First detection of the 448 GHz H2O transition in space

Left: Map of the 448 GHz (rest frequency) continuum (top panel) and zeroth moment of the H2O 423 − 330 emission (bottom panel) of ESO 320-G030. Right: Continuum subtracted profile of the H2O 423 − 330 448 GHz emission. See Pereira-Santaella et al. 2017 for further details.

Water is a key molecule to probe dense and warm regions in the interstellar medium, because of its chemistry as well as its coupling to the far-infrared. This work presents the first detection of the ortho-H2O 4_23 – 3_30 transition at 448 GHz in space. Continue reading