Discovery of a primordial water reservoir in the envelope of HH 211
- Author(s)
- Odysseas Dionatos
- Abstract
We report on the detection of a rich water reservoir in the protostellar envelope of the Class 0 source HH211. In striking contrast to all other molecules detected with Herschel/PACS, water emission peaks around the central source where both ortho and para forms are detected. The measured ortho-to-para ratio of just 0.65 indicates formation of water-ice at very low temperatures and a non-destructive photo-desorption process around the protostar. While part of the H2O emission is likely related to collisional excitation, the centralized morphology around the protostar suggests that radiative excitation is also significant, despite the fact that radiation appears to have a very different impact on the H2O molecules when compared to the terminal outflow shocks. The very low ortho-to-para ratio suggests that H2O around the protostar originates from primordial envelope material that has never been thermally processed before.
- Organisation(s)
- Department of Astrophysics
- Journal
- Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union
- Volume
- 14
- Pages
- 252-254
- No. of pages
- 3
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1017/S1743921318008360
- Publication date
- 2019
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Austrian Fields of Science 2012
- 103003 Astronomy, 103004 Astrophysics
- Keywords
- ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Nutrition and Dietetics, Medicine (miscellaneous), Space and Planetary Science
- Portal url
- https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/e4050b85-6c54-48a1-84c4-ee8e1ddfc7cf