The $Z$-aminoacrylonitrile ($Z$-apn) isomer spectrum has been recorded employing a source-modulated sub-millimetre spectrometer, from 80 GHz to 1 THz. A combination of Doppler and sub-Doppler measurement regimes allowed to record 600 new lines. The collected data have enabled the characterisation of a set of spectroscopic parameters up to decic centrifugal distortion constants. The catalogue generated from the improved spectral data has been used for the search of $Z$-apn in the spectral survey of the G+0.693-0.027 molecular cloud located in the central molecular zone, in the proximity of the Galactic centre.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2023

SOLIS XVII: Jet candidate unveiled in OMC-2 and its possible link to the enhanced cosmic-ray ionisation rate

The study of the early phases of star and planet formation is important to understand the physical and chemical history of stellar systems such as our own. In particular, protostars born in rich clusters are prototypes of the young Solar System. In the framework of the Seeds Of Life In Space (SOLIS) large observational project, the aim of the present work is to investigate the origin of the previously inferred high flux of energetic particles in the protocluster FIR4 of the Orion Molecular Cloud 2 (OMC-2), which appears asymmetric within the protocluster itself. Interferometric observations carried out with the IRAM NOEMA interferometer were used to map the silicon monoxide (SiO) emission around the FIR4 protocluster. Complementary archival data from the ALMA interferometer were also employed to help constrain excitation conditions. A physical-chemical model was implemented to characterise the particle acceleration along the protostellar jet candidate, along with a non-LTE analysis of the SiO emission along the jet. The emission morphology of the SiO rotational transitions hints for the first time at the presence of a collimated jet originating very close to the brightest protostar in the cluster, HOPS-108. The NOEMA observations unveiled a possible jet in the OMC-2 FIR4 protocluster propagating towards a previously measured enhanced cosmic-ray ionisation rate. This suggests that energetic particle acceleration by the jet shock close to the protostar might be at the origin of the enhanced cosmic-ray ionisation rate, as confirmed by modelling the protostellar jet.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2023

Millimetre and sub-millimetre spectroscopy of doubly deuterated acetaldehyde (CHD2CHO) and first detection towards IRAS 16293-2422

The abundances of deuterated molecules with respect to their main isotopologue counterparts have been determined to be orders of magnitude higher than expected from the cosmic abundance of deuterium relative to hydrogen. The increasing number of singly and multi-deuterated species detections helps us to constrain the interplay between gas-phase and solid-state chemistry and to understand better deuterium fractionation in the early stages of star formation. Acetaldehyde is one of the most abundant complex organic molecules (COMs) in star-forming regions and its singly deuterated isotopologues have already been observed towards protostars. A spectroscopic catalogue for astrophysical purposes is built for doubly deuterated acetaldehyde CHD2CHO from measurements in the laboratory. Submillimetre wave transitions were measured for the non-rigid doubly deuterated acetaldehyde CHD2CHO displaying hindered internal rotation of its asymmetrical CHD2 methyl group. A line position analysis is carried out allowing us to reproduce 853 transition frequencies with a weighted root mean square standard deviation of 1.7, varying 40 spectroscopic constants. A spectroscopic catalogue for astrophysical purposes is built from the analysis results. Using this catalogue we were able to detect for the first time CHD2CHO towards the low-mass protostellar system IRAS 16293-2422 utilizing data from the ALMA Protostellar Interferometric Line Survey. The first detection of the CHD2CHO species allows for the derivation of its column density with a value of 1.3x10^15 cm^-2 and an uncertainty of 10-20%. The resulting D2/D ratio of ~20% is found to be coincident with D2/D ratios derived for other complex organic molecules towards IRAS~16293-2422, pointing at a common formation environment with enhanced deuterium fractionation.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2022

OMC-2 FIR 4 under the microscope: Shocks, filaments, and a highly collimated jet at 100 au scales

Star-forming molecular clouds are characterised by the ubiquity of intertwined filaments. The filaments have been observed in both high- and low-mass star-forming regions, and are thought to split into collections of sonic fibres. The locations where filaments converge are termed hubs, and these are associated with the young stellar clusters. However, the observations of filamentary structures within hubs at distances require a high angular resolution that limits the number of such studies conducted so far. The integral shaped filament of the Orion A molecular cloud is noted for harbouring several hubs within which no filamentary structures have been observed so far. The goal of our study is to investigate the nature of the filamentary structures within one of these hubs, which is the chemically rich hub OMC-2 FIR 4, and to analyse their emission with high density and shock tracers. We observed the OMC-2 FIR 4 proto-cluster using Band 6 of the ALMA in Cycle 4 with an angular resolution of ~0.26"(100 au). We analysed the spatial distribution of dust, the shock tracer SiO, and dense gas tracers (i.e., CH$_{3}$OH, CS, and H$^{13}$CN). We also studied gas kinematics using SiO and CH3OH maps. Our observations for the first time reveal interwoven filamentary structures within OMC-2 FIR 4 that are probed by several tracers. Each filamentary structure is characterised by a distinct velocity as seen from the emission peak of CH$_{3}$OH lines. They also show transonic and supersonic motions. SiO is associated with filaments and also with multiple bow-shock features. In addition, for the first time, we reveal a highly collimated SiO jet (~1$^{\circ}$) with a projected length of ~5200 au from the embedded protostar VLA15. Our study shows that multi-scale observations of these regions are crucial for understanding the accretion processes and flow of material that shapes star formation.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2022

Mass ejection and time variability in protostellar outflows: Cep E. SOLIS XVI

Protostellar jets are an important agent of star formation feedback, tightly connected with the mass-accretion process. The history of jet formation and mass-ejection provides constraints on the mass accretion history and the nature of the driving source. We want to characterize the time-variability of the mass-ejection phenomena at work in the Class 0 protostellar phase, in order to better understand the dynamics of the outflowing gas and bring more constraints on the origin of the jet chemical composition and the mass-accretion history. We have observed the emission of the CO 2-1 and SO N_J=5_4-4_3 rotational transitions with NOEMA, towards the intermediate-mass Class 0 protostellar system Cep E. The CO high-velocity jet emission reveals a central component associated with high-velocity molecular knots, also detected in SO, surrounded by a collimated layer of entrained gas. The gas layer appears to accelerate along the main axis over a length scale delta_0 ~700 au, while its diameter gradually increases up to several 1000au at 2000au from the protostar. The jet is fragmented into 18 knots of mass ~10^-3 Msun, unevenly distributed between the northern and southern lobes, with velocity variations up to 15 km/s close to the protostar, well below the jet terminal velocities. The knot interval distribution is approximately bimodal with a scale of ~50-80yr close to the protostar and ~150-200yr at larger distances >12". The mass-loss rates derived from knot masses are overall steady, with values of 2.7x10^-5 Msun/yr (8.9x10^-6 Msun/yr) in the northern (southern) lobe. The interaction of the ambient protostellar material with high-velocity knots drives the formation of a molecular layer around the jet, which accounts for the higher mass-loss rate in the north. The jet dynamics are well accounted for by a simple precession model with a period of 2000yr and a mass-ejection period of 55yr.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2021

Gas phase Elemental abundances in Molecular cloudS (GEMS). IV. Observational results and statistical trends

Gas phase Elemental abundances in Molecular CloudS (GEMS) is an IRAM 30m Large Program designed to estimate the S, C, N, and O depletions and gas ionization degree, X(e-), in a set of star-forming filaments of Taurus, Perseus and Orion. Our immediate goal is to build up a complete database of molecular abundances that can serve as an observational basis for estimating X(e-) and the C, O, N, and S depletions through chemical modeling. We observed and derived the abundances of 14 species (13CO, C18O, HCO+, H13CO+, HC18O+, HCN, H13CN, HNC, HCS+, CS, SO, 34SO, H2S, and OCS) in 244 positions, covering the AV 3 to 100 mag, n(H2) a few 10$^{3}$ to 10$^6$ cm$^{-3}$, and Tk 10 to 30 K ranges in these clouds, avoiding protostars, HII regions, and outflows. A statistical analysis is carried out to identify general trends between different species and with physical parameters. Relations between molecules reveal strong linear correlations which define three different families: (1) 13CO and C18O; (2) H13CO+, HC18O+, H13CN, and HNC; and (3) the S-bearing molecules. The abundances of the CO isotopologs increase with the gas kinetic temperature until TK 15 K. For higher temperatures, the abundance remains constant with a scatter of a factor of 3. The abundances of H13CO+, HC18O+, H13CN, and HNC are well correlated with each other, and all of them decrease with molecular hydrogen density, following the law n(H2)$^{-0.8\pm0.2}$. The abundances of S-bearing species also decrease with n(H2) at a rate of (S-bearing/H)gas n(H2)$^{-0.6\pm0.1}$. The abundances of molecules belonging to groups 2 and 3 do not present any clear trend with gas temperature. At scales of molecular clouds, the C18O abundance is the quantity that better correlates with the cloud mass. We discuss the utility of the 13CO/C18O, HCO+/H13CO+, and H13CO+/H13CN abundance ratios as chemical diagnostics of star formation in external galaxies.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2020

Gas-phase Elemental abundances in Molecular cloudS (GEMS) III. Unlocking the CS chemistry: the CS+O reaction

CS is among the most abundant gas-phase S-bearing molecules in cold dark molecular clouds. It is easily observable with several transitions in the millimeter wavelength range, and has been widely used as a tracer of the gas density in the interstellar medium in our Galaxy and external galaxies. Chemical models fail to account for the observed CS abundances when assuming the cosmic value for the elemental abundance of sulfur. The CS+O -> CO + S reaction has been proposed as a relevant CS destruction mechanism at low temperatures, and could explain the discrepancy between models and observations. Its reaction rate has been experimentally measured at temperatures of 150-400 K, but the extrapolation to lower temperatures is doubtful. Here we calculate the CS+O reaction rate at temperatures <150 K which are prevailing in the interstellar medium. We performed ab initio calculations to obtain the three lowest PES of the CS+O system. These PESs are used to study the reaction dynamics, using several methods to eventually calculate the CS+O thermal reaction rates. We compare the results of our theoretical calculations for 150-400 K with those obtained in the laboratory. Our detailed theoretical study on the CS+O reaction, which is in agreement with the experimental data obtained at 150-400 K, demonstrates the reliability of our approach. After a careful analysis at lower temperatures, we find that the rate constant at 10 K is negligible, which is consistent with the extrapolation of experimental data using the Arrhenius expression. We use the updated chemical network to model the sulfur chemistry in TMC1 based on molecular abundances determined from GEMS project observations. In our model, we take into account the expected decrease of the cosmic ray ionization rate along the cloud. The abundance of CS is still overestimated when assuming the cosmic value for the sulfur abundance.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2020

Gas phase Elemental abundances in Molecular cloudS (GEMS). II. On the quest for the sulphur reservoir in molecular clouds: the $H_{2}S$ case

Sulphur is one of the most abundant elements in the Universe. Surprisingly, sulphuretted molecules are not as abundant as expected in the interstellar medium, and the identity of the main sulphur reservoir is still an open question. Our goal is to investigate the H$_{2}$S chemistry in dark clouds, as this stable molecule is a potential sulphur reservoir. Using millimeter observations of CS, SO, H$_{2}$S, and their isotopologues, we determine the physical conditions and H$_{2}$S abundances along the cores TMC 1-C, TMC 1-CP, and Barnard 1b. The gas-grain model Nautilus is then used to model the sulphur chemistry and explore the impact of photo-desorption and chemical desorption on the H$_2$S abundance. Our model shows that chemical desorption is the main source of gas-phase H$_2$S in dark cores. The measured H$_{2}$S abundance can only be fitted if we assume that the chemical desorption rate decreases by more than a factor of 10 when $n_{\rm H}>2\times10^{4}$. This change in the desorption rate is consistent with the formation of thick H$_2$O and CO ice mantles on grain surfaces. The observed SO and H$_2$S abundances are in good agreement with our predictions adopting an undepleted value of the sulphur abundance. However, the CS abundance is overestimated by a factor of $5-10$. Along the three cores, atomic S is predicted to be the main sulphur reservoir. We conclude that the gaseous H$_2$S abundance is well reproduced, assuming undepleted sulphur abundance and chemical desorption as the main source of H$_2$S. The behavior of the observed H$_{2}$S abundance suggests a changing desorption efficiency, which would probe the snowline in these cores. Our model, however, overestimates the observed gas-phase CS abundance. Given the uncertainty in the sulphur chemistry, our data are consistent with a cosmic elemental S abundance with an uncertainty of a factor of 10.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2019

Gas phase Elemental abundances in Molecular cloudS (GEMS) I. The prototypical dark cloud TMC 1

GEMS is an IRAM 30m Large Program whose aim is determining the elemental depletions and the ionization fraction in a set of prototypical star-forming regions. This paper presents the first results from the prototypical dark cloud TMC 1. Extensive millimeter observations have been carried out with the IRAM 30m telescope (3mm and 2mm) and the 40m Yebes telescope (1.3cm and 7mm) to determine the fractional abundances of CO, HCO+, HCN, CS, SO, HCS+, and N2H+ in three cuts which intersect the dense filament at the well-known positions TMC 1-CP, TMC 1-NH3, and TMC 1-C, covering a visual extinction range from Av~3 to ~20mag. Two phases with differentiated chemistry can be distinguished: i) the translucent envelope with molecular hydrogen densities of (1-5)x10$^3$ cm$^{-3}$; and ii) the dense phase, located at Av>10mag, with molecular hydrogen densities >10$^4$ cm$^{-3}$. Observations and modeling show that the gas phase abundances of C and O progressively decrease along the C+/C/CO transition zone where C/H~8x10$^{-5}$ and C/O~0.8-1, until the beginning of the dense phase at Av~10 mag. This is consistent with the grain temperatures being below the CO evaporation temperature in this region. In the case of sulfur, a strong depletion should occur before the translucent phase where we estimate a S/H~(0.4 - 2.2) x10$^{-6}$, an abundance ~7-40 times lower than the solar value. A second strong depletion must be present during the formation of the thick icy mantles to achieve the values of S/H measured in the dense cold cores (S/H~8x10$^{-8}$). Based on our chemical modeling, we constrain the value of $ζ_{\rm H_2}$ to ~(0.5 - 1.8) x10$^{-16}$ s$^{-1}$ in the translucent cloud.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2018

Rotational spectroscopy of the HCCO and DCCO radicals in the millimeter and submillimeter range

The ketenyl radical, HCCO, has recently been detected in the ISM for the first time. Further astronomical detections of HCCO will help us understand its gas-grain chemistry, and subsequently revise the oxygen-bearing chemistry towards dark clouds. Moreover, its deuterated counterpart, DCCO, has never been observed in the ISM. HCCO and DCCO still lack a broad spectroscopic investigation, although they exhibit a significant astrophysical relevance. In this work we aim to measure the pure rotational spectra of the ground state of HCCO and DCCO in the millimeter and submillimeter region, considerably extending the frequency range covered by previous studies. The spectral acquisition was performed using a frequency-modulation absorption spectrometer between 170 and 650 GHz. The radicals were produced in a low-density plasma generated from a select mixture of gaseous precursors. For each isotopologue we were able to detect and assign more than 100 rotational lines. The new lines have significantly enhanced the previous data set allowing the determination of highly precise rotational and centrifugal distortion parameters. In our analysis we have taken into account the interaction between the ground electronic state and a low-lying excited state (Renner-Teller pair) which enables the prediction and assignment of rotational transitions with $K_a$ up to 4. The present set of spectroscopic parameters provides highly accurate, millimeter and submillimeter rest-frequencies of HCCO and DCCO for future astronomical observations. We also show that towards the pre-stellar core L1544, ketenyl peaks in the region where $c$-$\mathrm{C_3H_2}$ peaks, suggesting that HCCO follows a predominant hydrocarbon chemistry, as already proposed by recent gas-grain chemical models.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2018

Mapping deuterated methanol toward L1544: I. Deuterium fraction and comparison with modeling

The study of deuteration in pre-stellar cores is important to understand the physical and chemical initial conditions in the process of star formation. In particular, observations toward pre-stellar cores of methanol and deuterated methanol, solely formed on the surface of dust grains, may provide useful insights on surface processes at low temperatures. Here we analyze maps of CO, methanol, formaldehyde and their deuterated isotopologues toward a well-known pre-stellar core. This study allows us to test current gas-dust chemical models. Single-dish observations of CH$_3$OH, CH$_2$DOH, H$_2$CO, H$_2\,^{13}$CO, HDCO, D$_2$CO and C$^{17}$O toward the prototypical pre-stellar core L1544 were performed at the IRAM 30 m telescope. We analyze their column densities, distributions, and compare these observations with gas-grain chemical models. The maximum deuterium fraction derived for methanol is [CH$_2$DOH]/[CH$_3$OH] $\sim$ 0.08$\pm$0.02, while the measured deuterium fractions of formaldehyde at the dust peak are [HDCO]/[H$_2$CO] $\sim$ 0.03$\pm$0.02, [D$_2$CO]/[H$_2$CO] $\sim$ 0.04$\pm$0.03 and [D$_2$CO]/[HDCO] $\sim$ 1.2$\pm$0.3. Observations differ significantly from the predictions of models, finding discrepancies between a factor of 10 and a factor of 100 in most cases. It is clear though that to efficiently produce methanol on the surface of dust grains, quantum tunneling diffusion of H atoms must be switched on. It also appears that the currently adopted reactive desorption efficiency of methanol is overestimated and/or that abstraction reactions play an important role. More laboratory work is needed to shed light on the chemistry of methanol, an important precursor of complex organic molecules in space.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2018

Accurate millimetre and submillimetre rest frequencies for $cis$- and $trans$-dithioformic acid, HCSSH

A better understanding of sulphur chemistry is needed to solve the interstellar sulphur depletion problem. A way to achieve this goal is to study new S-bearing molecules in the laboratory, obtaining accurate rest frequencies for an astronomical search. We focus on dithioformic acid, HCSSH, which is the sulphur analogue of formic acid. The aim of this study is to provide an accurate line list of the two HCSSH $trans$ and $cis$ isomers in their electronic ground state and a comprehensive centrifugal distortion analysis with an extension of measurements in the millimetre and submillimetre range. We studied the two isomers in the laboratory using an absorption spectrometer employing the frequency-modulation technique. The molecules were produced directly within a free-space cell by glow discharge of a gas mixture. We measured lines belonging to the electronic ground state up to 478 GHz, with a total number of 204 and 139 new rotational transitions, respectively, for $trans$ and $cis$ isomers. The final dataset also includes lines in the centimetre range available from literature. The extension of the measurements in the mm and submm range lead to an accurate set of rotational and centrifugal distortion parameters. This allows us to predict frequencies with estimated uncertainties as low as 5 kHz at 1 mm wavelength. Hence, the new dataset provided by this study can be used for astronomical search.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2017

The observed chemical structure of L1544

Prior to star formation, pre-stellar cores accumulate matter towards the centre. As a consequence, their central density increases while the temperature decreases. Understanding the evolution of the chemistry and physics in this early phase is crucial to study the processes governing the formation of a star. We aim at studying the chemical differentiation of a prototypical pre-stellar core, L1544, by detailed molecular maps. In contrast with single pointing observations, we performed a deep study on the dependencies of chemistry on physical and external conditions. We present the emission maps of 39 different molecular transitions belonging to 22 different molecules in the central 6.25 arcmin$^2$ of L1544. We classified our sample in five families, depending on the location of their emission peaks within the core. Furthermore, to systematically study the correlations among different molecules, we have performed the principal component analysis (PCA) on the integrated emission maps. The PCA allows us to reduce the amount of variables in our dataset. Finally, we compare the maps of the first three principal components with the H$_2$ column density map, and the T$_{dust}$ map of the core. The results of our qualitative analysis is the classification of the molecules in our dataset in the following groups: (i) the $c$-C$_3$H$_2$ family (carbon chain molecules), (ii) the dust peak family (nitrogen-bearing species), (iii) the methanol peak family (oxygen-bearing molecules), (iv) the HNCO peak family (HNCO, propyne and its deuterated isotopologues). Only HC$^{18}$O$^+$ and $^{13}$CS do not belong to any of the above mentioned groups. The principal component maps allow us to confirm the (anti-)correlations among different families that were described in a first qualitative analysis, but also points out the correlation that could not be inferred before.

astro-ph.GA↗