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Description
Ultraviolet radiation (UV) influences the physics and chemistry of star-forming regions, but its properties and significance in the immediate surroundings of low-mass protostars are still poorly understood. We aim to extend the use of the CN/HCN ratio, already established for high-mass protostars, to the low-mass regime to trace and characterize the UV field around low-mass protostars on ~0.6x0.6pc scales. The spatial distribution of HCN and CS are well-correlated with CO 6-5 emission that traces outflows. The CN emission is extended from the central protostars to their immediate surroundings also tracing outflows, likely as a product of HCN photodissociation. The ratio of CN to HCN total column densities ranges from ~1 to 12 corresponding to G_0_~10^1^-10^3^ for gas densities and temperatures typical for outflows of low-mass protostars. UV radiation associated with protostars and their outflows is indirectly identified in a significant part of the Serpens Main low-mass star-forming region. Its strength is consistent with the values obtained from the OH and H_2_O ratios observed with Herschel and compared with models of UV-illuminated shocks. From a chemical viewpoint, the CN to HCN ratio is an excellent tracer of UV fields around low- and intermediate-mass star-forming regions.
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