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Spectrum centered around 143 GHz of carbon star CW Leo

Image Credit: He et al.

Spectrum centered around 143 GHz of carbon star CW Leo. Identification is shown for strong emission lines. The data were taken using Arizona Radio Observatory 12m telescope. (He et al. 2006)

We have recently carried out a large and systematic spectral line survey toward a number of massive circumstellar envelopes using the radio telescopes of the Arizona Radio Observatory. In Figure 2 we show the spectrum centered around 143 GHz of carbon star CW Leo. The lines detected are mainly due to carbon chain molecules such as cyanoacetylene HC3N, butadiynyl radical C4H or asymmetric top silicon dicarbide SiC2. With the spectral line survey we hope to determine the molecular content of circumstellar envelopes and to study the chemical processes leading to the formation of these complex molecules and to understand the change in chemistry induced by stellar evolution.