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

我们已经获得了（并安排了4个晚上）在夏威夷JCMT的16小时观测时间，用于M13AU21项目。我们建议观察单糖乙醇醛及其异构体，以了解热分子核，大质量恒星形成地点的物理和化学条件。我们的团队之前发现，在G31.41+0.31中，乙醇醛比任何其他分子都要致密，从而追踪到了这个热核中密度最大、最热的内部区域。它的同分异构体也可以追踪到这些内部区域，使我们能够进一步探索核心中心的情况。了解这些异构体的丰度比可以约束热核化学，揭示物理条件和化学途径。我们正在申请Hannah Calcutt去JCMT观察的旅费和生活费（请注意，我们已经安排了1个月的时间，我们几天前才被告知这件事）。

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).