Nitrogen hydrides in interstellar gas Herschel/HIFI observations towards G10.6-0.4 (W31C)
Journal article, 2010

The HIFI instrument on board the Herschel Space Observatory has been used to observe interstellar nitrogen hydrides along the sight-line towards G10.6-0.4 in order to improve our understanding of the interstellar chemistry of nitrogen. We report observations of absorption in NH N = 1 <- 0, J = 2 <- 1 and ortho-NH2 1(1,1) <- 0(0,0). We also observed ortho-NH3 1(0) <- 0(0) and 2(0) <- 1(0), para-NH3 2(1) <- 1(1), and searched unsuccessfully for NH+. All detections show emission and absorption associated directly with the hot-core source itself as well as absorption by foreground material over a wide range of velocities. All spectra show similar, non-saturated, absorption features, which we attribute to diffuse molecular gas. Total column densities over the velocity range 11-54 km s(-1) are estimated. The similar profiles suggest fairly uniform abundances relative to hydrogen, approximately 6 x 10(-9), 3 x 10(-9), and 3 x 10(-9) for NH, NH2, and NH3, respectively. These abundances are discussed with reference to models of gas-phase and surface chemistry.

sagittarius-b2

molecular processes

clouds

molecular absorption

ISM: molecules

diffuse

submillimeter

chemistry

nh

line: formation

astrochemistry

sight-line

regions

ISM: abundances

submillimetre: ISM

spectroscopy

Author

Carina Persson

Chalmers, Earth and Space Sciences, Radio Astronomy and Astrophysics

John H Black

Chalmers, Earth and Space Sciences, Radio Astronomy and Astrophysics

J. Cernicharo

J. R. Goicoechea

G.E. Hassel

E. Herbst

M. Gerin

M. de Luca

T. A. Bell

A. Coutens

E. Falgarone

P. F. Goldsmith

H. Gupta

M. Kazmierczak

D. C. Lis

B. Mookerjea

D. A. Neufeld

J. C. Pearson

T. G. Phillips

P. Sonnentrucker

J. Stutzki

C. Vastel

S. Yu

F. Boulanger

E. Dartois

P. Encrenaz

T. R. Geballe

T. Giesen

B. Godard

C. Gry

P. Hennebelle

P. Hily-Blant

C. Joblin

R. Kolos

J. Krelowski

J. Martin-Pintado

K. Menten

M. Perault

R. Plume

M. Salez

S. Schlemmer

M. Schmidt

D. Teyssier

I. Peron

P. Cais

P. Gaufre

A. Cros

L. Ravera

Pasadena C. A. Anal

Large Atacama

Astronomy and Astrophysics

0004-6361 (ISSN) 1432-0746 (eISSN)

Vol. 521 1 Article Number: L45 - L45

Subject Categories

Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology

DOI

10.1051/0004-6361/201015105

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