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Title

Strong absorption by interstellar hydrogen fluoride: Herschel/HIFI observations of the sight-line to G10.6-0.4 (W31C)

Creator

Neufeld, D. A.; Sonnentrucker, P.; Phillips, T. G.; Lis, D. C.; De Luca, M.; Goicoechea, J. R.; Black, J. H.; Gerin, M.; Bell, T.; Boulanger, F.; Cernicharo, J.; Coutens, A.; Dartois, E.; Kazmierczak, M.; Encrenaz, P.; Falgarone, E.; Geballe, T. R.; Giesen, T.; Godard, B.; Goldsmith, P. F.; Gry, C.; Gupta, H.,; Hennebelle, P.; Herbst, E.; Hily-Blant, P.; Joblin, C.; Kolos, R.; Krelowski, J.; Martin-Pintado, J.; Menten, K. M.; Monje, R.; Mookerjea, B.; Pearson, Justin; Perault, M.; Persson, C.; Plume, R.; Salez, M.; Schlemmer, S.; Schmidt, M.; Stutzki, J.; Teyssier, D.; Vastel, C.; Yu, S.; Cais, Ph.; Caux, E.; Liseau, R.; Morris, P.; Planesas, P.

Description

International audience

We report the detection of strong absorption by interstellar hydrogen fluoride along the sight-line to the submillimeter continuum source G10.6-0.4 (W31C). We have used Herschel's HIFI instrument, in dual beam switch mode, to observe the 1232.4763 GHz J=1-0 HF transition in the upper sideband of the Band 5a receiver. The resultant spectrum shows weak HF emission from G10.6-0.4 at LSR velocities in the range -10 to -3 km/s, accompanied by strong absorption by foreground material at LSR velocities in the range 15 to 50 km/s. The spectrum is similar to that of the 1113.3430 GHz 1(11)-0(00) transition of para-water, although at some frequencies the HF (hydrogen fluoride) optical depth clearly exceeds that of para-H2O. The optically-thick HF absorption that we have observed places a conservative lower limit of 1.6E+14 cm-2 on the HF column density along the sight-line to G10.6-0.4. Our lower limit on the HF abundance, 6E-9 relative to hydrogen nuclei, implies that hydrogen fluoride accounts for between ~ 30 and 100% of the fluorine nuclei in the gas phase along this sight-line. This observation corroborates theoretical predictions that - because the unique thermochemistry of fluorine permits the exothermic reaction of F atoms with molecular hydrogen - HF will be the dominant reservoir of interstellar fluorine under a wide range of conditions.