Identification of the simplest sugar-like molecule glycolaldehyde towards the hot molecular core G358.93-0.03 MM1
Abstract
Glycolaldehyde (CH2OHCHO) is the simplest monosaccharide sugar in the interstellar medium, and it is directly involved in the origin of life via the 'RNA world' hypothesis. We present the first detection of CH2OHCHO towards the hot molecular core G358.93-0.03 MM1 using the Atacama Large Millimetre/Submillimetre Array (ALMA). The calculated column density of CH2OHCHO towards G358.93-0.03 MM1 is (1.52 ± 0.9) × 1016 cm-2 with an excitation temperature of 300 ± 68.5 K. The derived fractional abundance of CH2OHCHO with respect to H2 is (4.90 ± 2.92) × 10-9, which is consistent with that estimated by existing two-phase warm-up chemical models. We discuss the possible formation pathways of CH2OHCHO within the context of hot molecular cores and hot corinos and find that CH2OHCHO is likely formed via the reactions of radical HCO and radical CH2OH on the grain-surface of G358.93-0.03 MM1.
- Publication:
-
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
- Pub Date:
- October 2023
- DOI:
- 10.1093/mnras/stad2185
- arXiv:
- arXiv:2308.14454
- Bibcode:
- 2023MNRAS.525.2229M
- Keywords:
-
- astrochemistry;
- stars: formation;
- ISM: abundances;
- ISM: individual objects (G358.93-0.03 MM1);
- ISM: kinematics and dynamics;
- Astrophysics - Astrophysics of Galaxies;
- Physics - Chemical Physics
- E-Print:
- 12 pages, 4 figures, published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (MNRAS)