THE ABUNDANCE OF C{sub 3}H{sub 2} AND OTHER SMALL HYDROCARBONS IN THE DIFFUSE INTERSTELLAR MEDIUM

Journal Article · Tue Jul 10 04:00:00 EDT 2012 · Astrophysical Journal Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/753/2/L28· OSTI ID:22047695

Liszt, Harvey ^[1]; Sonnentrucker, Paule ^[2]; Cordiner, Martin ^[3]; Gerin, Maryvonne ^[4]

---

1. National Radio Astronomy Observatory, 520 Edgemont Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903-2475 (United States)
2. Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States)
3. Astrochemistry Laboratory and the Goddard Center for Astrobiology, Mailstop 691, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, 8800 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD 20770 (United States)
4. LERMA, UMR 8112 du CNRS, Observatoire de Paris Ecole Normale Superieure, UPMC and UCP (France)

Hydrocarbons are ubiquitous in the interstellar medium, observed in diverse environments ranging from diffuse to molecular dark clouds and strong photon-dominated regions near H II regions. Recently, two broad diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs) at 4881 A and 5450 A were attributed to the linear version of propynylidene l-C{sub 3}H{sub 2}, a species whose more stable cyclic conformer c-C{sub 3}H{sub 2} has been widely observed in the diffuse interstellar medium at radio wavelengths. This attribution has already been criticized on the basis of indirect plausibility arguments because the required column densities are quite large, N(l-C{sub 3}H{sub 2})/E{sub B-V} =4 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 14} cm{sup -2} mag{sup -1}. Here we present new measurements of N(l-C{sub 3}H{sub 2}) based on simultaneous 18-21 GHz Very Large Array absorption profiles of cyclic and linear C{sub 3}H{sub 2} taken along sight lines toward extragalactic radio-continuum background sources with foreground Galactic reddening E{sub B-V} = 0.1-1.6 mag. We find that N(l-C{sub 3}H{sub 2})/N(c-C{sub 3}H{sub 2}) Almost-Equal-To 1/15-1/40 and N(l-C{sub 3}H{sub 2})/E{sub B-V} Almost-Equal-To (2 {+-} 1) Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 11} cm{sup -2} mag{sup -1}, so that the column densities of l-C{sub 3}H{sub 2} needed to explain the DIBs are some three orders of magnitude higher than what is observed. We also find N(C{sub 4}H)/E{sub B-V} <1.3 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 13} cm{sup -2} mag{sup -1} and N(C{sub 4}H{sup -})/E{sub B-V} <1 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 11} cm{sup -2} mag{sup -1} (3{sigma}). Using available data for CH and C{sub 2}H we compare the abundances of small hydrocarbons in diffuse and dark clouds as a guide to their ability to contribute as DIB carriers over a wide range of conditions in the interstellar medium.

• OSTI ID: 22047695
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal Letters, Journal Name: Astrophysical Journal Letters Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 753; ISSN 2041-8205
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS
79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS
ASTROPHYSICS
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
COSMIC RADIO SOURCES
ELEMENT ABUNDANCE
GHZ RANGE
HYDROCARBONS
HYDROGEN IONS
INTERSTELLAR SPACE
MILKY WAY
MOLECULES
RADIOASTRONOMY
WAVELENGTHS