The ALMA-PILS survey: Stringent limits on small amines and nitrogen-oxides towards IRAS 16293–2422B

Ligterink, Niels Frank Willem; Calcutt, H.; Coutens, A.; Kristensen, L. E.; Bourke, T. L.; Drozdovskaya, Maria Nikolayevna; Müller, H. S. P.; Wampfler, Susanne; van der Wiel, M. H. D.; van Dishoeck, E. F.; Jørgensen, J. K. (2018). The ALMA-PILS survey: Stringent limits on small amines and nitrogen-oxides towards IRAS 16293–2422B. Astronomy and astrophysics, 619, A28. EDP Sciences 10.1051/0004-6361/201731980

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Context. Hydroxylamine (NH₂OH) and methylamine (CH₃NH₂) have both been suggested as precursors to the formation of amino acids and are therefore, of interest to prebiotic chemistry. Their presence in interstellar space and formation mechanisms, however, are not well established.
Aims. We aim to detect both amines and their potential precursor molecules NO, N₂O, and CH₂NH towards the low-mass protostellar binary IRAS 16293–2422, in order to investigate their presence and constrain their interstellar formation mechanisms around a young Sun-like protostar.
Methods. ALMA observations from the unbiased, high-angular resolution and sensitivity Protostellar Interferometric Line Survey (PILS) are used. Spectral transitions of the molecules under investigation are searched for with the CASSIS line analysis software.
Results. CH₂NH and N₂O are detected for the first time, towards a low-mass source, the latter molecule through confirmation with the single-dish TIMASSS survey. NO is also detected. CH₃NH₂ and NH₂OH are not detected and stringent upper limit column densities are determined.
Conclusions. The non-detection of CH₃NH₂ and NH₂OH limits the importance of formation routes to amino acids involving these species. The detection of CH₂NH makes amino acid formation routes starting from this molecule plausible. The low abundances of CH₂NH and CH₃NH₂ compared to Sgr B2 indicate that different physical conditions influence their formation in low- and high-mass sources.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

10 Strategic Research Centers > Center for Space and Habitability (CSH)
08 Faculty of Science > Physics Institute > Space Research and Planetary Sciences
08 Faculty of Science > Physics Institute
08 Faculty of Science > Physics Institute > NCCR PlanetS

UniBE Contributor:

Ligterink, Niels Frank Willem, Drozdovskaya, Maria Nikolayevna, Wampfler, Susanne

Subjects:

500 Science > 520 Astronomy
500 Science
500 Science > 530 Physics

ISSN:

0004-6361

Publisher:

EDP Sciences

Language:

English

Submitter:

Danielle Zemp

Date Deposited:

03 Jun 2019 16:41

Last Modified:

05 Dec 2022 15:26

Publisher DOI:

10.1051/0004-6361/201731980

BORIS DOI:

10.7892/boris.126846

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/126846

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