Broad band high resolution rotational spectroscopy for Laboratory Astrophysics

We present a new experimental setup devoted to the study of gas phase molecules and processes using broad band high spectral resolution rotational spectroscopy. A reactor chamber has been equipped with radio receivers similar to those used by radio astronomers to search for molecular emission in space. The whole Q (31.5-50 GHz) and W bands (72-116.5 GHz) are available for rotational spectroscopy observations. The receivers are equipped with 16×2.5 GHz Fast Fourier Transform spectrometers with a spectral resolution of 38.14 kHz allowing the simultaneous observation of the complete Q band and one third of the W band. The whole W band can be observed in three settings in which the Q band is always observed. Species such as CH3CN, OCS, and SO2 are detected, together with many of their isotopologues and vibrationally excited states, in very short observing times. The system permits automatic overnight observations and integration times as long as 2.4×105 seconds have been reached. The chamber is equipped with a radiofrequency source to produce cold plasmas and with four ultraviolet lamps to study photochemical processes. Plasmas of CH4, N2, CH3CN, NH3, O2, and H2, among other species, have been generated and the molecular products easily identified by their rotational spectrum, and mass spectrometry and optical spectroscopy. Finally, the rotational spectrum of the lowest energy conformer of CH3CH2NHCHO (N-Ethylformamide), a molecule previously characterized in microwave rotational spectroscopy, has been measured up to 116.5 GHz allowing the accurate determination of its rotational and distortion constants and its search in space.

Laboratory measurements and astronomical search for cyanomethanimine

CONTEXT

C-cyanomethanimine (HNCHCN), existing in the two Z and E isomeric forms, is a key prebiotic molecule, but, so far, only the E isomer has been detected toward the massive star-forming region. Sagittarius B2(N) using transitions in the radio wavelength domain.

AIMS

With the aim of detecting HNCHCN in Sun-like-star forming regions, the laboratory investigation of its rotational spectrum has been extended to the millimeter-/submillimeter-wave (mm-/submm-) spectral window in which several unbiased spectral surveys have been already carried out.

METHODS

High-resolution laboratory measurements of the rotational spectrum of C-cyanomethanimine were carried out in the 100-420 GHz range using a frequency-modulation absorption spectrometer. We then searched for the C-cyanomethanimine spectral features in the mm-wave range using the high-sensitivity and unbiased spectral surveys obtained with the IRAM 30-m antenna in the ASAI context, the earliest stages of star formation from starless to evolved Class I objects being sampled.

RESULTS

For both the Z and E isomers, the spectroscopic work has led to an improved and extended knowledge of the spectroscopic parameters, thus providing accurate predictions of the rotational signatures up to ~700 GHz. So far, no C-cyanomethanimine emission has been detected toward the ASAI targets, and upper limits of the column density of ~ 10¹¹-10¹² cm^-2 could only be derived. Consequently, the C-cyanomethanimine abundances have to be less than a few 10^-10 for starless and hot-corinos. A less stringent constraint, ≤ 10^-9, is obtained for shocks sites.

CONCLUSIONS

The combination of the upper limits of the abundances of C-cyanomethanimine together with accurate laboratory frequencies up to ~ 700 GHz poses the basis for future higher sensitivity searches around Sun-like-star forming regions. For compact (typically less than 1″) and chemically enriched sources such as hot-corinos, the use of interferometers as NOEMA and ALMA in their extended configurations are clearly needed.

Using radio astronomical receivers for molecular spectroscopic characterization in astrochemical laboratory simulations: A proof of concept

We present a proof of concept on the coupling of radio astronomical receivers and spectrometers with chemical reactors and the performances of the resulting setup for spectroscopy and chemical simulations in laboratory astrophysics. Several experiments including cold plasma generation and UV photochemistry were performed in a 40 cm long gas cell placed in the beam path of the Aries 40 m radio telescope receivers operating in the 41-49 GHz frequency range interfaced with fast Fourier transform spectrometers providing 2 GHz bandwidth and 38 kHz resolution. The impedance matching of the cell windows has been studied using different materials. The choice of the material and its thickness was critical to obtain a sensitivity identical to that of standard radio astronomical observations. Spectroscopic signals arising from very low partial pressures of CH₃OH, CH₃CH₂OH, HCOOH, OCS, CS, SO₂ (<10^-3 mbar) were detected in a few seconds. Fast data acquisition was achieved allowing for kinetic measurements in fragmentation experiments using electron impact or UV irradiation. Time evolution of chemical reactions involving OCS, O₂ and CS₂ was also observed demonstrating that reactive species, such as CS, can be maintained with high abundance in the gas phase during these experiments.

A rigorous detection of interstellar CH3NCO: An important missing species in astrochemical networks

The recent analysis of the composition of the frozen surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko has revealed a significant number of complex organic molecules. Methyl isocyanate (CH3NCO) is one of the more abundant species detected on the comet surface. In this work we report extensive characterization of its rotational spectrum resulting in a list of 1269 confidently assigned laboratory lines and its detection in space towards the Orion clouds where 399 lines of the molecule have been unambiguously identified. We find that the limited mm-wave laboratory data reported prior to our work require some revision. The abundance of CH3NCO in Orion is only a factor of ten below those of HNCO and CH3CN. Unlike the molecular abundances in the coma of comets, which correlate with those of warm molecular clouds, molecular abundances in the gas phase in Orion are only weakly correlated with those measured on the comet surface. We also compare our abundances with those derived recently for this molecule towards Sgr B2 (Halfen et al. 2015). A more accurate abundance of CH3NCO is provided for this cloud based on our extensive laboratory work.