Water in dense molecular clouds

Journal Article · Thu Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 1991 · Astrophysical Journal; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1086/170345· OSTI ID:5104446

Wannier, P G; Kuiper, T B.H.; Frerking, M A; Gulkis, S; Pickett, H M; Wilson, W J; Pagani, L; Lecacheux, A; Encrenaz, P ^[1]

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1. JPL, Pasadena, CA (United States) Paris Observatoire, Meudon (France) Normale Superieure, Paris (France)

The G.P. Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO) was used to make initial observations of the half-millimeter ground-state transition of water in seven giant molecular clouds and in two late-type stars. No significant detections were made, and the resulting upper limits are significantly below those expected from other, indirect observations and from several theoretical models. The implied interstellar H2O/CO abundance is less than 0.003 in the cores of three giant molecular clouds. This value is less than expected from cloud chemistry models and also than estimates based on HDO and H3O(+) observations. 78 refs.

• OSTI ID: 5104446
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal; (United States), Vol. 377; ISSN 0004-637X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
INTERSTELLAR SPACE
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
WATER VAPOR
COSMOCHEMISTRY
CARBON MONOXIDE
COSMIC GASES
ELEMENT ABUNDANCE
GROUND STATES
LIMITING VALUES
MASERS
MOLECULES
ABUNDANCE
AMPLIFIERS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMISTRY
ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT
ENERGY LEVELS
EQUIPMENT
FLUIDS
GASES
MICROWAVE AMPLIFIERS
MICROWAVE EQUIPMENT
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
SPACE
VAPORS
640105* - Astrophysics & Cosmology- Galaxies