- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/632/A60
- Title:
- CH 2THz spectra towards 7 molecular clouds
- Short Name:
- J/A+A/632/A60
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- Despite being a commonly observed feature, the modification of the velocity structure in spectral line profiles by hyperfine structure complicates the interpretation of spectroscopic data. This is particularly true for observations of simple molecules such as CH and OH toward the inner Galaxy, which show a great deal of velocity crowding. In this paper, we investigate the influence of hyperfine splitting on complex spectral lines, with the aim of evaluating canonical abundances by decomposing their dependence on hyperfine structures. This is achieved from first principles through deconvolution. We present high spectral resolution observations of the rotational ground state transitions of CH near 2THz seen in absorption toward the strong FIR-continuum sources AGAL010.62-00.384, AGAL034.258+00.154, AGAL327.293- 00.579, AGAL330.954-00.182, AGAL332.826-00.549, AGAL351.581-00.352 and SgrB2(M). These were observed with the GREAT instrument on board SOFIA. The observed line profiles of CH were deconvolved from the imprint left by the lines' hyperfine structures using the Wiener filter deconvolution, an optimised kernel acting on direct deconvolution. The quantitative analysis of the deconvolved spectra first entails the computation of CH column densities. Reliable N(CH) values are of importance owing to the status of CH as a powerful tracer for H_2_ in the diffuse regions of the interstellar medium. The N(OH)/N(CH) column density ratio is found to vary within an order of magnitude with values ranging from one to 10, for the individual sources that are located outside the Galactic centre. Using CH as a surrogate for H_2_, we determined the abundance of the OH molecule to be X(OH)=1.09x10^-7^ with respect to H_2_. The radial distribution of CH column densities along the sightlines probed in this study, excluding SgrB2(M), showcase a dual peaked distribution peaking between 5 and 7 kpc. The similarity between the correspondingly derived column density profile of H_2_ with that of the CO-dark H_2_ gas traced by the cold neutral medium component of [CII] 158um emission across the Galactic plane, further emphasises the use of CH as a tracer for H_2_.
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Search Results
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/612/A37
- Title:
- CH 149um spectra of 4 molecular clouds
- Short Name:
- J/A+A/612/A37
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- The methylidyne radical CH is commonly used as a proxy for molecular hydrogen in the cold, neutral phase of the interstellar medium. The optical spectroscopy of CH is limited by interstellar extinction, whereas far-infrared observations provide an integral view through the Galaxy. While the HF ground state absorption, another H_2_ proxy in diffuse gas, frequently suffers from saturation, CH remains transparent both in spiral-arm crossings and high-mass star forming regions, turning this light hydride into a universal surrogate for H_2_. However, in slow shocks and in regions dissipating turbulence its abundance is expected to be enhanced by an endothermic production path, and the idea of a "canonical" CH abundance needs to be addressed. The N=2<-1 ground state transition of CH at {lambda}149um has become accessible to high-resolution spectroscopy thanks to GREAT, the German Receiver for Astronomy at Terahertz Frequencies aboard the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, SOFIA. Its unsaturated absorption and the absence of emission from the star forming regions makes it an ideal candidate for the determination of column densities with a minimum of assumptions. Here we present an analysis of four sightlines towards distant Galactic star forming regions, whose hot cores emit a strong far-infrared dust continuum serving as background signal. Moreover, if combined with the sub-millimeter line of CH at {lambda}560um, environments forming massive stars can be analyzed. For this we present a case study on the "proto-Trapezium" cluster W3 IRS5. While we confirm the global correlation between the column densities of HF and those of CH, both in arm and interarm regions, clear signposts of an over-abundance of CH are observed towards lower densities. However, a significant correlation between the column densities of CH and HF remains. A characterization of the hot cores in the W3 IRS5 proto-cluster and its envelope demonstrates that the sub-millimeter/far-infrared lines of CH reliably trace not only diffuse but also dense, molecular gas. In diffuse gas, at lower densities a quiescent ion-neutral chemistry alone cannot account for the observed abundance of CH. Unlike the production of HF, for CH^+^ and CH, vortices forming in turbulent, diffuse gas may be the setting for an enhanced production path. However, CH remains a valuable tracer for molecular gas in environments reaching from diffuse clouds to sites of high-mass star formation.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/AJ/156/75
- Title:
- Circumstellar disks in the Upper Sco association
- Short Name:
- J/AJ/156/75
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We have performed a survey for new members of the Upper Sco association that have circumstellar disks using mid-infrared photometry from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). Through optical and near-infrared spectroscopy, we have confirmed 185 candidates as likely members of Upper Sco with spectral types ranging from mid-K to M9. They comprise ~36% of the known disk-bearing members of the association. We also have compiled all available mid-infrared photometry from WISE and the Spitzer Space Telescope for the known members of Upper Sco, resulting in a catalog of data for 1608 objects. We have used these data to identify the members that exhibit excess emission from disks and we have classified the evolutionary stages of those disks with criteria similar to those applied in our previous studies of Taurus and Upper Sco. Among 484 members with excesses in at least one band (excluding five Be stars), we classify 296 disks as full, 66 as evolved, 19 as transitional, 22 as evolved or transitional, and 81 as evolved transitional or debris. Many of these disks have not been previously reported, including 129 full disks and 50 disks that are at more advanced evolutionary stages.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/830/127
- Title:
- CLASSy: CARMA obs. in L1451 region of Perseus
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/830/127
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present a 3mm spectral line and continuum survey of L1451 in the Perseus Molecular Cloud. These observations are from the CARMA Large Area Star Formation Survey (CLASSy), which also imaged Barnard 1, NGC1333, Serpens Main, and Serpens South. L1451 is the survey region with the lowest level of star formation activity-it contains no confirmed protostars. HCO^+^, HCN, and N_2_H^+^ (J=1->0) are all detected throughout the region, with HCO^+^ being the most spatially widespread, and molecular emission seen toward 90% of the area above N(H_2_) column densities of 1.9x10^21^cm^-2^. HCO^+^ has the broadest velocity dispersion, near 0.3km/s on average, compared with ~0.15km/s for the other molecules, thus representing a range of subsonic to supersonic gas motions. Our non-binary dendrogram analysis reveals that the dense gas traced by each molecule has a similar hierarchical structure, and that gas surrounding the candidate first hydrostatic core (FHSC), L1451-mm, and other previously detected single-dish continuum clumps has similar hierarchical structure; this suggests that different subregions of L1451 are fragmenting on the pathway to forming young stars. We determined that the three-dimensional morphology of the largest detectable dense-gas structures was relatively ellipsoidal compared with other CLASSy regions, which appeared more flattened at the largest scales. A virial analysis shows that the most centrally condensed dust structures are likely unstable against collapse. Additionally, we identify a new spherical, centrally condensed N_2_H^+^ feature that could be a new FHSC candidate. The overall results suggest that L1451 is a young region starting to form its generation of stars within turbulent, hierarchical structures.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/841/109
- Title:
- Cloud decomposition & SFR measurements
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/841/109
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- Galactic star formation scaling relations show increased scatter from kpc to sub-kpc scales. Investigating this scatter may hold important clues to how the star formation process evolves in time and space. Here, we combine different molecular gas tracers, different star formation indicators probing distinct populations of massive stars, and knowledge of the evolutionary state of each star-forming region to derive the star formation properties of ~150 star-forming complexes over the face of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). We find that the rate of massive star formation ramps up when stellar clusters emerge and boost the formation of subsequent generations of massive stars. In addition, we reveal that the star formation efficiency of individual giant molecular clouds (GMCs) declines with increasing cloud gas mass (M_cloud_). This trend persists in Galactic star-forming regions and implies higher molecular gas depletion times for larger GMCs. We compare the star formation efficiency per freefall time ({epsilon}_ff_) with predictions from various widely used analytical star formation models. While these models can produce large dispersions in {epsilon}_ff_ similar to those in observations, the origin of the model-predicted scatter is inconsistent with observations. Moreover, all models fail to reproduce the observed decline of {epsilon}_ff_ with increasing M_cloud_ in the LMC and the Milky Way. We conclude that analytical star formation models idealizing global turbulence levels and cloud densities and assuming a stationary star formation rate (SFR) are inconsistent with observations from modern data sets tracing massive star formation on individual cloud scales. Instead, we reiterate the importance of local stellar feedback in shaping the properties of GMCs and setting their massive SFR.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/601/A124
- Title:
- Clouds in SEDIGISM science demonstration field
- Short Name:
- J/A+A/601/A124
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- The origin and life-cycle of molecular clouds are still poorly constrained, despite their importance for understanding the evolution of the interstellar medium. Many large-scale surveys of the Galactic plane have been conducted recently, allowing for rapid progress in this field. Nevertheless, a sub-arcminute resolution global view of the large-scale distribution of molecular gas, from the diffuse medium to dense clouds and clumps, and of their relationship to the spiral structure, is still missing. We have carried out a systematic, homogeneous, spectroscopic survey of the inner Galactic plane, in order to complement the many continuum Galactic surveys available with crucial distance and gas-kinematic information. Our aim is to combine this data set with recent infrared to sub-millimetre surveys at similar angular resolutions. The SEDIGISM survey covers 78deg^2^ of the inner Galaxy (-60{deg}<l<+18{deg}, |b|<0.5{deg}) in the J=2-1 rotational transition of ^13^CO. This isotopologue of CO is less abundant than ^12^CO by factors up to 100. Therefore, its emission has low to moderate optical depths, and higher critical density, making it an ideal tracer of the cold, dense interstellar medium. The data have been observed with the SHFI single-pixel instrument at APEX. The observational setup covers the ^13^CO(2-1) and C^18^O(2-1) lines, plus several transitions from other molecules. The observations have been completed. Data reduction is in progress and the final data products will be made available in the near future. Here we give a detailed description of the survey and the dedicated data reduction pipeline. To illustrate the scientific potential of this survey, preliminary results based on a science demonstration field covering -20{deg}<l<-18.5{deg} are presented. Analysis of the ^13^CO(2-1) data in this field reveals compact clumps, diffuse clouds, and filamentary structures at a range of heliocentric distances. By combining our data with data in the (1-0) transition of CO isotopologues from the ThrUMMS survey, we are able to compute a 3D realization of the excitation temperature and optical depth in the interstellar medium. Ultimately, this survey will provide a detailed, global view of the inner Galactic interstellar medium at an unprecedented angular resolution of ~30".
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/703/736
- Title:
- Clump properties in the LMC 30 Dor region
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/703/736
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present a complete ^12^CO(J=1-0) map of the prominent molecular ridge in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) obtained with the 22m ATNF Mopra Telescope. The region stretches southward by ~2{deg} (or 1.7kpc) from 30 Doradus, the most vigorous star-forming region in the Local Group. The location of this molecular ridge is unique insofar as it allows us to study the properties of molecular gas as a function of the ambient radiation field in a low-metallicity environment. The mass spectrum and the scaling relations between the properties of the CO clumps in the molecular ridge are similar, but not identical, to those that have been established for Galactic molecular clouds.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/534/A131
- Title:
- Clumps in the giant molecular cloud G345.5+1.0
- Short Name:
- J/A+A/534/A131
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- Massive condensations in giant molecular clouds (GMCs) are linked to the formation of high mass stars, which are the principal source of heavy elements and UV radiation, playing an important role in the evolution of galaxies. We attemp to make a complete census of massive-star formation within all of GMC G345.5+1.0. This cloud is located one degree above the Galactic plane and at 1.8kpc from the Sun, thus there is little superposition of dust along the line-of-sight, minimizing confusion effects in identifying individual clumps. GMC G345.5+1.0 is located approximately between 344.5{deg} and 346.5{deg} in Galactic longitude, and between 0.2{deg} and 2.0{deg} in Galactic latitude.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/610/A12
- Title:
- Clustering the Orion B giant molecular cloud
- Short Name:
- J/A+A/610/A12
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- Previous attempts at segmenting molecular line maps of molecular clouds have focused on using position-position-velocity data cubes of a single molecular line to separate the spatial components of the cloud. In contrast, wide field spectral imaging over a large spectral bandwidth in the (sub)mm domain now allows one to combine multiple molecular tracers to understand the different physical and chemical phases that constitute giant molecular clouds (GMCs). We aim at using multiple tracers (sensitive to different physical processes and conditions) to segment a molecular cloud into physically/ chemically similar regions (rather than spatially connected components), thus disentangling the different physical/chemical phases present in the cloud. We use a machine learning clustering method, namely the Meanshift algorithm, to cluster pixels with similar molecular emission, ignoring spatial information. Clusters are defined around each maximum of the multidimensional probability density function (PDF) of the line integrated intensities. Simple radiative transfer models were used to interpret the astrophysical information uncovered by the clustering analysis. A clustering analysis based only on the J=1-0 lines of three isotopologues of CO proves sufficient to reveal distinct density/column density regimes (n_H_~100cm^-3^, ~500cm^-3^, and >1000cm^-3^), closely related to the usual definitions of diffuse, translucent and high-column-density regions. Adding two UV-sensitive tracers, the J=1-0 line of HCO^+^ and the N=1-0 line of CN, allows us to distinguish two clearly distinct chemical regimes, characteristic of UV-illuminated and UV-shielded gas. The UV-illuminated regime shows overbright HCO^+^ and CN emission, which we relate to a photochemical enrichment effect. We also find a tail of high CN/HCO^+^ intensity ratio in UV-illuminated regions. Finer distinctions in density classes (n_H_~710^3^cm^-3^, ~410^4^cm^-3^) for the densest regions are also identified, likely related to the higher critical density of the CN and HCO^+^ (1-0) lines. These distinctions are only possible because the high-density regions are spatially resolved. Molecules are versatile tracers of GMCs because their line intensities bear the signature of the physics and chemistry at play in the gas. The association of simultaneous multi-line, wide-field mapping and powerful machine learning methods such as the Meanshift clustering algorithm reveals how to decode the complex information available in these molecular tracers.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/544/A69
- Title:
- CN(1-0) Zeeman observations of NGC 2264-C
- Short Name:
- J/A+A/544/A69
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- From an observational point of view, the role of magnetic fields in star formation remains unclear, and two main theoretical scenarios have been proposed so far to regulate the star-formation processes. The first model assumes that turbulence in star-forming clumps plays a crucial role, and especially that protostellar outflow-driven turbulence is crucial to support cluster-forming clumps; while the second scenario is based on the consideration of a magnetically-supported clump. Previous studies of the NGC 2264-C protocluster indicate that, in addition to thermal pressure, some extra support might effectively act against the gravitational collapse of this cluster- forming clump. We previously showed that this extra support is not due to the numerous protostellar outflows, nor the enhanced turbulence in this protocluster. Here we present the results of the first polarimetric campaign dedicated to quantifying the magnetic support at work in the NGC 2264-C clump. Our Zeeman observations of the CN(1-0) hyperfine lines provide an upper limit to the magnetic field strength Blos<0.6 mG in the protocluster (projected along the line of sight). While these results do not provide sufficiently tight constraints to fully quantify the magnetic support at work in NGC 2264-C, they suggest that, within the uncertainties, the core could be either magnetically super or sub-critical, with the former being more likely.
