CH_3_NCO (methyl isocyanate) transition frequencies

DOI

A new interstellar molecule, CH_3_NCO (methyl isocyanate), has been detected using the 12m telescope of the Arizona Radio Observatory (ARO). CH_3_NCO was identified in spectra covering 48GHz (68-116GHz) in the 3mm segment of a broadband survey of Sgr B2(N). Thirty very favorable rotational lines (K_a_=0 and K_a_=1 only; E_u_7, 9->8, 10->9, 11->10, and 12->11) in both the A and E internal rotation species are present in this frequency range. Emission was observed at all of the predicted frequencies, with 17 lines appearing as distinct, uncontaminated spectral features, clearly showing the classic a-type, asymmetric top pattern, with T_R_^*^~20-70mK. The CH_3_NCO spectra also appear to exhibit two velocity components near V_LSR_~62 and 73km/s, both with {Delta}V_1/2_~10km/s --typical of molecules such as CH_2_CHCN, HNCO, and HCOOCH_3_ in Sgr B2(N). The column density of CH_3_NCO in Sgr B2(N) was determined to be N_tot_~2.3x10^13^ and 1.5x10^13^/cm^2^ for the 62 and 73km/s components, corresponding to fractional abundances, relative to H_2_, of f~7.6x10^-12^ and 5.0x10^-12^, respectively. CH_3_NCO was recently detected in volatized material from comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko by Rosetta's Philae lander, with an abundance ~1.3% of water; in Sgr B2(N), CH_3_NCO is roughly ~0.04% of the H_2_O abundance.

Identifier
DOI http://doi.org/10.26093/cds/vizier.18129005
Source https://dc.g-vo.org/rr/q/lp/custom/CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/812/L5
Related Identifier https://cdsarc.cds.unistra.fr/viz-bin/cat/J/ApJ/812/L5
Related Identifier http://vizier.cds.unistra.fr/viz-bin/VizieR-2?-source=J/ApJ/812/L5
Metadata Access http://dc.g-vo.org/rr/q/pmh/pubreg.xml?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=oai_b2find&identifier=ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/812/L5
Provenance
Creator Halfen D.T.; Ilyushin V.V.; Ziurys L.M.
Publisher CDS
Publication Year 2016
Rights https://cds.unistra.fr/vizier-org/licences_vizier.html
OpenAccess true
Contact CDS support team <cds-question(at)unistra.fr>
Representation
Resource Type Dataset; AstroObjects
Discipline Astrophysics and Astronomy; Interdisciplinary Astronomy; Interstellar medium; Natural Sciences; Observational Astronomy; Physics