Protostellar Interferometric Line Survey of the Cygnus X region (PILS-Cygnus) -- First results: observations of CygX-N30

TL;DR

This study uses high-resolution interferometric observations to analyze complex organic molecules in the star-forming region CygX-N30, revealing chemical differentiation and insights into their origin related to protostellar activity and icy grain processes.

Contribution

First high-angular-resolution broad-frequency line survey of CygX-N30, providing detailed chemical inventory and spatial distribution of COMs in a protostellar environment.

Findings

Detected ~400 lines from 29 molecular species and isotopologues.

Identified chemical differentiation along a linear gradient.

Suggested COMs originate from young stellar sources and infalling material.

Abstract

(Abridged) Complex organic molecules (COMs) are commonly detected in and near star-forming regions. However, the dominant process in the release of these COMs from the icy grains - where they predominately form - to the gas phase is still an open question. We investigate the origin of COM emission in a protostellar source, CygX-N30, through high-angular-resolution interferometric observations over a continuous broad frequency range. We used 32 GHz Submillimeter Array observations with continuous frequency coverage from 329 to 361 GHz at an angular resolution of ~1" to do a line survey and obtain a chemical inventory of the source. The line emission was used to determine column densities and excitation temperatures for the COMs. We mapped out the intensity distribution of the different species and identified approximately 400 lines that can be attributed to 29 different molecular species and their isotopologues. We find that the molecular peak emission is along a linear gradient, coinciding with the axis of red- and blueshifted H2CO and CS emission. Chemical differentiation is detected along this gradient, with the O-bearing molecular species peaking towards one component of the system and the N- and S-bearing species peaking towards the other. The inferred column densities and excitation temperatures are compared to other sources where COMs are abundant. The origin of the observed COM emission is probably a combination of the young stellar sources along with accretion of infalling material onto a disc-like structure surrounding a young protostar. The low D/H ratio observed (<0.1%) likely reflects a pre-stellar phase where COMs formed on the ices at warm temperatures (~ 30 K), with inefficient deuterium fractionation. The observations and results presented here demonstrate the importance of good frequency coverage and high angular resolution when disentangling the origin of COM emission.