The submillimeter spectrum of deuterated glycolaldehydes
  Glycolaldehyde, a sugar-related interstellar prebiotic molecule, has recently
been detected in two star-forming regions, Sgr B2(N) and G31.41+0.31. The
detection of this new species increased the list of complex organic molecules
detected in the interstellar medium (ISM) and adds another level to the
chemical complexity present in space. Besides, this kind of organic molecule is
important because it is directly linked to the origin of life. For many years,
astronomers have been struggling to understand the origin of this high chemical
complexity in the ISM. The study of deuteration may provide crucial hints. In
this context, we have measured the spectra of deuterated isotopologues of
glycolaldehyde in the laboratory: the three monodeuterated ones (CH2OD-CHO,
CHDOH-CHO and CH2OH-CDO) and one dideuterated derivative (CHDOH-CDO) in the
ground vibrational state. Previous laboratory work on the D-isotopologues of
glycolaldehyde was restricted to less than 26 GHz. We used a solidstate
submillimeter-wave spectrometer in Lille with an accuracy for isolated lines
better than 30 kHz to acquire new spectroscopic data between 150 and 630 GHz
and employed the ASFIT and SPCAT programs for analysis. We measured around 900
new lines for each isotopologue and determined spectroscopic parameters. This
allows an accurate prediction in the ALMA range up to 850 GHz. This treatment
meets the needs for a first astrophysical research, for which we provide an
appropriate set of predictions.
