Detection of a Noble Gas Molecular Ion, ³⁶ArH⁺, in the Crab Nebula

Noble gas molecules have not hitherto been detected in space. From spectra obtained with the Herschel Space Observatory, we report the detection of emission in the 617.5- and 1234.6-gigahertz J = 1-0 and 2-1 rotational lines of ³⁶ArH⁺ at several positions in the Crab Nebula, a supernova remnant know...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2013-12, Vol.342 (6164), p.1343-1345
Main Authors: Barlow, M. J., Swinyard, B. M., Owen, P. J., Cernicharo, J., Gomez, H. L., Ivison, R. J., Krause, O., Lim, T. L., Matsuura, M., Miller, S., Olofsson, G., Polehampton, E. T.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Argon
Astrobiology
Astrochemistry
Astronomy
Astrophysics
Carbon
Chemical elements
Crab nebula
Crabs
Earth, ocean, space
Electrons
Emission spectra
Exact sciences and technology
Explosions
Explosive forming
Interstellar medium (ism) and nebulae in milky way
Line spectra
Nebulae
Phosphorus
Radial velocity
Space based observatories
Stars
Stars & galaxies
Stellar systems. Galactic and extragalactic objects and systems. The universe
Sulfur
Supernova remnants
Velocity
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Summary:Noble gas molecules have not hitherto been detected in space. From spectra obtained with the Herschel Space Observatory, we report the detection of emission in the 617.5- and 1234.6-gigahertz J = 1-0 and 2-1 rotational lines of ³⁶ArH⁺ at several positions in the Crab Nebula, a supernova remnant known to contain both molecular hydrogen and regions of enhanced ionized argon emission. Argon-36 is believed to have originated from explosive nucleosynthesis in massive stars during core-collapse supernova events. Its detection in the Crab Nebula, the product of such a supernova event, confirms this expectation. The likely excitation mechanism for the observed ³⁶ArH⁺ emission lines is electron collisions in partially ionized regions with electron densities of a few hundred per centimeter cubed.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.1243582