Deuterated formaldehyde in rho Ophiuchi A
  From mapping observations of H2CO, HDCO, and D2CO, we have determined how the
degree of deuterium fractionation changes over the central 3'x3' region of rho
Oph A. The multi-transition data of the various H2CO isotopologues, as well as
from other molecules (e.g., CH3OH and N2D+) present in the observed bands, were
analysed using both the standard type rotation diagram analysis and, in
selected cases, a more elaborate method of solving the radiative transfer for
optically thick emission. In addition to molecular column densities, the
analysis also estimates the kinetic temperature and H2 density. Toward the SM1
core in rho Oph A, the H2CO deuterium fractionation is very high. In fact, the
observed D2CO/HDCO ratio is 1.34+/-0.19, while the HDCO/H2CO ratio is
0.107+/-0.015. This is the first time, to our knowledge, that the D2CO/HDCO
abundance ratio is observed to be greater than 1. The kinetic temperature is in
the range 20-30 K in the cores of rho Oph A, and the H2 density is (6-10)x10^5
cm-3. We estimate that the total H2 column density toward the deuterium peak is
(1-4)x10^23 cm-2. As depleted gas-phase chemistry is not adequate, we suggest
that grain chemistry, possibly due to abstraction and exchange reactions along
the reaction chain H2CO -> HDCO -> D2CO, is at work to produce the very high
deuterium levels observed.
