GBT22A-398

Exploring Carbon Chain Chemistry of Massive Protostars

Abstract

Massive protostars are unique laboratories for understanding the interstellar synthesis of various simple and complex organic molecules. The chemistry in these regions is very rich, and most detections of new interstellar molecules have been made in such regions. Several molecular line surveys have been performed toward hot molecular core (HMC) environments, but only a few of these have been conducted in the low frequency range ($<$70 GHz), which are needed to fully characterize and understand source chemistry and associated kinematics. The unique capabilities of the GBT enable such observations of two massive protostars G28.20-0.05 and G28.37+00.07, which span a range of evolutionary states and environments, in the low frequency regime (26-39.5 GHz). A low-frequency line survey of these sources will enable detailed exploration carbon-chain chemistry (e.g., HC$_{2n+1}$N, C$_n$H, C$_n$N; including their ionized forms and isotopologues) and excitation conditions, which will help to test models of warm carbon-chain chemistry of massive protostars. With the proposed observation, we will: (i) explore carbon-chain chemistry, including that of protonated and anionic forms and fractionations (carbon and deuterium); (ii) constrain astrochemical models to understand the evolution of carbon chain molecules and constrain the physical conditions; (iii) improve understanding of warm carbon-chain chemistry for high-mass protostars.

Investigators

Name	Institution
Prasanta Gorai *	Chalmers University Of Technology
CHI YAN LAW	Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica
Ruben Fedriani	Andalucía, Instituto de Astrofísica de
Kotomi Taniguchi	National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
Giuliana Cosentino	London, University College
Jonathan Tan	Virginia, University of; Chalmers University Of Technology

* indicates the PI