The early stages of star formation: glycolaldehyde and its isomers as dense core tracers

对于M13AU21项目，我们已经在夏威夷的JCMT获得了16小时的观测时间(并计划了4个晚上以上)。我们建议观察简单的糖乙醇醛及其异构体，以了解热分子核中的物理和化学条件，即大质量恒星形成的地点。我们的团队之前发现乙醇醛比G31.41+0.31中的任何其他分子都更紧密，从而追踪到这个热核最密集、最热的内部区域。它的异构体也可以追踪这些内部区域，使我们能够进一步探索核心非常中心的条件。了解这些异构体的丰度比可以限制热核化学，揭示物理条件和化学途径。我们正在申请汉娜·卡尔科特去JCMT观察的旅费和生活费(请注意，我们被安排在1个月后，我们几天前才被告知)。

We have been awarded (and scheduled over 4 nights) 16 hours of observing time at the JCMT in Hawaii, for project M13AU21. We are proposing to observe the simple sugar glycolaldehyde and its isomers in order to understand the physical and chemical conditions in hot molecular cores, sites of massive star formation. Our team previously found glycolaldehyde to be more compact than any other molecule in G31.41+0.31, thereby tracing the densest, hottest inner region of this hot core. Its isomers may also trace these inner regions, allowing us to further probe the conditions at the very centre of the core. Understanding the abundance ratio of these isomers can constrain hot core chemistry and reveal physical conditions and chemical pathways. We are requesting travel and subsistence money for Hannah Calcutt to go observing at the JCMT (note that we have been scheduled in 1 month time and we have only been told few days ago about it).