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Description
The fractionation of nitrogen (N) in star-forming regions is a poorly understood process. To put more stringent observational constraints on the N-fractionation, we have observed with the IRAM-30-m telescope a large sample of 66 cores in massive star-forming regions. We targeted the (1-0) rotational transition of HN^13^C, HC^15^N, H^13^CN and HC^15^N, and derived the ^14^N/^15^N ratio for both HCN and HNC. We have completed this sample with that already observed by Colzi et al., and thus analysed a total sample of 87 sources. The ^14^N/^15^N ratios are distributed around the Proto-Solar Nebula value with a lower limit near the TA value (~272). We have also derived the ^14^N/^15^N ratio as a function of the Galactocentric distance and deduced a linear trend based on unprecedented statistics. The Galactocentric dependences that we have found are consistent, in the slope, with past works but we have found a new local ^14^N/^15^N value of ~400, i.e. closer to the Prosolar Nebula value. A second analysis was done, and a parabolic Galactocentric trend was found. Comparison with Galactic chemical evolution models shows that the slope until 8 kpc is consistent with the linear analysis, while the flattening trend above 8 kpc is well reproduced by the parabolic analysis.
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