Using Rotational Transitions of Methyl Cyanide (CH_3CN) as a Temperature Indicator in Molecular Clouds

Details Using Rotational Transitions of Methyl Cyanide (CH_3CN) as a Temperature Indicator in Molecular Clouds Using Rotational Transitions of Methyl Cyanide (CH_3CN) as a Temperature Indicator in Molecular Clouds

Dec 1999

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1999aas...195.7301s&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, 195th AAS Meeting, #73.01; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 31, p.1476

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

1

Scientific paper

Traditionally, the inversion transitions of ammonia (NH_3) have been used as a primary temperature indicator. However, the physical model typically used for this method assumes that only three energy levels are populated. This model breaks down when the temperature becomes high enough, about 50K. Previous investigations to determine the temperatures of the cores of molecular clouds found them to be at about 70-150K. As these temperatures are beyond the range of accuracy of the inversion transition method, these numbers have great inherrant inaccuracies. We have investigated the utility of the CH_3CN molecule as a temperature monitor which retains its accuracy at higher temperatures. Using CH_3CN rotational transitions and two separate methods of analyzing the resultant data, we have obtained good temperature and column density figures for some 24 molecular cloud cores within our galaxy. This project was partially supported by NRAO and the NSF REU program.

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