C$_3$O IN THE CARBON STAR IRC+10216
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Date
2006
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Publisher
Ohio State University
Abstract
We report the detection of C$_3$O in the circumstellar envelope of IRC+10216. Five rotational lines of this molecule were observed at 2 and 3 mm using the Kitt Peak 12 m telescope of the Arizona Radio Observatory (ARO). The line profiles were U-shaped, indicating that the molecule is present in the outer shell with a source size $\geq$ 81.6''. The derived C$_3$O column density of 1x10$^{12}$ cm$^{-2}$ is two orders of magnitude larger than the value predicted by the most recent chemical model of IRC+10216 (Millar, Herbst \& Bettens 2000). C$_3$O is the sixth oxygen-bearing molecule that has been identified in IRC+10216, and our observations represent the second astronomical detection of C$_3$O.
Description
Author Institution: Department of Chemistry, Department of Astronomy, and Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, 933 North Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85721