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Pure rotational spectra of TiO and TiO_2 in VY Canis Majoris

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arxiv 1301.4344 v1 pith:6XL7CBXP submitted 2013-01-18 astro-ph.SR

classification astro-ph.SR
keywords rotationaldetectionoxidespurealternativealthoughcaniscannot
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We report the first detection of pure rotational transitions of TiO and TiO_2 at (sub-)millimeter wavelengths towards the red supergiant VY CMa. A rotational temperature, T_rot, of about 250 K was derived for TiO_2. Although T_rot was not well constrained for TiO, it is likely somewhat higher than that of TiO_2. The detection of the Ti oxides confirms that they are formed in the circumstellar envelopes of cool oxygen-rich stars and may be the "seeds" of inorganic-dust formation, but alternative explanations for our observation of TiO and TiO_2 in the cooler regions of the envelope cannot be ruled out at this time. The observations suggest that a significant fraction of the oxides is not converted to dust, but instead remains in the gas phase throughout the outflow.

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Cited by 2 Pith papers

Reviewed papers in the Pith corpus that reference this work. Sorted by Pith novelty score. Full citation record

  1. Dust Seeding Molecules in a Massive Protostar -- Detection of TiO in Orion Source I

    astro-ph.GA 2026-08 conditional novelty 6.8 of 10

    TiO is detected for the first time in a star-forming region, traced to the base of the rotating outflow of Orion Source I with a column density implying efficient dust-to-gas conversion.

  2. Observations of non complex organic molecules in the gas phase of the interstellar medium

    astro-ph.GA 2025-06 unverdicted

    A handbook-style review of interstellar molecule detections and abundance-determination methods, with no new research results.

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