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At least 1,045 records · Page 58
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DOE OSTI2013

THE MASS DEPENDENCE BETWEEN PROTOPLANETARY DISKS AND THEIR STELLAR HOSTS

We present a substantial extension of the millimeter (mm) wave continuum photometry catalog for circumstellar dust disks in the Taurus star-forming region, based on a new ''snapshot'' {lambda} = 1.3 mm survey with the Submillimeter Array. Combining these new data with measurements in the literature, we construct a mm-wave luminosity distribution, f(L{sub mm}), for Class II disks that is statistically complete for stellar hosts with spectral types earlier than M8.5 and has a 3{sigma} depth of roughly 3 mJy. The resulting census eliminates a longstanding selection bias against disks with late-type hosts, and thereby demonstrates that there is a strong correlation between L{sub mm} and the host spectral type. By translating the locations of individual stars in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram into masses and ages, and adopting a simple conversion between L{sub mm} and the disk mass, M{sub d} , we confirm that this correlation corresponds to a statistically robust relationship between the masses of dust disks and the stars that host them. A Bayesian regression technique is used to characterize these relationships in the presence of measurement errors, data censoring, and significant intrinsic scatter: the best-fit results indicate a typical 1.3 mm flux density of {approx}25 mJy for 1 M{sub Sun} hosts and a power-law scaling L{sub mm}{proportional_to}M{sub *}{sup 1.5-2.0}. We suggest that a reasonable treatment of dust temperature in the conversion from L{sub mm} to M{sub d} favors an inherently linear M{sub d} {proportional_to}M{sub *} scaling, with a typical disk-to-star mass ratio of {approx}0.2%-0.6%. The measured rms dispersion around this regression curve is {+-}0.7 dex, suggesting that the combined effects of diverse evolutionary states, dust opacities, and temperatures in these disks imprint a full width at half-maximum range of a factor of {approx}40 on the inferred M{sub d} (or L{sub mm}) at any given host mass. We argue that this relationship between M{sub d} and M{sub *} likely represents the origin of the inferred correlation between giant planet frequency and host star mass in the exoplanet population, and provides some basic support for the core accretion model for planet formation. Moreover, we caution that the effects of incompleteness and selection bias must be considered in comparative studies of disk evolution, and illustrate that fact with statistical comparisons of f(L{sub mm}) between the Taurus catalog presented here and incomplete subsamples in the Ophiuchus, IC 348, and Upper Sco young clusters.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

THE SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF ORGANICS TOWARD THE HIGH-MASS YSO NGC 7538 IRS9

Complex molecules have been broadly classified into three generations dependent on the mode of formation and the required formation temperature (<25, 25-100 K, and >100 K). Around massive young stellar objects (MYSOs), icy grain mantles and gas are exposed to increasingly higher temperatures as material accretes from the outer envelope in toward the central hot region. The combination of this temperature profile and the generational chemistry should result in a changing complex molecular composition with radius around MYSOs. We combine IRAM 30 m and Submillimeter Array observations to explore the spatial distribution of organic molecules around the high-mass young stellar object NGC 7538 IRS9, whose weak complex molecule emission previously escaped detection. We find that emission from N-bearing organics and CH{sub 3}OH present substantial increases in emission around 8000 AU and R < 3000 AU, while unsaturated O-bearing molecules and hydrocarbons do not. The increase in line flux for some complex molecules in the envelope, around 8000 AU or 25 K, is consistent with recent model predictions of an onset of complex ice chemistry at 20-30 K. The emission increase for many of the same molecules at R < 3000 AU suggests the presence of a weak hot core, where thermal ice evaporation and hot gas-phase reactions drive the chemistry. Complex organics thus form at all radii and temperatures around this protostar, but the composition changes dramatically as the temperature increases, which is used together with an adapted gas-grain astrochemical model to constrain the chemical generation(s) to which different classes of molecules belong.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

UNVEILING THE EVOLUTIONARY SEQUENCE FROM INFALLING ENVELOPES TO KEPLERIAN DISKS AROUND LOW-MASS PROTOSTARS

We performed Submillimeter Array observations in the C{sup 18}O (2-1) emission line toward six Class 0 and I protostars to study rotational motions of their surrounding envelopes and circumstellar material on 100-1000 AU scales. C{sup 18}O (2-1) emission with intensity peaks located at the protostellar positions is detected toward all six sources. The rotational velocities of the protostellar envelopes as a function of radius were measured from the position-velocity diagrams perpendicular to the outflow directions passing through the protostellar positions. Two Class 0 sources, B335 and NGC 1333 IRAS 4B, show no detectable rotational motion, while L1527 IRS (Class 0/I) and L1448-mm (Class 0) exhibit rotational motions with radial profiles of V{sub rot}{proportional_to}r {sup -1.0{+-}0.2} and {proportional_to}r {sup -1.0{+-}0.1}, respectively. The other Class I sources, TMC-1A and L1489 IRS, exhibit the fastest rotational motions among the sample, and their rotational motions have flatter radial profiles of V{sub rot}{proportional_to}r {sup -0.6{+-}0.1} and {proportional_to}r {sup -0.5{+-}0.1}, respectively. The rotational motions with the radial dependence of {approx}r {sup -1} can be interpreted as rotation with a conserved angular momentum in a dynamically infalling envelope, while those with the radial dependence of {approx}r {sup -0.5} can be interpreted as Keplerian rotation. These observational results demonstrate categorization of rotational motions from infalling envelopes to Keplerian-disk formation. Models of the inside-out collapse where the angular momentum is conserved are discussed and compared with our observational results.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

DR 21(OH): A HIGHLY FRAGMENTED, MAGNETIZED, TURBULENT DENSE CORE

We present high angular resolution observations of the massive star-forming core DR21(OH) at 880 {mu}m using the Submillimeter Array (SMA). The dense core exhibits an overall velocity gradient in a Keplerian-like pattern, which breaks at the center of the core where SMA 6 and SMA 7 are located. The dust polarization shows a complex magnetic field, compatible with a toroidal configuration. This is in contrast with the large, parsec-scale filament that surrounds the core, where there is a smooth magnetic field. The total magnetic field strengths in the filament and in the core are 0.9 and 2.1 mG, respectively. We found evidence of magnetic field diffusion at the core scales, far beyond the expected value for ambipolar diffusion. It is possible that the diffusion arises from fast magnetic reconnection in the presence of turbulence. The dynamics of the DR 21(OH) core appear to be controlled energetically in equal parts by the magnetic field, magnetohydrodynamic turbulence, and the angular momentum. The effect of the angular momentum (this is a fast rotating core) is probably causing the observed toroidal field configuration. Yet, gravitation overwhelms all the forces, making this a clear supercritical core with a mass-to-flux ratio of {approx_equal} 6 times the critical value. However, simulations show that this is not enough for the high level of fragmentation observed at 1000 AU scales. Thus, rotation and outflow feedback are probably the main causes of the observed fragmentation.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

AN ANALYSIS OF THE ENVIRONMENTS OF FU ORIONIS OBJECTS WITH HERSCHEL

We present Herschel-HIFI, SPIRE, and PACS 50-670 {mu}m imaging and spectroscopy of six FU Orionis-type objects and candidates (FU Orionis, V1735 Cyg, V1515 Cyg, V1057 Cyg, V1331 Cyg, and HBC 722), ranging in outburst date from 1936 to 2010, from the 'FOOSH' (FU Orionis Objects Surveyed with Herschel) program, as well as ancillary results from Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph and the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory. In their system properties (L{sub bol}, T{sub bol}, and line emission), we find that FUors are in a variety of evolutionary states. Additionally, some FUors have features of both Class I and II sources: warm continuum consistent with Class II sources, but rotational line emission typical of Class I, far higher than Class II sources of similar mass/luminosity. Combining several classification techniques, we find an evolutionary sequence consistent with previous mid-IR indicators. We detect [O I] in every source at luminosities consistent with Class 0/I protostars, much greater than in Class II disks. We detect transitions of {sup 13}CO (J{sub up} of 5-8) around two sources (V1735 Cyg and HBC 722) but attribute them to nearby protostars. Of the remaining sources, three (FU Ori, V1515 Cyg, and V1331 Cyg) exhibit only low-lying CO, but one (V1057 Cyg) shows CO up to J = 23 {yields} 22 and evidence for H{sub 2}O and OH emission, at strengths typical of protostars rather than T Tauri stars. Rotational temperatures for 'cool' CO components range from 20 to 81 K, for {approx} 10{sup 50} total CO molecules. We detect [C I] and [N II] primarily as diffuse emission.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

PROBING THE INTERSTELLAR MEDIUM OF z {approx} 1 ULTRALUMINOUS INFRARED GALAXIES THROUGH INTERFEROMETRIC OBSERVATIONS OF CO AND SPITZER MID-INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY

We explore the relationship between gas, dust, and star formation in a sample of 12 ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) at high-redshift compared to a similar sample of local galaxies. We present new CO observations and/or Spitzer mid-IR spectroscopy for six 70 {mu}m selected galaxies at z {approx} 1 in order to quantify the properties of the molecular gas reservoir, the contribution of an active galactic nucleus (AGN) to the mid-IR luminosity, and the star formation efficiency (SFE = L{sub IR}/L{sup '}{sub CO}). The mid-IR spectra show strong polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission, and our spectral decomposition suggests that the AGN makes a minimal contribution (<25%) to the mid-IR luminosity. The 70 {mu}m selected ULIRGs, which we find to be spectroscopic close pairs, are observed to have high SFE, similar to local ULIRGs and high-redshift submillimeter galaxies, consistent with enhanced IR luminosity due to an ongoing major merger. Combined with existing observations of local and high-redshift ULIRGs, we further compare the PAH, IR, and CO luminosities. We show that the ratio L{sub PAH,6.2}/L{sub IR} decreases with increasing IR luminosity for both local and high-redshift galaxies, but the trend for high-redshift galaxies is shifted to higher IR luminosities; the average L{sub PAH,6.2}/L{sub IR} ratio at a given L{sub IR} is {approx}3 times higher at high-redshift. When we normalize by the molecular gas, we find this trend to be uniform for galaxies at all redshifts and that the molecular gas is correlated with the PAH dust emission. The similar trends seen in the [C II] to molecular gas ratios in other studies suggests that PAH emission, like [C II], continues to be a good tracer of photodissociation regions even at high-redshift. Together the CO, PAH, and far-IR fine structure lines should be useful for constraining the interstellar medium conditions in high-redshift galaxies.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

A MOLECULAR LINE SURVEY OF THE CARBON-RICH PROTOPLANETARY NEBULA AFGL 2688 IN THE 3 mm AND 1.3 mm WINDOWS

We present a spectral line survey of the protoplanetary nebula (PPN) AFGL 2688 in the frequency ranges of 71-111 GHz, 157-160 GHz, and 218-267 GHz using the Arizona Radio Observatory 12 m telescope and the Heinrich Hertz Submillimeter Telescope. A total of 143 individual spectral features associated with 32 different molecular species and isotopologues were identified. The molecules C{sub 3}H, CH{sub 3}CN, H{sub 2}CO, H{sub 2}CS, and HCO{sup +} were detected for the first time in this object. By comparing the integrated line strengths of different transitions, we are able to determine the rotation temperatures, column densities, and fractional abundances of the detected molecules. The C, O, and N isotopic ratios in AFGL 2688 are compared with those in IRC+10216 and the Sun, and were found to be consistent with stellar nucleosynthesis theory. Through comparisons of molecular line strengths in asymptotic giant branch stars, PPNs, and planetary nebulae, we discuss the evolution in circumstellar chemistry in the late stages of evolution.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

KINEMATICS OF SHOCKED MOLECULAR GAS ADJACENT TO THE SUPERNOVA REMNANT W44

We mapped molecular gas toward the supernova remnant W44 in the HCO{sup +} J = 1-0 line with the Nobeyama Radio Observatory 45 m telescope and in the CO J = 3-2 line with the Atacama Submillimeter Telescope Experiment 10 m telescope. High-velocity emission wings were detected in both lines over the area where the radio shell of W44 overlaps with the molecular cloud in the plane of the sky. We found that the average velocity distributions of the wing emission can be fit by a uniform expansion model. The best-fit expansion velocities are 12.2 {+-} 0.3 km s{sup -1} and 13.2 {+-} 0.2 km s{sup -1} in HCO{sup +} and CO, respectively. The non-wing CO J = 3-2 component is also fit by the same model with an expansion velocity of 4.7 {+-} 0.1 km s{sup -1}. This component might be dominated by a post-shock higher-density region where the shock velocity had slowed down. The kinetic energy of the shocked molecular gas is estimated to be (3.5 {+-} 1.3) Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 49} erg. Adding this and the energy of the previously identified H I shell, we conclude that (1.2 {+-} 0.2) Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 50} erg has been converted into gas kinetic energy from the initial baryonic energy of the W44 supernova. We also found ultra-high-velocity CO J = 3-2 wing emission with a velocity width of {approx}100 km s{sup -1} at (l, b) = (+34. Degree-Sign 73, -0. Degree-Sign 47). The origin of this extremely high velocity wing is a mystery.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

DIRECT IMAGING OF A COMPACT MOLECULAR OUTFLOW FROM A VERY LOW LUMINOSITY OBJECT: L1521F-IRS

Studying the physical conditions of very low luminosity objects (VeLLOs; L{sub bol} < 0.1 L{sub Sun }) is important for understanding the earliest evolutionary stage of protostars and brown dwarfs. We report interferometric observations of the VeLLO L1521F-IRS, in {sup 12}CO (2-1) line emission and the 1.3 mm continuum emission, using the Submillimeter Array. With the {sup 12}CO (2-1) high-resolution observations, we have spatially resolved a compact but poorly collimated molecular outflow associated with L1521F-IRS for the first time. The blueshifted and redshifted lobes are aligned along the east and west side of L1521F-IRS with a lobe size of Almost-Equal-To 1000 AU. The estimated outflow mass, maximum outflow velocity, and outflow force are (9.0-80) Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -4} M{sub Sun }, 7.2 km s{sup -1}, and (7.4-66) Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -7} M{sub Sun} km s{sup -1} yr{sup -1}, respectively. The estimated outflow parameters such as size, mass, and momentum rate are similar to values derived for other VeLLOs, and are located at the lower end of values compared to previously studied outflows associated with low- to high-mass star-forming regions. Low-velocity less collimated (1.5 km s{sup -1}/1200 AU) and higher-velocity compact (4.0 km s{sup -1}/920 AU) outflow components are suggested by the data. These velocity structures are not consistent with those expected in the jet-driven or wind-driven outflow models, perhaps suggesting a remnant outflow from the first hydrostatic core as well as an undeveloped outflow from the protostar. Detection of an infrared source and compact millimeter continuum emission suggests the presence of the protostar, while its low bolometric luminosity (0.034-0.07 L{sub Sun }) and small outflow suggests that L1521F is in the earliest protostellar stage (<10{sup 4} yr) and contains a substellar mass object. The bolometric (or internal) luminosity of L1521F-IRS suggests that the current mass accretion rate is an order of magnitude lower than expected in the standard mass accretion model ( Almost-Equal-To 10{sup -6} M{sub Sun} yr{sup -1}), which may imply that L1521F-IRS is currently in a low activity phase.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

RESOLVING THE MOTH AT MILLIMETER WAVELENGTHS

HD 61005, also known as ''The Moth'', is one of only a handful of debris disks that exhibit swept-back ''wings'' thought to be caused by interaction with the ambient interstellar medium (ISM). We present 1.3 mm Submillimeter Array observations of the debris disk around HD 61005 at a spatial resolution of 1.''9 that resolve the emission from large grains for the first time. The disk exhibits a double-peaked morphology at millimeter wavelengths, consistent with an optically thin ring viewed close to edge-on. To investigate the disk structure and the properties of the dust grains we simultaneously model the spatially resolved 1.3 mm visibilities and the unresolved spectral energy distribution (SED). The temperatures indicated by the SED are consistent with expected temperatures for grains close to the blowout size located at radii commensurate with the millimeter and scattered light data. We also perform a visibility-domain analysis of the spatial distribution of millimeter-wavelength flux, incorporating constraints on the disk geometry from scattered light imaging, and find suggestive evidence of wavelength-dependent structure. The millimeter-wavelength emission apparently originates predominantly from the thin ring component rather than tracing the ''wings'' observed in scattered light. The implied segregation of large dust grains in the ring is consistent with an ISM-driven origin for the scattered light wings.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

THE STRUCTURE OF THE EVOLVED CIRCUMBINARY DISK AROUND V4046 Sgr

We present sensitive, sub-arcsecond resolution Submillimeter Array observations of the protoplanetary disk around the nearby, pre-main sequence spectroscopic binary V4046 Sgr. We report for the first time a large inner hole (r = 29 AU) spatially resolved in the 1.3 mm continuum emission and study the structure of this disk using radiative transfer calculations to model the spectral energy distribution, continuum visibilities, and spectral line emission of CO and its main isotopologues. Our modeling scheme demonstrates that the majority of the dust mass is distributed in a narrow ring (centered at 37 AU with a FWHM of 16 AU) that is ∼5× more compact than the gas disk. This structure implies that the dust-to-gas mass ratio has a strong spatial variation, ranging from a value much larger than typical of the interstellar medium (ISM) at the ring to much smaller than that of the ISM at larger disk radii. We suggest that these basic structural features are potentially observational signatures of the accumulation of solids at a local gas pressure maximum. These models also require a substantial population of ∼μm sized grains inside the central disk cavity. We suggest that this structure is likely the result of dynamical interactions with a low-mass companion, although photoevaporation may also play a secondary role.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

HIGH-RESOLUTION SPECTROSCOPIC IMAGING OF CO IN A z = 4.05 PROTO-CLUSTER

We present a study of the formation of clustered, massive galaxies at large look-back times via spectroscopic imaging of CO in the unique GN20 proto-cluster at z = 4.05. Existing observations show that this is a dense concentration of gas-rich, very active star forming galaxies, including multiple bright submillimeter galaxies (SMGs). Using deep, high-resolution Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array CO(2-1) observations, we image the molecular gas with a resolution of ∼1 kpc just 1.6 Gyr after the big bang. The SMGs GN20.2a and GN20.2b have deconvolved sizes of ∼5 kpc × 3 kpc and ∼8 kpc × 5 kpc (Gaussian FWHM) in CO(2-1), respectively, and we measure gas surface densities up to ∼12,700/1700 × (sin i) (α{sub CO}/0.8) M{sub ☉} pc{sup –2} for GN20.2a/GN20.2b in the highest-resolution maps. Dynamical mass estimates allow us to constrain the CO-to-H{sub 2} conversion factor to α{sub CO} = 1.7 ± 0.8 M{sub ☉} (K km s{sup –1} pc{sup 2}){sup –1} for GN20.2a and α{sub CO}= 1.1±{sup 1.5}{sub 1.1} M{sub ☉} (K km s{sup –1} pc{sup 2}){sup –1} for GN20.2b. We measure significant offsets (0.''5-1'') between the CO and optical emission, indicating either dust obscuration on scales of tens of kiloparsecs or that the emission originates from distinct galaxies. CO spectral line energy distributions imply physical conditions comparable to other SMGs and reveal further evidence that GN20.2a and GN20.2b are in different merging stages. We carry out a targeted search for CO emission from the 14 known B-band Lyman break galaxies (LBGs) in the field, tentatively detecting CO in a previously undetected LBG and placing 3σ upper limits on the CO luminosities of those that may lie within our bandpass. A blind search for emission-line sources down to a 5σ limiting CO luminosity of L{sup ′}{sub CO(2-1)} = 8 x 10{sup 9} K km s{sup –1} pc{sup 2} and covering Δz = 0.0273 (∼20 comoving Mpc) produces no other strong contenders associated with the proto-cluster.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

UNIFORM INFALL TOWARD THE COMETARY H II REGION IN THE G34.26+0.15 COMPLEX?

Gas accretion is a key process in star formation. However, gas infall detections in high-mass, star-forming regions with high spatial resolution observations are rare. Here, we report the detection of gas infall toward a cometary ultracompact H II region ({sup C)} in the G34.26+0.15 complex. The observations were made with the IRAM 30 m, the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope 15 m telescope, and the Submillimeter Array (SMA). The hot core associated with 'C' has a mass of ∼76 ± 11 M{sub ☉} and a volume density of (1.1 ± 0.2) × 10{sup 8} cm{sup –3}. The HCN (3-2) and HCO{sup +} (1-0) lines observed by single dishes and the CN (2-1) lines observed by the SMA show redshifted absorption features, indicating gas infall. We found a linear relationship between the line width and optical depth of the CN (2-1) lines. Those transitions with larger optical depths and line widths have larger absorption areas. However, the infall velocities measured from different lines seem to be constant, indicating that the gas infall is uniform. We also investigated the evolution of gas infall in high-mass, star-forming regions. A tight relationship was found between the infall velocity and the total dust/gas mass. At stages prior to the hot core phase, the typical infall velocity and mass infall rate are ∼1 km s{sup –1} and ∼10{sup –4} M{sub ☉} yr{sup –1}, respectively. While in more evolved regions, the infall velocity and mass infall rates can reach as high as several km s{sup –1} and ∼10{sup –3}-10{sup –2} M{sub ☉} yr{sup –1}, respectively. Accelerated infall has been detected toward some hypercompact H II and ultracompact H II regions. However, the acceleration phenomenon is not seen in more evolved ultracompact H II regions (e.g., G34.26+0.15)

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

EVIDENCE FOR INFALLING GAS OF LOW ANGULAR MOMENTUM TOWARD THE L1551 NE KEPLERIAN CIRCUMBINARY DISK

We report follow-up C{sup 18}O(3-2) line observations of the Class I binary protostellar system L1551 NE with the Submillimeter Array in its compact and subcompact configurations. Our previous observations at a higher angular resolution in the extended configuration revealed a circumbinary disk exhibiting Keplerian motion. The combined data, with more extensive spatial coverage (∼140-2000 AU), verify the presence of a Keplerian circumbinary disk and reveal for the first time a distinct low-velocity (∼< ± 0.5 km s{sup –1} from the systemic velocity) component that displays a velocity gradient along the minor axis of the circumbinary disk. Our simple model that reproduces the main features seen in the position-velocity diagrams comprises a circumbinary disk exhibiting Keplerian motion out to a radius of ∼300 AU, beyond which the gas exhibits pure infall at a constant velocity of ∼0.6 km s{sup –1}. This velocity is significantly smaller than the expected free-fall velocity of ∼2.2 km s{sup –1} onto the L1551 NE protostellar mass of ∼0.8 M{sub ☉} at ∼300 AU, suggesting that the infalling gas is decelerated as it moves into regions of high gas pressure in the circumbinary disk. The discontinuity in angular momenta between the outer infalling gas and the inner Keplerian circumbinary disk implies an abrupt transition in the effectiveness at which magnetic braking is able to transfer angular momentum outward, a result perhaps of the different plasma β values and the ionization fractions between the outer and inner regions of the circumbinary disk.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

MULTIPLE FAST MOLECULAR OUTFLOWS IN THE PRE-PLANETARY NEBULA CRL 618

CRL 618 is a well-studied pre-planetary nebula. It has multiple highly collimated optical lobes, fast molecular outflows along the optical lobes, and an extended molecular envelope that consists of a dense torus in the equator and a tenuous round halo. Here we present our observations of this source in CO J = 3-2 and HCN J = 4-3 obtained with the Submillimeter Array at up to ∼0.''3 resolutions. We spatially resolve the fast molecular outflow region previously detected in CO near the central star and find it to be composed of multiple outflows that have similar dynamical ages and are oriented along the different optical lobes. We also detect fast molecular outflows further away from the central star near the tips of the extended optical lobes and a pair of equatorial outflows inside the dense torus. We find that two episodes of bullet ejections in different directions are needed, one producing the fast molecular outflows near the central star and one producing the fast molecular outflows near the tips of the extended optical lobes. One possibility to launch these bullets is a magneto-rotational explosion of the stellar envelope.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

THE ROLE OF MERGER STAGE ON GALAXY RADIO SPECTRA IN LOCAL INFRARED-BRIGHT STARBURST GALAXIES

An investigation of the steep, high-frequency (i.e., ν ∼ 12 GHz) radio spectra among a sample of 31 local infrared-bright starburst galaxies is carried out in light of their Hubble-Space-Telescope-based merger classifications. Radio data covering as many as 10 individual bands allow for spectral indices to be measured over three frequency bins between 0.15 and 32.5 GHz. Sources having the flattest spectral indices measured at ∼2 and 4 GHz, arising from large free-free optical depths among the densest starbursts, appear to be in ongoing through post-stage mergers. The spectral indices measured at higher frequencies (i.e., ∼12 GHz) are steepest for sources associated with ongoing mergers in which their nuclei are distinct, but share a common stellar envelope and/or exhibit tidal tails. These results hold after excluding potential active galactic nuclei based on their low 6.2 μm polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon equivalent widths. Consequently, the low-, mid-, and high-frequency spectral indices each appear to be sensitive to the exact merger stage. It is additionally shown that ongoing mergers, whose progenitors are still separated and share a common envelope and/or exhibit tidal tails, also exhibit excess radio emission relative to what is expected given the far-infrared/radio correlation, suggesting that there may be a significant amount of radio emission that is not associated with ongoing star formation. The combination of these observations, along with high-resolution radio morphologies, leads to a picture in which the steep high-frequency radio spectral indices and excess radio emission arise from radio continuum bridges and tidal tails that are not associated with star formation, similar to what is observed for so-called 'taffy' galaxies. This scenario may also explain the seemingly low far-infrared/radio ratios measured for many high-z submillimeter galaxies, a number of which are merger-driven starbursts.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

THE CM-, MM-, AND SUB-MM-WAVE SPECTRUM OF ALLYL ISOCYANIDE AND RADIOASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS IN ORION KL AND THE SgrB2 LINE SURVEYS

Organic isocyanides have an interesting astrochemistry and some of these molecules have been detected in the interstellar medium (ISM). However, rotational spectral data for this class of compounds are still scarce. We provide laboratory spectra of the four-carbon allyl isocyanide covering the full microwave region, thus allowing a potential astrophysical identification in the ISM. We assigned the rotational spectrum of the two cis (synperiplanar) and gauche (anticlinal) conformations of allyl isocyanide in the centimeter-wave region (4-18 GHz), resolved its {sup 14}N nuclear quadrupole coupling (NQC) hyperfine structure, and extended the measurements into the millimeter and submillimeter-wave (150-900 GHz) ranges for the title compound. Rotational constants for all the monosubstituted {sup 13}C and {sup 15}N isotopologues are additionally provided. Laboratory observations are supplemented with initial radioastronomical observations. Following analysis of an extensive dataset (>11000 rotational transitions), accurate ground-state molecular parameters are reported for the cis and gauche conformations of the molecule, including rotational constants, NQC parameters, and centrifugal distortion terms up to octic contributions. Molecular parameters have also been obtained for the two first excited states of the cis conformation, with a dataset of more than 3300 lines. The isotopic data allowed determining substitution and effective structures for the title compound. We did not detect allyl isocyanide either in the IRAM 30 m line survey of Orion KL or in the PRIMOS survey toward SgrB2. Nevertheless, we provided an upper limit to its column density in Orion KL.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

VALIDATION OF THE EQUILIBRIUM MODEL FOR GALAXY EVOLUTION TO z ∼ 3 THROUGH MOLECULAR GAS AND DUST OBSERVATIONS OF LENSED STAR-FORMING GALAXIES

We combine IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer and Herschel PACS and SPIRE measurements to study the dust and gas contents of high-redshift star-forming galaxies. We present new observations for a sample of 17 lensed galaxies at z = 1.4-3.1, which allow us to directly probe the cold interstellar medium of normal star-forming galaxies with stellar masses of ∼10{sup 10} M{sub ☉}, a regime otherwise not (yet) accessible by individual detections in Herschel and molecular gas studies. The lensed galaxies are combined with reference samples of submillimeter and normal z ∼ 1-2 star-forming galaxies with similar far-infrared photometry to study the gas and dust properties of galaxies in the SFR-M{sub *}-redshift parameter space. The mean gas depletion timescale of main-sequence (MS) galaxies at z > 2 is measured to be only ∼450 Myr, a factor of ∼1.5 (∼5) shorter than at z = 1 (z = 0), in agreement with a (1 + z){sup –1} scaling. The mean gas mass fraction at z = 2.8 is 40% ± 15% (44% after incompleteness correction), suggesting a flattening or even a reversal of the trend of increasing gas fractions with redshift recently observed up to z ∼ 2. The depletion timescale and gas fractions of the z > 2 normal star-forming galaxies can be explained under the 'equilibrium model' for galaxy evolution, in which the gas reservoir of galaxies is the primary driver of the redshift evolution of specific star formation rates. Due to their high star formation efficiencies and low metallicities, the z > 2 lensed galaxies have warm dust despite being located on the star formation MS. At fixed metallicity, they also have a gas-to-dust ratio 1.7 times larger than observed locally when using the same standard techniques, suggesting that applying the local calibration of the δ{sub GDR}-metallicity relation to infer the molecular gas mass of high-redshift galaxies may lead to systematic differences with CO-based estimates.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗