TY - JOUR
T1 - Complex molecules in the hot core of the low-mass protostar NGC 1333 IRAS 4A
AU - Bottinelli, S.
AU - Ceccarelli, C.
AU - Lefloch, B.
AU - Williams, J. P.
AU - Castets, A.
AU - Cazaux, S.
AU - Maret, S.
AU - Parise, B.
AU - Tielens, A. G.G.M.
PY - 2004
Y1 - 2004
N2 - We report the detection of complex molecules (HCOOCH3, HCOOH, and CH3CN), signposts of a hot core-like region, toward the low-mass Class 0 source NGC 1333 IRAS 4A. This is the second low-mass protostar in which such complex molecules have been searched for and reported, the other source being IRAS 16293-2422. It is therefore likely that compact (a few tens of AU) regions of dense and warm gas, where the chemistry is dominated by the evaporation of grain mantles and where complex molecules are found, are common in low-mass Class 0 sources. Given that the chemical formation timescale is much shorter than the gas hot-core crossing time, it is not clear whether the reported complex molecules are formed on the grain surfaces (first-generation molecules) or in the warm gas by reactions involving the evaporated mantle constituents (second-generation molecules). We do not find evidence for large differences in the molecular abundances, normalized to the formaldehyde abundance, between the two solar-type protostars, suggesting perhaps a common origin.
AB - We report the detection of complex molecules (HCOOCH3, HCOOH, and CH3CN), signposts of a hot core-like region, toward the low-mass Class 0 source NGC 1333 IRAS 4A. This is the second low-mass protostar in which such complex molecules have been searched for and reported, the other source being IRAS 16293-2422. It is therefore likely that compact (a few tens of AU) regions of dense and warm gas, where the chemistry is dominated by the evaporation of grain mantles and where complex molecules are found, are common in low-mass Class 0 sources. Given that the chemical formation timescale is much shorter than the gas hot-core crossing time, it is not clear whether the reported complex molecules are formed on the grain surfaces (first-generation molecules) or in the warm gas by reactions involving the evaporated mantle constituents (second-generation molecules). We do not find evidence for large differences in the molecular abundances, normalized to the formaldehyde abundance, between the two solar-type protostars, suggesting perhaps a common origin.
KW - ISM: abundances
KW - ISM: individual (NGC 1333 IRAS 4a)
KW - ISM: molecules
KW - Stars: formation
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=10844292505&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1086/423952
DO - 10.1086/423952
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:10844292505
SN - 0004-637X
VL - 615
SP - 354
EP - 358
JO - The Astrophysical Journal: an international review of astronomy and astronomical physics
JF - The Astrophysical Journal: an international review of astronomy and astronomical physics
IS - 1 I
ER -