On the Detection of CaC<sub>2</sub> in Circumstellar Envelopes

Calciumcyclopropynylidene, CaC2, is a homolog of MgC2 and somewhat related to silacyclopropynylidene, SiC2.
H. Gupta, P. B. Changala, J. Cernicharo, J. R. Pardo, M. Agúndez, C. Cabezas, B. Tercero, M. Guélin, and M. C. McCarthy
reported on the
Calcium Chemistry in Carbon-rich Circumstellar Environments: The Laboratory and Astronomical Discovery of Calcium Dicarbide, CaC<sub>2</sub>
Astrophys. J. Lett 966, Art. No. L28 (2024).
14 a-type lines with 0 ≤ J ≤ 8 and Ka ≤ 4 between 14 and 115 GHz were identified for the main 40Ca isotopolog employing the GBT 100 m, Yebes 40 m, and IRAM 30 m dishes. The observations with the GBT were dedicated ones, the other results were obtained in the couses of molecular line surveys of CW Leonis. These lines have good to reasonable signal-to-noise ratios, and several lines are unblended. Transitions of minor isotopologs were not identified. The derived column density ratio of MgC2/CaC2 is roughly 2.


Contributor(s): H. S. P. Müller; 05, 2024