Discovery of Thionylimide, HNSO, in Space: The first N-, S-, and O-bearing Interstellar Molecule

Autor: Miguel Sanz-Novo, Víctor M. Rivilla, Holger S. P. Müller, Izaskun Jiménez-Serra, Jesús Martín-Pintado, Laura Colzi, Shaoshan Zeng, Andrés Megías, Álvaro López-Gallifa, Antonio Martínez-Henares, Belén Tercero, Pablo de Vicente, David San Andrés, Sergio Martín, Miguel A. Requena-Torres
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2024
Předmět:
Zdroj: The Astrophysical Journal Letters, Vol 965, Iss 2, p L26 (2024)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2041-8213
2041-8205
DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/ad3945
Popis: We present the first detection in space of thionylimide (HNSO) toward the Galactic center molecular cloud G + 0.693-0.027, thanks to the superb sensitivity of an ultradeep molecular line survey carried out with the Yebes 40 m and IRAM 30 m telescopes. This molecule is the first species detected in the interstellar medium containing, simultaneously, N, S, and O. We have identified numerous K _a = 0, 1, and 2 transitions belonging to HNSO covering from J _up = 2 to J _up =10, including several completely unblended features. We derive a molecular column density of N = (8 ± 1)×10 ^13 cm ^−2 , yielding a fractional abundance relative to H _2 of ∼6 × 10 ^−10 , which is about ∼37 and ∼4.8 times less abundant than SO and SO _2 , respectively. Although there are still many unknowns in the interstellar chemistry of NSO-bearing molecules, we propose that HNSO is likely formed through the reaction of the NSO radical and atomic H on the surface of icy grains, with alternative routes also deserving exploration. Finally, HNSO appears as a promising link between N, S, and O interstellar chemistry, and its discovery paves the route to the detection of a new family of molecules in space.
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