Observation of Complex Organic Molecules Containing Peptide-like Bonds Toward Hot Core G358.93-0.03 MM1

In star formation regions,the complex organic molecules(COMs)that contain peptide bonds(-NH-C(=O)-)play a major role in the metabolic process because-NH-C(=O)-is connected to amino acids(R-CHNH_2-COOH).Over the past few decades,many COMs containing peptide-like bonds have been detected in hot molecular cores(HMCs),hot corinos,and cold molecular clouds,however,their prebiotic chemistry is poorly understood.We present the first detection of the rotational emission lines of formamide(NH_2CHO)and isocyanic acid(HNCO),which contain peptide-like bonds toward the chemically rich HMC G358.93-0.03 MM1,using high-resolution and high-sensitivity Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array bands 6 and 7.We estimate that the column densities of NH_2CHO and HNCO toward G358.93-0.03 MM1 are(2.80±0.29)×10~(15)cm~(-2)and(1.80±0.42)×10~(16)cm~(-2)with excitation temperatures of 165±21 K and 170±32 K,respectively.The fractional abundances of NH_2CHO and HNCO toward G358.93-0.03 MM1 are(9.03±1.44)×10~(-10)and(5.80±2.09)×10^(-9).We compare the estimated abundances of NH_2CHO and HNCO with the existing threephase warm-up chemical model abundance values and notice that the observed and modeled abundances are very close.We conclude that NH_2CHO is produced by the reaction of NH_2and H_2CO in the gas phase toward G358.93-0.03 MM1.Likewise,HNCO is produced on the surface of grains by the reaction of NH and CO toward G358.93-0.03 MM1.We also find that NH_2CHO and HNCO are chemically linked toward G358.93-0.03 MM1.

Study of Complex Nitrogen and Oxygen-bearing Molecules toward the High-mass Protostar IRAS 18089–1732

The observation of oxygen(O)-and nitrogen(N)-bearing molecules gives an idea about the complex prebiotic chemistry in the interstellar medium.Recent millimeter and submillimeter wavelength observations have shown the presence of complex O-and N-bearing molecules in the star formation regions.So,the investigation of those molecules is crucial to understanding the chemical complexity in the star-forming regions.In this article,we present the identification of the rotational emission lines of N-bearing molecules ethyl cyanide(C_(2)H_(5)CN)and cyanoacetylene(HC_(3)N),and O-bearing molecule methyl formate(CH_(3)OCHO)toward high-mass protostar IRAS18089–1732 using the Atacama Compact Array.We also detected the emission lines of both the N-and O-bearing molecule formamide(NH_(2)CHO)in the envelope of IRAS 18089–1732.We have detected the v=0 and 1 state rotational emission lines of CH_(3)OCHO.We also detected the two vibrationally excited states of HC_(3)N(v7=1 and v7=2).The estimated fractional abundances of C_(2)H_(5)CN,HC_(3)N(v7=1),HC_(3)N(v7=2),and NH_(2)CHO toward IRAS 18089–1732 are(1.40±0.5)×10^(-10),(7.5±0.7)×10^(-11),(3.1±0.4)×10^(-11),and(6.25±0.82)×10^(-11)respectively.Similarly,the estimated fractional abundances of CH_(3)OCHO(v=0)and CH_(3)OCHO(v=1)are(1.90±0.9)×10^(-9)and(8.90±0.8)×10^(-10),respectively.We also created the integrated emission maps of the detected molecules,and the observed molecules may have originated from the extended envelope of the protostar.We show that C_(2)H_(5)CNand HC_(3)N are most probably formed via the subsequential hydrogenation of the CH_(2)CHCNand the reaction between C_(2)H_(2)and CN on the grain surface of IRAS 18089–1732.We found that NH_(2)CHO is probably produced due to the reaction between NH_(2)and H_(2)CO in the gas phase.Similarly,CH_(3)OCHO is possibly created via the reaction between radical CH_(3)O and radical HCO on the grain surface of IRAS 18089–1732.

Discovery of a variable broad absorption line in the BL Lac object PKS B0138-097

We report the discovery of a broad absorption line （BAL） of - 10^4 km s^-1 in width in the previously known BL Lac object PKS 0138-097, which we tentatively identified as an Mg II BAL. This is the first detection of a BAL, which is sometimes seen in powerful quasars with high accretion rates, in a BL Lac object. The BAL was clearly detected in its spectra spanning two epochs at a high luminosity state taken in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey （SDSS）, while it disappeared in three SDSS spectra taken at a low luminosity state. The BAL and its variability pattern were also found in its historical multi-epoch spectra in the literature, but have been overlooked previously. In its high resolution radio maps, PKS 0138-097 shows a core plus a one- sided parsec-scale jet. The BAL variability can be interpreted as follows： The optical emission is dominated by the core in a high state and by the jet in a low state and the BAL material is located between the core and jet so that the BAL appears only when the core is shining. Our discovery suggests that outflows may also be produced in active galactic nuclei at a low accreting state.

Submillimeter/millimeter observations of the molecular clouds associated with Tycho's supernova remnant

We have carried out CO J=2 - 1 and CO J = 3 - 2 observations toward Tycho＇s supernova remnant （SNR） using the KOSMA 3m-telescope. From these observations, we identified three molecular clouds （MCs） around the SNR. The small cloud in the southwest was discovered for the first time. In the north and east, two MCs （Cloud A and Cloud B） adjacent in space display a bow-shaped morphology, and have broad emission lines, which provide some direct evidences of the SNR-MCs interaction. The MCs are revealed at-69∽-59 km s-1, coincident with Tycho＇s SNR. The MCs associated with Tycho＇s SNR have a mass of-2.13 x 10^3 Mo. Position- velocity diagrams show the two clouds to be adjacent in velocity, which means cloud- cloud collision could occur in this region. The maximum value （0.66±0.10） of the integrated CO line intensity ratio （IcoJ=3-2/Icoj=2-1） for the three MCs agrees well with the previous measurement of individual Galactic MCs, implying that the SNR shock drove into the MCs. The two MCs have a line intensity ratio gradient. The distribution of the ratio appears to indicate that the shock propagates from the southwest to the northeast.

An explanation for 13 consecutive day activities of Mrk 421

It is surprising to find an instance of migration in the peak positions of synchrotron spectral energy distribution components during the activity epochs of Markarian 421(Mrk 421),accompanying an orphan flare at the X-ray and GeV-TeVγ-ray bands.A geometric interpretation and standard shock or stochastic acceleration models of blazar emission have difficulty reproducing these observed behaviors.The present paper introduces a linear acceleration by integrating the reconnection electric field into the particle transport model for the observed behaviors of Mrk 421.We note that strong evidence for evolution in characteristic of multi-wavelength spectral energy distribution including shifting the peak frequency,accompanying an orphan flare at the X-ray and GeV-TeVγ-ray bands provides an important electrostatic acceleration diagnostic in a blazar jet.Assuming suitable model parameters,we apply the results of the simulation to the 13-day flaring event in March 2010 of Mrk 421,concentrating on the evolution of multiwavelength spectral energy distribution characteristic by shifting the peak frequency.It is clear that the ratio of the electric field and magnetic field strength plays an important role in temporal evolution of the peak frequency of synchrotron spectral energy distribution component.We suggest it is reasonable that the electrostatic acceleration is responsible for the evolution of multi-wavelength spectral energy distribution characteristic by shifting the peak frequency.Based on the model results,we assert that the peak frequency of the synchrotron spectral energy distribution component may signify a temporary characteristic of blazars,rather than a permanent one.

The Binary Black Hole Scenario for the BL Lacertae Object AO 0235+16

Recent analysis of the long term radio light curve of the extremely variableBL Lacertae object AO 0235+16 by Raiteri et al. have revealed the presence of recurrent outburstswith a period of ～ 5.7 +- 0.5 yr. Periodicity analysis of the optical light curve also showsevidence for a shorter period. Here we discuss whether such a behavior can be explained by a binaryblack hole model where the accretion disk of one of the supermassive black holes is precessing dueto the tidal effects of the companion. We estimate the mass of the accreting hole and analyzeconstraints on the secondary mass and the orbital parameters of the system. It is possible toprovide a viable interpretation of the available multiwavelength data.

The γ-ray emission produced by protons that escape from supernova remnant G349.7＋0.2

Abstract G349.7＋0.2 is an interacting supernova remnant （SNR） expanding in a dense medium. Recently, a very strong γ-ray source coincident with this SNR has been revealed by Fermi-LAT and H.E.S.S. ob- servations which shows a broken power-law-like spectrum. An escaping-diffusion model, including the power-law and g-function injection, is applied to this source which can naturally explain the spectral fea- ture in both the GeV and TeV regime. We use the Markov Chain Monte Carlo method to constrain the model parameters and find that the correction factor of slow diffusion around this SNR, X-0.01 for power-law injection and X - 0.1 for g-function injection, can fit the data best with reasonable molecular cloud mass. This slow diffusion is also consistent with previous results from both phenomenological models and theoretical predication.

SMA molecular line survey towards the massive star-forming region G10.6-0.4in W31complex

Line surveys of complex molecules with millimeter and sub-millimeter telescopes are important for probing the physical and chemical environments of massive star forming regions(MSFRs).We present a molecular line survey with the Submillimeter Array(SMA) in the frequency ranges of 220.3–222.3 GHz and 230.3–232.3 GHz toward G10.6-0.4, the brightest star forming core in the W31 complex. Ninety-nine transitions from 22 molecular species and their isotopologues are identified. The moment 0 images of typical molecules show a compact core which is concentrated at the continuum peak position. Based on the local thermodynamic equilibrium assumption, the molecular line data are modeled. The rotational temperatures of those molecular species range from 96 to 178 K and their column densities range from 2.0×1014to 3.7×1017cm-2. The observational data suggest that all complex molecules are located in a warm environment. Chemical environments of the molecules are discussed. We compared molecular abundances and gas temperatures in G10.6-0.4 with those in other MSFRs, and found that gas temperatures and fractional abundances of specific molecules in G10.6-0.4 are similar to the typical MSFR W51 North, suggesting that there are similar physical and chemical environments in these two MSFRs.

Study of the filamentary infrared dark cloud G192.76+00.10 in the S254–S258 OB complex

We present results of a high resolution study of the filamentary infrared dark cloud G192.76＋00.10 in the S254-S258 OB complex in several molecular species tracing different physical conditions. These include three isotopologues of carbon monoxide （CO）, ammonia （NH3） and carbon monosulfide （CS）. The aim of this work is to study the general structure and kinematics of the filamen- tary cloud, and its fragmentation and physical parameters. The gas temperature is derived from the NH3 （J, K） = （1, 1）, （2, 2） and 12CO（2-1） lines, and the 13CO（1-0）, 13CO（2-1） emission is used to inves- tigate the overall gas distribution and kinematics. Several dense clumps are identified from the CS（2-1） data. Values of the gas temperature lie in the range 10 - 35 K, and column density N（H2） reaches the value 5.1 ×1022 cm-2. The width of the filament is of order 1 pc. The masses of the dense clumps range from ×30 M⊙ to - 160 M⊙. They appear to be gravitationally unstable. The molecular emission shows a gas dynamical coherence along the filament, The velocity pattern may indicate longitudinal collapse.

A search for evidence of small-scale inhomogeneities in dense cores from line profile analysis

In order to search for intensity fluctuations on the HCN（1-0） and HCO＋（1-0） line pro- files, which could arise due to possible small-scale inhomogeneous structure, long-term observations of high-mass star-forming cores S140 and S199 were carried out. The data were processed by the Fourier filtering method. Line temperature fluctuations that exceed the noise level were detected. Assuming the cores consist of a large number of randomly moving small thermal fragments, the total number of frag- ments is - 4 × 106 for the region with linear size - 0.1 pc in S140 and - 106 for the region with linear size - 0.3 pc in S 199. Physical parameters of fragments in S 140 were obtained from detailed modeling of the HCN emission in the framework of the clumpy cloud model.

Symmetry properties and widths of the filamentary structures in the Orion A giant molecular cloud

We identify 225 filaments from an H2 column density map constructed using simultaneous 12CO,13CO and C18O(J=1-0) observations carried out as a part of the Milky Way Imaging Scroll Painting(MWISP) project.We select 46 long filaments with lengths above 1.2 pc to analyze the filament column density profiles.We divide the selected filaments into 397 segments and calculate the column density profiles for each segment.The symmetries of the profiles are investigated.The proportion of intrinsically asymmetrical segments is 65.3%,and that of intrinsically symmetrical ones is 21.4%.The typical full width at half maximum(FWHM) of the intrinsically symmetrical filament segments is - 0.67 pc with the Plummer-like fitting,and - 0.50 pc with the Gaussian fitting,respectively.The median FWHMs derived from the second-moment method for intrinsically symmetrical and asymmetrical profiles are - 0.44 and 0.46 pc,respectively.Close association exists between the filamentary structures and the YSOs in the region.

Investigating the energy distribution of the high-energy particles in the Crab nebula

The Crab nebula is a prominent pulsar wind nebula detected in multiband observations ranging from radio to very high-energyγ-rays.Recently,γ-rays with energies above 1 PeV have been detected by the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory,and the energy of the most energetic particles in the nebula can be constrained.In this paper,we investigate the broadest spectral energy distribution of the Crab nebula and the energy distribution of the electrons emitting the multiwavelength nonthermal emission based on a one-zone time-dependent model.The nebula is powered by the pulsar,and highenergy electrons/positrons with a broken power-law spectrum are continually injected in the nebula as the pulsar spins down.Multiwavelength nonthermal emission is generated by the leptons through synchrotron radiation and inverse Compton scattering.Using appropriate parameters,the detected fluxes for the nebula can be well reproduced,especially for theγ-rays from 10^(2) MeV to 1 PeV.The results show that the detectedγ-rays can be produced by the leptons via the inverse Compton scattering,and the lower limit of the Lorentz factor of the most energetic leptons is~8.5×10^(9).It can be concluded that there exist electrons/positrons with energies higher than 4.3 PeV in the Crab nebula.

Non-thermal emission from Vela X and PWN G0.9+0.1

We study the multi-waveband non-thermal emission from the pulsar wind nebulae （PWNe） Vela X and G0.9＋0.1 in the frame of a time-dependent model describing non-thermal radiation from the PWNe. In such a model, the relativistic wind of particles driven by a central pulsar blows into the ambient medium and creates a termination shock that accelerates the particles to very high energy in a PWN. The non-thermal photons in the PWN are produced both by synchrotron radiation and the inverse Compton process, with electrons coming directly from the pulsar magnetosphere and electrons being accelerated at the termination shock. We apply this model to reproduce the observed multi-waveband photon spectra of Vela X and the G0.9＋0.1, both of which have been detected emitting very high energy photons. Our results indicate that TeV photons are produced by the inverse Compton scattering of the high-energy electrons in the infrared photon field in both Vela X and PWN G0.9＋0.1. The TeV photons from these two PWNe may have leptonic origins.

Structures of GMC W37

We carried out observations toward the giant molecular cloud W 37 with the J = 1 - 0 transitions of 12CO, 13CO and C180 using the 13.7 m single-dish telescope at the Delingha station of Purple Mountain Observatory. Based on these CO lines, we calculated the column densities and cloud masses for molecular clouds with radial velocities around ＋20 km s-1. The gas mass of W 37, calculated from 13CO emission, is 1.7 × 10^5 M, above the criterion to be considered a giant molecular cloud. The dense ridge of W 37 is a dense filament, which is supercritical in terms of linear mass ratio. Dense clumps found by C180 emission are aligned along the dense ridge at regular intervals of about 2.8 pc, similar to the clump separation caused by large-scale ＇sausage instability＇. We confirm the identification of the giant molecular filament （GMF） G 18.0-16.8 and find a new giant filament, G 16.5-15.8, located ~ 0.7° to the west of G 18.0-16.8. Both GMFs are not gravitationally bound, as indicated by their low linear mass ratio （- 80 M pc-l）. We compared the gas temperature map with the dust temperature map from Herschel images, and found similar structures. The spatial distributions of class I objects and the dense clumps are reminiscent of triggered star formation occurring in the northwestern part of W 37, which is close to NGC 6611.

Intra-day variability of BL Lacertae from 2016 to 2018

We monitored BL Lacertae in the B,V,R and I bands for 14 nights during the period of 2016-2018.The source showed significant intra-day variability on 12 nights.We performed color-magnitude analysis and found that the source exhibited bluer-when-brighter chromatism.This bluer-when-brighter behavior is at least partly caused by the larger variation amplitude at shorter wavelengths.The variations at different wavelengths are correlated well and show no inter-band time lag.

Constraining evolution of magnetic field strength in the dissipation region of two BL Lac objects

With the assumption that the optical variability timescale is dominated by the cooling time of the synchrotron process for BL Lac objects,we estimate time dependent magnetic field strength of the emission region for two BL Lac objects.The average magnetic field strengths are consistent with those estimated from core shift measurement and spectral energy distribution modelling.Variation of magnetic field strength in the dissipation region is discovered.Variability of flux and magnetic field strength shows no clear correlation,which indicates the variation of magnetic field is not the dominant reason of the variability origin.The evolution of magnetic field strength can provide another approach to constrain the energy dissipation mechanism in jets.

The intra-day optical monitoring of BL Lacerate object 1ES 1218+304 at its highest X-ray flux level

We here report a monitor of the BL Lac object 1 ES 1218+304 in both B-and R-bands by the GWAC-F60 A telescope in eight nights,when it was triggered to be at its highest X-ray flux in history by the VERITAS Observatory and Swift follow-ups.Both ANOVA and χ^(2)-test enable us to clearly reveal an intraday variability in optical wavelengths in seven out of the eight nights.A bluer-when-brighter chromatic relationship has been clearly identified in five out of the eight nights,which can be well explained by the shock-in-jet model.In addition,a quasi-periodic oscillation phenomenon in both bands could be tentatively identified in the first night.A positive delay between the two bands has been revealed in three out of the eight nights,and a negative one in the other nights.The identified minimum time delay enables us to estimate the MBH=2.8 × 10^(7) M_(⊙) that is invalid.

Possible properties of Te V spectra in PKS 2155–304

We present a one-zone homogeneous lepton-hadronic model and obtain steady-state spectra by solving the time-dependent equations to study a plausible origin of hard TeV spectra in PKS 2155-304.In this model,we assume a steady electron and proton injection rate in the source and solve the non-linear time-dependent kinematic equations that self-consistently consist of proton-photon interaction,synchrotron radiation of electron/positron pairs and proton,inverse Compton scattering,and synchrotron self-absorption.We employ this model to reproduce the multi-wavelength spectrum of PKS 2155-304,then find that the possible bump located at E~1 TeV which may originate from the synchrotron radiation of secondary electrons produced by Bethe-Heitler pair production,resulting in the hard TeV spectrum.

About 300 days Optical Quasi-periodic Oscillations in the Long-term Light Curves of the Blazar PKS 2155-304

Based on the long-term light curves collected from the Catalina Sky Survey(CSS)(from 2005 to 2013)and the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae(ASAS-SN)(from 2014 to 2018),optical quasi-periodic oscillations(QPOs)about 300 days can be well determined in the well-known blazar PKS 2155-304 through four different methods:the generalized Lomb-Scargle periodogram(GLSP)method,the weighted wavelet Z-transform technique,the epoch-folded method and the redfit method.The GLSP determined significance level for the periodicity is higher than 99.9999%based on a false alarm probability.The redfit provided confidence level for the periodicity is higher than 99%in the ASAS-SN light curve,after considering the effects of red noise.Based on continuous autoregressive process created artificial light curves,the probability of detecting fake QPOs is lower than 0.8%.The determined optical periodicity of 300 days from the CSS and ASAS-SN light curves is well consistent with the reported optical periodicity in the literature.Moreover,three possible models are discussed to explain the optical QPOs in PKS 2155-304:the relativistic frame-dragging effect,the binary black hole model and the jet precession model.

Hints of a second explosion(a quark nova) in Cassiopeia A supernova

We show that the explosive transition of the neutron star （NS） to a quark star （QS） （a Quark Nova） in Cassiopeia A （Cas A） a few days following the supernova （SN） proper can account for several of the puzzling kinematic and nucleosynthetic features that are observed. The observed decoupling between Fe and 44Ti and the lack of Fe emission within 44Ti regions is expected in the QN model owing to the spallation of the inner SN ejecta by relativistic QN neutrons. Our model predicts the 44Ti to be more prominent to the NW of the central compact object （CCO） than in the SE and little of it along the NE-SW jets, in agreement with NuStar observations. Other intriguing features of Cas A are addressed, such as the lack of a pulsar wind nebula and the reported few percent drop in the CCO temperature over a period of 10 yr.