Decin L, Justtanont K, De Beck E, Lombaert R, de Koter A, Waters LBFM, et al. Water content and wind acceleration in the envelope around the oxygen-rich AGB star IK Tauri as seen by Herschel/HIFI. Astron. Astrophys.. 2010;521:L4.
Abstract: During their asymptotic giant branch evolution, low-mass stars lose a significant fraction of their mass through an intense wind, enriching the interstellar medium with products of nucleosynthesis. We observed the nearby oxygen-rich asymptotic giant branch star IK Tau using the high-resolution HIFI spectrometer onboard Herschel. We report on the first detection of H216O and the rarer isotopologues H217O and H218O in both the ortho and para states. We deduce a total water content (relative to molecular hydrogen) of $6.6 \times 10^{-5}$, and an ortho-to-para ratio of 3:1. These results are consistent with the formation of H2O in thermodynamical chemical equilibrium at photospheric temperatures, and does not require pulsationally induced non-equilibrium chemistry, vaporization of icy bodies or grain surface reactions. High-excitation lines of 12CO, 13CO, 28SiO, 29SiO, 30SiO, HCN, and SO have also been detected. From the observed line widths, the acceleration region in the inner wind zone can be characterized, and we show that the wind acceleration is slower than hitherto anticipated.
|
Dedes C, Röllig M, Mookerjea B, Okada Y, Ossenkopf V, Bruderer S, et al. The origin of the [C II] emission in the S140 photon-dominated regions. New insights from HIFI. Astron. Astrophys.. 2010;521:L24.
Abstract: Using Herschel's HIFI instrument, we observe C ii along a cut through S140, as well as high-J transitions of CO and HCO+ at two positions on the cut, corresponding to the externally irradiated ionization front and the embedded massive star-forming core IRS1. The HIFI data were combined with available ground-based observations and modeled using the KOSMA-Ï„ model for photon-dominated regions (PDRs). We derive the physical conditions in S140 and in particular the origin of C ii emission around IRS1. We identify three distinct regions of C ii emission from the cut, one close to the embedded source IRS1, one associated with the ionization front, and one further into the cloud. The line emission can be understood in terms of a clumpy model of PDRs. At the position of IRS1, we identify at least two distinct components contributing to the [C ii] emission, one of them a small, hot component, which can possibly be identified with the irradiated outflow walls. This is consistent with the C ii peak at IRS1 coinciding with shocked H2 emission at the edges of the outflow cavity. We note that previously available observations of IRS1 can be reproduced well by a single-component KOSMA-Ï„ model. Thus, it is HIFI's unprecedented spatial and spectral resolution, as well as its sensitivity that has allowed us to uncover an additional hot gas component in the S140 region.
|
Justtanont K, Decin L, Schöier FL, Maercker M, Olofsson H, Bujarrabal V, et al. A HIFI preview of warm molecular gas around χ Cygni: first detection of H2O emission toward an S-type AGB star. Astron. Astrophys.. 2010;521:L6.
Abstract: Aims. A set of new, sensitive, and spectrally resolved, sub-millimeter line observations are used to probe the warm circumstellar gas around the S-type AGB star χ Cyg. The observed lines involve high rotational quantum numbers, which, combined with previously obtained lower-frequency data, make it possible to study in detail the chemical and physical properties of, essentially, the entire circumstellar envelope of χ Cyg.
Methods. The data were obtained using the HIFI instrument aboard Herschel, whose high spectral resolution provides valuable information about the line profiles. Detailed, non-LTE, radiative transfer modelling, including dust radiative transfer coupled with a dynamical model, has been performed to derive the temperature, density, and velocity structure of the circumstellar envelope.
Results. We report the first detection of circumstellar H2O rotational emission lines in an S-star. Using the high-J CO lines to derive the parameters for the circumstellar envelope, we modelled both the ortho- and para-H2O lines. Our modelling results are consistent with the velocity structure expected for a dust-driven wind. The derived total H2O abundance (relative to H2) is (1.1±0.2) × 10-5, much lower than that in O-rich stars. The derived ortho-to-para ratio of 2.1±0.6 is close to the high-temperature equilibrium limit, consistent with H2O being formed in the photosphere.
|
Maret S, Bacmann A, Bottinelli S, Parise B, Caux E, Faure A, et al. Nitrogen hydrides in the cold envelope of IRAS 16293-2422. Astron. Astrophys.. 2010;521:L52.
Abstract: 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 IRAS 16293-2422 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 â‰<2c6> 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.
|
Melnick GJ, Tolls V, Neufeld DA, Bergin EA, Phillips TG, Wang S, et al. Herschel observations of EXtra-Ordinary Sources (HEXOS): Observations of H2O and its isotopologues towards Orion KL. Astron. Astrophys.. 2010;521:L27.
Abstract: We report the detection of more than 48 velocity-resolved ground rotational state transitions of H216O, H218O, and H217O – most for the first time – in both emission and absorption toward Orion KL using Herschel/HIFI. We show that a simple fit, constrained to match the known emission and absorption components along the line of sight, is in excellent agreement with the spectral profiles of all the water lines. Using the measured H218O line fluxes, which are less affected by line opacity than their H216O counterparts, and an escape probability method, the column densities of H218O associated with each emission component are derived. We infer total water abundances of 7.4 × 10-5, 1.0 × 10-5, and 1.6 × 10-5 for the plateau, hot core, and extended warm gas, respectively. In the case of the plateau, this value is consistent with previous measures of the Orion-KL water abundance as well as those of other molecular outflows. In the case of the hot core and extended warm gas, these values are somewhat higher than water abundances derived for other quiescent clouds, suggesting that these regions are likely experiencing enhanced water-ice sublimation from (and reduced freeze-out onto) grain surfaces due to the warmer dust in these sources.
|
