For the first time ever, a research team from the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory (SHAO) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has successfully detected radio recombination lines (RRLs) of ions heavier than helium using the TianMa 65-m Radio Telescope (TMRT). These lines were identified as belonging
The white line shows the RRLs of ions of C and/or O detected by TMRT. The green areas are the modeled emission of ion RRLs. The green dotted lines are the modeled emission, taking into account all RLLs and molecular lines. The background is the image of the heart-shaped Orion nebula , with Orion KL located within the lower-left bright region of M42, credit to Shawn Nielsen.
The researchers made this new discovery while searching for interstellar emission lines as part of an ongoing TMRT spectral line survey toward Orion KL. While identifying the Ka-band spectral lines of Orion KL, they found several broad line features that could not be assigned to any molecular“These line features have weak intensities but are already significant enough to be distinguished due to the high sensitivity of the spectrum.
In addition, they found marginal signals of alpha lines in the Q band and beta lines in the Ka band. They compared the spectra obtained on different days and found that the frequencies of the line features remained unchanged when corrected for the motion of the Earth, confirming that the ion RRLs originated from space.
Previously, RRLs were commonly defined as radio spectral lines, caused by transitions of high-n levels of atoms, that appeared after the recombination of singly ionized ions and electrons. But now, the researchers have detected tens of unblended ion RRLs simultaneously.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Pluto’s Weird Atmosphere Just Collapsed🔄From the archive: The dramatic fall in atmospheric pressure on Pluto is much larger than astronomers expected.
Read more »
Astronomers may have discovered the universe’s largest magnetic fieldsA new study claims to have found evidence of large magnetic fields long believed to exist as a 'cosmic web' within our universe.
Read more »
Astronomers just mapped the 'bubble' that envelopes our planetA new study reveals that our planet resides on the surface of the 'Local Bubble,' a cavity of cold gas and dust that formed our sun and other nearby stars.
Read more »
Astronomers Discover Missing Link: Water on Earth Is Even Older Than Our SunUsing the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), astronomers have detected gaseous water in the planet-forming disc around the star V883 Orionis. This water carries a chemical signature that explains the journey of water from star-forming gas clouds to planets, and supports the idea th
Read more »
Astronomers detect water molecules swirling around a star | CNNA nearby star system is helping astronomers unravel the mystery of how water appeared in our solar system billions of years ago.
Read more »
Astronomers Traced The Origins of Water to a Time Before The SunA star 1,300 light-years from Earth might have just revealed one of the Solar System's best-kept secrets.
Read more »