Engineering topics

Irvine, William M.

Publications and source records attributed to Irvine, William M..

21 records · Page 2

NASA NTRS1986

Detections of C-13-substituted C3H2 in astronomical sources

The more abundant C-13-substituted variant of the new interstellar ring molecule, C3H2, has been detected in TMC-1 and Sgr B2, and a tentative detection has been made in IRC + 10216. The fractional abundance relative to H2 is 1-2 x 10 to the -8th in TMC-1, a value similar to that of HCN. In Sgr B2, the C-12 species shows a self-absorbed profile and the relative abundance of C3H2 is about an order of magnitude less than in TMC-1. In IRC + 10216, the fractional abundance of C3H2 is an order of magnitude greater than that in TMC-1.

Madden, Suzanne C.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Variations in the HCN/HNC abundance ratio in the Orion molecular cloud

Observations of the rare isotopes of HCN and HNC have been used to determine the relative abundance of these two chemical isomers along the central ridge of the Orion molecular cloud. The abundance ratio HCN/HNC decreases by more than an order of magnitude from the relatively warm plateau and hot core sources toward the KL nebula to the colder, more quiescent clouds to the north and south. Even in the cooler regions, however, the ratio is an order of magnitude larger than that found in previous investigations of cold dark clouds. The kinetic temperature in the regions studied is determined from new observations of methylacetylene (CH3CCH), together with other recent estimates of the gas temperature near KL. The results suggest that the warmer portions of the cloud are dominated by different chemical pathways that those in the general instellar cloud material.

Goldsmith, Paul F.↗

NASA NTRS1986

HCN production from comet Halley

The HCN J = 1-0 rotational transition at 3.4 mm wavelength has been detected and has been monitored in comet P/Halley during a total of 56 individual observing sessions between November 18, 1985 and May 11, 1986. The HCN spectra show significant daily variations in total intensity, but the average HCN production rate is well correlated with the visual magnitude of the comet over the range of heliocentric distance observed (between 0.59 and 1.8). Observations of the ratios of the F = 2-1 and F = 1-1 hyperfine components also exhibit significant daily variations but are, in the mean, consistent with the 5:3 ratio expected from the statistical weights of the hyperfine levels. The outflow velocity of the coma, deduced from the HCN linewidths, is 0.87 + or - 0.12 km/s, which is consistent with recent theoretical estimates as well as the measurements of the Giotto spacecraft.

Schloerb, F. Peter↗