Tracing the history of table salt

Singh, Ambesh Pratik

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/107547 Copy

Description

Title

Tracing the history of table salt

Author(s)

Singh, Ambesh Pratik

Contributor(s)

• Ziurys, Lucy M.
• Bernal, Jacob

Issue Date

2020-06-24

Keyword(s)

Astronomy

Abstract

Sodium chloride, NaCl, is an essential molecule for life. Its presence in circumstellar envelopes of evolved stars, protoplanetary disks, and asteroids is highly surprising. Furthermore, it has two abundant isotopologues, Na$^{35}$Cl and Na$^{37}$Cl, and the chlorine isotopic ratio can be used to trace its chemical history. NaCl has been a known constituent of both the carbon star IRC+10216 and the oxygen-rich supergiant VY CMa, as was evident in a previous ARO 1 mm spectral survey of these objects. Recently, we have also detected this molecule in the supergiant NML Cygnus. Using the radiative transport code ESCAPADE, we have modeled multiple transitions of both Na$^{35}$Cl and Na$^{37}$Cl detected in the envelopes of IRC+10216, VY CMa, and NML Cyg. Surprisingly, the abundance of NaCl is similar in all three envelopes, with a fractional abundance of ~10$^{-9}$ relative to H$_2$, with a $^{35}$Cl/$^{37}$Cl of approximately 3/1. The implications of these results will be discussed.

Publisher

International Symposium on Molecular Spectroscopy

Type of Resource

Text

Language

eng

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/107547

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Copyright 2020 is held by the Author(s)

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