T. R. Geballe

Solid Carbonyl Sulfide (OCS) in Dense Molecular Clouds

An absorption feature at 2040 cm~1 (4.90 km), previously observed only in W33A, has been detected toward two deeply embedded young stellar objects (YSOs), AFGL 989 and Mon R2 IRS 2. Upper limits are reported for several other YSOs and for one object located behind the Taurus Dark Cloud. We attribute this interstellar feature to solid carbonyl sul-de (OCS) embedded in icy grain mantles along the line of sight. As in the case of W33A, the best match of the newly observed features with laboratory spectra of astrophysically relevant mixtures is obtained for traces of OCS in a methanol-rich matrix. This, again, suggests the presence of independent grain mantle populations and, in particular, of a minor fraction of methanol-rich icy grain mantles in which OCS is embedded. From the strength of the absorp- tion feature we deduce OCS column densities and ratios toward the observed objects. Taking OCS/H 2 O into consideration sulfur chemistry and the origins of solid OCS, we conclude that a major fraction of the elemental sulfur is presently unaccounted for in dense molecular clouds. Subject headings: infrared: ISM: lines and bands E ISM: clouds E ISM: molecules E line: identi-cation E molecular processes

Spatial variation of the 3.29 and 3.40 micron emission bands within reflection nebulae and the photochemical evolution of methylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Spectra of 3 micrometers emission features have been obtained at several positions within the reflection nebulae NGC 1333 SVS3 and NGC 2023. Strong variations of the relative intensities of the 3.29 micrometers feature and its most prominent satellite band at 3.40 micrometers are found. It is shown that (i) the 3.40 micrometers band is too intense with respect to the 3.29 micrometers band at certain positions to arise from hot band emission alone, (ii) the 3.40 micrometers band can be reasonably well matched by new laboratory spectra of gas-phase polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with alkyl (-CH3) side groups, and (iii) the variations in the 3.40 micrometers to 3.29 micrometers band intensity ratios are consistent with the photochemical erosion of alkylated PAHs. We conclude that the 3.40 micrometers emission feature is attributable to -CH3 side groups on PAH molecules. We predict a value of 0.5 for the peak intensity ratio of the 3.40 and 3.29 micrometers emission bands from free PAHs in the diffuse interstellar medium, which would correspond to a proportion of one methyl group for four peripheral hydrogens. We also compare the 3 micrometers spectrum of the proto-planetary nebula IRAS 05341+0852 with the spectrum of the planetary nebula IRAS 21282+5050. We suggest that a photochemical evolution of the initial aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbon mixture formed in the outflow is responsible for the changes observed in the 3 micrometers emission spectra of these objects.

Near-Infrared Spectroscopy of the Proto-Planetary Nebula CRL 618 and the Origin of the Hydrocarbon Dust Component in the Interstellar Medium

A new 2.8-3.8 micrometers spectrum of the carbon-rich protoplanetary nebula CRL 618 confirms the previous detection of a circumstellar 3.4 micrometers absorption feature in this object (Lequeux & Jourdain de Muizon). The high resolution and high signal-to-noise ratio of our spectrum allow us to derive the detailed profile of this absorption feature, which is very similar to that observed in the spectrum of the Galactic center and also resembles the strong 3.4 micrometers emission feature in some post-asymptotic giant branch stars. A weak 3.3 micrometers unidentified infrared band, marginally detected in the CRL 618 spectrum of Lequeux & Jourdain de Muizon, is present in our spectrum. The existence of the 3.4 micrometers feature implies the presence of relatively short-chained, aliphatic hydrocarbon materials (-CH2-/-CH3 approximately = 2-2.5) in the circumstellar environment around CRL 618. It also implies that the carriers of the interstellar 3.4 micrometers feature are produced at least in part in circumstellar material, and it calls into question whether any are produced by the processing of interstellar ices in dense interstellar clouds, as has been previously proposed. Other features in the spectrum are recombination lines of hydrogen, rotational and vibration-rotation lines of molecular hydrogen, and a broad absorption probably due to a blend of HCN and C2H2 bands.

Variations of the 8.6 and 11.3 μm Emission Bands within NGC 1333: Evidence for Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Cations

We have obtained 8-13 μm spectra of three positions in the IR reflection nebula associated with SVS 3 in NGC 1333. These observations reveal systematic variations in the relative intensities of the IR emission features at 8.6 μm and 11.3 μm. In particular, the [8.6]/[11.3] ratio is highest at the position of the exciting star and decreases with increasing angular distance from the star. We attribute these variations to changes in the relative populations of ionized and neutral polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), driven by the strong far-ultraviolet radiation field near the star. From experiments and quantum chemical theoretical studies, the intrinsic strength of these two bands is known to vary with the charge state of the emitting PAH. We have developed a simple model for the relative intensity of the 8.6 and 11.3 μm bands taking the charge state of the carrier into account. This model is in good agreement with the data. We point out several observational and experimental tests of this model.

Unusual 3 micron emission features in three proto-planetary nebulae

Medium-resolution 3-4 micron spectra have been obtained of three objects, IRAS 04296 + 3429, IRAS 22272 + 5435, and CRL 2688, which are in transition between the asymptotic red giant branch and the planetary nebula phase. All three show unusual 3-micron emission features. The two IRAS objects, already unusual in having 21 micron features, have remarkably strong 3.4-3.5 micron emission relative to the usually dominant 3.3-micron feature, with the spectrum of IRAS 04296 + 3429 being nearly identical to that of IRAS 05341 + 0852 (previously published). CRL 2688s spectrum bears some resemblance to those of the IRAS objects, but its 3.4-3.5 micron emission is not as strong. The relationships between the various emission features are discussed. CRL 2688 may be completing a transition between the 21-micron phase and the normal phase, which is associated with dominant 3.3-micron emission, weak 3.4-3.6 micron features and plateau, and a lack of 21-micron emission.

ICES IN THE QUIESCENT IC 5146 DENSE CLOUD

This paper presents spectra in the 2 to 20 μm range of quiescent cloud material located in the IC 5146 cloud complex. The spectra were obtained with NASAs Infrared Telescope Facility SpeX instrument and the Spitzer Space Telescopes Infrared Spectrometer. We use these spectra to investigate dust and ice absorption features in pristine regions of the cloud that are unaltered by embedded stars. We find that the H_2O-ice threshold extinction is 4.03 ± 0.05 mag. Once foreground extinction is taken into account, however, the threshold drops to 3.2 mag, equivalent to that found for the Taurus dark cloud, generally assumed to be the touchstone quiescent cloud against which all other dense cloud and embedded young stellar object observations are compared. Substructure in the trough of the silicate band for two sources is attributed to CH_3OH and NH_3 in the ices, present at the ~2% and ~5% levels, respectively, relative to H_2O-ice. The correlation of the silicate feature with the E(J – K) color excess is found to follow a much shallower slope relative to lines of sight that probe diffuse clouds, supporting the previous results by Chiar et al.

A study of the 3.3 and 3.4 μm emission features in proto-planetary nebulae

Medium-resolution spectra have been obtained of seven carbon-rich proto-planetary nebulae (PPNs) and one young planetary nebula from 3.2 to 3.8 μm, an interval containing the prominent hydrocarbon C–H stretches at 3.3 and 3.4 μm due to aromatic and aliphatic structures, respectively. The 3.3 μm feature is newly identified in IRAS 23304+6147, 22223+4327, and 06530-0213 and is confirmed in Z02229+6208. Three of the PPNs emit in the 3.4 μm feature, two of these being new identifications, IRAS 20000+3239 and 01005+7910, with two others showing possible detections. The 3.3 and 3.4 μm emission features in IRAS 22272+5435 are seen in the nebula offset from the star but not at the position of the central star, consistent with the 2003 results of Goto et al. A similar distribution is seen for the 3.3 μm feature in IRAS 22223+4327. All of the PPNs except IRAS 22272+5435 show Class A 3 μm emission features. These observations, when combined with those of the approximately equal number of other carbon-rich PPNs previously observed, demonstrate that there are large differences in the 3 μm emission bands, even for PPNs with central stars of similar spectral type, and thus that the behavior of the bands does not depend solely on spectral type. We also investigated other possible correlations to help explain these differences. These differences do not depend on the C/O value, since the Class B sources fall within the C/O range found for Class A. All of these 3.3 μm sources also show C2 absorption and 21 μm emission features, except IRAS 01005+7910, which is the hottest source at B0.

New emission features in the infrared spectra of two IRAS sources

Observations of IRAS 21282 + 5050 and IRAS 03055 + 5819 (AFGL 437) obtained at 7.7-22.5 microns using the IRAS LRS during 1983 and at 3.1-3.8 microns using the 3.75-m UKIRT in September 1985, are reported and analyzed. The data are presented graphically, and the significance of three new nonatomic emission features at 3.46, 3.51, and 3.56 microns; the known emission features at 3.3, 3.40, 7.7, 8.6, and 11.3 microns; and the plateaus at 3.4-3.6 and above 11.5 microns is discussed in detail. It is suggested that the plateau and narrow features between 3.4 and 3.6 microns may be due to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with attached molecular subgroups such as -CH/sub 3/ or -C/sub 2/H/sub 5/, a hypothesis developed by analogy to that proposed by Cohen et al. (1985), and Puget et al. (1985) for the 12-micron plateaus seen in many IRAS spectra. 26 references.

Detection of the overtone of the 3.3 micron emission feature in IRAS 21282+5050

The 1.6-1.8 micron spectrum of the planetary nebula, IRAS 21282+5050, a strong emitter of the unidentified interstellar bands, contains a 0.02 micron wide eimission feature centered at 1.680 micron, which is well matched by laboratory spectra of the 0-2 CH stretching mode in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). We identify the new feature as the overtone of the well-known 3.3 micron band. In view of the high excitation required for emission in this band, the identification indicates that the emission is by free molecules rather than molecular moieties in solid dust grains. Modeling of the intensity ratio of the 2-0 to 1-0 band implied that the PAHs emitting in these bands contain about 60 carbon atoms. It is inferred that the nu = 2-1 hot band of the CH stretching mode occurs at about 3.43 micron and contributes to the long-wavelength shoulder of the 3.40 micron feature. The main 3.40 micron feature probably is due to aliphatic sidegroups on PAH molecules.

Near-infrared spectroscopy of proto-planetary nebulae

Sixteen candidates for proto-planetary nebulae have been observed with low-resolution infrared spectroscopy in the H and K bands, and 6 in the L band, using the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope. In the H band, the objects show hydrogen Brackett lines in absorption. In the K band, absorption bands (del v=2) of CO were observed, and in three cases the CO bands are in emission. The CO spectrum of IRAS 22272+5435 was found to change from emission to absorption over a three-month interval. This CO emission can be interpreted as an indication of some recent episodes of mass loss in these objects. Four of the objects were found to possess an emission feature at 3.3 um, usually associated with PAHs, and two of these show an unusually strong 3.4 um emission feature (Geballe, Tielens, Kwok, & Hrivnak 1992, ApJ, 387, L89).