Highly deuterated pre-stellar cores in a high-mass star formation region

Abstract

We have observed the deuterated gas in the high-mass star formation region IRAS 05345+3157 at high-angular resolution, in order to determine the morphology and the nature of such gas. We have mapped the N2H+ (1-0) line with the Plateau de Bure Interferometer, and the N2D+ (3-2) and N2H+ (3-2) lines with the Submillimeter Array. The N2D+ (3-2) integrated emission is concentrated in two condensations, with masses of 2-3 and 9 M_sun and diameters of 0.05 and 0.09 pc, respectively. The high deuterium fractionation (0.1) and the line parameters in the N2D+ condensations indicate that they are likely low- to intermediate-mass pre-stellar cores, even though other scenarios are possible.

4 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics

References in corpus (3)

• On the internal structure of starless cores. II. A molecular survey of L1498 and L1517B
• Searching for massive pre--stellar cores through observations of N2H+ and N2D+
• Probing the initial conditions of High Mass Star formation -- I. Deuteration and depletion in high mass pre/protocluster clumps

Cited by in corpus (4)

• The N2D+/N2H+ ratio as an evolutionary tracer of Class 0 protostars
• The dynamical properties of dense filaments in the infrared dark cloud G035.39-00.33
• Laboratory Characterization and Astrophysical Detection of Vibrationally Excited States of Vinyl Cyanide in Orion-KL
• Deuterium chemistry of dense gas in the vicinity of low-mass and massive star forming regions