Physical and chemical variations within the W3 star-forming region. II. The 345 GHz spectral line survey.

Results are presented of the 345 GHz spectral survey toward three sources in the W3 Giant Molecular Cloud: W3 IRS4, W3 IRS5 and W3(H_2O). Nearly 90% of the atmospheric window between 334 and 365 GHz has been scanned using the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope down to a noise level of ~80 mK per resolution element. These observations are complemented by a large amount of data in the 230 GHz atmospheric window. From this data set physical conditions and beam-averaged column densities are derived for more than 14 chemically different species (over 24 different isotopes). The physical parameters derived in Paper I (\cite[Helmich et al. 1994]{ref36}) are confirmed by the analysis of the excitation of other species, although there is evidence that the silicon- and sulfur-bearing molecules exist in a somewhat denser and warmer environment. The densities are high, >= 10^6 cm^{-3}, in the three sources and the kinetic temperatures for the bulk of the gas range from 55 K for IRS4 to 220 K for W3(H_2O). The chemical differences between the three sources are very striking: silicon- and sulfur-bearing molecules such as SiO and SO_2 are prominent toward IRS5, whereas organic molecules like CH_3OH, CH_3OCH_3 and CH_3OCHO are at least an order of magnitude more abundant toward W3(H_2O). Vibrationally excited molecules are also detected toward this source. Only simple molecules are found toward IRS4. The data provide constraints on the amount of deuterium fractionation and the ionization fraction in the observed regions as well. These chemical characteristics are discussed in the context of an evolutionary sequence, in which IRS5 is the youngest, W3(H_2O) somewhat older and IRS4, although still enigmatic, the oldest. The James Clerk Maxwell Telescope is operated by the The Joint Astronomy Centre on behalf of the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research, and the National Research Council of Canada. Tables 7--12 are also available in electronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u.strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/Abstract.html