Heavy water around the L1448-mm protostar

TL;DR

This study images and analyzes heavy water (HDO) emission around the L1448-mm protostar, revealing its distribution and suggesting HDO formation in shocked regions rather than solely in hot corinos.

Contribution

First imaging of HDO emission around L1448-mm, showing its spatial distribution and proposing shock regions as HDO formation sites.

Findings

HDO emission is centered near the protostar's dust-heated region.

Tentative weaker HDO emission detected near the outflow cavity walls.

Derived HDO abundance of approximately 4×10^-7 in the hot-corino region.

Abstract

Context: L1448-mm is the prototype of a low-mass Class 0 protostar driving a high-velocity jet. Given its bright H2O spectra observed with ISO, L1448-mm is an ideal laboratory to observe heavy water (HDO) emission. Aims: Our aim is to image the HDO emission in the protostar surroundings, the possible occurrence of HDO emission also investigating off L1448-mm, towards the molecular outflow. Methods: We carried out observations of L1448-mm in the HDO(1_10-1_11) line at 80.6 GHz, an excellent tracer of HDO column density, with the IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer. Results: We image for the first time HDO emission around L1448-mm. The HDO structure reveals a main clump at velocities close to the ambient one towards the the continuum peak that is caused by the dust heated by the protostar. In addition, the HDO map shows tentative weaker emission at about 2000 AU from the protostar towards the south, which is possibly associated with the walls of the outflow cavity opened by the protostellar wind. Conclusions: Using an LVG code, modelling the density and temperature profile of the hot-corino, and adopting a gas temperature of 100 K and a density of 1.5 10^8 cm^-3, we derive a beam diluted HDO column density of about 7 10^13 cm^-2, corresponding to a HDO abundance of about 4 10^-7. In addition, the present map supports the scenario where HDO can be efficiently produced in shocked regions and not uniquely in hot corinos heated by the newly born star.