The Search for Extragalactic Lithium Hydride

Abstract

We have conducted Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-wave Astronomy (CARMA) observations of LiH, in absorption, toward three quasars. These quasars, B0218+357, PKS1830-211, and PKS0201+113, have redshifts of z = 0.685 - 3.387$,andshifttheLiHJ=1-0transitiontothe1mmand3mmwavelengthbands,whereatmosphericabsorptionissharplyreducedfromthatpredominatingneartherestfrequencyof443GHz.Wereporta3$σ$ detection of LiH toward B0218+357 with a column density of 1.4x10^{12} cm^{-2} and place an upper limit on the ^6Li/^7Li ratio of <0.16. LiH was not detected toward any other source.

18 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal

References in corpus (12)

• Seven-Year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) Observations: Power Spectra and WMAP-Derived Parameters
• A Bitter Pill: The Primordial Lithium Problem Worsens
• Particle physics catalysis of thermal Big Bang Nucleosynthesis
• Big Bang Nucleosynthesis as a Probe of New Physics
• Bound-State Effects on Light-Element Abundances in Gravitino Dark Matter Scenarios
• Probing isotopic ratios at z = 0.89: molecular line absorption in front of the quasar PKS 1830-211
• Drastic changes in the molecular absorption at redshift z=0.89 toward the quasar PKS 1830-211
• On the relative abundance of LiH and LiH+ molecules in the early universe: new results from quantum reactions
• Global 8.4-GHz VLBI observations of JVAS B0218+357
• HI 21cm absorption at $z\sim 3.39$ towards PKS 0201+113
• Submillimeter water and ammonia absorption by the peculiar z~0.89 interstellar medium in the gravitational lens of the PKS 1830-211 system
• Formaldehyde Anti-Inversion at z=0.68 in the Gravitational Lens B0218+357

Cited by in corpus (8)

• Big Bang Nucleosynthesis: 2015
• The Dawn of Chemistry
• ALCHEMI: an ALMA Comprehensive High-resolution Extragalactic Molecular Inventory. Survey presentation and first results from the ACA array
• Interstellar Silicate Dust in the z=0.685 Absorber Toward TXS 0218+357
• New Detections of Galactic Molecular Absorption Systems toward ALMA Calibrator Sources
• Detection of deuterated molecules, but not of lithium hydride, in the z=0.89 absorber toward PKS1830-211
• Search for Interstellar LiH in the Milky Way
• K-matter as Mach's principle realization