The Horsehead nebula, a template source for interstellar physics and chemistry

Maryvonne Gerin (1) , Jérôme Pety (2) , Javier R. Goicoechea (3)

1 LERMA - Laboratoire d'Etude du Rayonnement et de la Matière en Astrophysique
2 IRAM - Institut de RadioAstronomie Millimétrique
3 Departamento de Astrofisica

We present a summary of our previous investigations of the physical and chemical structure of the Horsehead nebula, and discuss how these studies led to advances on the understanding of the impact of FUV radiation on the structure of dense interstellar clouds. Specific molecular tracers can be used to isolate different environments, that are more sensitive to changes in the FUV radiation or density than the classical tracers of molecular gas : the CO isotopologues or the dust (sub)millimeter continuum emission. They include the HCO or CCH radicals for the FUV illuminated interfaces, or the molecular ions H$^{13}$CO$^+$, DCO$^+$ and other deuterated species (DNC, DCN) for the cold dense core. We discuss future prospects in the context of Herschel and ALMA.

Mots clés: Interstellar molecules; radioastronomy; horsehead nebula

Domaines: Astrophysique galactique [astro-ph.GA]

Maryvonne Gerin, Jérôme Pety, Javier R. Goicoechea. The Horsehead nebula, a template source for interstellar physics and chemistry. Submillimeter Astrophysics and Technology : A Symposium Honoring Thomas G. Phillips, Feb 2009, PAsadena, United States. pp.0. ⟨hal-00386816⟩