SMA Spectral Line Imaging Survey at 279-355 GHz of the Oxygen-rich AGB Star IK Tau
Paper in proceeding, 2015

Dedicated, unbiased spectral scans of asymptotic giant branch stars have so far been published only for a few carbon-rich stars, with a strong focus on the nearby and bright IRC +10216. We present results from a spectral survey of the circumstellar envelope of the oxygen-rich AGB star IK Tau obtained with the Submillimeter Array (SMA) at similar to 0 ''.9 angular resolution in the frequency range 279 - 355 GHz, expanding the molecular inventory for M-type evolved stars and filling an observational gap. The survey shows over 140 emission lines, belonging to more than 30 species. The emission of AlO and of several vibrationally excited species traces the acceleration of the wind. Isotopic ratios for carbon, silicon, and sulfur will be derived from the observed emission of isotopologues of CO, SiO, SiS, HCN, SO, and SO2. This will allow us to constrain the AGB nucleosynthesis of IK Tau. We highlight the first detection of PO and PN around an oxygen-rich AGB star, detected at unexpectedly high abundances, and emphasise the importance of unbiased spectral surveys of AGB stars and the need for updated chemical models.

silicon

inner wind

molecular abundances

irc+10216

chemistry

circumstellar envelopes

band

phosphorus

Author

Elvire De Beck

Chalmers, Earth and Space Sciences, Onsala Space Observatory

T. Kaminski

K. M. Menten

N. A. Patel

K. H. Young

C. A. Gottlieb

Astronomical Society of the Pacific Conference Series; Why galaxies care about AGB stars III: A closer look in space and time; Vienna, Austria; Jul 28–Aug 1, 2015

Vol. 497 73-78
978-1-58381-879-4 (ISBN)

Subject Categories

Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology

ISBN

978-1-58381-879-4

More information

Created

10/7/2017