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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1986

Photochemistry of methane and the formation of hydrocyanic acid (HCN) in the earth's early atmosphere

A one-dimensional photochemical model is used to analyze the photochemistries of CH4 and HCN in the primitive terrestrial atmosphere. CH4, N2, and HCN photolysis are examined. The background atmosphere and boundary conditions applied in the analysis are described. The formation of HCN as a by-product of N2 and CH4 photolysis is investigated; the effects of photodissociation and rainfall on HCN is discussed. The low and high CH4 mixing ratios and radical densities are studied.

Zahnle, K. J.↗
DOE OSTI2017

AAV-mediated conversion of human pluripotent stem cell-derived pacemaker

Malfunction of nodal pacemaker (Pm) cardiomyocytes (CMs) due to diseases or aging leads to rhythm generation disorders, necessitating electronic Pm implantation. We functionally reprogrammed human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) derived-ventricular (V) CMs into -PmCMs via recombinant adeno-associated virus serotype 9 (rAAV9)-mediated overexpression of engineered HCN1 channel (HCN1ΔΔΔ) whose S3-S4 linker has been strategically deleted by design to promote cardiac pacemaking. rAAV9-HCN1ΔΔΔ-reprogrammed hPSC-PmCMs converted from -VCMs showed automaticity and action potential parameters typical of native nodal PmCMs. Implantation of rAAV9-HCN1ΔΔΔ-based BPm in a preclinical porcine model of complete heart block significantly reduced the dependence on device-supported pacing and generated spontaneous heart rhythms from the BPm. Collectively, these results have further laid the groundwork on BPm for future translation.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2017

Dual expression of constitutively active Gαs-protein-coupled receptors differentially establishes the resting activity of the cAMP-gated HCN2 channel in a single compartment

Highlights: • Constitutively active GPCRs were dually expressed in a single compartment. • HCN2 channels were differentially activated depending on the GPCR pairs. • Basal actions of GPCRs were abolished by an adenylate cyclase inhibitor. • Basal cAMP pools were specifically established by constitutively active GPCR pairs. The hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated 2 (HCN2) channel is a major subtype of the HCN channel family expressed in the nervous system that sets the membrane potential, regulates cell excitability and senses changes in the extracellular environment. Neurons express various Gα{sub s}-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), many of which show ligand-independent constitutive activity. These membrane-bound proteins are expressed in various subcellular compartments of neurons. Therefore, some proportion of HCN2 channels opens in response to the basal cAMP pool size produced by constitutively active GPCRs. Here, we employed an exogenous HEK293 expression system and voltage-clamp patch-clamp recordings to investigate basal HCN2 channel activity in the presence of two GPCRs with diverse basal activities in a single compartment. We utilized the β2-adrenoceptor (β2AR) together with odorant receptors (ORs), as both GPCR families are known to show strong basal activity. Consequently, β2AR alone strongly enhanced the activity of HCN2 channels, and co-expression of ORs further diversified the HCN2 channel activity, which was totally abolished by an adenylate cyclase inhibitor. Thus, we conclude that the dual expression of constitutively active GPCRs establishes the diverse range of the basal cAMP pool size in resting cells through mutual additive or suppressive interactions, even in the absence of external stimulation.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2016

Photodissociation of HCN and HNC isomers in the 7-10 eV energy range

The ultraviolet photoabsorption spectra of the HCN and HNC isomers have been simulated in the 7-10 eV photon energy range. For this purpose, the three-dimensional adiabatic potential energy surfaces of the 7 lowest electronic states, and the corresponding transition dipole moments, have been calculated, at multireference configuration interaction level. The spectra are calculated with a quantum wave packet method on these adiabatic potential energy surfaces. The spectra for the 3 lower excited states, the dissociative electronic states, correspond essentially to predissociation peaks, most of them through tunneling on the same adiabatic state. The 3 higher electronic states are bound, hereafter electronic bound states, and their spectra consist of delta lines, in the adiabatic approximation. The radiative lifetime towards the ground electronic states of these bound states has been calculated, being longer than 10 ns in all cases, much longer that the characteristic predissociation lifetimes. The spectra of HCN is compared with the available experimental and previous theoretical simulations, while in the case of HNC there are no previous studies to our knowledge. The spectrum for HNC is considerably more intense than that of HCN in the 7-10 eV photon energy range, which points to a higher photodissociation rate for HNC, compared to HCN, in astrophysical environments illuminated by ultraviolet radiation.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2016

Multicomponent density functional theory embedding formulation

Multicomponent density functional theory (DFT) methods have been developed to treat two types of particles, such as electrons and nuclei, quantum mechanically at the same level. In the nuclear-electronic orbital (NEO) approach, all electrons and select nuclei, typically key protons, are treated quantum mechanically. For multicomponent DFT methods developed within the NEO framework, electron-proton correlation functionals based on explicitly correlated wavefunctions have been designed and used in conjunction with well-established electronic exchange-correlation functionals. Herein a general theory for multicomponent embedded DFT is developed to enable the accurate treatment of larger systems. In the general theory, the total electronic density is separated into two subsystem densities, denoted as regular and special, and different electron-proton correlation functionals are used for these two electronic densities. In the specific implementation, the special electron density is defined in terms of spatially localized Kohn-Sham electronic orbitals, and electron-proton correlation is included only for the special electron density. The electron-proton correlation functional depends on only the special electron density and the proton density, whereas the electronic exchange-correlation functional depends on the total electronic density. This scheme includes the essential electron-proton correlation, which is a relatively local effect, as well as the electronic exchange-correlation for the entire system. This multicomponent DFT-in-DFT embedding theory is applied to the HCN and FHF{sup −} molecules in conjunction with two different electron-proton correlation functionals and three different electronic exchange-correlation functionals. The results illustrate that this approach provides qualitatively accurate nuclear densities in a computationally tractable manner. The general theory is also easily extended to other types of partitioning schemes for multicomponent systems.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2017

Simulation and optical spectroscopy of a DC discharge in a CH{sub 4}/H{sub 2}/N{sub 2} mixture during deposition of nanostructured carbon films

Two-dimensional numerical simulations of a dc discharge in a CH{sub 4}/H{sub 2}/N{sub 2} mixture in the regime of deposition of nanostructured carbon films are carried out with account of the cathode electron beam effects. The distributions of the gas temperature and species number densities are calculated, and the main plasmachemical kinetic processes governing the distribution of methyl radicals above the substrate are analyzed. It is shown that the number density of methyl radicals above the substrate is several orders of magnitude higher than the number densities of other hydrocarbon radicals, which indicates that the former play a dominant role in the growth of nanostructured carbon films. The model is verified by comparing the measured optical emission profiles of the H(n ≡ 3), C{sub 2}{sup *}, CH*, and CN* species and the calculated number densities of excited species, as well as the measured and calculated values of the discharge voltage and heat fluxes onto the electrodes and reactor walls. The key role of ion–electron recombination and dissociative excitation of H{sub 2}, C{sub 2}H{sub 2}, CH{sub 4}, and HCN molecules in the generation of emitting species (first of all, in the cold regions adjacent to the electrodes) is revealed.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

ALMA OBSERVATIONS OF HCN AND ITS ISOTOPOLOGUES ON TITAN

We present sub-millimeter spectra of HCN isotopologues on Titan, derived from publicly available ALMA flux calibration observations of Titan taken in early 2014. We report the detection of a new HCN isotopologue on Titan, H{sup 13}C{sup 15}N, and confirm an earlier report of detection of DCN. We model high signal-to-noise observations of HCN, H{sup 13}CN, HC{sup 15}N, DCN, and H{sup 13}C{sup 15}N to derive abundances and infer the following isotopic ratios: {sup 12}C/{sup 13}C = 89.8 ± 2.8, {sup 14}N/{sup 15}N = 72.3 ± 2.2, D/H = (2.5 ± 0.2) × 10{sup −4}, and HCN/H{sup 13}C{sup 15}N = 5800 ± 270 (1 σ errors). The carbon and nitrogen ratios are consistent with and improve on the precision of previous results, confirming a factor of ∼2.3 elevation in {sup 14}N/{sup 15}N in HCN compared to N{sub 2} and a lack of fractionation in {sup 12}C/{sup 13}C from the protosolar value. This is the first published measurement of D/H in a nitrile species on Titan, and we find evidence for a factor of ∼2 deuterium enrichment in hydrogen cyanide compared to methane. The isotopic ratios we derive may be used as constraints for future models to better understand the fractionation processes occurring in Titan’s atmosphere.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

ALMA HCN AND HCO{sup +} J = 3 − 2 OBSERVATIONS OF OPTICAL SEYFERT AND LUMINOUS INFRARED GALAXIES: CONFIRMATION OF ELEVATED HCN-TO-HCO{sup +} FLUX RATIOS IN AGNS

We present the results of our ALMA observations of three active galactic nucleus (AGN)-dominated nuclei in optical Seyfert 1 galaxies (NGC 7469, I Zw 1, and IC 4329 A) and eleven luminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs) with various levels of infrared estimated energetic contributions by AGNs at the HCN and HCO{sup +} J = 3 − 2 emission lines. The HCN and HCO{sup +} J = 3 − 2 emission lines are clearly detected at the main nuclei of all sources, except for IC 4329 A. The vibrationally excited ( v {sub 2} = 1f) HCN J = 3 − 2 and HCO{sup +} J = 3 − 2 emission lines are simultaneously covered, and HCN v {sub 2} = 1f J = 3 − 2 emission line signatures are seen in the main nuclei of two LIRGs, IRAS 12112+0305 and IRAS 22491–1808, neither of which shows clear buried AGN signatures in the infrared. If the vibrational excitation is dominated by infrared radiative pumping, through the absorption of infrared 14 μ m photons, primarily originating from AGN-heated hot dust emission, then these two LIRGs may contain infrared-elusive, but (sub)millimeter-detectable, extremely deeply buried AGNs. These vibrationally excited emission lines are not detected in the three AGN-dominated optical Seyfert 1 nuclei. However, the observed HCN v {sub 2} = 1f to v = 0 flux ratios in these optical Seyferts are still consistent with the intrinsic flux ratios in LIRGs with detectable HCN v {sub 2} = 1f emission lines. The observed HCN-to-HCO{sup +} J = 3 − 2 flux ratios tend to be higher in galactic nuclei with luminous AGN signatures compared with starburst-dominated regions, as previously seen at J = 1 − 0 and J = 4 − 3.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

En route to destruction: The evolution in composition of ICES in comet D/2012 S1 (ISON) between 1.2 and 0.34 AU from the Sun as revealed at infrared wavelengths

We report production rates for H{sub 2}O and eight trace molecules (CO, C{sub 2}H{sub 6}, CH{sub 4}, CH{sub 3}OH, NH{sub 3}, H{sub 2}CO, HCN, C{sub 2}H{sub 2}) in the dynamically new, Sun-grazing Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON), using high-resolution spectroscopy at Keck II and the NASA IRTF on 10 pre-perihelion dates encompassing heliocentric distances R{sub h} = 1.21–0.34 AU. Measured water production rates spanned two orders of magnitude, consistent with a long-term heliocentric power law Q(H{sub 2}O) ∝R{sub h}{sup (−3.1±0.1)}. Abundance ratios for CO, C{sub 2}H{sub 6}, and CH{sub 4} with respect to H{sub 2}O remained constant with R{sub h} and below their corresponding mean values measured among a dominant sample of Oort Cloud comets. CH{sub 3}OH was also depleted for R{sub h} > 0.5 AU, but was closer to its mean value for R{sub h} ≤ 0.5 AU. The remaining four molecules exhibited higher abundance ratios within 0.5 AU: for R{sub h} > 0.8 AU, NH{sub 3} and C{sub 2}H{sub 2} were consistent with their mean values while H{sub 2}CO and HCN were depleted. For R{sub h} < 0.5 AU, all four were enriched, with NH{sub 3}, H{sub 2}CO, and HCN increasing most. Spatial profiles of gas emission in ISON consistently peaked sunward of the dust continuum, which was asymmetric antisunward and remained singly peaked for all observations. NH{sub 3} within 0.5 AU showed a broad spatial distribution, possibly indicating its release in the coma provided that optical depth effects were unimportant. The column abundance ratio NH{sub 2}/H{sub 2}O at 0.83 AU was close to the “typical” NH/OH from optical wavelengths, but was higher within 0.5 AU. Establishing its production rate and testing its parentage (e.g., NH{sub 3}) require modeling of coma outflow.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

DENSE GAS IN MOLECULAR CORES ASSOCIATED WITH PLANCK GALACTIC COLD CLUMPS

We present the first survey of dense gas toward Planck Galactic Cold Clumps (PGCCs). Observations in the J = 1–0 transitions of HCO{sup +} and HCN toward 621 molecular cores associated with PGCCs were performed using the Purple Mountain Observatory’s 13.7 m telescope. Among them, 250 sources were detected, including 230 cores detected in HCO{sup +} and 158 in HCN. Spectra of the J = 1–0 transitions from {sup 12}CO, {sup 13}CO, and C{sup 18}O at the centers of the 250 cores were extracted from previous mapping observations to construct a multi-line data set. The significantly low detection rate of asymmetric double-peaked profiles, together with the good consistency among central velocities of CO, HCO{sup +}, and HCN spectra, suggests that the CO-selected Planck cores are more quiescent than classical star-forming regions. The small difference between line widths of C{sup 18}O and HCN indicates that the inner regions of CO-selected Planck cores are no more turbulent than the exterior. The velocity-integrated intensities and abundances of HCO{sup +} are positively correlated with those of HCN, suggesting that these two species are well coupled and chemically connected. The detected abundances of both HCO{sup +} and HCN are significantly lower than values in other low- to high-mass star-forming regions. The low abundances may be due to beam dilution. On the basis of an inspection of the parameters given in the PGCC catalog, we suggest that there may be about 1000 PGCC objects that have a sufficient reservoir of dense gas to form stars.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Detection of an atmosphere around the super-earth 55 Cancri e

We report the analysis of two new spectroscopic observations in the near-infrared of the super-Earth 55 Cancri e, obtained with the WFC3 camera on board the Hubble Space Telescope. 55 Cancri e orbits so close to its parent star that temperatures much higher than 2000 K are expected on its surface. Given the brightness of 55 Cancri, the observations were obtained in scanning mode, adopting a very long scanning length and a very high scanning speed. We use our specialized pipeline to take into account systematics introduced by these observational parameters when coupled with the geometrical distortions of the instrument. We measure the transit depth per wavelength channel with an average relative uncertainty of 22 ppm per visit and find modulations that depart from a straight line model with a 6σ confidence level. These results suggest that 55 Cancri e is surrounded by an atmosphere, which is probably hydrogen-rich. Our fully Bayesian spectral retrieval code, T-REx, has identified HCN to be the most likely molecular candidate able to explain the features at 1.42 and 1.54 μm. While additional spectroscopic observations in a broader wavelength range in the infrared will be needed to confirm the HCN detection, we discuss here the implications of such a result. Our chemical model, developed with combustion specialists, indicates that relatively high mixing ratios of HCN may be caused by a high C/O ratio. This result suggests this super-Earth is a carbon-rich environment even more exotic than previously thought.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

THE ROLE OF NITROGEN IN TITAN’S UPPER ATMOSPHERIC HYDROCARBON CHEMISTRY OVER THE SOLAR CYCLE

Titan’s thermospheric photochemistry is primarily driven by solar radiation. Similarly to other planetary atmospheres, such as Mars’, Titan’s atmospheric structure is also directly affected by variations in the solar extreme-UV/UV output in response to the 11-year-long solar cycle. Here, we investigate the influence of nitrogen on the vertical production, loss, and abundance profiles of hydrocarbons as a function of the solar cycle. Our results show that changes in the atmospheric nitrogen atomic density (primarily in its ground state N({sup 4}S)) as a result of photon flux variations have important implications for the production of several minor hydrocarbons. The solar minimum enhancement of CH{sub 3}, C{sub 2}H{sub 6}, and C{sub 3}H{sub 8}, despite the lower CH{sub 4} photodissociation rates compared with solar maximum conditions, is explained by the role of N({sup 4}S). N({sup 4}S) indirectly controls the altitude of termolecular versus bimolecular chemical regimes through its relationship with CH{sub 3}. When in higher abundance during solar maximum at lower altitudes, N({sup 4}S) increases the importance of bimolecular CH{sub 3} + N({sup 4}S) reactions producing HCN and H{sub 2}CN. The subsequent remarkable CH{sub 3} loss and decrease in the CH{sub 3} abundance at lower altitudes during solar maximum affects the overall hydrocarbon chemistry.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

The dense gas in the largest molecular complexes of the antennae: HCN and HCO{sup +} observations of NGC 4038/39 using ALMA

We present observations of the dense molecular gas tracers HCN, HNC, and HCO{sup +} in the J=1−0 transition using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array. We supplement our data sets with previous observations of CO J=1−0, which trace the total molecular gas content. We separate the Antennae into seven bright regions in which we detect emission from all three molecules, including the nuclei of NGC 4038 and NGC 4039, five super giant molecular complexes in the overlap region, and two additional bright clouds. We find that the ratio of L{sub HCN}/L{sub CO}, which traces the dense molecular gas fraction, is greater in the two nuclei (L{sub HCN}/L{sub CO} ∼ 0.07−0.08) than in the overlap region (L{sub HCN}/L{sub CO} <0.05). We attribute this to an increase in pressure due to the stellar potential within the nuclei; a similar effect to what has been seen previously in the Milky Way and nearby spiral galaxies. Furthermore, the ratio of L{sub HNC}/L{sub HCN} ∼ 0.3−0.4 does not vary by more than a factor of 1.5 between regions. By comparing our measured ratios to photon dominated region (PDR) models including mechanical heating, we find that the ratio of L{sub HNC}/L{sub HCN} is consistent with mechanical heating contributing ≳5%–10% of the PDR surface heating to the total heating budget. Finally, the ratio of L{sub HCN}/L{sub HCO+} varies from ∼1 in the nucleus of NGC 4038 down to ∼0.5 in the overlap region. The lower ratio in the overlap region may be due to an increase in the cosmic ray rate from the increased supernova rate within this region.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Linking dense gas from the milky way to external galaxies

In a survey of 65 galaxies, Gao and Solomon found a tight linear relation between the infrared luminosity (L {sub IR}, a proxy for the star formation rate) and the HCN(1–0) luminosity (L{sub HCN}). Wu et al. found that this relation extends from these galaxies to the much less luminous Galactic molecular high-mass star-forming clumps (∼1 pc scales), and posited that there exists a characteristic ratio L {sub IR}/L{sub HCN} for high-mass star-forming clumps. The Gao–Solomon relation for galaxies could then be explained as a summation of large numbers of high-mass star-forming clumps, resulting in the same L {sub IR}/L{sub HCN} ratio for galaxies. We test this explanation and other possible origins of the Gao–Solomon relation using high-density tracers (including HCN(1–0), N{sub 2}H{sup +}(1–0), HCO{sup +}(1–0), HNC(1–0), HC{sub 3}N(10–9), and C{sub 2}H(1–0)) for ∼300 Galactic clumps from the Millimetre Astronomy Legacy Team 90 GHz (MALT90) survey. The MALT90 data show that the Gao–Solomon relation in galaxies cannot be satisfactorily explained by the blending of large numbers of high-mass clumps in the telescope beam. Not only do the clumps have a large scatter in the L {sub IR}/L{sub HCN} ratio, but also far too many high-mass clumps are required to account for the Galactic IR and HCN luminosities. We suggest that the scatter in the L {sub IR}/L{sub HCN} ratio converges to the scatter of the Gao–Solomon relation at some size-scale ≳1 kpc. We suggest that the Gao–Solomon relation could instead result from of a universal large-scale star formation efficiency, initial mass function, core mass function, and clump mass function.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

DISCOVERY OF AN EXTREMELY WIDE-ANGLE BIPOLAR OUTFLOW IN AFGL 5142

Most bipolar outflows are associated with individual young stellar objects and have small opening angles. Here we report the discovery of an extremely wide-angle (∼180°) bipolar outflow (“EWBO”) in a cluster forming region AFGL 5142 from low-velocity emission of the HCN (3–2) and HCO{sup +} (3–2) lines. This bipolar outflow is along a north-west to south-east direction with a line of sight flow velocity of about 3 km s{sup −1} and is spatially connected to the high-velocity jet-like outflows. It seems to be a collection of low-velocity material entrained by the high-velocity outflows due to momentum feedback. The total ejected mass and mass loss rate due to both high-velocity jet-like outflows and the “EWBO” are ∼24.5 M {sub ⊙} and ∼1.7 × 10{sup −3} M {sub ⊙} yr{sup −1}, respectively. Global collapse of the clump is revealed by the “blue profile” in the HCO{sup +} (1–0) line. A hierarchical network of filaments was identified in NH{sub 3} (1, 1) emission. Clear velocity gradients of the order of 10 km s{sup −1} pc{sup −1} are found along filaments, indicating gas inflow along the filaments. The sum of the accretion rate along filaments and mass infall rate along the line of sight is ∼3.1 × 10{sup −3} M {sub ⊙} yr{sup −1}, which exceeds the total mass loss rate, indicating that the central cluster is probably still gaining mass. The central cluster is highly fragmented and 22 condensations are identified in 1.1 mm continuum emission. The fragmentation process seems to be determined by thermal pressure and turbulence. The magnetic field may not play an important role in fragmentation.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

DENSE MOLECULAR CORES BEING EXTERNALLY HEATED

We present results of our study of eight dense cores, previously classified as starless, using infrared (3–160 μ m) imaging observations with the AKARI telescope and molecular line (HCN and N{sub 2}H{sup +}) mapping observations with the KVN telescope. Combining our results with the archival IR to millimeter continuum data, we examined the starless nature of these eight cores. Two of the eight cores are found to harbor faint protostars having luminosities of ∼0.3–4.4 L {sub ⊙}. The other six cores are found to remain starless and probably are in a dynamically transitional state. The temperature maps produced using multi-wavelength images show an enhancement of about 3–6 K toward the outer boundary of these cores, suggesting that they are most likely being heated externally by nearby stars and/or interstellar radiation fields. Large virial parameters and an overdominance of red asymmetric line profiles over the cores may indicate that the cores are set into either an expansion or an oscillatory motion, probably due to the external heating. Most of the starless cores show a coreshine effect due to the scattering of light by the micron-sized dust grains. This may imply that the age of the cores is of the order of ∼10{sup 5} years, which is consistent with the timescale required for the cores to evolve into an oscillatory stage due to external perturbation. Our observational results support the idea that the external feedback from nearby stars and/or interstellar radiation fields may play an important role in the dynamical evolution of the cores.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

ALMA INVESTIGATION OF VIBRATIONALLY EXCITED HCN/HCO{sup +}/HNC EMISSION LINES IN THE AGN-HOSTING ULTRALUMINOUS INFRARED GALAXY IRAS 20551−4250

We present the results of ALMA Cycle 2 observations of the ultraluminous infrared galaxy IRAS 20551−4250 at HCN/HCO{sup +}/HNC J = 3–2 lines at both vibrational ground ( v = 0) and vibrationally excited ( v {sub 2} = 1) levels. This galaxy contains a luminous buried active galactic nucleus (AGN), in addition to starburst activity, and our ALMA Cycle 0 data revealed a tentatively detected vibrationally excited HCN v {sub 2} = 1f J = 4–3 emission line. In our ALMA Cycle 2 data, the HCN/HCO{sup +}/HNC J = 3–2 emission lines at v = 0 are clearly detected. The HCN and HNC v {sub 2} = 1f J = 3–2 emission lines are also detected, but the HCO{sup +} v {sub 2} = 1f J = 3–2 emission line is not. Given the high energy level of v {sub 2} = 1 and the resulting difficulty of collisional excitation, we compared these results with those of the calculation of infrared radiative pumping, using the available infrared 5–35 μ m spectrum. We found that all of the observational results were reproduced if the HCN abundance was significantly higher than that of HCO{sup +} and HNC. The flux ratio and excitation temperature between v {sub 2} = 1f and v = 0, after correction for possible line opacity, suggests that infrared radiative pumping affects rotational ( J -level) excitation at v = 0 at least for HCN and HNC. The HCN-to-HCO{sup +} v = 0 flux ratio is higher than those of starburst-dominated regions, and will increase even more when the derived high HCN opacity is corrected. The enhanced HCN-to-HCO{sup +} flux ratio in this AGN-hosting galaxy can be explained by the high HCN-to-HCO{sup +} abundance ratio and sufficient HCN excitation at up to J = 4, rather than the significantly higher efficiency of infrared radiative pumping for HCN than HCO{sup +}.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Do circumnuclear dense gas disks drive mass accretion onto supermassive black holes?

We present a positive correlation between the mass of dense molecular gas (M{sub dense}) of ∼100 pc scale circumnuclear disks (CNDs) and the black hole mass accretion rate ( M-dot {sub BH}) in a total of 10 Seyfert galaxies, based on data compiled from the literature and an archive (median aperture θ {sub med} = 220 pc). A typical M{sub dense} of CNDs is 10{sup 7–8} M{sub ⊙}, estimated from the luminosity of the dense gas tracer, the HCN(1–0) emission line. Because dense molecular gas is the site of star formation, this correlation is virtually equivalent to the one between the nuclear star-formation rate and M-dot {sub BH} revealed previously. Moreover, the M{sub dense}-- M-dot {sub BH} correlation was tighter for CND-scale gas than for the gas on kiloparsec or larger scales. This indicates that CNDs likely play an important role in fueling black holes, whereas greater than kiloparesec scale gas does not. To demonstrate a possible approach for studying the CND-scale accretion process with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, we used a mass accretion model where angular momentum loss due to supernova explosions is vital. Based on the model prediction, we suggest that only the partial fraction of the mass accreted from the CND ( M-dot {sub acc}) is consumed as M-dot {sub BH}. However, M-dot {sub acc} agrees well with the total nuclear mass flow rate (i.e., M-dot {sub BH} + outflow rate). Although these results are still tentative with large uncertainties, they support the view that star formation in CNDs can drive mass accretion onto supermassive black holes in Seyfert galaxies.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗