SuperMALT: Physical and Chemical Properties of Massive and Dense Clumps

TL;DR

The SuperMALT survey investigates the physical, chemical, and kinematic evolution of dense molecular clumps across different stages using high-resolution molecular line observations.

Contribution

This study provides new observational data on the evolution of dense clumps, highlighting changes in morphology, line profiles, and chemical signatures with evolutionary stage.

Findings

Line widths increase from quiescent to HII stages.

Line ratios suggest chemical evolution among stages.

Morphologies and line profiles vary with evolution.

Abstract

The SuperMALT survey is observing 76 MALT90 clumps at different evolutionary stages (from pre-stellar or quiescent to HII) in high excitation molecular lines and key isotopomers using the Apex 12m telescope with an angular resolution of $\sim$20" and a velocity resolution of $\sim$0.1 km/s. The aim of this survey is to determine the physical, chemical, and kinematical properties of the gas within clumps as they evolve. Here we report some preliminary results based on observations of the $J$=3-2 \& 4-3 lines of HNC, HCN, HCO$^+$, N$_2$H$^+$ and of the $J$=3-2 line of the isotopologue H$^{13}$CO$^+$. We find that the morphologies and line profiles vary with the evolutionary stage of the clumps. The average line width increases from quiescent to HII clumps while line ratios show hint of chemical differences among the various evolutionary stages.