Publisher
The University of Arizona.Rights
Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author.Abstract
Understanding the chemical processes during starless core and prestellar core evolution is an important step in understanding the initial stages of star and disk formation. This project is a study of deuterated ammonia, o-NH2D, in the nearby (300 pc) star-forming region Cepheus L1251. Twenty-two dense cores previously identified by NH3 (1,1) observations were targeted with the 12m Arizona Radio Observatory telescope on Kitt Peak. Comparisons of physical parameters such as mass, radii, average volume density, mass surface density, moment of intertia, and virial parameter show evidence of separation between sources with o-NH2D detection and those without o-NH2D detection. These results indicate that the detection of deuterated ammonia provides an additional evolutionary indicator during the starless and prestellar core phases. The median deuterium fraction was found to be 0.19; however, there are no strong, discernible trends in plots of deuterium fraction with any physical or evolutionary variables.Type
Electronic thesistext
Degree Name
B.S.Degree Level
bachelorsDegree Program
AstronomyHonors College