Sonnentrucker, P., Neufeld, D. A., Phillips, T. G., Gerin, M., Lis, D. C., De Luca, M., Goicoechea, J. R., Black, J. H., Bell, T. A., Boulanger, F., Cernicharo, J., Coutens, A., Dartois, E., Kazmierczak, M., Encrenaz, P., Falgarone, E., Geballe, T. R., Giesen, T., Godard, B., Goldsmith, P. F., Gry, C., Gupta, H., Hennebelle, P., Herbst, E., Hily-Blant, P., Joblin, C., Kolos, R., Krelowski, J., Martin-Pintado, J., Menten, K. M., Monje, R., Mookerjea, B., Pearson, J., Perault, M., Persson, C. M., Plume, R., Salez, M., Schlemmer, S., Schmidt, M., Stutzki, J., Teyssier, D., Vastel, C., Yu, S., Caux, E., Guesten, R., Hatch, W. A., Klein, T., Mehdi, I., Morris, P. and Ward, J. S. (2010). Detection of hydrogen fluoride absorption in diffuse molecular clouds with Herschel/HIFI: an ubiquitous tracer of molecular gas. Astron. Astrophys., 521. LES ULIS CEDEX A: EDP SCIENCES S A. ISSN 0004-6361

Full text not available from this repository.

Abstract

We discuss the detection of absorption by interstellar hydrogen fluoride (HF) along the sight line to the submillimeter continuum sources W49N and W51. We have used Herschel's HIFI instrument in dual beam switch mode to observe the 1232.4762 GHz J = 1-0 HF transition in the upper sideband of the band 5a receiver. We detected foreground absorption by HF toward both sources over a wide range of velocities. Optically thin absorption components were detected on both sight lines, allowing us to measure - as opposed to obtain a lower limit on - the column density of HF for the first time. As in previous observations of HF toward the source G10.6-0.4, the derived HF column density is typically comparable to that of water vapor, even though the elemental abundance of oxygen is greater than that of fluorine by four orders of magnitude. We used the rather uncertain N(CH) - N(H-2) relationship derived previously toward diffuse molecular clouds to infer the molecular hydrogen column density in the clouds exhibiting HF absorption. Within the uncertainties, we find that the abundance of HF with respect to H-2 is consistent with the theoretical prediction that HF is the main reservoir of gas-phase fluorine for these clouds. Thus, hydrogen fluoride has the potential to become an excellent tracer of molecular hydrogen, and provides a sensitive probe of clouds of small H-2 column density. Indeed, the observations of hydrogen fluoride reported here reveal the presence of a low column density diffuse molecular cloud along the W51 sight line, at an LSR velocity of similar to 24 km s(-1), that had not been identified in molecular absorption line studies prior to the launch of Herschel.

Item Type: Journal Article
Creators:
CreatorsEmailORCIDORCID Put Code
Sonnentrucker, P.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Neufeld, D. A.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Phillips, T. G.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Gerin, M.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Lis, D. C.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
De Luca, M.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Goicoechea, J. R.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Black, J. H.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Bell, T. A.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Boulanger, F.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Cernicharo, J.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Coutens, A.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Dartois, E.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Kazmierczak, M.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Encrenaz, P.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Falgarone, E.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Geballe, T. R.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Giesen, T.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Godard, B.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Goldsmith, P. F.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Gry, C.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Gupta, H.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Hennebelle, P.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Herbst, E.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Hily-Blant, P.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Joblin, C.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Kolos, R.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Krelowski, J.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Martin-Pintado, J.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Menten, K. M.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Monje, R.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Mookerjea, B.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Pearson, J.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Perault, M.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Persson, C. M.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Plume, R.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Salez, M.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Schlemmer, S.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Schmidt, M.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Stutzki, J.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Teyssier, D.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Vastel, C.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Yu, S.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Caux, E.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Guesten, R.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Hatch, W. A.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Klein, T.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Mehdi, I.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Morris, P.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Ward, J. S.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
URN: urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-495055
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201015082
Journal or Publication Title: Astron. Astrophys.
Volume: 521
Date: 2010
Publisher: EDP SCIENCES S A
Place of Publication: LES ULIS CEDEX A
ISSN: 0004-6361
Language: English
Faculty: Unspecified
Divisions: Unspecified
Subjects: no entry
Uncontrolled Keywords:
KeywordsLanguage
STAR-FORMING REGIONS; LINE-OF-SIGHT; G10.6-0.4 W31C; W51; W49N; ASTRONOMY; ABUNDANCE; H2O; COMultiple languages
Astronomy & AstrophysicsMultiple languages
URI: http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/49505

Downloads

Downloads per month over past year

Altmetric

Export

Actions (login required)

View Item View Item