Submillimeter Array Observations of CS J=14--13 Emission from the Evolved Star IRC+10216
Abstract
We present imaging observations of the evolved star IRC+10216 in the CS J=14--13 line at 685.4 GHz and associated submillimeter continuum at about 2'' resolution made with the partially constructed Submillimeter Array. The CS J=14--13 line emission from the stellar envelope is well resolved both spatially and spectrally. The strong central concentration of the line emission provides direct evidence that CS is a parent molecule that forms close to the stellar photosphere, in accord with previous images of the lower excitation CS J=2--1 line and inferences from unresolved observations of vibrationally excited transitions. The continuum emission is dominated by a compact, unresolved component, consistent with the photospheric emission, that accounts for about 20% of the broadband 450 micron flux. These are the first interferometer imaging observations made in the semi-transparent 450 micron atmospheric window.
Cite
@article{arxiv.astro-ph/0403418,
title = {Submillimeter Array Observations of CS J=14--13 Emission from the Evolved Star IRC+10216},
author = {K. H. Young and T. R. Hunter and D. J. Wilner and M. A. Gurwell},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:astro-ph/0403418},
year = {2009}
}
Comments
accepted for publication in ApJ Letters, 12 pages, 3 figures