Related papers: Interstellar OH+, H2O+ and H3O+ along the sight-li…
Models of pure gas-phase chemistry in well-shielded regions of molecular clouds predict relatively high levels of molecular oxygen, O2, and water, H2O. Contrary to expectation, the space missions SWAS and Odin found only very small amounts…
Context. The chemistry of the diffuse interstellar medium rests upon three pillars: exothermic ion-neutral reactions (" cold chemistry "), endothermic neutral-neutral reactions with significant activation barriers (" warm chemistry "), and…
Neutral atomic hydrogen and molecular gas in the host galaxies of radio active galactic nuclei (AGN) can be traced using H I 21-cm and OH-1667 MHz absorption lines to understand the fueling and feedback processes. We present the results of…
We present Herschel observations of the water molecule in the massive star-forming region W3 IRS5. The o-H17O 110-101, p-H18O 111-000, p-H2O 22 202-111, p-H2O 111-000, o-H2O 221-212, and o-H2O 212-101 lines, covering a frequency range from…
We report on the first far-IR detection of H2D+, using the Infrared Space Observatory, in the line of sight toward Sgr B2 in the galactic center. The transition at 126.853 um connecting the ground level of o-H2D+, 1_1,1 with the the 2_1,2…
We discuss the detection of absorption by interstellar hydrogen fluoride (HF) along the sight line to the submillimeter continuum sources W49N and W51. We have used Herschel's HIFI instrument in dual beam switch mode to observe the…
We report the detection of OH+ and H2O+ in the z=0.89 absorber toward the lensed quasar PKS1830-211. The abundance ratio of OH+ and H2O+ is used to quantify the molecular hydrogen fraction (fH2) and the cosmic-ray ionization rate of atomic…
(Abridged) We use HIFI maps of the 987 GHz H2O 2(02)-1(11) emission to measure the sizes and shapes of 19 high-mass protostellar envelopes. To identify infall, we use HIFI spectra of the optically thin C18O 9-8 and H2O-18 1(11)-0(00) lines.…
We present observations of the rotational ortho-water ground transition, the two lowest para-water transitions, and the ground transition of ionised ortho-water in the archetypal starburst galaxy M82, performed with the HIFI instrument on…
We present follow-up observations to those of Geballe & Oka (2010), who found high column densities of H3+ ~100 pc off of the Galactic center (GC) on the lines of sight to 2MASS J17432173-2951430 (J1743) and 2MASS J17470898-2829561 (J1747).…
We present initial results from the Herschel GT key program: Herschel observations of EXtra-Ordinary Sources (HEXOS) and outline the promise and potential of spectral surveys with Herschel/HIFI. The HIFI instrument offers unprecedented…
Context. Radio frequency molecular absorption lines appear along sight lines with AV well below 1 mag, revealing the presence of H2 in diffuse gas even when 2.6mm CO emission is absent. Aims. We discuss absorption lines of HCO+, C2H, HCN,…
We report the detection of the 1_{10}-1_{11} ground state transition of ortho-H_2D^+ at 372.421 GHz in emission from the young stellar object NGC 1333 IRAS 4A. Detailed excitation models with a power-law temperature and density structure…
Context: Hydrides of the most abundant heavier elements are fundamental molecules in cosmic chemistry. Some of them trace gas irradiated by UV or X-rays. Aims: We explore the abundances of major hydrides in W3 IRS5, a prototypical region of…
Water is an important molecule in interstellar and circumstellar environments. Previous observations of mid-infrared rotational lines of OH suggest that these lines may be used to probe the photodissociation of water. In this work, cross…
We present high-resolution (R = 20000) spectroscopy of H3+ absorption toward the luminous Galactic center sources GCS 3-2 and GC IRS 3. With the efficient wavelength coverage afforded by Subaru IRCS, six absorption lines of H3+ have been…
The Herschel survey, H-ATLAS, with its large areal coverage, has recently discovered a number of bright, strongly lensed high-z submillimeter galaxies. The strong magnification makes it possible to study molecular species other than CO,…
Context. The earliest phases of high-mass star formation are poorly understood. Aims. Our goal is to determine the physical conditions and kinematic structure of massive star-forming cloud clumps. Methods. We analyze H$_2$O 557 GHz line…
Aims. The comparative study of several molecular species at the origin of the gas phase chemistry in the diffuse interstellar medium (ISM) is a key input in unraveling the coupled chemical and dynamical evolution of the ISM. Methods. The…
We have used the Herschel-HIFI instrument to observe interstellar nitrogen hydrides along the sight-lines towards W49N and G10.6-0.4 in order to elucidate the production pathways leading to nitrogen-bearing species in diffuse gas. All…