Warm water vapour in the sooty outflow from a luminous carbon star

L. Decin (), M. Agúndez, M. J. Barlow, F. Daniel, J. Cernicharo, R. Lombaert, E. De Beck, P. Royer, B. Vandenbussche, R. Wesson, E. T. Polehampton, J. A. D. L. Blommaert, W. De Meester, K. Exter, H. Feuchtgruber, W. K. Gear, H. L. Gomez, M. A. T. Groenewegen, M. Guélin, P. C. Hargrave, R. Huygen, P. Imhof, R. J. Ivison, C. Jean, C. Kahane, F. Kerschbaum, S. J. Leeks, T. Lim, M. Matsuura, G. Olofsson, T. Posch, S. Regibo, G. Savini, B. Sibthorpe, B. M. Swinyard, J. A. Yates and C. Waelkens
Additional contact information
L. Decin: Instituut voor Sterrenkunde, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200D, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
M. Agúndez: Laboratory of Molecular Astrophysics, CAB, INTA-CSIC, Ctra de Ajalvir, km 4, 28850 Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain
M. J. Barlow: University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
F. Daniel: Laboratory of Molecular Astrophysics, CAB, INTA-CSIC, Ctra de Ajalvir, km 4, 28850 Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain
J. Cernicharo: Laboratory of Molecular Astrophysics, CAB, INTA-CSIC, Ctra de Ajalvir, km 4, 28850 Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain
R. Lombaert: Instituut voor Sterrenkunde, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200D, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
E. De Beck: Instituut voor Sterrenkunde, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200D, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
P. Royer: Instituut voor Sterrenkunde, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200D, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
B. Vandenbussche: Instituut voor Sterrenkunde, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200D, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
R. Wesson: University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
E. T. Polehampton: Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 0QX, UK
J. A. D. L. Blommaert: Instituut voor Sterrenkunde, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200D, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
W. De Meester: Instituut voor Sterrenkunde, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200D, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
K. Exter: Instituut voor Sterrenkunde, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200D, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
H. Feuchtgruber: Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Giessenbachstrasse, 85748 Garching, Germany
W. K. Gear: School of Physics and Astronomy, Cardiff University, Queens Buildings, The Parade, Cardiff CF24 3AA, UK
H. L. Gomez: School of Physics and Astronomy, Cardiff University, Queens Buildings, The Parade, Cardiff CF24 3AA, UK
M. A. T. Groenewegen: Royal Observatory of Belgium, Ringlaan 3, B-1180 Brussels, Belgium
M. Guélin: Institut de Radioastronomie Millimétrique, 300 rue de la Piscine, 38406 St Martin d'Héres, France
P. C. Hargrave: School of Physics and Astronomy, Cardiff University, Queens Buildings, The Parade, Cardiff CF24 3AA, UK
R. Huygen: Instituut voor Sterrenkunde, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200D, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
P. Imhof: Blue Sky Spectroscopy, 9/740 4 Avenue S, Lethbridge, Alberta T1J 0N9, Canada
R. J. Ivison: UK Astronomy Technology Centre, Royal Observatory Edinburgh, Blackford Hill, Edinburgh EH9 3HJ, UK
C. Jean: Instituut voor Sterrenkunde, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200D, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
C. Kahane: Laboratoire d' Astrophysique, Observatoire de Grenoble, BP 53, F-38041 Grenoble Cedex 9, France
F. Kerschbaum: University of Vienna, Türkenschanzstraße 17, A-1180 Vienna, Austria
S. J. Leeks: Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 0QX, UK
T. Lim: Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 0QX, UK
M. Matsuura: University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
G. Olofsson: Stockholm University, AlbaNova University Center, Roslagstullsbacken 21, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden
T. Posch: University of Vienna, Türkenschanzstraße 17, A-1180 Vienna, Austria
S. Regibo: Instituut voor Sterrenkunde, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200D, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
G. Savini: University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
B. Sibthorpe: UK Astronomy Technology Centre, Royal Observatory Edinburgh, Blackford Hill, Edinburgh EH9 3HJ, UK
B. M. Swinyard: Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 0QX, UK
J. A. Yates: University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
C. Waelkens: Instituut voor Sterrenkunde, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200D, 3001 Leuven, Belgium

Nature, 2010, vol. 467, issue 7311, 64-67

Abstract: Water features in old stars The discovery in 2001 of water vapour around the ageing carbon star IRC+10216 was a surprise, because stellar evolution models predicted the virtual absence of water in carbon-rich stars. Several explanations were offered, but with only one water line detected in the spectrum of one carbon-rich evolved star, it was difficult to discriminate between the alternatives. Now observations with the European Space Agency's Herschel satellite have discovered dozens of water lines in the far-infrared and submillimetre spectrum of IRC+10216. These include high-excitation lines with energies corresponding to temperatures of around 1,000 K, which can be explained only if water is present in the warm inner sooty region of the envelope.

Date: 2010
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DOI: 10.1038/nature09344

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