Our group members participated in ALMA large program, Complex Organic Molecules in Protostars with ALMA Spectral Surveys (COMPASS), which investigated the rich chemical environments of 11 nearby Sun-like protostars. Researchers in COMPASS program revealed diverse organic molecules, including methanol (CH3OH), which is a simple organic molecule but plays an important role in forming the complex molecules in space.
Our group led two of the seven COMPASS papers. Jae-Hong Jeong discovered a new class I CH3OH maser transition at 302.9 GHz and detected maser emission in seven of the 11 surveyed regions, demonstrating that such masers are widespread in young low-mass protostars and can trace shocked gas associated with outflows. (COMPASS VI). Dr. Hyung-Sik Yun, on the other hand, used CH3OH observations and principal component analysis (PCA) to trace outflow cavity walls and shocked knots in BHR71-IRS1, revealing distinct methanol desorption mechanisms (COMPASS V).
"We are just beginning to tap into the richness of this dataset. We expect to uncover entirely new aspects of how chemistry evolves on the path to planet formation as we expand the analysis" said Jeong-Eun Lee, a Co-PI of COMPASS program. The first seven COMPASS papers were published in Astronomy & Astrophysics (A&A).
COMPASS is the ALMA large program, comprised of international groups from Europe, North America, and East Asia including Korea, Japan, and Taiwan.
The seven literature are available in:
COMPASS I
COMPASS II
COMPASS III
COMPASS IV
COMPASS V
COMPASS VI
COMPASS VII
Related articles of the COMPASS researches can be read in
ALMA News
ALMA Press Releases
NRAO News
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