Letter to the Editor

APEX 1 mm line survey of the Orion Bar

¹ Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie, Auf dem Hügel 69, 53121 Bonn, Germany e-mail: sleurini@mpifr-bonn.mpg.de
² European Southern Observatory, Casilla 19001, Santiago, Chile

Received: 5 May 2006
Accepted: 24 May 2006

Abstract

Context.Unbiased molecular line surveys are a powerful tool for analyzing the physical and chemical parameters of astronomical objects and are the only means for obtaining a complete view of the molecular inventory for a given source. The present work stands for the first such investigation of a photon-dominated region.

Aims.The first results of an ongoing millimeter-wave survey obtained towards the Orion Bar are reported.

Methods.The APEX telescope in combination with the APEX-2A facility receiver was employed in this investigation.

Results.We derived the physical parameters of the gas through LVG analyses of the methanol and formaldehyde data. Information on the sulfur and deuterium chemistry of photon-dominated regions is obtained from detections of several sulfur-bearing molecules and DCN.