Communication: Rotational excitation of interstellar heavy water by hydrogen molecules

Cross sections and rate coefficients for low lying rotational transitions in D(2)O induced by para-H(2) collisions are presented for the first time. Calculations have been performed at the close-coupling level with the deuterated variant of the H(2)O-H(2) interaction potential of Valiron et al. J. Chem. Phys. 129, 134306 (2008)]. Rate coefficients are presented for temperatures between 1 and 30 K and are compared to the corresponding rate coefficients for H(2)O. Significant differences caused by the isotopic substitution are observed and are attributed to both kinematics and intramolecular geometry effects. Astrophysical implications are briefly discussed in view of the very recent detection of D(2)O by the Herschel Space Observatory.