NASA Logo

NTRS

NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server

Back to Results
The Arizona Radio Observatory 1 mm Spectral Survey of IRC (plus)10216 and VY Canis Majoris (215-285 GHz)A low noise (1(sigma) rms approx. 3 mK) 1. nun spectral survey (214.5-285.5 GHz) of the oxygen-rich supergiant VY Canis Majoris and the carbon-rich asymptotic giant branch star IRC +10216 has been conducted using the Arizona Radio Observatory's 10 m Submillimeter Telescope. Here the complete data set is presented. This study, carried out with a new ALMA-type receiver, marks the first continuous band scan of an O-rich circumstellar envelope, and the most sensitive survey to date of IRC +10216. In VY CMa, 130 distinct molecular lines were detected, 14 of which cannot be identified; in IRC +10216, 717 lines were observed, with 126 features remaining unidentified. In the 1 mm bands of VY CMa and IRC +10216, emission is present from 18 and 32 different chemical compounds, respectively, with 10 species common to both sources. Many narrow emission lines were observed in both circumstellar shells, arising from vibrationally excited molecules and from refractory-containing species. Line profiles in VY CMa also exhibit a variety of different shapes, caused by the complex, asymmetric outflow of this object. The survey highlights the fact that C-rich and O-rich circumstellar envelopes are chemically interesting, and both are sources of new interstellar molecules. The high number of unidentified lines and the unreliable, rest frequencies for known species such as NaCN indicate the need for additional laboratory spectroscopy studies.
Document ID
20110007313
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Tenenbaum, E. D.
(Arizona Univ. Tucson, AZ, United States)
Dodd, J. L.
(Arizona Univ. Tucson, AZ, United States)
Milam, S. N.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Woolf, N. J.
(Arizona Univ. Tucson, AZ, United States)
Ziurys, L. M.
(Arizona Univ. Tucson, AZ, United States)
Date Acquired
August 25, 2013
Publication Date
October 1, 2010
Publication Information
Publication: The Astrophusical Journal Supplement Series
Volume: 190
Subject Category
Astronomy
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NSF AST-06-07803
CONTRACT_GRANT: CAN-02-0SS02
CONTRACT_GRANT: NSF AST-09-06534
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

Available Downloads

There are no available downloads for this record.
No Preview Available