scholarly journals The Phase Structure of the ISM in Galaxies

2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (H15) ◽  
pp. 409-410
Author(s):  
Mark G. Wolfire
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Clouds ◽  
Phase Distribution ◽  
Low Velocity ◽  
Ionized Gas ◽  
Gas Phases ◽  
Physical Conditions ◽  
Neutral Gas ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Transient Phases

AbstractDiffuse gas in the Galaxy is observed to exist as cold (T ~ 100 K) neutral atomic gas (CNM) and warm neutral atomic (T ~ 8000 K) gas (WNM). In addition to these “thermal” phases, gas can also exist as warm (T ~ 8000 K) ionized gas, cold (T ~ 10 K) molecular gas and in warm (T ~ 100 - 500 K) interface regions or Photodissociation Regions (PDRs) on the surfaces of molecular clouds. The same chemical and thermal processes that dominate in the PDRs associated with molecular clouds are also at work in the diffuse neutral gas. Two additional “phases” are gas associated with GMCs that has H2 but no or little CO, and short lived or transient phases such as shocks, shears, and turbulence. I will first review the different gas phases in the Galaxy, their physical conditions and their dominant cooling lines. I will also discuss the observations and theoretical modeling in support of turbulence versus thermal instability as the driving force in producing the “thermal” gas phase distributions. Rough estimates for the distribution of phases in the Galaxy and the origin of the dominant emission lines has been conducted by previous telescopes (e.g., COBE, BICE) but with low velocity and low spectral resolution. The distribution and mass of the various gas phases is important for sorting out the role of SN in setting ISM pressures and in driving ISM turbulence. In addition, understanding the Galactic phase distribution is important in interpreting observations of extragalactic systems in which beams encompass several emission components. I will review the potential for future observations by e.g., STO, SOFIA, and Herschel to detect and separate phases in Galactic and extragalactic systems.

scholarly journals Mapping the 13CO/C18O abundance ratio in the massive star-forming region G29.96−0.02

2018 ◽  
Vol 617 ◽  
pp. A14 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Paron ◽  
M. B. Areal ◽  
M. E. Ortega
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Clouds ◽  
Abundance Ratio ◽  
High Mass ◽  
Local Thermal Equilibrium ◽  
Mass Star ◽  
Galactocentric Distance ◽  
Star Forming ◽  
Physical Conditions ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Molecular Abundances

Aims. Estimating molecular abundances ratios from directly measuring the emission of the molecules toward a variety of interstellar environments is indeed very useful to advance our understanding of the chemical evolution of the Galaxy, and hence of the physical processes related to the chemistry. It is necessary to increase the sample of molecular clouds, located at different distances, in which the behavior of molecular abundance ratios, such as the 13CO/C18O ratio, is studied in detail. Methods. We selected the well-studied high-mass star-forming region G29.96−0.02, located at a distance of about 6.2 kpc, which is an ideal laboratory to perform this type of study. To study the 13CO/C18O abundance ratio (X13∕18) toward this region, we used 12CO J = 3–2 data obtained from the CO High-Resolution Survey, 13CO and C18O J = 3–2 data from the 13CO/C18O (J = 3–2) Heterodyne Inner Milky Way Plane Survey, and 13CO and C18O J = 2–1 data retrieved from the CDS database that were observed with the IRAM 30 m telescope. The distribution of column densities and X13∕18 throughout the extension of the analyzed molecular cloud was studied based on local thermal equilibrium (LTE) and non-LTE methods. Results. Values of X13∕18 between 1.5 and 10.5, with an average of about 5, were found throughout the studied region, showing that in addition to the dependency of X13∕18 and the galactocentric distance, the local physical conditions may strongly affect this abundance ratio. We found that correlating the X13∕18 map with the location of the ionized gas and dark clouds allows us to suggest in which regions the far-UV radiation stalls in dense gaseous components, and in which regions it escapes and selectively photodissociates the C18O isotope. The non-LTE analysis shows that the molecular gas has very different physical conditions, not only spatially throughout the cloud, but also along the line of sight. This type of study may represent a tool for indirectly estimating (from molecular line observations) the degree of photodissociation in molecular clouds, which is indeed useful to study the chemistry in the interstellar medium.

scholarly journals The Herschel Dwarf Galaxy Survey

2019 ◽  
Vol 626 ◽  
pp. A23 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Cormier ◽  
N. P. Abel ◽  
S. Hony ◽  
V. Lebouteiller ◽  
S. C. Madden ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Dwarf Galaxy ◽  
Spectral Synthesis ◽  
Line Emission ◽  
Ionized Gas ◽  
Star Forming ◽  
Gas Phases ◽  
Physical Conditions ◽  
Radiation Fields ◽  
Low Metallicity

The sensitive infrared telescopes, Spitzer and Herschel, have been used to target low-metallicity star-forming galaxies, allowing us to investigate the properties of their interstellar medium (ISM) in unprecedented detail. Interpretation of the observations in physical terms relies on careful modeling of those properties. We have employed a multiphase approach to model the ISM phases (H II region and photodissociation region) with the spectral synthesis code Cloudy. Our goal is to characterize the physical conditions (gas densities, radiation fields, etc.) in the ISM of the galaxies from the Herschel Dwarf Galaxy Survey. We are particularly interested in correlations between those physical conditions and metallicity or star-formation activity. Other key issues we have addressed are the contribution of different ISM phases to the total line emission, especially of the [C II]157 μm line, and the characterization of the porosity of the ISM. We find that the lower-metallicity galaxies of our sample tend to have higher ionization parameters and galaxies with higher specific star-formation rates have higher gas densities. The [C II] emission arises mainly from PDRs and the contribution from the ionized gas phases is small, typically less than 30% of the observed emission. We also find a correlation – though with scatter – between metallicity and both the PDR covering factor and the fraction of [C II] from the ionized gas. Overall, the low metal abundances appear to be driving most of the changes in the ISM structure and conditions of these galaxies, and not the high specific star-formation rates. These results demonstrate in a quantitative way the increase of ISM porosity at low metallicity. Such porosity may be typical of galaxies in the young Universe.

scholarly journals Revisiting the dust properties in the molecular clouds of the Large Magellanic Cloud

2019 ◽  
Vol 627 ◽  
pp. A15
Author(s):  
D. Paradis ◽  
C. Mény ◽  
M. Juvela ◽  
A. Noriega-Crespo ◽  
I. Ristorcelli
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Clouds ◽  
Angular Resolution ◽  
Dust Emission ◽  
Large Magellanic Cloud ◽  
Magellanic Cloud ◽  
Dense Medium ◽  
Ionized Gas ◽  
Gas Phases ◽  
Dust Component ◽  
Dust Evolution

Context. Some Galactic molecular clouds show signs of dust evolution as compared to the diffuse interstellar medium, most of the time through indirect evidence such as color ratios, increased dust emissivity, or scattering (coreshine). These signs are not a feature of all Galactic clouds. Moreover, molecular clouds in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) have been analyzed in a previous study based on Spitzer and IRIS data, at 4′ angular resolution, with the use of one single dust model, and did not show any signs of dust evolution. Aims. In this present analysis we investigate the dust properties associated with the different gas phases (including the ionized phase this time) of the LMC molecular clouds at 1′ angular resolution (four times greater than the previous analysis) and with a larger spectral coverage range thanks to Herschel data. We also ensure the robustness of our results in the framework of various dust models. Methods. We performed a decomposition of the dust emission in the infrared (from 3.6 to 500 μm) associated with the atomic, molecular, and ionized gas phases in the molecular clouds of the LMC. The resulting spectral energy distributions were fitted with four distinct dust models. We then analyzed the model parameters such as the intensity of the radiation field and the relative dust abundances, as well as the slope of the emission spectra at long wavelengths. Results. This work allows dust models to be compared with infrared data in various environments for the first time, which reveals important differences between the models at short wavelengths in terms of data fitting (mainly in the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon bands). In addition, this analysis points out distinct results according to the gas phases, such as dust composition directly affecting the dust temperature and the dust emissivity in the submillimeter and different dust emission in the near-infrared (NIR). Conclusions. We observe direct evidence of dust property evolution from the diffuse to the dense medium in a large sample of molecular clouds in the LMC. In addition, the differences in the dust component abundances between the gas phases could indicate different origins of grain formation. We also point out the presence of a NIR-continuum in all gas phases, with an enhancement in the ionized gas. We favor the hypothesis of an additional dust component as the carrier of this continuum.

scholarly journals Study of the molecular gas in the central parsec of the Galaxy through regularized 3D spectroscopy

2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (S303) ◽  
pp. 83-85
Author(s):  
A. Ciurlo ◽  
T. Paumard ◽  
D. Rouan ◽  
Y. Clénet
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Gas ◽  
Imaging Data ◽  
Ionized Gas ◽  
Central Cavity ◽  
Neutral Gas ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Circumnuclear Disk ◽  
Cool Gas ◽  
Central Parsec ◽  
Spectro Imaging

AbstractThe cool gas in the central parsec of the Galaxy is organized in the surrounding circumnuclear disk, made of neutral gas, and the internal minispiral, composed of dust and ionized gas. In order to study the transition between them we have investigated the presence of H2 neutral gas in this area, through NIR spectro-imaging data observed with SPIFFI. To preserve the spatial resolution we implemented a new method consisting of a regularized 3D fit. We concentrated on the supposedly fully ionized central cavity and the very inner edge of the CND. H2 is detected everywhere: at the boundary of the CND and in the central cavity, where it seems to split in two components, one in the background of the minispiral and one inside the Northern arm.

scholarly journals Ionized and neutral gas in the XUV discs of nearby spiral galaxies

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (S309) ◽  
pp. 65-68
Author(s):  
López-Sánchez ◽  
B. S. Koribalski ◽  
T. Westmeier ◽  
C. Esteban
Keyword(s):  
Spiral Galaxies ◽  
Dwarf Galaxy ◽  
Chemical Abundances ◽  
Ionized Gas ◽  
Galaxy Interactions ◽  
Star Forming ◽  
Star Forming Regions ◽  
Neutral Gas ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Nearby Galaxies

AbstractWe are conducting a multiwavelength study of XUV discs in nearby, gas-rich spiral galaxies combining the available UV (GALEX) observations with H i data obtained at the ATCA as part of the Local Volume HI Survey (LVHIS) project and multi-object fibre spectroscopy obtained using the 2dF/AAOmega instrument at the 3.9m AAT. Here we present the results of the multiwavelength analysis of the galaxy pair NGC 1512/1510. The H i distribution of NGC 1512 is very extended with two pronounced spiral/tidal arms. Hundreds of independent UV-bright regions are associated with dense H i clouds in the galaxy outskirts. We confirm the detection of ionized gas in the majority of them and characterize their physical properties, chemical abundances and kinematics. Both the gas distribution andthe distribution of the star-forming regions are affected by gravitational interactionwith the neighbouring blue compact dwarf galaxy NGC 1510. Our multiwavelength analysis provides new clues about local star-formation processes, the metal redistribution in the outer gaseous discs of spiral galaxies, the importance of galaxy interactions, the fate of the neutral gas and the chemical evolution in nearby galaxies.

scholarly journals Role of Magnetic Fields in Ram Pressure Stripped Galaxies

Galaxies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 116
Author(s):  
Ancla Müller ◽  
Alessandro Ignesti ◽  
Bianca Poggianti ◽  
Alessia Moretti ◽  
Mpati Ramatsoku ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Magnetized Plasma ◽  
Stellar Disk ◽  
Cluster Galaxies ◽  
Gas Phases ◽  
Ram Pressure ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Galaxy Disk ◽  
Multi Wavelength ◽  
Multi Phase

Ram-pressure stripping is a crucial evolutionary driver for cluster galaxies and jellyfish galaxies characterized by very extended tails of stripped gas, and they are the most striking examples of it in action. Recently, those extended tails are found to show ongoing star formation, raising the question of how the stripped, cold gas can survive long enough to form new stars outside the stellar disk. In this study, we summarize the most recent results achieved within the GASP collaboration to provide a holistic explanation for this phenomenon. We focus on two textbook examples of jellyfish galaxies, JO206 and JW100, for which, via multi-wavelength observations from radio to X-ray and numerical simulations, we have explored the different gas phases (neutral, molecular, diffuse-ionized, and hot). Based on additional multi-phase gas studies, we now propose a scenario of stripped tail evolution including all phases that are driven by a magnetic draping sheath, where the intracluster turbulent magnetized plasma condenses onto the galaxy disk and tail and produces a magnetized interface that protects the stripped galaxy tail gas from evaporation. In such a scenario, the accreted environmental plasma can cool down and eventually join the tail gas, hence providing additional gas to form stars. The implications of our findings can shed light on the more general scenario of draping, condensation, and cooling of hot gas surrounding cold clouds that is fundamental in many astrophysical phenomena.

scholarly journals The irreplaceable role of ubiquitous cosmic rays in the space chemistry: from the origin of complex species in interstellar molecular clouds to the ozone depletion in the atmospheres of Earth-like planets

2020 ◽  
pp. 37-54
Author(s):  
Ararat Yeghikyan
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Cosmic Rays ◽  
Atmospheric Chemistry ◽  
Ozone Depletion ◽  
Molecular Clouds ◽  
Complex Species ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Earth Like Planets ◽  
Interstellar Molecular Clouds

A review is given of low-energy cosmic rays (1 MeV-10 GeV), which play an important role in the physics and chemistry of interstellar medium of our Galaxy. According to the generally accepted theory of star formation, cosmic rays penetrate into molecular clouds and ionize the dense gaseous medium of star formation centers besides due to a process of ambipolar diffusion they establish a star formation time scale of about 100-1000 thousand years. The source of cosmic rays in the Galaxy are supernovae remnants where diffusion acceleration at the shock front accelerates particles up to energies of 1015 eV. Being the main source of ionization in the inner regions of molecular clouds, cosmic rays play a fundamental role in the global chemistry of clouds, triggering the entire chain of ion-molecular reactions that make it possible to obtain basic molecules. The review also noted the importance of cosmic rays in atmospheric chemistry: playing a significant role in the formation of nitric oxide, especially with an increase in the flux, they cause a decrease in the concentration of ozone in the atmosphere with all climatic consequences.

scholarly journals Cold and Warm Gas Outflows in Radio AGN

2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (S267) ◽  
pp. 429-437
Author(s):  
Raffaella Morganti ◽  
Joanna Holt ◽  
Clive Tadhunter ◽  
Tom Oosterloo
Keyword(s):  
Galaxy Evolution ◽  
Radio Sources ◽  
Ionized Gas ◽  
Feedback Effects ◽  
Nuclear Activity ◽  
Neutral Gas ◽  
Short Summary ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Mass Outflow ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThe study of the conditions and the kinematics of the gas in the central region of AGN provides important information on the relevance of feedback effects connected to the nuclear activity. Quantifying these effects is key for constraining galaxy evolution models. Here we present a short summary of our recent efforts to study the occurrence and the impact of gas outflows in radio-loud AGN that are in their first phase of their evolution. Clear evidence for AGN-induced outflows has been found for the majority of these young radio sources. The outflows are detected both in (warm) ionized as well in (cold) atomic neutral gas, and they are likely to be driven (at least in most of the cases) by the interaction between the expanding jet and the medium. The mass outflow rates of the cold gas (Hi) appear to be systematically higher than those of the ionized gas. The former reach up to ~50 M⊙ yr−1 and are in the same range as “mild” starburst-driven superwinds in ULIRGs, whilst the latter are currently estimated to be a few solar masses per year. However, the kinetic powers associated with these gaseous outflows are a relatively small fraction (a few × 10−4) of the Eddington luminosity of the galaxy. Thus, they do not appear to match the requirements of the galaxy evolution feedback models.

scholarly journals Multiphase outflows in post-starburst E+A galaxies - II. A direct connection between the neutral and ionized outflow phases

2020 ◽  
Vol 494 (4) ◽  
pp. 5396-5420 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dalya Baron ◽  
Hagai Netzer ◽  
Ric I Davies ◽  
J Xavier Prochaska
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Gas ◽  
Mass Ratio ◽  
Ionized Gas ◽  
Gas Phases ◽  
Spatially Resolved ◽  
Neutral Gas ◽  
Major Merger ◽  
A Minor ◽  
First Time ◽  
Photoionization Model

ABSTRACT Post-starburst E+A galaxies are systems that hosted a powerful starburst that was quenched abruptly. Simulations suggest that these systems provide the missing link between major merger ULIRGs and red and dead ellipticals, where AGN feedback is responsible for the expulsion or destruction of the molecular gas. However, many details remain unresolved and little is known about AGN-driven winds in this short-lived phase. We present spatially resolved IFU spectroscopy with MUSE/VLT of SDSS J124754.95-033738.6, a post-starburst E+A galaxy with a recent starburst that started 70 Myr ago and ended 30 Myr ago, with a peak SFR of $\sim 150\, \mathrm{M_{\odot }\,yr^{ -1}}$. We detect disturbed gas throughout the entire field of view, suggesting triggering by a minor merger. We detect fast-moving multiphased gas clouds, embedded in a double-cone face-on outflow, which are traced by ionized emission lines and neutral NaID emission and absorption lines. We find remarkable similarities between the kinematics, spatial extents, and line luminosities of the ionized and neutral gas phases, and propose a model in which they are part of the same outflowing clouds, which are exposed to both stellar and AGN radiation. Our photoionization model provides consistent ionized line ratios, NaID absorption optical depths and EWs, and dust reddening. Using the model, we estimate, for the first time, the neutral-to-ionized gas mass ratio (about 20), the sodium neutral fraction, and the size of the outflowing clouds. This is one of the best ever observed direct connections between the neutral and ionized outflow phases in AGN.

scholarly journals 4.13. A high velocity molecular cloud near the center of the Galaxy

1998 ◽  
Vol 184 ◽  
pp. 193-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomoharu Oka ◽  
Tetsuo Hasegawa ◽  
Glenn J. White ◽  
Fumio Sato ◽  
Masato Tsuboi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Velocity ◽  
Molecular Cloud ◽  
Molecular Clouds ◽  
Galactic Center ◽  
Galactic Disk ◽  
External Pressure ◽  
Galactic Bulge ◽  
Physical Conditions ◽  
Large Velocity ◽  
The Galaxy

Molecular clouds in the Galactic center region are characterised by their large velocity widths and physical conditions which differ from clouds in the Galactic disk (e.g., Morris 1996). These clouds may not be gravitationally bound, but in equilibrium with the high external pressure in the Galactic bulge (Spergel & Blitz 1992, Oka et al. 1997a).

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document