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SO and SO2 are two potential candidates to trace the different evolutionary phases of the low-mass star-formation process. Here, we report observations of SO and SO2 along with their isotopologues, 34SO and 34SO2, respectively, in four distinct phases of the low-mass star-formation process (prestellar core, first hydrostatic core, Class 0, and Class I) with an unbiased survey carried out using the Institut de Radioastronomie Millimetrique (IRAM) 30 m telescope. Interestingly, the estimated abundances of SO and SO2 show an increasing trend from the prestellar phase to the Class 0 stage and then a decrease in the Class I phase. A similar trend is obtained for OCS and H2S. In contrast, the obtained SO/SO2 ratio decreases gradually from the prestellar core to the Class I stage. We have used the three-phase Rokko chemical code to explain our observations. The modeled abundances of SO and SO2 exhibit an increase within the inner region as the cold gas transforms into a hot gas. The modeled abundance ratio of SO to SO2 exhibits a notably high value in cold gas environments. This ratio decreases to less than 1 within the temperature range of 100-300 K and then increases to approximately 1 beyond 300 K. In the outer region, the simulated ratio consistently exceeds the value of 1. Our work is an observational testbed for modeling the chemistry of SO/SO2 during low-mass star formation. However, our findings may require more sample sources with higher resolution and a more robust model for validation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The destiny of complex organic molecules (COMs) in star-forming regions is interlinked with various evolutionary phases. Therefore, identifying these species in diversified environments of identical star-forming regions would help to understand their physical and chemical heritage. We identified multiple COMs utilizing the Large Program Astrochemical Surveys At Institut de Radio Astronomie Millimétrique (IRAM) data, dedicated to chemical surveys in Sun-like star-forming regions with the IRAM 30 m telescope. It was an unbiased survey in the millimeter regime, covering the prestellar core, protostar, outflow region, and protoplanetary disk phase. Here, we report the transitions of seven COMs, namely, methanol (CH3OH), acetaldehyde (CH3CHO), methyl formate (CH3OCHO), ethanol (C2H5OH), propynal (HCCCHO), dimethyl ether (CH3OCH3), and methyl cyanide (CH3CN) in sources L1544, B1-b, IRAS4A, and SVS13A. We found a trend among these species from the derived abundances using the rotational diagram method and Monte Carlo Markov chain fitting. We have found that the abundances of all of the COMs, except for HCCCHO, increase from the L1544 (prestellar core) and peaks at IRAS16293-2422 (class 0 phase). It is noticed that the abundance of these molecules correlates with the luminosity of the sources. The obtained trend is also visible from the previous interferometric observations and considering the beam dilution effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Massive dense clumps in the Large Magellanic Cloud can be an important laboratory to explore the formation of populous clusters. We report multiscale ALMA observations of the N159W-North clump, which is the most CO-intense region in the galaxy. High-resolution CO isotope and 1.3 mm continuum observations with an angular resolution of ∼0.″25 (∼0.07 pc) revealed more than five protostellar sources with CO outflows within the main ridge clump. One of the thermal continuum sources, MMS-2, shows an especially massive/dense nature whose total H2 mass and peak column density are ∼104 M ⊙ and ∼1024 cmâˆ'2, respectively, and harbors massive (∼100 M ⊙) starless core candidates identified as its internal substructures. The main ridge containing this source can be categorized as one of the most massive protocluster systems in the Local Group. The CO high-resolution observations found several distinct filamentary clouds extending southward from the star-forming spots. The CO (1â€"0) data set with a larger field of view reveals a conical, ∼30 pc long complex extending toward the northern direction. These features indicate that a large-scale gas compression event may have produced the massive star-forming complex. Based on the striking similarity between the N159W-North complex and the other two previously reported high-mass star-forming clouds in the nearby regions, we propose a “teardrops inflow model” that explains the synchronized, extreme star formation across >50 pc, including one of the most massive protocluster clumps in the Local Group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present three-dimensional astrochemical simulations and synthetic observations of magnetized, turbulent, self-gravitating molecular clouds. We explore various galactic interstellar medium environments, including cosmic ray ionization rates in the range of ζ CR = 10−17– |$10^{-14}\, {\rm s}^{-1}$|⁠ , far-UV intensities in the range of G 0 = 1–103 and metallicities in the range of Z = 0.1– |$2\, {\rm Z}_{\odot }$|⁠. The simulations also probe a range of densities and levels of turbulence, including cases where the gas has undergone recent compression due to cloud–cloud collisions. We examine: (i) the column densities of carbon species across the cycle of C  ii , C  i , and CO, along with O  i , in relation to the H  i -to-H2 transition; (ii) the velocity-integrated emission of [C  ii ] 158 μm, [13C  ii ] 158 μm, [C  i ] 609 μm and 370 μm, [O  i ] 63 μm and 146 μm, and of the first ten 12CO rotational transitions; (iii) the corresponding Spectral Line Energy Distributions; (iv) the usage of [C  ii ] and [O  i ] 63 μm to describe the dynamical state of the clouds; (v) the behaviour of the most commonly used ratios between transitions of CO and [C  i ]; and (vi) the conversion factors for using CO and C  i as H2-gas tracers. We find that enhanced cosmic ray energy densities enhance all aforementioned line intensities. At low metallicities, the emission of [C  ii ] is well connected with the H2 column, making it a promising new H2 tracer in metal-poor environments. The conversion factors of X CO and X C  i depend on metallicity and the cosmic ray ionization rate, but not on FUV intensity. In the era of ALMA, SOFIA, and the forthcoming CCAT-prime telescope, our results can be used to understand better the behaviour of systems in a wide range of galactic and extragalactic environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SO and SO2 are two potential candidates to trace the different evolutionary phases of the low-mass star-formation process. Here, we report observations of SO and SO2 along with their isotopologues, 34SO and 34SO2, respectively, in four distinct phases of the low-mass star-formation process (prestellar core, first hydrostatic core, Class 0, and Class I) with an unbiased survey carried out using the Institut de Radioastronomie Millimetrique (IRAM) 30 m telescope. Interestingly, the estimated abundances of SO and SO2 show an increasing trend from the prestellar phase to the Class 0 stage and then a decrease in the Class I phase. A similar trend is obtained for OCS and H2S. In contrast, the obtained SO/SO2 ratio decreases gradually from the prestellar core to the Class I stage. We have used the three-phase Rokko chemical code to explain our observations. The modeled abundances of SO and SO2 exhibit an increase within the inner region as the cold gas transforms into a hot gas. The modeled abundance ratio of SO to SO2 exhibits a notably high value in cold gas environments. This ratio decreases to less than 1 within the temperature range of 100-300 K and then increases to approximately 1 beyond 300 K. In the outer region, the simulated ratio consistently exceeds the value of 1. Our work is an observational testbed for modeling the chemistry of SO/SO2 during low-mass star formation. However, our findings may require more sample sources with higher resolution and a more robust model for validation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]