Search

We describe the results of a haloscope axion search performed with an 11.7 T dipole magnet at CERN. The search used a custom-made radio-frequency cavity coated with high-temperature superconducting tape. A set of 27 h of data at a resonant frequency of around 8.84 GHz was analysed. In the range of axion mass 36.5676 $\mu$eV to 36.5699 $\mu$eV, corresponding to a width of 554 kHz, no signal excess hinting at an axion-like particle was found. Correspondingly, in this mass range, a limit on the axion to photon coupling-strength was set in the range between g$_{a\gamma}\gtrsim$ 6.2e-13 GeV$^{-1}$ and g$_{a\gamma}\gtrsim$ 1.54e-13 GeV$^{-1}$ with a 95% confidence level., Comment: 19 pages, 8 figures

In the near future BabyIAXO will be the most powerful axion helioscope, relying on a custom-made magnet of two bores of 70 cm diameter and 10 m long, with a total available magnetic volume of more than 7 m$^3$. In this document, we propose and describe the implementation of low-frequency axion haloscope setups suitable for operation inside the BabyIAXO magnet. The RADES proposal has a potential sensitivity to the axion-photon coupling $g_{a\gamma}$ down to values corresponding to the KSVZ model, in the (currently unexplored) mass range between 1 and 2$~\mu$eV, after a total effective exposure of 440 days. This mass range is covered by the use of four differently dimensioned 5-meter-long cavities, equipped with a tuning mechanism based on inner turning plates. A setup like the one proposed would also allow an exploration of the same mass range for hidden photons coupled to photons. An additional complementary apparatus is proposed using LC circuits and exploring the low energy range ($\sim10^{-4}-10^{-1}~\mu$eV). The setup includes a cryostat and cooling system to cool down the BabyIAXO bore down to about 5 K, as well as appropriate low-noise signal amplification and detection chain.

Within the increasing interest in the dark matter axion detection through haloscopes, in which different international groups are currently involved, the RADES group was established in 2016 with the goal of developing very sensitive detection systems to be operated in dipole magnets. This review deals with the work developed by this collaboration during its first five years, from the first designs, based on the multi-cavity concept, aiming to increase the haloscope volume and, so, to improve its sensitivity, their evolution, the data acquisition design, and, finally, the first experimental run. Moreover, the envisaged work within RADES, for both dipole and solenoid magnets, in the short and medium term is also presented., Comment: Review paper, 24 pages, 18 figures, 57 references

Context. IRC+10216, the carbon-rich envelope of the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star CW Leo, is one of the richest molecular sources in the sky. Available spectral surveys below 51 GHz are more than 25 years old and new work is needed. Aims. Characterizing the rich molecular content of this source, specially for heavy species, requires to carry out very sensitive spectral surveys at low frequencies. In particular in this work we have achieved an rms in the range 0.2-0.6 mK per MHz. Methods. long Q-band (31.0-50.3 GHz) single dish integrations were carried out with the Yebes 40m telescope using specifically built receivers. State of the art line catalogs are used for line identification. Results. A total of 652 spectral features corresponding to 713 transitions from 81 species (we count as different the isomers, isotopologues and ortho/para species) are present in the data. Only 57 unidentified lines remain with signal to noise ratios >3. Some new species and/or vibrational modes have been discovered for the first time with this survey. Conclusions. This IRC+10216 spectral survey is, by far, the most sensitive one carried out to this date in the Q-band. It therefore provides the most complete view of IRC+10216 from 31.0 to 50.3 GHz, giving unique information on its molecular content, specially for heavy species. Rotational diagrams built from the data provide valuable information on the physical conditions and chemical content of this circumstellar envelope., Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics on Oct. 29th 2021. Table A.1 will be removed from the published version and sent to the CDS

The axion is a hypothetical particle which is a candidate for cold dark matter. Haloscope experiments directly search for these particles in strong magnetic fields with RF cavities as detectors. The Relic Axion Detector Exploratory Setup (RADES) at CERN in particular is searching for axion dark matter in a mass range above 30 $\mu$eV. The figure of merit of our detector depends linearly on the quality factor of the cavity and therefore we are researching the possibility of coating our cavities with different superconducting materials to increase the quality factor. Since the experiment operates in strong magnetic fields of 11 T and more, superconductors with high critical magnetic fields are necessary. Suitable materials for this application are for example REBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7-x}$, Nb$_3$Sn or NbN. We designed a microwave cavity which resonates at around 9~GHz, with a geometry optimized to facilitate superconducting coating and designed to fit in the bore of available high-field accelerator magnets at CERN. Several prototypes of this cavity were coated with different superconducting materials, employing different coating techniques. These prototypes were characterized in strong magnetic fields at 4.2 K., Comment: 5 pages, 6 figures. v2: minor updates after referee comments, matches published version in IEEE

The electromagnetic coupling axion-photon in a microwave cavity is revisited with the Boundary Integral - Resonant Mode Expansion (BI-RME) 3D technique. Such full-wave modal technique has been applied for the rigorous analysis of the excitation of a microwave cavity with an axion field. In this scenario, the electromagnetic field generated by the axion-photon coupling can be assumed to be driven by equivalent electrical charge and current densities. These densities have been inserted in the general BI-RME 3D equations, which express the RF electromagnetic field existing within a cavity as an integral involving the Dyadic Green functions of the cavity (under Coulomb gauge) as well as such densities. This method is able to take into account any arbitrary spatial and temporal variation of both magnitude and phase of the axion field. Next, we have obtained a simple network driven by the axion current source, which represents the coupling between the axion field and the resonant modes of the cavity. With this approach, it is possible to calculate the extracted and dissipated RF power as a function of frequency along a broad band and without Cauchy-Lorentz approximations, obtaining the spectrum of the electromagnetic field generated in the cavity, and dealing with modes relatively close to the axion resonant mode. Moreover, with this technique we have a complete knowledge of the signal extracted from the cavity, not only in magnitude but also in phase. This can be an interesting issue for future analysis where the axion phase is an important parameter., Comment: 37 pages, 14 figures, 40 references

We present results of the Relic Axion Dark-Matter Exploratory Setup (RADES), a detector which is part of the CERN Axion Solar Telescope (CAST), searching for axion dark matter in the 34.67$\mu$eV mass range. A radio frequency cavity consisting of 5 sub-cavities coupled by inductive irises took physics data inside the CAST dipole magnet for the first time using this filter-like haloscope geometry. An exclusion limit with a 95% credibility level on the axion-photon coupling constant of g$_{a\gamma}\gtrsim 4\times10^{-13} \text{GeV}^{-1}$ over a mass range of 34.6738 $\mu$eV < $m_a$ < 34.6771 $\mu$eV is set. This constitutes a significant improvement over the current strongest limit set by CAST at this mass and is at the same time one of the most sensitive direct searches for an axion dark matter candidate above the mass of 25 $\mu$eV. The results also demonstrate the feasibility of exploring a wider mass range around the value probed by CAST-RADES in this work using similar coherent resonant cavities., Comment: 14 pages, 9 figures. Accepted for publication in JHEP. Minor changes done compared to the previous version

We report the detection of the sulfur-bearing species NCS, HCCS, H2CCS, H2CCCS, and C4S for the first time in space. These molecules were found towards TMC-1 through the observation of several lines for each species. We also report the detection of C5S for the first time in a cold cloud through the observation of five lines in the 31-50 GHz range. The derived column densities are N(NCS) = (7.8 +/- 0.6)e11 cm-2, N(HCCS) = (6.8 +/- 0.6)e11 cm-2, N(H2CCS) = (7.8 +/- 0.8)e11 cm-2, N(H2CCCS) = (3.7 +/- 0.4)e11 cm-2, N(C4S) = (3.8 +/- 0.4)e10 cm-2, and N(C5S) = (5.0 +/- 1.0)e10 cm-2. The observed abundance ratio between C3S and C4S is 340, that is to say a factor of approximately one hundred larger than the corresponding value for CCS and C3S. The observational results are compared with a state-of-the-art chemical model, which is only partially successful in reproducing the observed abundances. These detections underline the need to improve chemical networks dealing with S-bearing species., Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A Letters

We present the first identification in interstellar space of the propargyl radical (CH2CCH). This species was observed in the cold dark cloud TMC-1 using the Yebes 40m telescope. The six strongest hyperfine components of the 2,0,2-1,0,1 rotational transition, lying at 37.46~GHz, were detected with signal-to-noise ratios in the range 4.6-12.3 sigma. We derive a column density of 8.7e13 cm-2 for CH2CCH, which translates to a fractional abundance relative to H2 of 8.7e-9. This radical has a similar abundance to methyl acetylene, with an abundance ratio CH2CCH/CH3CCH close to one. The propargyl radical is thus one of the most abundant radicals detected in TMC-1, and it is probably the most abundant organic radical with a certain chemical complexity ever found in a cold dark cloud. We constructed a gas-phase chemical model and find calculated abundances that agree with, or fall two orders of magnitude below, the observed value depending on the poorly constrained low-temperature reactivity of CH2CCH with neutral atoms. According to the chemical model, the propargyl radical is essentially formed by the C + C2H4 reaction and by the dissociative recombination of C3Hn+ ions with n = 4-6. The propargyl radical is believed to control the synthesis of the first aromatic ring in combustion processes, and it probably plays a key role in the synthesis of large organic molecules and cyclization processes to benzene in cold dark clouds., Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A Letters

We present the discovery in TMC-1 of allenyl acetylene, H2CCCHCCH, through the observation of nineteen lines with a signal-to-noise ratio ~4-15. For this species, we derived a rotational temperature of 7 +/- 1 K and a column density of (1.2 +/- 0.2)e13 cm-2. The other well known isomer of this molecule, methyl diacetylene (CH3C4H), has also been observed and we derived a similar rotational temperature, Trot = 7.0 +/- 0.3 K, and a column density for its two states (A and E) of (6.5 +/- 0.3)e12 cm-2. Hence, allenyl acetylene and methyl diacetylene have a similar abundance. Remarkably, their abundances are close to that of vinyl acetylene (CH2CHCCH). We also searched for the other isomer of C5H4, HCCCH2CCH (1.4-pentadiyne), but only a 3sigma upper limit of 2.5e12 cm-2 to the column density can be established. These results have been compared to state-of-the-art chemical models for TMC-1, indicating the important role of these hydrocarbons in its chemistry. The rotational parameters of allenyl acetylene have been improved by fitting the existing laboratory data together with the frequencies of the transitions observed in TMC-1., Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A Letters. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:2102.10920

We present the discovery in TMC-1 of vinyl acetylene, CH2CHCCH, and the detection, for the first time in a cold dark cloud, of HCCN, HC4N, and CH3CH2CN. A tentative detection of CH3CH2CCH is also reported. The column density of vinyl acetylene is (1.2 +/- 0.2)e13 cm-2, which makes it one of the most abundant closed-shell hydrocarbons detected in TMC-1. Its abundance is only three times lower than that of propylene, CH3CHCH2. The column densities derived for HCCN and HC4N are (4.4 +/- 0.4)e11 cm-2 and (3.7 +/- 0.4)e11 cm-2, respectively. Hence, the HCCN/HC4N abundance ratio is 1.2 +/- 0.3. For ethyl cyanide we derive a column density of (1.1 +/- 0.3)e11 cm-2. These results are compared with a state-of-the-art chemical model of TMC-1, which is able to account for the observed abundances of these molecules through gas-phase chemical routes., Comment: Accepted for publication in A&a Letters

We report the detection in TMC-1 of the protonated form of C3S. The discovery of the cation HC3S+ was carried through the observation of four harmonically related lines in the Q band using the Yebes 40m radiotelescope, and is supported by accurate ab initio calculations and laboratory measurements of its rotational spectrum. We derive a column density N(HC3S+) = (2.0 +/- 0.5)e11 cm-2, which translates to an abundance ratio C3S/HC3S+ of 65 +/- 20. This ratio is comparable to the CS/HCS+ ratio (35 +/- 8) and is a factor of about ten larger than the C3O/HC3O+ ratio previously found in the same source. However, the abundance ratio HC3O+/HC3S+ is 1.0 +/- 0.5, while C3O/C3S is just 0.11. We also searched for protonated C2S in TMC-1, based on ab initio calculations of its spectroscopic parameters, and derive a 3sigma upper limit of N(HC2S+) < 9e11 cm-2 and a C2S/HC2S+ > 60. The observational results are compared with a state-of-the-art gas-phase chemical model and conclude that HC3S+ is mostly formed through several pathways: proton transfer to C3S, reaction of S+ with c-C3H2, and reaction between neutral atomic sulfur and the ion C3H3+., Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A Letters

Yebes 40\,m radio telescope is the main and largest observing instrument at Yebes Observatory and it is devoted to Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) and single dish observations since 2010. It has been covering frequency bands between 2\,GHz and 90\,GHz in discontinuous and narrow windows in most of the cases, to match the current needs of the European VLBI Network (EVN) and the Global Millimeter VLBI Array (GMVA). Nanocosmos project, a European Union funded synergy grant, opened the possibility to increase the instantaneous frequency coverage to observe many molecular transitions with single tunnings in single dish mode. This reduces the observing time and maximises the output from the telescope. We present the technical specifications of the recently installed 31.5-50 GHz (Q band) and 72-90.5 GHz (W band) receivers along with the main characteristics of the telescope at these frequency ranges. We have observed IRC+10216, CRL 2688 and CRL 618, which harbour a rich molecular chemistry, to demonstrate the capabilities of the new instrumentation for spectral observations in single dish mode. The results show the high sensitivity of the telescope in the Q band. The spectrum of IRC+10126 offers a signal to noise ratio never seen before for this source in this band. On the other hand, the spectrum normalised by the continuum flux towards CRL\,618 in the W band demonstrates that the 40~m radio telescope produces comparable results to those from the IRAM 30~m radio telescope, although with a smaller sensitivity. The new receivers fulfil one of the main goals of Nanocosmos and open the possibility to study the spectrum of different astrophysical media with unprecedented sensitivity., Comment: 22 pages, 27 figures, 6 tables. Refereed manuscript

Using the Yebes 40m radio telescope, we report the detection of a series of seven lines harmonically related with a rotational constant B0=1295.81581 +/- 0.00026 MHz and a distortion constant D0=27.3 +/- 0.5 Hz towards the cold dense cloud TMC-1. Ab initio calculations indicate that the best possible candidates are the cations HC5NH+ and NC4NH+. From a comparison between calculated and observed rotational constants and other arguments based on proton affinities and dipole moments, we conclude that the best candidate for a carrier of the observed lines is the protonated cyanodiacetylene cation, HC5NH+. The HC5N/HC5NH+ ratio derived in TMC-1 is 240, which is very similar to the HC3N/HC3NH+ ratio. Results are discussed in the framework of a chemical model for protonated molecules in cold dense clouds., Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A Letters

RADES (Relic Axion Detector Exploratory Setup) is a project with the goal of directly searching for axion dark matter above the $30 \mu$eV scale employing custom-made microwave filters in magnetic dipole fields. Currently RADES is taking data at the LHC dipole of the CAST experiment. In the long term, the RADES cavities are envisioned to take data in the (baby)-IAXO magnet. In this article we report on the modelling, building and characterisation of an optimised microwave-filter design with alternating irises that exploits maximal coupling to axions while being scalable in length without suffering from mode-mixing. We develop the mathematical formalism and theoretical study which justifies the performance of the chosen design. We also point towards the applicability of this formalism to optimise the MADMAX dielectric haloscopes., Comment: 27 pages, 16 figures, v3: expanded sensitivity discussion, version accepted for publication in JHEP

ALMA has been operating since 2011, but has not yet been populated with the full suite of intended frequency bands. In particular, ALMA Band 2 (67-90 GHz) is the final band in the original ALMA band definition to be approved for production. We aim to produce a wideband, tuneable, sideband-separating receiver with 28 GHz of instantaneous bandwidth per polarisation operating in the sky frequency range 67-116 GHz. Our design anticipates new ALMA requirements following the recommendations in the 2030 ALMA Development Roadmap. The cryogenic cartridge is designed to be compatible with the ALMA Band 2 cartridge slot, where the coldest components -- the feedhorns, orthomode transducers, and cryogenic low noise amplifiers -- operate at a temperature of 15 K. We use multiple simulation methods and tools to optimise our designs for both the passive optics and the active components. The cryogenic cartridge interfaces with a room temperature cartridge hosting the local oscillator (LO) and the downconverter module. This warm cartridge is largely based on GaAs semiconductor technology and is optimised to match the cryogenic receiver bandwidth with the required instantaneous LO tuning range. Our collaboration has designed, fabricated, and tested multiple technical solutions for each of the components, producing a state-of-the-art receiver covering the full ALMA Band 2 & 3 atmospheric window. The receiver is suitable for deployment on ALMA in the coming years, and is capable of dual-polarisation, sideband-separating observations in intermediate frequency bands spanning 4-18 GHz, for a total of 28 GHz on-sky bandwidth per polarisation channel. We conclude that the 67-116 GHz wideband implementation for ALMA Band 2 is now feasible, and this receiver is a compelling instrumental upgrade that will enhance observational capabilities and scientific reach., Comment: 23 pages, accepted for publication in A&A on 20 Dec 2019. This version corrects the affiliations of 2 co-authors

The Relic Axion Detector Experimental Setup (RADES) is an axion search project that uses a microwave filter as resonator for Dark Matter conversion. The main focus of this publication is the description of the 3 different cavity prototypes of RADES. The result of the first tests of one of the prototypes is also presented. The filters consist of 5 or 6 stainless steel sub-cavities joined by rectangular irises. The size of the sub-cavities determines the working frequency, the amount of sub-cavities determine the working volume. The first cavity prototype was built in 2017 to work at a frequency of $\sim$ 8.4 GHz and it was placed at the 9 T CAST dipole magnet at CERN. Two more prototypes were designed and built in 2018. The aim of the new designs is to find and test the best cavity geometry in order to scale up in volume and to introduce an effective tuning mechanism. Our results demonstrate the promising potential of this type of filter to reach QCD axion sensitivity at X-Band frequencies., Comment: Proceedings for the 3rd Axion Cavity and Detector Workshop, Livermore Valley Open Campus August 21-25th, 2018

The Atacama Large Millimeter/sub-millimeter Array (ALMA) is already revolutionising our understanding of the Universe. However, ALMA is not yet equipped with all of its originally planned receiver bands, which will allow it to observe over the full range of frequencies from 35-950 GHz accessible through the Earth's atmosphere. In particular Band 2 (67-90 GHz) has not yet been approved for construction. Recent technological developments in cryogenic monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) amplifier and orthomode transducer (OMT) design provide an opportunity to extend the originally planned on-sky bandwidth, combining ALMA Bands 2 and 3 into one receiver cartridge covering 67-116 GHz. The IF band definition for the ALMA project took place two decades ago, when 8 GHz of on-sky bandwidth per polarisation channel was an ambitious goal. The new receiver design we present here allows the opportunity to expand ALMA's wideband capabilities, anticipating future upgrades across the entire observatory. Expanding ALMA's instantaneous bandwidth is a high priority, and provides a number of observational advantages, including lower noise in continuum observations, the ability to probe larger portions of an astronomical spectrum for, e.g., widely spaced molecular transitions, and the ability to scan efficiently in frequency space to perform surveys where the redshift or chemical complexity of the object is not known a priori. Wider IF bandwidth also reduces uncertainties in calibration and continuum subtraction that might otherwise compromise science objectives. Here we provide an overview of the component development and overall design for this wideband 67-116 GHz cryogenic receiver cartridge, designed to operate from the Band 2 receiver cartridge slot in the current ALMA front end receiver cryostat., Comment: 8 pages, proceedings from the 8th ESA Workshop on Millimetre-Wave Technology and Applications (https://atpi.eventsair.com/QuickEventWebsitePortal/millimetre-wave/mm-wave)

We present a proof of concept on the coupling of radio astronomical receivers and spectrometers with chemical reactorsand the performances of the resulting setup for spectroscopy and chemical simulations in laboratory astrophysics. Several experiments including cold plasma generation and UV photochemistry were performed in a 40\,cm long gas cell placed in the beam path of the Aries 40\,m radio telescope receivers operating in the 41-49 GHz frequency range interfaced with fast Fourier transform spectrometers providing 2 GHz bandwidth and 38 kHz resolution. The impedance matching of the cell windows has been studied using different materials. The choice of the material and its thickness was critical to obtain a sensitivity identical to that of standard radio astronomical observations. Spectroscopic signals arising from very low partial pressures of CH3OH, CH3CH2OH, HCOOH, OCS,CS, SO2 (<1E-03 mbar) were detected in a few seconds. Fast data acquisition was achieved allowing for kinetic measurements in fragmentation experiments using electron impact or UV irradiation. Time evolution of chemical reactions involving OCS, O2 and CS2 was also observed demonstrating that reactive species, such as CS, can be maintained with high abundance in the gas phase during these experiments., Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics in September 21, 2017. 16 pages, 18 figures

Observations of 28SiO v=0 J=1-0 line emission (7-mm wavelength) from AGB stars show in some cases peculiar profiles, composed of a central intense component plus a wider plateau. Very similar profiles have been observed in CO lines from some AGB stars and most post-AGB nebulae and, in these cases, they are clearly associated with the presence of conspicuous axial symmetry and bipolar dynamics. We present systematic observations of 28SiO v=0 J=1-0 emission in 28 evolved stars, performed with the 40~m radio telescope of the IGN in Yebes, Spain. We find that the composite core plus plateau profiles are almost always present in O-rich Miras, OH/IR stars, and red supergiants. They are also found in one S-type Mira ($\chi$ Cyg), as well as in two semiregular variables (X Her and RS Cnc) that are known to show axial symmetry. In the other objects, the profiles are simpler and similar to those of other molecular lines. The composite structure appears in the objects in which SiO emission is thought to come from the very inner circumstellar layers, prior to dust formation. The central spectral feature is found to be systematically composed of a number of narrow spikes, except for X Her and RS Cnc, in which it shows a smooth shape that is very similar to that observed in CO emission. These spikes show a significant (and mostly chaotic) time variation, while in all cases the smooth components remain constant within the uncertainties. The profile shape could come from the superposition of standard wide profiles and a group of weak maser spikes. Alternatively, we speculate that the very similar profiles detected in objects that are axisymmetric may be indicative of the systematic presence of a significant axial symmetry in the very inner circumstellar shells around AGB stars; the presence of such symmetry would be independent of the probable weak maser effects in the central spikes., Comment: 12 pages, 28 figures. To be published in Astronomy and Astrophysics

Cyanogen (NCCN) is the simplest member of the series of dicyanopolyynes. It has been hypothesized that this family of molecules can be important constituents of interstellar and circumstellar media, although the lack of a permanent electric dipole moment prevents its detection through radioastronomical techniques. Here we present the first solid evidence of the presence of cyanogen in interstellar clouds through the detection of its protonated form toward the cold dark clouds TMC-1 and L483. Protonated cyanogen (NCCNH+) has been identified through the J=5-4 and J=10-9 rotational transitions using the 40m radiotelescope of Yebes and the IRAM 30m telescope. We derive beam averaged column densities for NCCNH+ of (8.6+/-4.4)e10 cm-2 in TMC-1 and (3.9+/-1.8)e10 cm-2 in L483, which translate to fairly low fractional abundances relative to H2, in the range (1-10)e-12. The chemistry of protonated molecules in dark clouds is discussed, and it is found that, in general terms, the abundance ratio between the protonated and non protonated forms of a molecule increases with increasing proton affinity. Our chemical model predicts an abundance ratio NCCNH+/NCCN of 1e-4, which implies that the abundance of cyanogen in dark clouds could be as high as (1-10)e-8 relative to H2, i.e., comparable to that of other abundant nitriles such as HCN, HNC, and HC3N., Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A Letters

We performed Herschel/HIFI observations of several CO lines in the far-infrared/sub-mm in the protoplanetary nebula CRL618. The high spectral resolution provided by HIFI allows measurement of the line profiles. Since the dynamics and structure of the nebula is well known from mm-wave interferometric maps, it is possible to identify the contributions of the different nebular components (fast bipolar outflows, double shells, compact slow shell) to the line profiles. The observation of these relatively high-energy transitions allows an accurate study of the excitation conditions in these components, particularly in the warm ones, which cannot be properly studied from the low-energy lines. The 12CO J=16-15, 10-9, and 6-5 lines are easily detected in this source. 13CO J=10-9 and 6-5 are also detected. Wide profiles showing spectacular line wings have been found, particularly in 12CO 16-15. Other lines observed simultaneously with CO are also shown. Our analysis of the CO high-J transitions, when compared with the existing models, confirms the very low expansion velocity of the central, dense component, which probably indicates that the shells ejected during the last AGB phases were driven by radiation pressure under a regime of maximum transfer of momentum. No contribution of the diffuse halo found from mm-wave data is identified in our spectra, because of its low temperature. We find that the fast bipolar outflow is quite hot, much hotter than previously estimated; for instance, gas flowing at 100 km/s must have a temperature higher than ~ 200 K. Probably, this very fast outflow, with a kinematic age < 100 yr, has been accelerated by a shock and has not yet cooled down. The double empty shell found from mm-wave mapping must also be relatively hot, in agreement with the previous estimate., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures

The molecular gas in the DR21 massive star formation region is known to be affected by the strong UV field from the central star cluster and by a fast outflow creating a bright shock. The relative contribution of both heating mechanisms is the matter of a long debate. By better sampling the excitation ladder of various tracers we provide a quantitative distinction between the different heating mechanisms. HIFI observations of mid-J transitions of CO and HCO+ isotopes allow us to bridge the gap in excitation energies between observations from the ground, characterizing the cooler gas, and existing ISO LWS spectra, constraining the properties of the hot gas. Comparing the detailed line profiles allows to identify the physical structure of the different components. In spite of the known shock-excitation of H2 and the clearly visible strong outflow, we find that the emission of all lines up to > 2 THz can be explained by purely radiative heating of the material. However, the new Herschel/HIFI observations reveal two types of excitation conditions. We find hot and dense clumps close to the central cluster, probably dynamically affected by the outflow, and a more widespread distribution of cooler, but nevertheless dense, molecular clumps., Comment: Accepted for publication by A&A

We present the results from a monitoring of the v=1 and v=2 J=1-0 (28)SiO maser emission in 21 objects, covering all types of known SiO maser emitters: 13 Mira variables, 2 long period semiregulars (SRGs), 3 variable supergiants (SGs), 2 OH/IR stars, and one young stellar object. This study has been carried out with the 13.7 meter radiotelescope of the Centro Astronomico de Yebes (Guadalajara, Spain), from July 1984 to May 1990, and represents the longest and most tightly sampled monitoring of SiO masers ever published. Our data show that for Mira-type (i.e. regular) variables, the SiO and optical light curves agree in period, and that the maxima of the SiO emission lag the optical ones by about 0.1-0.2 periods. Since a similar lag characterizes the near infrared (NIR) emission variability from these stars, we conclude that for regular variables SiO and NIR vary in phase. This result was confirmed in three objects for which NIR variability curves are available. For SRGs and SGs, we found a less systematic behavior, but when the SiO emission is periodic, its variability curve agrees with the optical one, also showing a lag between maximum epochs similar to that of Mira-type stars. The data clearly reveal other interesting details on the SiO maser variability, such as the strong intensity differences between different maxima and changes in the velocity distribution of the emission. Finally, the SiO masers associated to the young stellar object Orion IRc2 showed a double peaked spectrum with low amplitude, aperiodic variations.