Detection of the 2165 inverse centimeter (4.619 micron) XCN band in the spectrum of L1551 IRS 5.
We report the detection of a broad absorption band at 2165 cm-1 (4.619 microns) in the spectrum of L1551 IRS 5.  New laboratory results over the 2200-2100 cm-1 wavenumber interval (4.55-4.76 microns), performed with realistic interstellar ice analogs, suggest that this feature is due to a CN-containing compound.  We will refer to this compound as XCN.  We also confirm the presence of frozen CO (both in nonpolar and polar matrices) through absorption bands at 2140 cm-1 (4.67 microns) and 2135 cm-1 (4.68 microns).  The relative abundance of solid-state CO to frozen H2O is approximately 0.13 while the abundance of XCN seems comparable to that of frozen CO.
Tegler
S C
SC
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA.
Weintraub
D A
DA
Allamandola
L J
LJ
Sandford
S A
SA
Rettig
T W
TW
Campins
H
H
D055580:Astronomical Phenomena; D001256:Astronomy; D002248:Carbon Monoxide / Q000737:chemistry; D005118:Extraterrestrial Environment; D007053:Ice / Q000032:analysis*; D019110:Meteoroids; D008956:Models, Chemical; D009570:Nitriles / Q000737:chemistry*; D013055:Spectrophotometry, Infrared
D007053:Ice; D009570:Nitriles; D002248:Carbon Monoxide