Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 28, 2026

Scattering And Absorption of Light in Planetary Regoliths
Published on: July 1, 2019
Radiative transfer modeling of the low-mass proto-binary system, IRAS 4A1 and 4A2
Bratati Bhat1, Ankan Das2, Prasanta Gorai3
1Physical Research Laboratory, Navrangpura, Ahmedabad, 380009, Gujrat, India; Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Koramangala, Bangalore, 560 034, Karnataka, India; Institute of Astronomy Space and Earth Science, P177, CIT Road, Scheme 7m, Kolkata, 700054, West Bengal, India.
Abstract:
NGC 1333 IRAS4A is a well-studied low-mass sun-like proto-binary system. It has two components, A1 and A2, which are diverse according to their physical and chemical properties. We modeled this hot corino using the RATRAN radiative transfer code and explained different spectral signatures observed towards A1 and A2, specifically for CH3OH and H2CO. Our main goal is to understand the kinematical and chemical differences between A1 and A2 and to classify their dust emission and absorption properties. We considered a simple 1D spherical infalling envelope consisting of collimated outflow in the source. Recent high-resolution interferometric observations of ALMA shed new light on why the same molecular transitions towards A1 and A2 show different spectral profiles. The significant difference between spectral profiles observed towards A1 and A2 is mainly due to the dust opacity effect. Dust continuum emission towards A1 is optically thick, causing the transitions observed in absorption. Meanwhile, A2 is optically thin, leading to the observed emission profiles, and an inverse P-Cygni profile suggests the presence of an infalling envelope. Using high-resolution observations from ALMA and VLA, we expanded our model from the millimeter wavelength range to the centimeter wavelength range. This expansion demonstrates the opacity effect, which is reduced in the centimeter wavelength range, causing us to observe the lines in emission. Using our model, we reproduced the population inversion causing maser emission of methanol 44 GHz and 95 GHz transitions.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Infrared (IR) Spectroscopy: Overview
Different compounds display unique properties due to their...
Reduced Mass Coordinates: Isolated Two-body Problem
Attenuated Total Reflectance (ATR) Infrared Spectroscopy: Overview
The ATR process begins by directing a beam...
IR Spectrometers
IR Spectroscopy: Molecular Vibration Overview
Stretching vibrations are vibrational motions that occur along the bond line, changing the bond length or distance between two bonded atoms. They are further distinguished as symmetric or asymmetric. In symmetric stretching, the...
IR Spectrum
Transmittance is defined as the ratio of the radiant power passing through a sample to that from the radiation's source. Multiplying the transmittance by 100 gives the percent transmittance (%T), which varies between 100% (no absorption) and 0%...

