CN abundance variations in the shell of IRC +10216

Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy

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Abundance, Cyanogen, Interstellar Chemistry, Nebulae, Stellar Envelopes, Carbon Stars, Hydrocyanic Acid, Infrared Astronomy, Molecular Clouds, Molecular Structure, Photodissociation

Scientific paper

First observations of the N = 2-1 line of CN at 226.9 GHz are reported. High-resolution maps of IRC + 10216 and OMC-1 show that the peak in both sources is compact but resolved in a 30 arcsec beam. In IRC + 10216 the emission extends approximately 70 arcsec at the line center velocity. A model for CN excitation and the absence of infrared vibration-rotation absorption lines suggest the presence of a source of CN molecules in the outer circumstellar shell. Examination of chemical, expansion, and photodissociation time scales in the outer shell leads to the identification of HCN photodissociation by the interstellar radiation field as a plausible source. This model explains the large discrepancy in the CN abundance predicted by chemical equilibrium models of the shell and confirms the importance of photo-dissociation in the chemistry of circumstellar shells. Maps and spectra were also made in OMC-1 and OMC-2. In OMC-1, CN emission lies along a narrow ridge, peaking in the BN/KL region.

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