2 research outputs found
CH 3 GHz Observations of the Galactic Center
A 3 3 map of the Galactic Center was made at 9\arcmin resolution
and 10\arcmin spacing in the CH , J=1/2, F=1-1 transition at
3335 MHz. The CH emission shows a velocity extent that is nearly that of the
CO(1-0) line, but the CH line profiles differ markedly from the CO. The 3335
MHz CH transition primarily traces low-density molecular gas and our
observations indicate that the mass of this component within 30 pc of
the Galactic Center is 9 10 M. The CO-H
conversion factor obtained for the low-density gas in the mapped region is
greater than that thought to apply to the dense molecular gas at the Galactic
Center. In addition to tracing the low-density molecular gas at the Galactic
Center, the CH spectra show evidence of emission from molecular clouds along
the line of sight both in the foreground and background. The scale height of
these clouds ranges from 27 - 109 pc, consistent with previous work based on
observations of molecular clouds in the inner Galaxy.Comment: 29 pages, 12 figure