GBT26A-554

Establishing Cyanocoronene as An Ubiquitous PAH in the Galaxy

Abstract

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are thought to contain up to 25% of all interstellar carbon and strongly influence the physics and chemistry of star- and planet-forming regions, yet individual PAHs had remained undetected in cold clouds until their recent discovery in TMC-1. The surprising result that these multi-ring aromatic species were found at similar abundances defied the expected decrease in column density with molecular size, raising fundamental questions about their origin, ubiquity, and chemical evolution. Here, we aim to search for cyanocoronene in clouds with different physical environments than that of TMC-1: the very-low-luminosity-object (VeLLo) hosting core MC27/L1521F and the chemically evolved starless core L1512. Using deep GBT X-band observations, we will target multiple bright cyanocoronene lines with high sensitivity and high spectral resolution. Detecting cyanocoronene in these sources will demonstrate the ubiquity of PAHs in cold cores with distinct physical environments, offering new insights into their origin, survival, and potential delivery to future star and planet formation.

Investigators

Name	Institution
GBT Operator	Green Bank Observatory
Gabi Wenzel *	Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Brett McGuire	National Radio Astronomy Observatory; Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Ilsa Cooke	British Columbia, University of; Rennes 1, Université de
Ted Bergin	Michigan at Ann Arbor, University of
Tony Remijan	National Radio Astronomy Observatory
Michael McCarthy	Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

* indicates the PI