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Low-mass evolved stars are major contributors to interstellar medium enrichment as a consequence of the intense mass-loss process these stars experience at the end of their lives. The study of the gas in the envelopes surrounding asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars through observations in the millimetre wavelength range provides information about the history and nature of these molecular factories. Here we present ALMA observations at subarsecond resolution, complemented with IRAM-30 m data, of several lines of SiO, SiS, and CS towards the best-studied AGB circumstellar envelope, IRC + 10°216. We aim to characterise their spatial distribution and determine their fractional abundances mainly through radiative transfer and chemical modelling. The three species display extended emission with several enhanced emission shells. CS displays the most extended distribution reaching distances up to approximately 20′′. SiS and SiO emission have similar sizes of approximately 11′′, but SiS emission is slightly more compact. We have estimated fractional abundances relative to H2, which on average are equal to f(SiO) ~10−7, f(SiS) ~10−6, and f(CS) ~10−6 up to the photo-dissociation region. The observations and analysis presented here show evidence that the circumstellar material displays clear deviations from an homogeneous spherical wind, with clumps and low density shells that may allow UV photons from the interstellar medium (ISM) to penetrate deep into the envelope, shifting the photo-dissociation radius inwards. Our chemical model predicts photo-dissociation radii compatible with those derived from the observations, although it is unable to predict abundance variations from the starting radius of the calculations (~10 R*), which may reflect the simplicity of the model. We conclude that the spatial distribution of the gas proves the episodic and variable nature of the mass loss mechanism of IRC + 10°216, on timescales of hundreds of years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the detection of calcium isocyanide, CaNC, in the carbon-rich evolved star IRC+10216. We derived a column density for this species of (2 ± 0.5) × 1011 cm−2. Based on the observed line profiles and the modelling of its emission through the envelope, the molecule has to be produced in the intermediate and outer layers of the circumstellar envelope where other metal-isocyanides have previously been found in this source. The abundance ratio of CaNC relative to MgNC and FeCN is ≃1/60 and ≃1, respectively. We searched for the species CaF, CaCl, CaC, CaCCH, and CaCH3 for which accurate frequency predictions are available. Only upper limits have been obtained for these molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims. We characterise the gas in the extended atmospheres of the oxygen-rich asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars W Hya and R Dor using high angular resolution ALMA observations. Methods. We report the detection and investigate the properties of high-excitation Λ-doubling line emission of hydroxyl (OH). Results. The OH lines are produced very close to the central stars and seem optically thin and with no maser effect. We analyse the molecular excitation using a population diagram and find rotational temperatures of ∼2500 K and column densities of ∼1019 cm−2 for both sources. For W Hya, we observe emission from vibrationally excited H2O arising from the same region as the OH emission. Moreover, CO v = 1, J = 3 − 2 emission also shows a brightness peak in the same region. Considering optically thin emission and the rotational temperature derived for OH, we find a CO column density ∼15 times higher than that of OH, within an area of (92 × 84) mas2 centred on the OH emission peak. These results should be considered tentative because of the simple methods employed. The observed OH line frequencies differ significantly from the predicted transition frequencies in the literature, and provide the possibility of using OH lines observed in AGB stars to improve the accuracy of the Hamiltonian used for the OH molecule. We predict stronger OH Λ-doubling lines at millimetre wavelengths than those we detected. These lines will be a good probe of shocked gas in the extended atmosphere and are possibly even suitable as probes of the magnetic field in the atmospheres of close-by AGB stars through the Zeeman effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims. We aim to investigate the physical and chemical properties of the molecular envelope of the oxygen-rich AGB star IK Tau. Methods. We carried out a millimeter wavelength line survey between ~79 and 356 GHz with the IRAM-30m telescope. We analysed the molecular lines detected in IK Tau using the population diagram technique to derive rotational temperatures and column densities. We conducted a radiative transfer analysis of the SO2 lines, which also helped us to verify the validity of the approximated method of the population diagram for the rest of the molecules. Results. For the first time in this source we detected rotational lines in the ground vibrational state of HCO+, NS, NO, and H2CO, as well as several isotopologues of molecules previously identified, namely, C18O, Si17O, Si18O, 29SiS, 30SiS, Si34S, H13CN, 13CS, C34S, H2 34S, 34SO, and 34SO2. We also detected several rotational lines in vibrationally excited states of SiS and SiO isotopologues, as well as rotational lines of H2O in the vibrationally excited state v2 = 2. We have also increased the number of rotational lines detected of molecules that were previously identified toward IK Tau, including vibrationally excited states, enabling a detailed study of the molecular abundances and excitation temperatures. In particular, we highlight the detection of NS and H2CO with fractional abundances of f (NS) ~ 10-8 and f (H2CO) ~ [10-7-10-8]. Most of the molecules display rotational temperatures between 15 and 40 K. NaCl and SiS isotopologues display rotational temperatures higher than the average (~65 K). In the case of SO2 a warm component with Trot ~ 290K is also detected. Conclusions. With a total of ~350 lines detected of 34 different molecular species (including different isotopologues), IK Tau displays a rich chemistry for an oxygen-rich circumstellar envelope. The detection of carbon bearing molecules like H2CO, as well as the discrepancies found between our derived abundances and the predictions from chemical models for some molecules, highlight the need for a revision of standard chemical models. We were able to identify at least two different emission components in terms of rotational temperatures. The warm component, which is mainly traced out by SO2, is probably arising from the inner regions of the envelope (at .8 R*) where SO2 has a fractional abundance of f (SO2) = 10-6. This result should be considered for future investigation of the main formation channels of this, and other, parent species in the inner winds of O-rich AGB stars, which at present are not well reproduced by current chemistry models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circumstellar envelopes (CSEs) around asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars are the main sites of molecular formation. OH?231.8+4.2 is a well studied oxygen-rich CSE around an intermediate-mass evolved star that, in dramatic contrast to most AGB CSEs, displays bipolar molecular outflows accelerated up to ~400?km s-1. OH?231.8+4.2 also presents an exceptional molecular richness probably due to shock-induced chemical processes. We report the first detection in this source of four nitrogen-bearing species, HNCO, HNCS, HC3N, and NO, which have been observed with the IRAM-30?m radiotelescope in a sensitive mm-wavelength survey towards this target. HNCO and HNCS are also first detections in CSEs. The observed line profiles show that the emission arises in the massive (~0.6?M⊙) central component of the envelope, expanding with low velocities of Vexp ~ 15-30?km s-1, and at the base of the fast lobes. The NO profiles (with FWHM ~ 40-50?km s-1) are broader than those of HNCO, HNCS, and HC3N and, most importantly, broader than the line profiles of 13CO, which is a good mass tracer. This indicates that the NO abundance is enhanced in the fast lobes relative to the slow, central parts. From LTE and non-LTE excitation analysis, we estimate beam-average rotational temperatures of Trot ~ 15-30?K (and, maybe, up to ~55?K for HC3N) and fractional abundances relative to H2 of X(HNCO) ~ [0.8-1] × 10-7, X(HNCS) ~ [0.9-1] × 10-8, X(HC3N) ~ [5-7] × 10-9, and X(NO) ~ [1-2] × 10-6. NO is, therefore, amongst the most abundant N-bearing species in OH?231.8+4.2. We performed thermodynamical chemical equilibrium and chemical kinetics models to investigate the formation of these N-bearing species in OH?231.8+4.2. The model underestimates the observed abundances for HNCO, HNCS, and HC3N by several orders of magnitude, which indicates that these molecules can hardly be products of standard UV-photon and/or cosmic-ray induced chemistry in OH?231.8+4.2 and that other processes (e.g.?shocks) play a major role in their formation. For NO, the model abundance, ≈10-6, is compatible with the observed average value; however, the model fails to reproduce the NO abundance enhancement in the high-velocity lobes (relative to the slow core) inferred from the broad NO profiles. The new detections presented in this work corroborate the particularly rich chemistry of OH?231.8+4.2, which is likely to be profoundly influenced by shock-induced processes, as proposed in earlier works. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present interferometric continuum and molecular line emission maps obtained with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) of OH231.8+4.2, a well studied bipolar nebula around an asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star that is key to understand the remarkable changes in nebular morphology and kinematics during the short transition from the AGB to the Planetary Nebula (PN) phase. The excellent angular resolution of our maps (∼20 mas ∼30 AU) allows us to scrutinize the central nebular regions of OH231.8+4.2, which hold the clues to understanding how this iconic object assembled its complex nebular architecture. We report, for the first time in this object and others of its kind (i.e. pre-PNe with massive bipolar outflows), the discovery of a rotating circumbinary disk of radius ∼30 AU traced by NaCl, KCl, and H2O emission lines. The disk lies at the base of a young bipolar wind with signs of rotation as well. A compact spatially resolved dust disk is found perpendicular to the bipolar outflow. We also identify a point-like continuum source, which likely represents the central Mira star enshrouded by a ∼3 R * shell or disk of hot (∼1400 K) freshly formed dust. The point source is slightly off-centre from the disk centroid, enabling us for the first time to place constraints to the orbital separation of the central binary system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Observations of IRC +10216 with the Yebes 40 m telescope between 31 and 50 GHz have revealed more than 150 unidentified lines. Some of them can be grouped into a new series of 26 doublets, harmonically related with integer quantum numbers ranging from Jup = 54 to 80. The separation of the doublets increases systematically with J, that is to say, as expected for a linear species in one of its bending modes. The rotational parameters resulting from the fit to these data are B = 290.8844 ± 0.0004 MHz, D = 0.88 ± 0.04 Hz, and q = 0.1463 ± 0.0001 MHz. The rotational constant is very close to that of the ground state of HC9N. Our ab initio calculations show an excellent agreement between these parameters and those predicted for the lowest energy vibrationally excited state, ν19 = 1, of HC9N. This is the first detection, and complete characterization in space, of vibrationally excited HC9N. An energy of 41.5 cm−1 is estimated for the ν19 state. In addition, 17 doublets of HC7N in the ν15 = 1 state, for which laboratory spectroscopy is available, were detected for the first time in IRC +10216. Several doublets of HC5N in its ν11 = 1 state were also observed. The column density ratio between the ground and the lowest excited vibrational states are ≈127, 9.5, and 1.5 for HC5N, HC7N, and HC9N, respectively. We find that these lowest-lying vibrational states are most probably populated via infrared pumping to vibrationally excited states lying at ≈600 cm−1. The lowest vibrationally excited states thus need to be taken into account to precisely determine absolute abundances and abundance ratios for long carbon chains. The abundance ratios N(HC5N)/N(HC7N) and N(HC7N)/N(HC9N) are 2.4 and 7.7, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. Silicon carbide dust is ubiquitous in circumstellar envelopes around C-rich asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars. However, the main gas-phase precursors leading to the formation of SiC dust have not yet been identified. The most obvious candidates among the molecules containing an Si-C bond detected in C-rich AGB stars are SiC2, SiC and Si2C. To date, the ring molecule SiC2 has been observed in a handful of evolved stars, while SiC and Si2C have only been detected in the C-star envelope IRC +10216. Aims. We aim to study how widespread and abundant SiC2, SiC and Si2C are in envelopes around C-rich AGB stars and whether or not these species play an active role as gas-phase precursors of silicon carbide dust in the ejecta of carbon stars. Methods. We carried out sensitive observations with the IRAM 30m telescope of a sample of 25 C-rich AGB stars to search for emission lines of SiC2, SiC and Si2C in the ʎ 2 mm band.We performed non-LTE excitation and radiative transfer calculations based on the LVG method to model the observed lines of SiC2 and to derive SiC2 fractional abundances in the observed envelopes. Results. We detect SiC2 in most of the sources, SiC in about half of them and do not detect Si2C in any source except IRC +10216. Most of these detections are reported for the first time in this work. We find a positive correlation between the SiC and SiC2 line emission, which suggests that both species are chemically linked; the SiC radical is probably the photodissociation product of SiC2 in the external layer of the envelope. We find a clear trend where the denser the envelope, the less abundant SiC2 is. The observed trend is interpreted as evidence of effcient incorporation of SiC2 onto dust grains, a process that is favored at high densities owing to the higher rate at which collisions between particles take place. Conclusions. The observed behavior of a decline in the SiC2 abundance with increasing density strongly suggests that SiC2 is an important gas-phase precursor of SiC dust in envelopes around carbon stars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]