Chemical segregation in the protobinary system SVS13A

📖 Project Description

Multiple stellar systems are commonly seen in field stars (46%, Lada 2006; Raghavan et al. 2010, Tokovinin et al. 2014), and the frequency of multiplicity is higher in the early and embedded phase, Class 0/I stages (Tobin et al. 2016). This makes it crucial to study multiple systems at an early evolutionary stage to understand how the formation of stars in the most common, multiple scenario proceeds. Interestingly, it has been found that the chemical compositions can be different in between the binary components, i.e., chemical segregation. This might affect the chemistry of the binary stellar system later formed. To study this chemical segregation, we have conducted observations toward a protobinary system SVS13A using the Northen Extended Millimeter Array (NOEMA) and the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA). SVS13A is undergoing an accretion outburst, heating up the surrounding materials in the protostellar disks or envelopes. This process sublimates Complex Organic Molecules (COMs) into gas phase from dust mantels, causing SVS13A a chemical-rich source and enable us to study the chemistry from the emitted molecular lines at radio wavelengths. In this project, a student will learn basic analysis of interferometric data from NOEMA and ALMA observations. The high-angular and -spectral resolution observations of ALMA can unveil the kinematic structures of the COMs around SVS13A. The wideband receive of NOEMA carries multiple-transition datasets, providing a chance to derive the temperatures and abundances of those target molecules.