HIGH-SENSITIVITY, BROADBAND SPECTRAL LINE SURVEYS OF STAR FORMING REGIONS WITH THE CSO
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Abstract
Spectral line surveys are powerful tools for astrochemistry because they circumvent the one-line-at-a-time approach that has historically hampered new molecule identification. Until recently, line surveys were typically motivated by the need to characterize the major components of interstellar clouds, i.e. the so-called ``interstellar weeds." Previously reported surveys therefore often do not provide the sensitivity levels required for identification of new molecules with weak spectral signatures. The goal of our recent observations with the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory (CSO) is to shift the focus of spectral line surveys away from the interstellar weeds and toward detection of new interstellar molecules. We have obtained broadband, high-sensitivity spectra toward several star forming regions with the new
Description
Author Institution: Department of Chemistry, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322; Division of Physics, Mathematics, and Astronomy, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125; Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125