A&A 402, 1–3 (2003) Astronomy DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361:20030229 & c ESO 2003 Astrophysics Transfer of radiation through cyclopropenylidene and ethylene oxide S. Chandra School of Physical Sciences, SRTM University, Nanded 431 606, India Received 29 June 1999 / Accepted 17 October 2002 Abstract. Cyclopropenylidene and ethylene oxide molecules are of astronomical importance as their observed lines, distributed throughout the observable microwave region, have a number of pairs having nearly equal frequencies, but different excitation energies and/or belonging to two different species of the molecule. Hence, these molecules may play important role in detecting physical conditions in cosmic objects. Therefore, in order to calculate intensities of the lines, we have investigated transfer of radiation through a cosmic object containing the molecule at a kinetic temperature of 10 K. Our results show that some lines of the molecule may be found in absorption against the cosmic 2.7 K background. Key words. ISM: molecules – molecular data – radiative transfer 1. Introduction The molecular data required as input for the present inves- tigation are: (i) Einstein A-coefficients for radiative transitions Cyclopropenylidene (C3H2), in astronomical objects, was iden- between the rotational energy levels accounted for, and (ii) rate tified by Thaddeus et al. (1985); they reported twelve emission coefficients for collisional transitions between the energy levels lines of the molecule, distributed throughout the observable mi- due to collisions with H2 molecules. crowave region. Ethylene oxide (C H O) has been observed by 2 4 Both cyclopropenylidene and ethylene oxide are b-type Dickens et al. (1997) in Sgr B2N; twelve emission lines of the asymmetric top molecules having a large electric dipole mo- molecule, distributed throughout the observable microwave re- ment of 3.325 D and 1.88 D, respectively, along their b-axis gion, have been reported by them. These observable lines of the of inertia. Details for calculation of Einstein A-coefficients molecules have line-pairs which may play an important role for for b-type rotational transitions in an asymmetric top molecule finding out physical conditions in astronomical objects. have been discussed by Chandra et al. (1984). Therefore, in order to calculate intensities of lines, we have Very accurate values for the molecular and distortional con- investigated transfer of radiation through an astronomical ob- stants for cyclopropenylidene have been reported by Bogey ject containing the molecule at a kinetic temperature of 10 K. et al. (1987), and for ethylene oxide have been reported by Pan et al. (1998). These constants are used here for calcula- tion of a consistent set of Einstein A-coefficients for rotational 2. Basic formulation and molecular data transitions between the levels accounted for. The Einstein NLTE occupation numbers of energy levels of the molecule A-coefficients, used here, are reported in Tables 1A, and 1B, re- under investigation are calculated in an on-the-spot approx- spectively, for ortho- and para-C3H2, and in Tables 1C, and 1D, imation by using the escape probability method (see, e.g., respectively, for ortho- and para-C 2H4O. These tables are avail- Rausch et al. 1996), where the external radiation field, imping- able in electronic form at the CDS. ing on a volume element, and emitting the lines, is the cos- Collisional rate coefficients for downward transitions be- mic 2.7 K background only. In the present investigation, we tween the lowest 16 levels of ortho- and between the lowest accounted for 47 and 48 rotational energy levels for ortho- 17 levels of para-C3H2 for a kinetic temperature T = 10 K and para-C3H2, respectively, and 52 rotational energy level for are taken from Avery & Green (1989). For other transitions, → ortho- and para-C2H4O. J kakc Jkakc at a kinetic temperature T, collisional rate co- efficients are given by Sharma & Chandra (2001) Tables 1A, 1B, 1C, and 1D are only available in electronic form → = × −11 + at the CDS via anonymous ftp to C J kakc Jkakc 1 10 T/30/ 2J 1 . (1) cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsweb.u-strasbg/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/402/1 No data are, however, available in the literature for the colli- e-mail: [email protected] sional rate coefficients for ethylene oxide. In the absence of any Article published by EDP Sciences and available at http://www.aanda.org or http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:20030229 2 S. Chandra: Transfer of radiation through cyclopropenylidene and ethylene oxide Table 2A. Lines of cyclopropenylidene observed in cosmic objects. 300 50 40 Transition Frequency Excitation 150 110 101/220 211 (GHz) energy (K) 30 − 110 101 18.3431 0.9 0 202 111/312 303 220−211 21.5874 9.7 20 2 −2 46.7556 8.7 11 02 Intensity ratio -150 10 202−111 82.0936 6.4 3 −3 82.9662 13.7 12 03 -300 0 322−313 84.7277 16.1 5.0 5.5 6.0 3456 212−101 85.3389 4.1 40 120 432−423 85.6564 26.7 − 404 313 150.8207 19.3 30 414−303 150.8519 17.0 80 2 1 /3 3 212 101/322 313 606−515 217.8220 38.6 02 11 22 13 20 616−505 217.8222 36.3 441−330 265.7595 29.9 40 Intensity ratio 10 Table 2B. Lines of ethylene oxide observed in Sgr B2N. 0 0 34563456 Transition Frequency Excitation 3500 1200 (GHz) energy (K) 3000 − 900 111 000 39.5816 1.9 2500 422−413 41.5794 20.5 − 2000 441 432 47.0950 21.6 600 550−541 47.5569 33.6 1500 312−221 104.6886 9.9 1000 2 1 /4 4 2 1 /4 4 Intensity ratio 12 01 32 23 300 02 11 32 23 6 −5 219.5128 38.6 34 23 500 808−717 235.1061 52.4 − 0 0 818 707 235.1061 50.7 34563456 541−432 249.1616 31.3 550−441 249.6236 33.6 404 313/414 303 817−726 254.2318 59.3 − 606 515/616 505 827 716 254.2357 57.5 0.35 0.35 0.3 0.3 knowledge for collisional rate coefficients, we assumed that the Intensity ratio ffi → rate coe cient for a downward transition J kakc Jkakc at 0.25 0.25 the kinetic temperature T is given by Eq. (1). For upward col- 34563456 lisional rate coefficients, for C3H2 as well as C2H4O, we ac- -3 -3 log(nH /cm ) log(nH /cm ) counted for the fact that downward and upward collisional rate 2 2 coefficients are related through the detailed equilibrium. Fig. 1. Variation of the ratio of intensities of pairs of lines of C3H2, measured in the unit of Planck’s function at a kinetic temperature of 10 K. Solid line is for γ = 10−6 cm−3 (km s−1)−1 pc, and the dotted line −5 −3 −1 −1 for γ = 10 cm (km s ) pc. For the ratio 110 → 101/220 → 211, 3. Observations the graph is shown for a part of the molecular hydrogen density. For Observed lines of cyclopropenylidene and ethylene oxide are low density, which is not shown in the figure, the graph extends almost horizontally. given in Tables 2A and 2B, respectively. The spectral line 110−101 of C3H2 at 18.343 GHz was eas- ily detectable in a wide range of objects throughout the galaxy. 4. Numerical results and discussion The sources where this transition was found include cold dust clouds, circumstellar envelopes, complex molecular clouds in In order to include a large number of cosmic objects, numer- vicinity of H regions, and the spiral arm clouds towards the ical calculations are carried out for wide ranges for physical supernova remnant Cas A. The most interesting feature of the parameters. The molecular hydrogen density n H2 has been var- 3 −3 6 −3 line 220−211 of C3H2 at 21.5874 GHz has been its absorp- ied over the range from 10 cm to 10 cm , and calcu- tion even against the cosmic 2.7 K background, in all cosmic lations are performed for a kinetic temperature of 10 K. In objects investigated by Madden et al. (1989). However, Cox the calculations, free parametres are the hydrogen density n H2 , et al. (1987) found this line in emission in the planetary nebula and γ ≡ nmol/(dvr/dr), where nmol is density of the molecule, NGC 7027. and dvr/dr the velocity gradient. S. Chandra: Transfer of radiation through cyclopropenylidene and ethylene oxide 3 4.1. Absorption lines 2000 20 Besides the line 220–211 of C3H2, a number of other lines of 1500 111 000/422 413 10 C3H2, and of C2H4O are found in absorption against the cosmic 2.7 K background. We (Chandra & Kegel 2001) predicted that 1000 0 besides the line 220–211, the lines 330–321, and 331–322 of C3H2, and three lines 2 –2 ,3 –3 , and 3 –3 of C H O may be 441 432/550 441 20 11 30 21 31 22 2 4 Intensity ratio 500 -10 observed in absorption against the cosmic 2.7 K background. The present investigation is in agreement that the line 0 -20 34563456 220−211 of C3H2 appears in absorption even against the cos- mic 2.7 K background, observed by Madden et al. (1989). 0.5 0.5 The line has positive intensity at large hydrogen density, showing that density in the planetary nebula NGC 7027, where the emission feature was observed, has been more than − about 105.6 cm 3.