IRAM 30 m observations of Serpens Main and Barnard 1b: gas temperatures and UV radiation around low-mass protostars

Agnieszka Mirocha, Agata Karska, Marcin Gładkowski, Michał Żółtowski and Lars Kristensen

During the earliest stages of star formation, the protostar is surrounded by a dense, collapsing envelope. In order to characterise the physical and chemical processes around protostars, observations at long-wavelengths are needed to overcome the dust extinction. At submillimeter range, there are many rotational lines of key molecules which are the tracers of the gas temperatures, densities, and the UV/X-ray radiation. Here, we analysed molecular emission from low-mass protostars in the Serpens Main and Barnad 1 regions using IRAM 30 m single dish telescope. Maps in HCN, CN, CS and their isotopologues revealed the presence of UV radiation associated with outflows from deeply-embedded protostars. We found that the strength of the UV radiation in these regions is a few times higher than the average interstellar UV field. In this way, we gained new insights into physical and chemical processes around low-mass protostars.

Proceedings of the Polish Astronomical Society, vol. 7, 187-189 (2018)

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