DISCOVERY OF SiCSi IN IRC+10216: A MISSING LINK BETWEEN GAS AND DUST CARRIERS OF Si–C BONDS
- Group of Molecular Astrophysics, ICMM, CSIC, C/Sor Juana Inés de La Cruz N3, E-28049, Madrid (Spain)
- Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA 02138, and School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States)
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309 (United States)
- JILA, National Institute of Standards and Technology and University of Colorado, and Department of Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309 (United States)
- Institut de Radioastronomie Millimétrique, 300 rue de la Piscine, F-38406 St-Martin d’Hères (France)
- Universit Grenoble Alpes, IPAG, F-38000 Grenoble (France)
- Institute for Theoretical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712 (United States)
- I. Physikalisches Institut, Universität zu Köln, Zülpicher Str. 77, D-50937 Köln (Germany)
We report the discovery in space of a disilicon species, SiCSi, from observations between 80 and 350 GHz with the IRAM 30 m radio telescope. Owing to the close coordination between laboratory experiments and astrophysics, 112 lines have now been detected in the carbon-rich star CW Leo. The derived frequencies yield improved rotational and centrifugal distortion constants up to sixth order. From the line profiles and interferometric maps with the Submillimeter Array, the bulk of the SiCSi emission arises from a region of 6″ in radius. The derived abundance is comparable to that of SiC{sub 2}. As expected from chemical equilibrium calculations, SiCSi and SiC{sub 2} are the most abundant species harboring a Si−C bond in the dust formation zone and certainly both play a key role in the formation of SiC dust grains.
- OSTI ID:
- 22518965
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal Letters, Vol. 806, Issue 1; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 2041-8205
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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