Description
We have conducted a survey of a sample of infrared-dark clouds (IRDCs) with the Spitzer Space Telescope in order to explore their mass distribution. We present a method for tracing mass using dust absorption against the bright Galactic background at 8um. The IRDCs in this sample are comprised of tens of clumps, ranging in sizes from 0.02 to 0.3pc in diameter and masses from 0.5 to a few 10^3^M_{sun}_, the broadest dynamic range in any clump mass spectrum study to date.
|