Nitrogen Fractionation in External Galaxies

In star forming regions in our own Galaxy, the 14N/15N ratio is found to vary from $\sim$ 100 in meteorites, comets and protoplanetary disks up to $\sim$ 1000 in pre-stellar and star forming cores, while in external galaxies the very few single-dish large scale measurements of this ratio lead to values of 100-450. The extent of the contribution of isotopic fractionation to these variations is, to date, unknown. In this paper we present a theoretical chemical study of nitrogen fractionation in external galaxies in order to determine the physical conditions that may lead to a spread of the 14N/15N ratio from the solar value of $\sim$440 and hence evaluate the contribution of chemical reactions in the ISM to nitrogen fractionation. We find that the main cause of ISM enrichment of nitrogen fractionation is high gas densities, aided by high fluxes of cosmic rays.Comment: Accepted by MNRA

First measurements of 15N fractionation in N2H+ toward high-mass star forming cores

We report on the first measurements of the isotopic ratio 14N/15N in N2H+ toward a statistically significant sample of high-mass star forming cores. The sources belong to the three main evolutionary categories of the high-mass star formation process: high-mass starless cores, high-mass protostellar objects, and ultracompact HII regions. Simultaneous measurements of 14N/15N in CN have been made. The 14N/15N ratios derived from N2H+ show a large spread (from ~180 up to ~1300), while those derived from CN are in between the value measured in the terrestrial atmosphere (~270) and that of the proto-Solar nebula (~440) for the large majority of the sources within the errors. However, this different spread might be due to the fact that the sources detected in the N2H+ isotopologues are more than those detected in the CN ones. The 14N/15N ratio does not change significantly with the source evolutionary stage, which indicates that time seems to be irrelevant for the fractionation of nitrogen. We also find a possible anticorrelation between the 14N/15N (as derived from N2H+) and the H/D isotopic ratios. This suggests that 15N enrichment could not be linked to the parameters that cause D enrichment, in agreement with the prediction by recent chemical models. These models, however, are not able to reproduce the observed large spread in 14N/15N, pointing out that some important routes of nitrogen fractionation could be still missing in the models.Comment: 2 Figures, accepted for publication in ApJ

Temperature and kinematics of protoclusters with intermediate and high-mass stars: the case of IRAS 05345+3157

We have mapped at small spatial scales the temperature and the velocity field in the protocluster associated with IRAS 05345+3157, which contains both intermediate-/high-mass protostellar candidates and starless condensations, and is thus an excellent location to investigate the role of massive protostars on protocluster evolution. We observed the ammonia (1,1) and (2,2) inversion transitions with the VLA. Ammonia is the best thermometer for dense and cold gas, and the observed transitions have critical densities able to trace the kinematics of the intracluster gaseous medium. The ammonia emission is extended and distributed in two filamentary structures. The starless condensations are colder than the star-forming cores, but the gas temperature across the whole protocluster is higher (by a factor of ~1.3-1.5) than that measured typically in both infrared dark clouds and low-mass protoclusters. The non-thermal contribution to the observed line broadening is at least a factor of 2 larger than the expected thermal broadening even in starless condensations, contrary to the close-to-thermal line widths measured in low-mass quiescent dense cores. The NH3-to-N2H+ abundance ratio is greatly enhanced (a factor of 10) in the pre--stellar core candidates, probably due to freeze-out of most molecular species heavier than He. The more massive and evolved objects likely play a dominant role in the physical properties and kinematics of the protocluster. The high level of turbulence and the fact that the measured core masses are larger than the expected thermal Jeans masses indicate that turbulence likely was an important factor in the initial fragmentation of the parental clump.Comment: 13 pages (with Appendix), 11 figure

The L1157-B1 astrochemical laboratory: testing the origin of DCN

L1157-B1 is the brightest shocked region of the large-scale molecular outflow, considered the prototype of chemically rich outflows, being the ideal laboratory to study how shocks affect the molecular gas. Several deuterated molecules have been previously detected with the IRAM 30m, most of them formed on grain mantles and then released into the gas phase due to the shock. We aim to observationally investigate the role of the different chemical processes at work that lead to formation the of DCN and test the predictions of the chemical models for its formation. We performed high-angular resolution observations with NOEMA of the DCN(2-1) and H13CN(2-1) lines to compute the deuterated fraction, Dfrac(HCN). We detected emission of DCN(2-1) and H13CN(2-1) arising from L1157-B1 shock. Dfrac(HCN) is ~4x10$^{-3}$ and given the uncertainties, we did not find significant variations across the bow-shock. Contrary to HDCO, whose emission delineates the region of impact between the jet and the ambient material, DCN is more widespread and not limited to the impact region. This is consistent with the idea that gas-phase chemistry is playing a major role in the deuteration of HCN in the head of the bow-shock, where HDCO is undetected as it is a product of grain-surface chemistry. The spectra of DCN and H13CN match the spectral signature of the outflow cavity walls, suggesting that their emission result from shocked gas. The analysis of the time dependent gas-grain chemical model UCL-CHEM coupled with a C-type shock model shows that the observed Dfrac(HCN) is reached during the post-shock phase, matching the dynamical timescale of the shock. Our results indicate that the presence of DCN in L1157-B1 is a combination of gas-phase chemistry that produces the widespread DCN emission, dominating in the head of the bow-shock, and sputtering from grain mantles toward the jet impact region.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A. 7 pages, 5 Figures, 1 Tabl

The dynamical properties of dense filaments in the infrared dark cloud G035.39-00.33

Infrared Dark Clouds (IRDCs) are unique laboratories to study the initial conditions of high-mass star and star cluster formation. We present high-sensitivity and high-angular resolution IRAM PdBI observations of N2H+ (1-0) towards IRDC G035.39-00.33. It is found that G035.39-00.33 is a highly complex environment, consisting of several mildly supersonic filaments (sigma_NT/c_s ~1.5), separated in velocity by <1 km s^-1 . Where multiple spectral components are evident, moment analysis overestimates the non-thermal contribution to the line-width by a factor ~2. Large-scale velocity gradients evident in previous single-dish maps may be explained by the presence of substructure now evident in the interferometric maps. Whilst global velocity gradients are small (<0.7 km s^-1 pc^-1), there is evidence for dynamic processes on local scales (~1.5-2.5 km s^-1 pc^-1 ). Systematic trends in velocity gradient are observed towards several continuum peaks. This suggests that the kinematics are influenced by dense (and in some cases, starless) cores. These trends are interpreted as either infalling material, with accretion rates ~(7 \pm 4)x10^-5 M_sun yr^-1 , or expanding shells with momentum ~24 \pm 12 M_sun km s^-1 . These observations highlight the importance of high-sensitivity and high-spectral resolution data in disentangling the complex kinematic and physical structure of massive star forming regions.Comment: 25 pages, 23 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

La musicologia filosofica di Adorno

Questo elaborato è rivolto ad analizzare la musicologia filosofica di Adorno fondata su un assunto principale: la musica, attraverso le sue tensioni, esprime la società in quanto “totalità in sé agonistica”. Prendendo in considerazione la riflessione adorniana sui protagonisti della musica borghese, Beethoven, Wagner, Strawinsky, Schönberg, si vuol mettere in evidenza la difficoltà della “musica moderna” a sfuggire ai meccanismi del “mondo amministrato”

A high resolution study of complex organic molecules in hot cores

We present the results of a line identification analysis using data from the IRAM Plateau de Bure Inferferometer, focusing on six massive star-forming hot cores: G31.41+0.31, G29.96-0.02, G19.61-0.23, G10.62-0.38, G24.78+0.08A1 and G24.78+0.08A2. We identify several transitions of vibrationally excited methyl formate (HCOOCH$_3$) for the first time in these objects as well as transitions of other complex molecules, including ethyl cyanide (C$_2$H$_5$CN), and isocyanic acid (HNCO). We also postulate a detection of one transition of glycolaldehyde (CH$_2$(OH)CHO) in two new hot cores. We find G29.96-0.02, G19.61-0.23, G24.78+0.08A1 and 24.78+0.08A2 to be chemically very similar. G31.41+0.31, however, is chemically different: it manifests a larger chemical inventory and has significantly larger column densities. We suggest that it may represent a different evolutionary stage to the other hot cores in the sample, or it may surround a star with a higher mass. We derive column densities for methyl formate in G31.41+0.31, using the rotation diagram method, of $\times$10$^{17}$ cm$^{-2}$ and a T$_{rot}$ of $\sim$170 K. For G29.96-0.02, G24.78+0.08A1 and G24.78+0.08A2, glycolaldehyde, methyl formate and methyl cyanide all seem to trace the same material and peak at roughly the same position towards the dust emission peak. For G31.41+0.31, however, glycolaldehyde shows a different distribution to methyl formate and methyl cyanide and seems to trace the densest, most compact inner part of hot cores.Comment: Accepted to MNRA

Cost efficiency of Italian Commercial Banks: a Stochastic Frontier analysis

During 90’s, the Italian banking system faced a new competitive environment both widening the dimensional scale and pursuing a rationalization process. Some insights could be drawn through efficiency analysis by estimation of a stochastic cost frontier for the period 1993-2004. Benchmark analysis not only highlights the contribution of the main factors that affect efficiency, but also allows evaluation of efficiency dynamics through time, determining the presence of technical progress and scale economies. However, such measure is significant if the sample of firms is homogeneous hence, accounting for heterogeneity of the units involved is then a goal of our analysi