25 research outputs found
Kinematic Distances to Molecular Clouds identified in the Galactic Ring Survey
Kinematic distances to 750 molecular clouds identified in the 13CO J=1-0
Boston University-Five College Radio Astronomy Observatory Galactic Ring Survey
(BU-FCRAO GRS) are derived assuming the Clemens rotation curve of the Galaxy.
The kinematic distance ambiguity is resolved by examining the presence of HI
self-absorption toward the 13CO emission peak of each cloud using the Very
Large Array Galactic Plane Survey (VGPS). We also identify 21 cm continuum
sources embedded in the GRS clouds in order to use absorption features in the
HI 21 cm continuum to distinguish between near and far kinematic distances. The
Galactic distribution of GRS clouds is consistent with a four-arm model of the
Milky Way. The locations of the Scutum-Crux and Perseus arms traced by GRS
clouds match star count data from the Galactic Legacy Infrared Mid-Plane Survey
Extraordinaire (GLIMPSE) star-count data. We conclude that molecular clouds
must form in spiral arms and be short-lived (lifetimes < 10 Myr) in order to
explain the absence of massive, 13CO bright molecular clouds in the inter-arm
space
Physical Properties and Galactic Distribution of Molecular Clouds identified in the Galactic Ring Survey
We derive the physical properties of 580 molecular clouds based on their 12CO
and 13CO line emission detected in the University of Massachusetts-Stony Brook
(UMSB) and Galactic Ring surveys. We provide a range of values of the physical
properties of molecular clouds, and find a power-law correlation between their
radii and masses, suggesting that the fractal dimension of the ISM is around
2.36. This relation, M = (228 +/- 18) R^{2.36+/-0.04}, allows us to derive
masses for an additional 170 GRS molecular clouds not covered by the UMSB
survey. We derive the Galactic surface mass density of molecular gas and
examine its spatial variations throughout the Galaxy. We find that the
azimuthally averaged Galactic surface density of molecular gas peaks between
Galactocentric radii of 4 and 5 kpc. Although the Perseus arm is not detected
in molecular gas, the Galactic surface density of molecular gas is enhanced
along the positions of the Scutum-Crux and Sagittarius arms. This may indicate
that molecular clouds form in spiral arms and are disrupted in the inter-arm
space. Last, we find that the CO excitation temperature of molecular clouds
decreases away from the Galactic center, suggesting a possible decline in the
star formation rate with Galactocentric radius. There is a marginally
significant enhancement in the CO excitation temperature of molecular clouds at
a Galactocentric radius of about 6 kpc, which in the longitude range of the GRS
corresponds to the Sagittarius arm. This temperature increase could be
associated with massive star formation in the Sagittarius spiral arm
The nature of the dense core population in the pipe nebula: core and cloud kinematics from C18O observations
We present molecular-line observations of 94 dark cloud cores identified in
the Pipe nebula through near-IR extinction mapping. Using the Arizona Radio
Observatory 12m telescope, we obtained spectra of these cores in the J=1-0
transition of C18O. We use the measured core parameters, i.e., antenna
temperature, linewidth, radial velocity, radius and mass, to explore the
internal kinematics of these cores as well as their radial motions through the
larger molecular cloud. We find that the vast majority of the dark extinction
cores are true cloud cores rather than the superposition of unrelated
filaments. While we identify no significant correlations between the core's
internal gas motions and the cores' other physical parameters, we identify
spatially correlated radial velocity variations that outline two main kinematic
components of the cloud. The largest is a 15pc long filament that is
surprisingly narrow both in spatial dimensions and in radial velocity.
Beginning in the Stem of the Pipe, this filament displays uniformly small C18O
linewidths (dv~0.4kms-1) as well as core to core motions only slightly in
excess of the gas sound speed. The second component outlines what appears to be
part of a large (2pc; 1000 solar mass) ring-like structure. Cores associated
with this component display both larger linewidths and core to core motions
than in the main cloud. The Pipe Molecular Ring may represent a primordial
structure related to the formation of this cloud.Comment: Accepted to ApJ. 14 pages, 11 figures. Complete table at end of
documen
Some like it cold: molecular emission and effective dust temperatures of dense cores in the Pipe Nebula
J. Forbrich, et al., “Some like it cold: molecular emission and effective dust temperatures of dense cores in the Pipe Nebula”, Astronomy & Astrophysics, Vol. 568, August 2014. This version of record is available online at: https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/abs/2014/08/aa23913-14/aa23913-14.html Reproduced with Permission from Astronomy and Astrophysics, © ESO 2014.Aims. The Pipe Nebula is characterized by a low star-formation rate and is therefore an ideal environment to explore how initial conditions, including core characteristics, affect star-formation efficiencies. Methods. In a continued study of the molecular core population of the Pipe Nebula, we present a molecular-line survey of 52 cores. Previous research has shown a variety of different chemical evolutionary stages among the cores. Using the Mopra Radio Telescope, we observed the ground rotational transitions of HCO+, H13CO+, HCN, H13CN, HNC, and N2H+. These data are complemented with near-infrared extinction maps to constrain the column densities, effective dust temperatures derived from Herschel data, and NH3-based gas kinetic temperatures. Results. The target cores are located across the nebula, span visual extinctions between 5 and 67 mag, and effective dust temperatures (averaged along the lines of sight) between 13 and 19 K. The extinction-normalized integrated line intensities, a proxy for the abundance in constant excitation conditions of optically thin lines, vary within an order of magnitude for a given molecule. The effective dust temperatures and gas kinetic temperatures are correlated, but the effective dust temperatures are consistently higher than the gas kinetic temperatures. Combining the molecular line and temperature data, we find that N2H+ is only detected toward the coldest and densest cores, while other lines show no correlation with these core properties. Conclusions. Within this large sample, N2H+ is the only species to exclusively trace the coldest and densest cores, in agreement with chemical considerations. In contrast, the common high-density tracers HCN and HNC are present in a majority of the cores, demonstrating the utility of these molecules for characterizing cores over a wide range of extinctions. The correlation between the effective dust temperatures and the gas kinetic temperatures suggests that the former are dominated by dust that is both dense and thermodynamically coupled to the dense gas traced by NH3. A direct use of the effective dust temperatures in a determination of dust column densities from dust emission measurements would, however, result in an underestimate of the dust column densities.Peer reviewe
The Millimeter Astronomy Legacy Team 90 GHz (MALT90) Pilot Survey
We describe a pilot survey conducted with the Mopra 22-m radio telescope in
preparation for the Millimeter Astronomy Legacy Team Survey at 90 GHz (MALT90).
We identified 182 candidate dense molecular clumps using six different
selection criteria and mapped each source simultaneously in 16 different lines
near 90 GHz. We present a summary of the data and describe how the results of
the pilot survey shaped the design of the larger MALT90 survey. We motivate our
selection of target sources for the main survey based on the pilot detection
rates and demonstrate the value of mapping in multiple lines simultaneously at
high spectral resolution.Comment: Accepted to ApJS. 23 pages and 16 figures. Full resolution version
with an appendix showing all the data (12.1 MB) is available at
http://malt90.bu.edu/publications/Foster_2011_Malt90Pilot.pd