We report observations of three rotational transitions of molecular oxygen (O 2 ) in emission from the H 2 Peak

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Aims. This paper describes the Heterodyne Instrument for the Far-Infrared (HIFI) that was launched onboard ESA's Herschel Space Observatory in May 2009. Methods. The instrument is a set of 7 heterodyne receivers that are electronically tuneable, covering 480−1250 GHz with SIS mixers and the 1410−1910 GHz range with hot electron bolometer (HEB) mixers. The local oscillator (LO) subsystem comprises a Ka-band synthesizer followed by 14 chains of frequency multipliers and 2 chains for each frequency band. A pair of auto-correlators and a pair of acousto-optical spectrometers process the two IF signals from the dual-polarization, single-pixel front-ends to provide instantaneous frequency coverage of 2 × 4 GHz, with a set of resolutions (125 kHz to 1 MHz) that are better than 0.1 km s −1 . Results. After a successful qualification and a pre-launch TB/TV test program, the flight instrument is now in-orbit and completed successfully the commissioning and performance verification phase. The in-orbit performance of the receivers matches the pre-launch sensitivities. We also report on the in-orbit performance of the receivers and some first results of HIFI's operations.

Aims. We investigate the physical and chemical conditions in a typical star forming region, including an unbiased search for new molecules in a spectral region previously unobserved. Methods. Due to its proximity, the Orion KL region offers a unique laboratory of molecular astrophysics in a chemically rich, massive star forming region. Several ground-based spectral line surveys have been made, but due to the absorption by water and oxygen, the terrestrial atmosphere is completely opaque at frequencies around 487 and 557 GHz. To cover these frequencies we used the Odin satellite to perform a spectral line survey in the frequency ranges 486−492 GHz and 541−577 GHz, filling the gaps between previous spectral scans. Odin's high main beam efficiency, η mb = 0.9, and observations performed outside the atmosphere make our intensity scale very well determined.

Context. Formaldehyde is an organic molecule that is abundant in the interstellar medium. High deuterium fractionation is a common feature in low-mass star-forming regions. Observing several isotopologues of molecules is an excellent tool for understanding the formation paths of the molecules. Aims. We seek an understanding of how the various deuterated isotopologues of formaldehyde are formed in the dense regions of lowmass star formation. More specifically, we adress the question of how the very high deuteration levels (several orders of magnitude above the cosmic D/H ratio) can occur using H 2 CO data of the nearby ρ Oph A molecular cloud. Methods. From mapping observations of H 2 CO, HDCO, and D 2 CO, we have determined how the degree of deuterium fractionation changes over the central 3 × 3 region of ρ Oph A. The multi-transition data of the various H 2 CO isotopologues, as well as from other molecules (e.g., CH 3 OH and N 2 D + ) present in the observed bands, were analysed using both the standard type rotation diagram analysis and, in selected cases, a more elaborate method of solving the radiative transfer for optically thick emission. In addition to molecular column densities, the analysis also estimates the kinetic temperature and H 2 density. Results. Toward the SM1 core in ρ Oph A, the H 2 CO deuterium fractionation is very high. In fact, the observed D 2 CO/HDCO ratio is 1.34 ± 0.19, while the HDCO/H 2 CO ratio is 0.107 ± 0.015. This is the first time, to our knowledge, that the D 2 CO/HDCO abundance ratio is observed to be greater than 1. The kinetic temperature is in the range 20−30 K in the cores of ρ Oph A, and the H 2 density is (6−10) × 10 5 cm −3 . We estimate that the total H 2 column density toward the deuterium peak is (1−4) × 10 23 cm −2 . As depleted gas-phase chemistry is not adequate, we suggest that grain chemistry, possibly due to abstraction and exchange reactions along the reaction chain H 2 CO → HDCO → D 2 CO, is at work to produce the very high deuterium levels observed.

Context. The molecular species hydrogen peroxide, HOOH, is likely to be a key ingredient in the oxygen and water chemistry in the interstellar medium. Aims. Our aim with this investigation is to determine how abundant HOOH is in the cloud core ρ Oph A. Methods. By observing several transitions of HOOH in the (sub)millimeter regime we seek to identify the molecule and also to determine the excitation conditions through a multilevel excitation analysis. Results. We have detected three spectral lines toward the SM1 position of ρ Oph A at velocity-corrected frequencies that coincide very closely with those measured from laboratory spectroscopy of HOOH. A fourth line was detected at the 4σ level. We also found through mapping observations that the HOOH emission extends (about 0.05 pc) over the densest part of the ρ Oph A cloud core. We derive an abundance of HOOH relative to that of H 2 in the SM1 core of about 1 × 10 −10 . Conclusions. To our knowledge, this is the first reported detection of HOOH in the interstellar medium.

Context. Molecular oxygen, O 2 , has been expected historically to be an abundant component of the chemical species in molecular clouds and, as such, an important coolant of the dense interstellar medium. However, a number of attempts from both ground and from space have failed to detect O 2 emission. Aims. The work described here uses heterodyne spectroscopy from space to search for molecular oxygen in the interstellar medium. Methods. The Odin satellite carries a 1.1 m sub-millimeter dish and a dedicated 119 GHz receiver for the ground state line of O 2 . Starting in 2002, the star forming molecular cloud core ρ Oph A was observed with Odin for 34 days during several observing runs. Results. We detect a spectral line at v LSR = +3.5 km s −1 with ∆v FWHM = 1.5 km s −1 , parameters which are also common to other species associated with ρ Oph A. This feature is identified as the O 2 (N J = 1 1 −1 0 ) transition at 118 750.343 MHz. Conclusions. The abundance of molecular oxygen, relative to H 2 , is 5 × 10 −8 averaged over the Odin beam. This abundance is consistently lower than previously reported upper limits.

Context. The dusty debris disk around the ∼20 Myr old main-sequence A-star β Pictoris is known to contain gas. Evidence points towards a secondary origin of the gas as opposed to being a direct remnant from the initial protoplanetary disk, although the dominant gas production mechanism is so far not identified. The origin of the observed overabundance of C and O compared with solar abundances of metallic elements such as Na and Fe is also unclear. Aims. Our goal is to constrain the spatial distribution of C in the disk, and thereby the gas origin and its abundance pattern. Methods. We used the HIFI instrument on board the Herschel Space Observatory to observe and spectrally resolve C  emission at 158 µm from the β Pic debris disk. Assuming a disk in Keplerian rotation and a model for the line emission from the disk, we used the spectrally resolved line profile to constrain the spatial distribution of the gas. Results. We detect the C  158 µm emission. Modelling the shape of the emission line shows that most of the gas is located at about ∼100 AU or beyond. We estimate a total C gas mass of 1.3 +1.3 −0.5 × 10 −2 M ⊕ (central 90% confidence interval). The data suggest that more gas is located on the south-west side of the disk than on the north-east side. The shape of the emission line is consistent with the hypothesis of a well mixed gas (constant C/Fe ratio throughout the disk). Assuming instead a spatial profile expected from a simplified accretion disk model, we found it to give a significantly poorer fit to the observations. Conclusions. Since the bulk of the gas is found outside 30 AU, we argue that the cometary objects known as "falling evaporating bodies" are probably not the dominant source of gas; production from grain-grain collisions or photodesorption seems more likely. The incompatibility of the observations with a simplified accretion disk model might favour a preferential depletion explanation for the overabundance of C and O, although it is unclear how much this conclusion is affected by the simplifications made. More stringent constraints on the spatial distribution will be available from ALMA observations of C  emission at 609 µm.