University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

The Distribution, Excitation, And Abundance Of Ch+ In Orion Kl

Gupta, Harshal

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MF01_Abstract.pdf
MF01_Abstract.txt
MF01_Presentation.pptx

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/50956

Description

Title
The Distribution, Excitation, And Abundance Of Ch+ In Orion Kl
Author(s)
Gupta, Harshal
Contributor(s)
  • Pearson, John
  • Nagy, Zsofia
  • Morris, Patrick
Issue Date
2014-06-16
Keyword(s)
Astronomy
Date of Ingest
  • 2014-09-17T16:55:36Z
  • 2015-04-14T18:36:55Z
Abstract
The CH$^+$ ion was one of the first molecules identified in the interstellar gas more than 75 years ago, but the high observed abundances of CH$^+$ remain a puzzle, because the main reaction proposed for the formation of CH$^+$, {\it viz.}, $\mathrm{C^{+} + H_{2} \rightarrow CH^{+} + H}$, is so endothermic (4640~K), that it is unlikely to proceed at the typical temperatures of molecular clouds. One way in which the high endothermicity may be overcome, is if a significant fraction of the H$_2$ is vibrationally excited, as is the case in dense molecular gas exposed to intense far-ultraviolet radiation fields. Elucidating the formation of CH$^+$ in molecular clouds requires characterization of its spatial distribution, as well as that of the key reactants in the chemical pathways yielding CH$^+$. Here we present high-resolution spectral mACS of the two lowest rotational transitions of CH$^+$ and the fine structure transition of C$^+$ in a $\sim 3^{\prime} \times 3^{\prime}$ region around the Orion Kleinmann-Low (KL) nebula, obtained with the {\em Herschel Space Observatory's} Heterodyne Instrument for the Far-Infrared (HIFI).\footnote{These observations were done as part of the Herschel observations of EXtraordinary sources: the Orion and Sagittarius star-forming regions (HEXOS) Key Programme, led by E. A. Bergin at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.} We compare these mACS to those of CH$^+$ and C$^+$ in the Orion Bar photodissociation region (PDR), and discuss the excitation and abundance of CH$^+$ toward Orion KL in the context of chemical and radiative transfer models, which have recently been successfully applied to the Orion Bar PDR.\footnote{Nagy, Z. et al. 2013, A\&A 550, A96}
Publisher
International Symposium on Molecular Spectroscopy
Type of Resource
text
Genre of Resource
Conference Paper / Presentation
Language
English
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/2142/50956
DOI
https://doi.org/10.15278/isms.2014.MF01
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 2014 by the authors. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Abstracts & Presentations - 2014 International Symposium on Molecular Spectroscopy PRIMARY