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We present new observations of [CII] fine structure line emission from an isolated molecular cloud using the upGREAT instrument onboard SOFIA. These data are analyzed together with archival CO=1-0 and HI 21 cm emission spectra to investigate the role of converging atomic gas flows in the formation of molecular clouds. Bright [CII] emission is detected throughout the mapped area that likely originates from photodissociation regions excited by UV radiation fields produced by newborn stars within the cloud. Upon spatial averaging of the [CII] spectra, we identify weak [CII] emission within velocity intervals where the HI 21 cm line is brightest; these are blue-shifted relative to velocities of the CO and bright [CII] emission by 4 km/s. The brightness temperatures, velocity dispersions, and alignment with HI 21 cm velocities connect this [CII] emission component to the cold, neutral atomic gas of the interstellar medium (CNM). We propose that this CNM feature is an accretion flow onto the far--side of the existing molecular cloud. The mass infall rate is 3.2x10**{-4} Msun/yr. There is no direct evidence of a comparable red--shifted component in the [CII] or HI 21 cm spectral lines that would indicate the presence of a converging flow., 11 pages, 7 figures, accepted by ApJ

The cosmic ray ionization rate (CRIR) is a key parameter in understanding the physical and chemical processes in the interstellar medium. Cosmic rays are a significant source of energy in star formation regions, which impacts the physical and chemical processes which drive the formation of stars. Previous studies of the circum-molecular zone (CMZ) of the starburst galaxy NGC 253 have found evidence for a high CRIR value; $10^3-10^6$ times the average cosmic ray ionization rate within the Milky Way. This is a broad constraint and one goal of this study is to determine this value with much higher precision. We exploit ALMA observations towards the central molecular zone of NGC 253 to measure the CRIR. We first demonstrate that the abundance ratio of H$_3$O$^+$ and SO is strongly sensitive to the CRIR. We then combine chemical and radiative transfer models with nested sampling to infer the gas properties and CRIR of several star-forming regions in NGC 253 due to emission from their transitions. We find that each of the four regions modelled has a CRIR in the range $(1-80)\times10^{-14}$ s$^{-1}$ and that this result adequately fits the abundances of other species that are believed to be sensitive to cosmic rays including C$_2$H, HCO$^+$, HOC$^+$, and CO. From shock and PDR/XDR models, we further find that neither UV/X-ray driven nor shock dominated chemistry are a viable single alternative as none of these processes can adequately fit the abundances of all of these species., 24 pages, 15 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ, updated to include changes made for proofs

The aim of the present work is to study structure and gas kinematics in the photodissociation regions (PDRs) around the compact HII regions S235A and S235C. We observe the [CII], [13CII] and [OI] line emission, using SOFIA/upGREAT and complement them by data of HCO+ and CO. We use the [13CII] line to measure the optical depth of the [CII] emission, and find that the [CII] line profiles are influenced by self-absorption, while the [13CII] line remains unaffected by these effects. Hence, for dense PDRs, [13CII] emission is a better tracer of gas kinematics. The optical depth of the [CII] line is up to 10 in S235A. We find an expanding motion of the [CII]-emitting layer of the PDRs into the front molecular layer in both regions. Comparison of the gas and dust columns shows that gas components visible neither in the [CII] nor in low-J CO lines may contribute to the total column across S235A. We test whether the observed properties of the PDRs match the predictions of spherical models of expanding HII region + PDR + molecular cloud. Integrated intensities of the [13CII], [CII] and [OI] lines are well-represented by the model, but the models do not reproduce the double-peaked [CII] line profiles due to an insufficient column density of C+. The model predicts that the [OI] line could be a more reliable tracer of gas kinematics, but the foreground self-absorbing material does not allow using it in the considered regions., Comment: accepted to MNRAS

The centers of starburst galaxies may be characterized by a specific gas and ice chemistry due to their gas dynamics and the presence of various ice desorption mechanisms. This may result in a peculiar observable composition. We analyse the abundances of CO2, a reliable tracer of ice chemistry, from data collected as part of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array large program ALCHEMI, a wide-frequency spectral scan toward the starburst galaxy NGC 253 with an angular resolution of 1.″6. We constrain the CO2 abundances in the gas phase using its protonated form HOCO+. The distribution of HOCO+ is similar to that of methanol, which suggests that HOCO+ is indeed produced from the protonation of CO2 sublimated from ice. The HOCO+ fractional abundances are found to be (1–2) × 10−9 at the outer part of the central molecular zone (CMZ), while they are lower (∼10−10) near the kinematic center. This peak fractional abundance at the outer CMZ is comparable to that in the Milky Way CMZ, and orders of magnitude higher than that in Galactic disk, star-forming regions. From the range of HOCO+/CO2 ratios suggested from chemical models, the gas-phase CO2 fractional abundance is estimated to be (1–20) × 10−7 at the outer CMZ, and orders of magnitude lower near the center. We estimate the CO2 ice fractional abundances at the outer CMZ to be (2–5) × 10−6 from the literature. A comparison between the ice and gas CO2 abundances suggests an efficient sublimation mechanism. This sublimation is attributed to large-scale shocks at the orbital intersections of the bar and CMZ., This paper makes use of the following ALMA data: ADS/JAO.ALMA#2017.1.00161.L, ADS/JAO.ALMA#2018.1.00162.S, ADS/JAO.ALMA#2018.1.01321.S. ALMA is a partnership of ESO (representing its member states), NSF (USA) and NINS (Japan), together with NRC (Canada), MOST and ASIAA (Taiwan), and KASI (Republic of Korea), in cooperation with the Republic of Chile. The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is a facility of the National Science Foundation operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc. The Joint ALMA Observatory is operated by ESO, AUI/NRAO and NAOJ. Data analysis was in part carried out on the Multi-wavelength Data Analysis System operated by the Astronomy Data Center (ADC), National Astronomical Observatory of Japan. N.H. acknowledges support from JSPS KAKENHI grant No. JP21K03634. V.M.R. has received support from the Comunidad de Madrid through the Atracción de Talento Investigador Modalidad 1 (Doctores con experiencia) grant (COOL:Cosmic Origins of Life; 2019-T1/TIC-5379), and the Ayuda RYC2020-029387-I funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033. L.C. has received partial support from the Spanish State Research Agency (AEI; project number PID2019-105552RB-C41). K. N. acknowledges support from JSPS KAKENHI grant No. 19K03937. P.H. is a member of and received financial support for this research from the International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) for Astronomy and Astrophysics at the Universities of Bonn and Cologne. K.S. is supported by the grant MOST 111-2112-M-001-039 from the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan. This research has made use of the NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database (NED), which is funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and operated by the California Institute of Technology.

ALMA Comprehensive High-resolution Extragalactic Molecular Inventory (ALCHEMI) Collaboration., We analyze HCN and HNC emission in the nearby starburst galaxy NGC 253 to investigate its effectiveness in tracing heating processes associated with star formation. This study uses multiple HCN and HNC rotational transitions observed using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array via the ALCHEMI Large Program. To understand the conditions and associated heating mechanisms within NGC 253's dense gas, we employ Bayesian nested sampling techniques applied to chemical and radiative transfer models, which are constrained using our HCN and HNC measurements. We find that the volume density ${n}_{{{\rm{H}}}_{2}}$ and cosmic-ray ionization rate (CRIR) ζ are enhanced by about an order of magnitude in the galaxy's central regions as compared to those further from the nucleus. In NGC 253's central giant molecular clouds (GMCs), where observed HCN/HNC abundance ratios are the lowest, n ∼ 105.5 cm−3 and ζ ∼ 10−12 s−1 (greater than 104 times the average Galactic rate). We find a positive correlation in the association of both density and CRIR with the number of star formation-related heating sources (supernova remnants, H ii regions, and super hot cores) located in each GMC, as well as a correlation between CRIRs and supernova rates. Additionally, we see an anticorrelation between the HCN/HNC ratio and CRIR, indicating that this ratio will be lower in regions where ζ is higher. Though previous studies suggested HCN and HNC may reveal strong mechanical heating processes in NGC 253's CMZ, we find cosmic-ray heating dominates the heating budget, and mechanical heating does not play a significant role in the HCN and HNC chemistry., This work is part of a project that has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program MOPPEX 833460. V.M.R. acknowledges support from the Comunidad de Madrid through the Atracción de Talento Investigador Modalidad 1 (Doctores con experiencia) grant (COOL:Cosmic Origins of Life; 2019-T1/TIC-15379). L.C. has received partial support from the Spanish State Research Agency (AEI; project number PID2019-105552RB-C41). N.H. acknowledges support from JSPS KAKENHI grant No. JP21K03634. P.H. is a member of and received financial support for this research from the International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) for Astronomy and Astrophysics at the Universities of Bonn and Cologne. K.S. acknowledges the grant MOST 111-2112-M-001-039 from the Ministry of Science and Technology in Taiwan. This paper makes use of the following ALMA data: ADS/JAO.ALMA#2017.1.00161.L and ADS/JAO.ALMA#2018.1.00162.S. ALMA is a partnership of ESO (representing its member states), NSF (USA) and NINS (Japan), together with NRC (Canada), MOST and ASIAA (Taiwan), and KASI (Republic of Korea), in cooperation with the Republic of Chile. The Joint ALMA Observatory is operated by ESO, AUI/NRAO and NAOJ. The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is a facility of the National Science Foundation operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc.

24 pags., 32 figs., 3 tabs., Context. The [CII] 158 μm far-infrared fine-structure line is one of the dominant cooling lines of the star-forming interstellar medium. Hence [CII] emission originates in and thus can be used to trace a range of ISM processes. Velocity-resolved large-scale mapping of [CII] in star-forming regions provides a unique perspective of the kinematics of these regions and their interactions with the exciting source of radiation. Aims. We explore the scientific applications of large-scale mapping of velocity-resolved [CII] observations. With the [CII] observations, we investigate the effect of stellar feedback on the ISM. We present the details of observation, calibration, and data reduction using a heterodyne array receiver mounted on an airborne observatory. Methods. A 1.15 square degree velocity-resolved map of the Orion molecular cloud centred on the bar region was observed using the German REceiver for Astronomy at Terahertz Frequencies (upGREAT) heterodyne receiver flying on board the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy. The data were acquired using the 14 pixels of the German REceiver for Astronomy at Terahertz Frequencies that were observed in an on-the-fly mapping mode. 2.4 million spectra were taken in total. These spectra were gridded into a three-dimensional cube with a spatial resolution of 14.1 arcseconds and a spectral resolution of 0.3 km s-1. Results. A square-degree [CII] map with a spectral resolution of 0.3 km s-1 is presented. The scientific potential of this data is summarized with discussion of mechanical and radiative stellar feedback, filament tracing using [CII], [CII] opacity effects, [CII] and carbon recombination lines, and [CII] interaction with the large molecular cloud. The data quality and calibration is discussed in detail, and new techniques are presented to mitigate the effects of unavoidable instrument deficiencies (e.g. baseline stability) and thus to improve the data quality. A comparison with a smaller [CII] map taken with the Herschel/Heterodyne Instrument for the Far-Infrared spectrometer is presented. Conclusions. Large-scale [CII] mapping provides new insight into the kinematics of the ISM. The interaction between massive stars and the ISM is probed through [CII] observations. Spectrally resolving the [CII] emission is necessary to probe the microphysics induced by the feedback of massive stars. We show that certain heterodyne instrument data quality issues can be resolved using a spline-based technique, and better data correction routines allow for more efficient observing strategies., This work is based on observations made with the NASA/DLR Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). SOFIA is jointly operated by the Universities Space Research Association, Inc.(USRA), under NASA contract NAS2-97001, and the Deutsches SOFIA Institut (DSI) under DLR contract 50 OK 0901 to the University of Stuttgart. This work is carried out within the Collaborative Research Centre 956, subproject [A4], funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) – project ID 184018867. We thank the Spanish MICIU for funding support under grant AYA2017-85111-P.

Molecular astronomy is a field that is blooming in the era of large observatories such as the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA). With modern, sensitive, and high spectral resolution radio telescopes like ALMA and the Square Kilometer Array, the size of the data cubes is rapidly escalating, generating a need for powerful automatic analysis tools. This work introduces MolPred, a pilot study to perform predictions of molecular parameters such as excitation temperature (T) and column density (log(N)) from input spectra by the use of neural networks. We used as test cases the spectra of CO, HCO, SiO and CHCN between 80 and 400 GHz. Training spectra were generated with MADCUBA, a state-of-the-art spectral analysis tool. Our algorithm was designed to allow the generation of predictions for multiple molecules in parallel. Using neural networks, we can predict the column density and excitation temperature of these molecules with a mean absolute error of 8.5% for CO, 4.1% for HCO, 1.5% for SiO and 1.6% for CHCN. The prediction accuracy depends on the noise level, line saturation, and number of transitions. We performed predictions upon real ALMA data. The values predicted by our neural network for this real data differ by 13% from the MADCUBA values on average. Current limitations of our tool include not considering linewidth, source size, multiple velocity components, and line blending., A.B. wishes to thank Dr. Diego Mardones for his contribution to the early stages of this work. Also, to acknowledge support from the Federico Santa María Technical University General Directorate for Research and Postgraduate Studies (DGIP). JH and SV are funded by the European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grant MOPPEX 833460. V.M.R. acknowledges support from the Comunidad de Madrid through the Atracción de Talento Investigador Modalidad 1 (Doctores con experiencia) Grant (COOL: Cosmic Origins Of Life; 2019-T1/TIC-15379; PI: V.M. Rivilla).

Molecular abundances are sensitive to the UV photon flux and cosmic-ray ionization rate. In starburst environments, the effects of high-energy photons and particles are expected to be stronger. We examine these astrochemical signatures through multiple transitions of HCO+ and its metastable isomer HOC+ in the center of the starburst galaxy NGC 253 using data from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array large program ALMA Comprehensive High-resolution Extragalactic Molecular inventory. The distribution of the HOC+(1-0) integrated intensity shows its association with "superbubbles,"cavities created either by supernovae or expanding H ii regions. The observed HCO+/HOC+ abundance ratios are ∼10-150, and the fractional abundance of HOC+ relative to H2 is ∼1.5 × 10-11-6 × 10-10, which implies that the HOC+ abundance in the center of NGC 253 is significantly higher than in quiescent spiral arm dark clouds in the Galaxy and the Galactic center clouds. Comparison with chemical models implies either an interstellar radiation field of G 0 ⪆ 103 if the maximum visual extinction is ⪆5, or a cosmic-ray ionization rate of ζ ⪆ 10-14 s-1 (3-4 orders of magnitude higher than that within clouds in the Galactic spiral arms) to reproduce the observed results. From the difference in formation routes of HOC+, we propose that a low-excitation line of HOC+ traces cosmic-ray dominated regions, while high-excitation lines trace photodissociation regions. Our results suggest that the interstellar medium in the center of NGC 253 is significantly affected by energy input from UV photons and cosmic rays, sources of energy feedback., N.H. acknowledges support from JSPS KAKENHI grant No. JP21K03634. K.S. has been supported by grants MOST 108-2112-M-001-015 and 109- 2112-M-001-020 from the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan. Y.N. is supported by the NAOJ ALMA Scientific Research grant No. 2017-06B. V.M.R. and L.C. are funded by the Comunidad de Madrid through the Atracción de Talento Investigador (Doctores con experiencia) Grant (COOL: Cosmic Origins Of Life; 2019-T1/TIC-15379).

We use both new and archival ALMA data of three energy lines each of CN and HCN to explore intensity ratios in dense gas in NGC 3256, NGC 7469, and IRAS 13120-5453. The HCN (3-2)/HCN (1-0) intensity ratio varies in NGC 3256 and NGC 7469, with superlinear trends of 1.53$\pm$0.07 and 1.55$\pm$0.05, respectively. We find an offset to higher HCN (3-2)/HCN (1-0) intensity ratios (~0.8) in IRAS 13120-5453 compared to NGC 3256 (~0.3-0.4) and NGC 7469 (~0.3-0.5). The HCN (4-3)/HCN (3-2) intensity ratio in NGC 7469 has a slope of 1.34$\pm$0.05. We attribute the variation within NGC 3256 to excitation associated with the northern and southern nuclei. In NGC 7469, the variations are localized to the region surrounding the active galactic nucleus. At our resolution (~700 pc), IRAS 13120-5453 shows little variation in the HCN intensity ratios. Individual galaxies show nearly constant CN (2-1)/CN (1-0) intensity ratios. We find an offset to lower CN (2-1)/CN (1-0) intensity ratios (~0.5) in NGC 3256 compared to the other two galaxies (~0.8). For the CN (3-2)/CN (2-1) intensity ratio, NGC 7469 has a superlinear trend of 1.55$\pm$0.04, with the peak localized toward the active galactic nucleus. We find high (~1.7) CN (1-0)/HCN (1-0) intensity ratios in IRAS 13120-5453 and in the northern nucleus of NGC 3256, compared to a more constant ratio (~1.1) in NGC 7469 and non-starbursting regions of NGC 3256., Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures, 5 figures in Appendix, resubmitted to MNRAS after small revisions to address the first referee report

Understanding the nuclear growth and feedback processes in galaxies requires investigating their often obscured central regions. One way to do this is to use (sub)millimeter line emission from vibrationally excited HCN (HCN-vib). It has been suggested that the most intense HCN-vib emission from a galaxy is connected to a phase of nuclear growth that occurs before the nuclear feedback processes have been fully developed. We aim to investigate if there is a connection between the presence of strong HCN-vib emission and the development of feedback in (U)LIRGs. We collected literature and archival data to compare the luminosities of rotational lines of HCN-vib, normalized to the total infrared luminosity, to the median velocities of 119 {\mu}m OH absorption lines, potentially indicating outflows, in a total of 17 (U)LIRGs. The most HCN-vib luminous systems all lack signatures of significant molecular outflows in the far-infrared OH absorption lines. However, at least some of the systems with bright HCN-vib emission do have fast and collimated outflows that can be seen in spectral lines at longer wavelengths. We conclude that the galaxy nuclei with the highest L(HCN-vib)/L(IR) do not drive wide-angle outflows detectable using the median velocities of far-infrared OH absorption lines. It is possible that this is due to an orientation effect where sources which are oriented in such a way that their outflows are not along our line of sight also radiate a smaller proportion of their infrared luminosity in our direction. It could also be that massive wide-angle outflows destroy the deeply embedded regions responsible for bright HCN-vib emission, so that the two phenomena cannot coexist. This would strengthen the idea that vibrationally excited HCN traces a heavily obscured stage of evolution before nuclear feedback mechanisms are fully developed., Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics

We present the performance of the upGREAT heterodyne array receivers on the SOFIA telescope after several years of operations. This instrument is a multi-pixel high resolution (R > 10^7) spectrometer for the Stratospheric Observatory for Far-Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). The receivers use 7-pixel subarrays configured in a hexagonal layout around a central pixel. The low frequency array receiver (LFA) has 2x7 pixels (dual polarization), and presently covers the 1.83-2.06 THz frequency range, which allows to observe the [CII] and [OI] lines at 158 um and 145 um wavelengths. The high frequency array (HFA) covers the [OI] line at 63 um and is equipped with one polarization at the moment (7 pixels, which can be upgraded in the near future with a second polarization array). The 4.7 THz array has successfully flown using two separate quantum-cascade laser local oscillators from two different groups. NASA completed the development, integration and testing of a dual-channel closed-cycle cryocooler system, with two independently operable He compressors, aboard SOFIA in early 2017 and since then, both arrays can be operated in parallel using a frequency separating dichroic mirror. This configuration is now the prime GREAT configuration and has been added to SOFIA's instrument suite since observing cycle 6., Accepted to the Journal of Astronomical Instrumentation (SOFIA Special Edition) on 12th November 2018

We report a search for the diatomic hydrides SiH, PH, and FeH along the line of sight toward the chemically rich circumstellar envelopes of IRC+10216 and VY Canis Majoris. These molecules are thought to form in high temperature regions near the photospheres of these stars, and may then further react via gas-phase and dust-grain interactions leading to more complex species, but have yet to be constrained by observation. We used the GREAT spectrometer on SOFIA to search for rotational emission lines of these molecules in four spectral windows ranging from 600 GHz to 1500 GHz. Though none of the targeted species were detected in our search, we report their upper limit abundances in each source and discuss how they influence the current understanding of hydride chemistry in dense circumstellar media. We attribute the non-detections of these hydrides to their compact source sizes, high barriers of formation, and proclivity to react with other molecules in the winds., Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ. 14 pages, 4 figures, 3 tables

NGC 4945 is one of the nearest (~3.8 Mpc; 1" ~ 19 pc) starburst galaxies. ALMA band 3 (3--4\,mm) observations of HCN, HCO+, CS, C3H2, SiO, HCO, and CH3C2H were carried out with ~2" resolution. The lines reveal a rotating nuclear disk of projected size 10" x 2" with position angle ~45 deg, inclination ~75 deg and an unresolved bright central core of size, 31 pages, 29 figures, 6 tables, accepted for publication in A&A; for the draft showing figures with full resolution, see https://gongyan2444.github.io/pdf/Henkel-NGC4945.pdf

We report the first detection in the interstellar medium of the Z-isomer of cyanomethanimine (HNCHCN), an HCN dimer proposed as precursor of adenine. We identified six transitions of Z-cyanomethanimine, along with five transitions of E-cyanomethanimine, using IRAM 30m observations towards the Galactic Center quiescent molecular cloud G+0.693. The Z-isomer has a column density of (2.0$\pm$0.6)$\times$10$^{14}$ cm$^{-2}$ and an abundance of 1.5$\times$10$^{-9}$. The relative abundance ratio between the isomers is [Z/E]$\sim$6. This value cannot be explained by the two chemical formation routes previously proposed (gas-phase and grain surface), which predicts abundances ratios between 0.9 and 1.5. The observed [Z/E] ratio is in good agreement with thermodynamic equilibrium at the gas kinetic temperature (130$-$210 K). Since isomerization is not possible in the ISM, the two species may be formed at high temperature. New chemical models, including surface chemistry on dust grains and gas-phase reactions, should be explored to explain our findings. Whatever the formation mechanism, the high abundance of Z-HNCHCN shows that precursors of adenine are efficiently formed in the ISM., Comment: Accepted in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Letters

In external galaxies, molecular composition may be influenced by extreme environments such as starbursts and galaxy mergers. To study such molecular chemistry, we observed the luminous-infrared galaxy and merger NGC 3256 using the Atacama Large Millimeter/sub-millimeter Array. We covered most of the 3-mm and 1.3-mm bands for a multi-species, multi-transition analysis. We first analyzed intensity ratio maps of selected lines such as HCN/HCO$^+$, which shows no enhancement at an AGN. We then compared the chemical compositions within NGC 3256 at the two nuclei, tidal arms, and positions with influence from galactic outflows. We found the largest variation in SiO and CH$_3$OH, species that are likely to be enhanced by shocks. Next, we compared the chemical compositions in the nuclei of NGC 3256, NGC 253, and Arp 220; these galactic nuclei have varying star formation efficiencies. Arp 220 shows higher abundances of SiO and HC$_3$N than NGC 3256 and NGC 253. Abundances of most species do not show strong correlation with the star formation efficiencies, although the CH$_3$CCH abundance seems to have a weak positive correlation with the star formation efficiency. Lastly, the chemistry of spiral arm positions in NGC 3256 is compared with that of W 51, a Galactic molecular cloud complex in a spiral arm. We found higher fractional abundances of shock tracers, and possibly also higher dense gas fraction in NGC 3256 compared with W 51., Comment: 54 pages, 19 figures. Accepted for publication in ApJ. Some extensive figures will only be shown online-only in the published version

We present an unbiased spectral line survey toward the Galactic Centre (GC) quiescent giant molecular cloud (QGMC), G+0.693 using the GBT and IRAM 30$\,$ telescopes. Our study highlights an extremely rich organic inventory of abundant amounts of nitrogen (N)-bearing species in a source without signatures of star formation. We report the detection of 17 N-bearing species in this source, of which 8 are complex organic molecules (COMs). A comparison of the derived abundances relative to H$_2$ is made across various galactic and extragalactic environments. We conclude that the unique chemistry in this source is likely to be dominated by low-velocity shocks with X-rays/cosmic rays also playing an important role in the chemistry. Like previous findings obtained for O-bearing molecules, our results for N-bearing species suggest a more efficient hydrogenation of these species on dust grains in G+0.693 than in hot cores in the Galactic disk, as a consequence of the low dust temperatures coupled with energetic processing by X-ray/cosmic ray radiation in the GC., Comment: 24 pages, 23 figures, 7 tables, accepted for publication in MNRAS

We report an astrochemical study on the evolution of interstellar molecular clouds and consequent star formation in the center of the barred spiral galaxy M83. We used the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) to image molecular species indicative of shocks (SiO, CH$_3$OH), dense cores (N$_2$H$^+$), and photodissociation regions (CN and CCH), as well as a radio recombination line (H41$\alpha$) tracing active star-forming regions. M83 has a circumnuclear gas ring that is joined at two areas by gas streams from the leading-edge gas lanes on the bar. We found elevated abundances of the shock and dense-core tracers in one of the orbit-intersecting areas, and found peaks of CN and H41$\alpha$ downstream. At the other orbit-intersection area, we found similar enhancement of the shock tracers, but less variation of other tracers, and no sign of active star formation in the stream. We propose that the observed chemical variation or lack of it is due to the presence or absence of collision-induced evolution of molecular clouds and induced star formation. This work presents the most clear case of the chemical evolution in the circumnuclear rings of barred galaxies, thanks to the ALMA resolution and sensitivity., Comment: 31 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal

We derive molecular-gas-phase $^{12}$C/$^{13}$C isotope ratios for the central few 100 pc of the three nearby starburst galaxies NGC 253, NGC 1068, and NGC 4945 making use of the $\lambda$ $\sim$ 3 mm $^{12}$CN and $^{13}$CN $N$ = 1--0 lines in the ALMA Band 3. The $^{12}$C/$^{13}$C isotopic ratios derived from the ratios of these lines range from 30 to 67 with an average of 41.6 $\pm$ 0.2 in NGC 253, from 24 to 62 with an average of 38.3 $\pm$ 0.4 in NGC 1068, and from 6 to 44 with an average of 16.9 $\pm$ 0.3 in NGC 4945. The highest $^{12}$C/$^{13}$C isotopic ratios are determined in some of the outskirts of the nuclear regions of the three starburst galaxies. The lowest ratios are associated with the northeastern and southwestern molecular peaks of NGC 253, the northeastern and southwestern edge of the mapped region in NGC 1068, and the very center of NGC 4945. In case of NGC 1068, the measured ratios suggest inflow from the outer part of NGC 1068 into the circum-nuclear disk through both the halo and the bar. Low $^{12}$C/$^{13}$C isotopic ratios in the central regions of these starburst galaxies indicate the presence of highly processed material., Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A

We present a line survey of the ultra-luminous infrared galaxy Arp 220, taken with the newly installed SEPIA Band 5 instrument on APEX. We illustrate the capacity of SEPIA to detect the 183.3 GHz H2O 31,3-22,0 line against the atmospheric H2O absorption feature. We confirm the previous detection of the HCN(2-1) line, and detect new transitions of standard dense gas tracers such as HNC(2-1), HCO+(2-1), CS(4-3), C34S(4-3), HC3N(20-19). We also detect HCN(2-1) v2=1 and the 193.5 GHz methanol (4-3) group for the first time. The absence of time variations in the megamaser water line compared to previous observations seems to rule out an AGN nuclear origin for the line. It could, on the contrary, favor a thermal origin instead, but also possibly be a sign that the megamaser emission is associated with star-forming cores washed-out in the beam. We finally discuss how the new transitions of HCN, HNC, HCO+ refine our knowledge of the ISM physical conditions in Arp 220., 5 pages, 2 figures, 1 table, accepted for publication in MNRAS

We present new molecular gas maps of NGC5195 (alternatively known as M51b) from the Combined Array for Research in Millimeter Astronomy (CARMA), including 12CO(1-0), 13CO(1-0), CN(1-0), and CS(2-1). NGC5195 has also been detected in 3mm continuum. NGC5195 has a 12CO/13CO ratio consistent with normal star-forming galaxies. The CN(1-0) intensity is higher than is seen in an average star-forming galaxy, possibly enhanced in the diffuse photo-dissociation regions. Stellar template fitting of the nuclear spectrum of NGC5195 shows two stellar populations: an 80% mass fraction of old (>10Gyr) and a 20% mass fraction of intermediate-aged (~1Gyr) stellar populations, providing a constraint on the timescale over which NGC5195 experienced enhanced star formation during its interaction with M51a. The average molecular gas depletion timescale in NGC5195 is: tdep=3.08Gyr, a factor of ~2 larger than the depletion timescales in nearby star-forming galaxies, but consistent with the depletion seen in CO-detected early-type galaxies. While the radio continuum emission at centimeter and millimeter wavelengths is present in the vicinity of the nucleus of NGC5195, we find it is most likely associated with nuclear star formation rather than a radio-loud AGN. Thus, despite having a substantial interaction with M51a ~1/2Gyr ago, the molecular gas in NGC5195 has resettled and is forming stars at an efficiency consistent with settled early-type galaxies at the present time., 13 pages, 12 figures, 2 tables, accepted by the Astrophysical Journal

The circumnuclear disk (CND) of the Galactic Center is exposed to many energetic phenomena coming from the supermassive black hole Sgr A* and stellar activities. These energetic activities can affect the chemical composition in the CND by the interaction with UV-photons, cosmic-rays, X-rays, and shock waves. We aim to constrain the physical conditions present in the CND by chemical modeling of observed molecular species detected towards it. We analyzed a selected set of molecular line data taken toward a position in the southwest lobe of the CND with the IRAM 30m and APEX 12-meter telescopes and derived the column density of each molecule using a large velocity gradient (LVG) analysis. The determined chemical composition is compared with a time-dependent gas-grain chemical model based on the UCL\_CHEM code that includes the effects of shock waves with varying physical parameters. Molecules such as CO, HCN, HCO$^+$, HNC, CS, SO, SiO, NO, CN, H$_2$CO, HC$_3$N, N$_2$H$^+$ and H$_3$O$^+$ are detected and their column densities are obtained. Total hydrogen densities obtained from LVG analysis range between $2 \times 10^4$ and $1 \times 10^6\,$cm$^{-3}$ and most species indicate values around several $\times 10^5\,$cm$^{-3}$, which are lower than values corresponding to the Roche limit, which shows that the CND is tidally unstable. The chemical models show good agreement with the observations in cases where the density is $\sim10^4\,$cm$^{-3}$, the cosmic-ray ionization rate is high, $>10^{-15} \,$s$^{-1}$, or shocks with velocities $> 40\,$km s$^{-1}$ have occurred. Comparison of models and observations favors a scenario where the cosmic-ray ionization rate in the CND is high, but precise effects of other factors such as shocks, density structures, UV-photons and X-rays from the Sgr A* must be examined with higher spatial resolution data., 17 Pages, 13 figures, accepted for publication in A&A

著者人数: 84名, Accepted: 2015-03-17, 資料番号: SA1150147000

We used the IRAM 30m telescope to observe the frequency range [86-116]GHz towards the central regions of the starburst galaxies M83, M82, and NGC253, the AGNs M51, NGC1068, and NGC7469, and the ULIRGs Arp220 and Mrk231. Assuming LTE conditions, we calculated the column densities of 27 molecules and 10 isotopologues. Among others, we report the first tentative detections of CH3CHO, HNCO, and NS in M82 and, for the first time in the extragalactic medium, HC5N in NGC253. Halpha recombination lines were only found in M82 and NGC253. Vibrationally excited lines of HC3N were only detected in Arp220. CH3CCH emission is only seen in the starburst-dominated galaxies. By comparison of the fractional abundances among the galaxies, we looked for the molecules that are best suited to characterise the chemistry of starbursts, AGNs and ULIRGs, as well as the differences among galaxies within the same group., Comment: 24 pages, 6 figures, 12 tables. Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics

Aims. We observe the dense gas tracer CS in two nearby starburst galaxies to determine how the conditions of the dense gas varies across the circumnuclear regions in starburst galaxies. Methods. Using the IRAM-30m telescope, we mapped the distribution of the CS(2-1) and CS(3-2) lines in the circumnuclear regions of the nearby starburst galaxies NGC 3079 and NGC 6946. We also detected the formaldehyde (H2CO) and methanol (CH3OH) in both galaxies. We marginally detect the isotopologue C34S. Results. We calculate column densities under LTE conditions for CS and CH3OH. Using the detections accumulated here to guide our inputs, we link a time and depth dependent chemical model with a molecular line radiative transfer model; we reproduce the observations, showing how conditions where CS is present are likely to vary away from the galactic centres. Conclusions. Using the rotational diagram method for CH3OH, we obtain a lower limit temperature of 14 K. In addition to this, by comparing the chemical and radiative transfer models to observations, we determine the properties of the dense gas as traced by CS (and CH3OH). We also estimate the quantity of the dense gas. We find that, provided that there are a between 10^5 and 10^6 dense cores in our beam, for both target galaxies, emission of CS from warm (T = 100 - 400 K), dense (n(H2) = 10^5-6 cm-3) cores, possibly with a high cosmic ray ionisation rate (zeta = 100 zeta0) best describes conditions for our central pointing. In NGC 6946, conditions are generally cooler and/or less dense further from the centre, whereas in NGC 3079, conditions are more uniform. The inclusion of shocks allows for more efficient CS formation, leading to an order of magnitude less dense gas being required to replicate observations in some cases., 14 pages, 10 figures, accepted to A&A

著者人数: 69名, Accepted: 2015-03-13, 資料番号: SA1150146000

We explore the potential of imaging vibrationally excited molecular emission at high angular resolution to better understand the morphology and physical structure of the dense gas in Arp~220 and to gain insight into the nature of the nuclear powering sources. Vibrationally excited emission of HCN is detected in both nuclei with a very high ratio relative to the total $L_{FIR}$, higher than in any other observed galaxy and well above what is observed in Galactic hot cores. HCN $v_2=1f$ is observed to be marginally resolved in $\sim60\times50$~pc regions inside the dusty $\sim100$~pc sized nuclear cores. Its emission is centered on our derived individual nuclear velocities based on HCO$^+$ emission ($V_{WN}=5342\pm4$ and $V_{EN}=5454\pm8$~\kms, for the western and eastern nucleus, respectively). With virial masses within $r\sim25-30$~pc based on the HCN~$v_2=1f$ line widths, we estimate gas surface densities (gas fraction $f_g=0.1$) of $3\pm0.3\times10^4~M_\odot~\rm pc^{-2}$ (WN) and $1.1\pm0.1\times10^4~M_\odot~\rm pc^{-2}$ (EN). The $4-3/3-2$ flux density ratio could be consistent with optically thick emission, which would further constrain the size of the emitting region to $>15$~pc (EN) and $>22$~pc (WN). The absorption systems that may hide up to $70\%$ of the HCN and HCO$^+$ emission are found at velocities of $-50$~\kms~(EN) and $6$, $-140$, and $-575$~\kms (WN) relative to velocities of the nuclei. Blueshifted absorptions are the evidence of outflowing motions from both nuclei. The bright vibrational emission implies the existence of a hot dust region radiatively pumping these transitions. We find evidence of a strong temperature gradient that would be responsible for both the HCN $v_2$ pumping and the absorbed profiles from the vibrational ground state as a result of both continuum and self-absorption by cooler foreground gas., 14 pages accepted for publication in A&A

We aimed to study the chemistry of the circumnuclear molecular gas of NGC1068, and to compare it with those of the starburst galaxies M82 and NGC253. Using the IRAM-30m telescope, we observed the inner 2 kpc of NGC1068 between 86.2 GHz and 115.6 GHz. We identified 35 spectral features, corresponding to 24 different molecular species. Among them, HC3N, SO, N2H+, CH3CN, NS, 13CN, and HN13C are detected for the first time in NGC1068. Assuming local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE), we calculated the column densities of the detected molecules, as well as the upper limits to the column densities of some undetected species. The comparison among the chemistries of NGC1068, M82, and NGC253, suggests that, apart from X-rays, shocks also determine the chemistry of NGC1068. We propose the column density ratio between CH3CCH and HC3N as a prime indicator of the imprints of starburst and AGN environments in the circumnuclear interstellar medium. This ratio is, at least, 64 times larger in M82 than in NGC1068, and, at least, 4 times larger in NGC253 than in NGC1068. Finally, we used the UCL_CHEM and UCL_PDR chemical codes to constrain the origin of the species, as well as to test the influence of UV radiation fields and cosmic rays on the observed abundances., 8 pages, 2 figures, 3 tables. Proceedings of the "The Central Kiloparsec in Galactic Nuclei", 29 August - 2 September 2011, Bad Honnef, Germany

We aim to study the properties of the dense molecular gas towards the inner few 100 pc of four nearby starburst galaxies dominated both by photo dissociation regions (M82) and large-scale shocks (NGC253, IC342 and Maffei2), and to relate the chemical and physical properties of the molecular clouds with the evolutionary stage of the nuclear starbursts. We have carried out multi-transitional observations and analyses of three dense gas molecular tracers, CS, HC3N and CH3CCH, using Boltzmann diagrams in order to determine the rotational temperatures and column densities of the dense gas, and using a Large Velocity Gradients model to calculate the H2 density structure in the molecular clouds. The CS and HC3N data indicate the presence of density gradients in the molecular clouds, showing similar excitation conditions, and suggesting that they arise from the same gas components. In M82, CH3CCH has the highest fractional abundance determined in a extragalactic source (10^-8). The density and the chemical gradients found in all galaxies can be explained in the framework of the starburst evolution. The young shock-dominatedstarburst galaxies, like presumably Maffei2, show a cloud structure with a rather uniform density and chemical composition which suggests low star formation activity. Molecular clouds in galaxies with starburst in an intermediate stage of evolution, such as NGC253 and IC342, show clouds with a large density contrast (two orders of magnitude) between the denser regions (cores) and the less dense regions (halos) of the molecular clouds and relatively constant chemical abundance. Finally, the galaxy with the most evolved starburst, M82, has clouds with a rather uniform density structure, large envelopes of atomic/molecular gas subjected to UV photodissociating radiation from young star clusters, and very different chemical abundances of HC3N and CH3CCH., 14 pages + 1 appendix of 2 pages; 7 figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics

11 pags., 16 figs., 3 tabs., We present a coherent and homogeneous multi-line study of the CS molecule in nearby (D < 10 Mpc) galaxies. We include, from the literature, all the available observations from the J = 1-0 to the J = 7-6 transitions toward NGC 253, NGC 1068, IC 342, Henize 2-10, M 82, the Antennae Galaxies, and M 83. We have, for the first time, detected the CS(7-6) line in NGC 253, M 82 (both in the northeast and southwest molecular lobes), NGC 4038, M 83 and tentatively in NGC 1068, IC 342, and Henize 2-10. We use the CS molecule as a tracer of the densest gas component of the interstellar medium in extragalactic star-forming regions, following previous theoretical and observational studies by Bayet et al. In this first paper out of a series, we analyze the CS data sample under both local thermodynamical equilibrium (LTE) and non-LTE (large velocity gradient) approximations. We show that except for M 83 and Overlap (a shifted gas-rich position from the nucleus NGC 4039 in the Antennae Galaxies), the observations in NGC 253, IC 342, M 82-NE, M 82-SW, and NGC 4038 are not well reproduced by a single set of gas component properties and that, at least, two gas components are required. For each gas component, we provide estimates of the corresponding kinetic temperature, total CS column density, and gas density. © 2009. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved., E.B. acknowledges financial support from the Leverhulme Trust. The James Clerk Maxwell Telescope is operated by The Joint Astronomy Centre on behalf of the Science and Technology Facilities Council of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research, and the National Research Council of Canada. R.A. acknowledges financial support by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacıon under project AYA2008-06181-C02-02. This work has also been partially supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion under project ESP2007- 65812-C02-01, and by the Comunidad de Madrid Government under PRICIT project S-0505/ESP-0237 (ASTROCAM)

Using the IRAM 30 m telescope, we perform a molecular line survey of the 3 and 2 mm wavelength ranges towards 5 selected positions in the Galactic center region, sampling shocked regions, ultraviolet (UV) and X-ray pervaded regions, and positions with rich organic chemistry. These surveys have the potential to be used as chemical templates for different types of activity, such as photodissociated regions (PDRs), shocks and X-ray dominated regions (XDRs). Complementary, molecular surveys done towards extragalactic nuclei, that are also dominated by these physical activities, were carried by our group.

Multi-molecule observations towards an increasing variety of galaxies have been showing that the relative molecular abundances are affected by the type of activity. However, these studies are biased towards bright active galaxies, which are typically in interaction. We study the molecular composition of one of the most isolated galaxies in the local Universe where the physical and chemical properties of their molecular clouds have been determined by intrinsic mechanisms. We present 3 mm broad band observations of the galaxy CIG 638, extracted from the AMIGA sample of isolated galaxies. The emission of the J=1-0 transitions of CCH, HCN, HCO+, and HNC are detected. Integrated intensity ratios between these line are compared with similar observations from the literature towards active galaxies including starburst galaxies (SB), active galactic nuclei (AGN), luminous infrared galaxies (LIRG), and GMCs in M33. A significantly high ratio of CCH with respect to HCN, HCO+, and HNC is found towards CIG 638 when compared with all other galaxies where these species have been detected. This points to either an overabundance of CCH or to a relative lack of dense molecular gas as supported by the low HCN/CO ratio, or both. The data suggest that the CIG 638 is naturally a less perturbed galaxy where a lower fraction of dense molecular gas, as well as a more even distribution could explain the measured ratios. In this scenario the dense gas tracers would be naturally dimmer, while the UV enhanced CCH, would be overproduced in a less shielded medium., Letter accepted for publication in A&A

We study the chemical complexity towards the central parts of the starburst galaxy M82, and investigate the role of certain molecules as tracers of the physical processes in the galaxy circumnuclear region. We carried out a spectral line survey with the IRAM-30m telescope towards the northeastern molecular lobe of M82. It covers the frequency range between 129.8 GHz and 175.0 GHz in the 2 mm atmospheric window, and between 241.0 GHz and 260.0 GHz in the 1.3 mm atmospheric window. Sixty-nine spectral features corresponding to 18 different molecular species are identified. In addition, three hydrogen recombination lines are detected. The species NO, H2S, H2CS, NH2CN, and CH3CN are detected for the first time in this galaxy. Assuming local thermodynamic equilibrium, we determine the column densities of all the detected molecules. We also calculated upper limits to the column densities of fourteen other important, but undetected, molecules, such as SiO, HNCO, or OCS. We compare the chemical composition of the two starburst galaxies M82 and NGC253. This comparison enables us to establish the chemical differences between the products of the strong photon-dominated regions (PDRs) driving the heating in M82, and the large-scale shocks that influence the properties of the molecular clouds in the nucleus of NGC253. Overall, both sources have different chemical compositions. Some key molecules highlight the different physical processes dominating both central regions. Examples include CH3CCH, c-C3H2, or CO+, the abundances of which are clearly higher in M82 than in NGC253, pointing at photodissociating regions. On the other hand, species such as CH2NH, NS, SiO, and HOCO+ have abundances of up to one order of magnitude higher in NGC253 than in M82.

Phosphorus (P) is one of the essential elements for life due to its central role in biochemical processes. Recent searches have shown that P-bearing molecules (in particular PN and PO) are present in star-forming regions, although their formation routes remain poorly understood. In this Letter, we report observations of PN and PO towards seven molecular clouds located in the Galactic Center, which are characterized by different types of chemistry. PN is detected in five out of seven sources, whose chemistry is thought to be shock-dominated. The two sources with PN non-detections correspond to clouds exposed to intense UV/X-rays/cosmic-ray radiation. PO is detected only towards the cloud G+0.693$-$0.03, with a PO/PN abundance ratio of $\sim$1.5. We conclude that P-bearing molecules likely form in shocked gas as a result of dust grain sputtering, while are destroyed by intense UV/X-ray/cosmic ray radiation., 5 pages, 3 figures, 2 tables, accepted for publication in MNRAS Letters

Aiming to characterise the properties of the molecular gas in the ultraluminous infrared galaxy Mrk273 and its outflow, we used the NOEMA interferometer to image the dense gas molecular tracers HCN, HCO+, HNC, HOC+ and HC3N at 86GHz and 256GHz with angular resolutions of 4.9x4.5 arcsec (3.7x3.4 kpc) and 0.61x0.55 arcsec (460x420 pc). We also modelled the flux of several H2O lines observed with Herschel using a radiative transfer code that includes excitation by collisions as well as by far-infrared photons. The disk of the Mrk273 north nucleus has two components with decoupled kinematics. The gas in the outer parts (1.5 kpc) rotates with a south-east to north-west direction, while in the inner disk (300 pc) follows a north-east to south-west rotation. The central 300 pc, which hosts a compact starburst region, is filled with dense and warm gas, contains a dynamical mass of (4-5)x10^9M_sun, a luminosity of L'_HCN=(3-4)x10^8 K km/s pc^2, and a dust temperature of 55 K. At the very centre, a compact core with R~50 pc has a luminosity of L_IR=4x10^11L_sun (30% of the total infrared luminosity), and a dust temperature of 95 K. The core is expanding at low velocities ~50-100 km/s, probably affected by the outflowing gas. We detect the blue-shifted component of the outflow, while the red-shifted counterpart remains undetected in our data. Its cold and dense phase reaches fast velocities up to ~1000 km/s, while the warm outflowing gas has more moderate maximum velocities of ~600 km/s. The outflow is detected as far as 460 pc from the centre in the northern direction, and has a mass of dense gas, Accepted for publication in A&A. 21 pages, 17 figures, 7 tables, and a lot of interesting text

[Context] Observations of chemical species can provide insights into the physical conditions of the emitting gas however it is important to understand how their abundances and excitation vary within different heating environments. C2H is a molecule typically found in PDR regions of our own Galaxy but there is evidence to suggest it also traces other regions undergoing energetic processing in extragalactic environments. [Aims] As part of the ALCHEMI ALMA large program, we map the emission of C2H in the central molecular zone of the nearby starburst galaxy NGC 253 at 1.6″ (28 pc) resolution and characterize it to understand its chemical origins. [Methods] We used spectral modeling of the N = 1-0 through N = 4-3 rotational transitions of C2H to derive the C2H column densities towards the dense clouds in NGC 253. We then use chemical modeling, including photodissociation region (PDR), dense cloud, and shock models to investigate the chemical processes and physical conditions that are producing the molecular emission. [Results] We find high C2H column densities of ∼1015 cm-2 detected towards the dense regions of NGC 253. We further find that these column densities cannot be reproduced if it is assumed that the emission arises from the PDR regions at the edge of the clouds. Instead, we find that the C2H abundance remains high even in the high visual extinction interior of these clouds and that this is most likely caused by a high cosmic-ray ionization rate.