HCN-to-HNC intensity ratio

However, obtaining reliable TK estimates usually requires expensive observations including the combination of multi-line analysis and dedicated radiative transfer calculations. This work explores the use of HCN and HNC observations, and particularly the I(HCN)-to-I(HNC) intensity ratio (I(HCN)/I(HNC)) of their J=1-0 lines, as direct probe of the gas kinetic temperature in the molecular ISM.

We obtained a new set of large-scale observations of the HCN and HNC (1-0) lines throughout the Integral Shape Filament (ISF) in Orion. In combination with ancillary gas and dust temperature measurements, we find a systematic temperature dependence of the observed I(HCN)-to-I(HNC) intensity ratio throughout our maps. Additional comparisons with chemical models demonstrate that these observed I(HCN)/I(HNC) variations are driven by the effective destruction and isomerization mechanisms of HNC under low-energy barriers.