First ALMA maps of cosmic ray ionisation rate in high-mass star-forming regions

Abstract

Low-energy cosmic rays ($<1$ TeV) are a pivotal source of ionisation of the interstellar medium, where they play a central role in determining the gas chemical composition and drastically influence the formation of stars and planets. Over the last few decades, H${}_3^{+}$ absorption lines observations in diffuse clouds have provided reliable estimates of the cosmic ray ionisation rate relative to H${}_2$ (${\zeta }_{{\mathrm{H}}_2}^{\mathrm{ion}}$). However, in denser clouds, where stars and planets form, this method is often inefficient due to the lack of H${}_3^{+}$ rotational transitions. The ${\zeta }_{{\mathrm{H}}_2}^{\mathrm{ion}}$ estimates are, therefore, still provisional in this context and represent one of the least understood components when it comes to defining general models of star and planet formation. In this Letter, we present the first high-resolution maps of the ${\zeta }_{{\mathrm{H}}_2}^{\mathrm{ion}}$ in two high-mass clumps obtained with a new analytical approach recently proposed to estimate the ${\zeta }_{{\mathrm{H}}_2}^{\mathrm{ion}}$ in the densest regions of molecular clouds. We obtain $⟨{\zeta }_{{\mathrm{H}}_2}^{\mathrm{ion}}⟩$ that span from $3\times 10^{-17}$ to $10^{-16}{\mathrm{s}}^{-1}$, depending on the different distribution of the main ion carriers, in excellent agreement with the most recent cosmic rays propagation models. The cores belonging to the same parental clump show comparable ${\zeta }_{{\mathrm{H}}_2}^{\mathrm{ion}}$, suggesting that the ionisation properties of prestellar regions are determined by global rather than local effects. These results provide important information for the chemical and physical modelling of star-forming regions.

10 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables. Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Letters (ApJL)

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• Carbon chain diversity in L1544 and IRAS 16293-2422: an astrochemical pathfinder study for the SKAO