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Description
For a general understanding of the physics involved in the star formation process, measurements of physical parameters such as temperature and density are indispensable. The chemical and physical properties of dense clumps of molecular clouds are strongly affected by the kinetic temperature. Therefore, this parameter is essential for a better understanding of the interstellar medium. Formaldehyde, a molecule which traces the entire dense molecular gas, appears to be the most reliable tracer to directly measure the gas kinetic temperature.We aim to determine the kinetic temperature with spectral lines from formaldehyde and to compare the results with those obtained from ammonia lines for a large number of massive clumps.Three 218 GHz transitions (J_KAKC_=3_03_-2_02_, 3_22_-2_21_, and 3_21_-2_20_) of para-H_2_CO were observed with the 15m James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) toward 30 massive clumps of the Galactic disk at various stages of high-mass star formation. Using the RADEX non-LTE model, we derive the gas kinetic temperature modeling the measured para-H_2_CO 3_22_-2_21_/3_03_-2_02_ and 3_21_-2_20_/3_03_-2_02_ ratios. The gas kinetic temperatures derived from the para-H2CO (3_21_-2_20_/3_03_-2_02_) line ratios range from 30 to 61K with an average of 46K. A comparison of kinetic temperature derived from para-H_2_CO, NH3, and the dust emission indicates that in many cases para-H_2_CO traces a similar kinetic temperature to the NH_3_ (2,2)/(1,1) transitions and the dust associated with the HII regions. Distinctly higher temperatures are probed by para-H_2_CO in the clumps associated with outflows/shocks. Kinetic temperatures obtained from para-H_2_CO trace turbulence to a higher degree than NH_3_ (2,2)/(1,1) in the massive clumps. The non-thermal velocity dispersions of para-H_2_CO lines are positively correlated with the gas kinetic temperature. The massive clumps are significantly influenced by supersonic non-thermal motions.
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