scholarly journals The HI/OH/Recombination line survey of the inner Milky Way (THOR): data release 2 and H I overview

2020 ◽  
Vol 634 ◽  
pp. A83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Wang ◽  
H. Beuther ◽  
M. R. Rugel ◽  
J. D. Soler ◽  
J. M. Stil ◽  
...  

Context. The Galactic plane has been observed extensively by a large number of Galactic plane surveys from infrared to radio wavelengths at an angular resolution below 40′′. However, a 21 cm line and continuum survey with comparable spatial resolution is lacking. Aims. The first half of THOR data (l = 14.0°−37.9°, and l = 47.1°−51.2°, |b|≤ 1.25°) has been published in our data release 1 paper. With this data release 2 paper, we publish all the remaining spectral line data and Stokes I continuum data with high angular resolution (10′′–40′′), including a new H I dataset for the whole THOR survey region (l = 14.0−67.4° and |b|≤ 1.25°). As we published the results of OH lines and continuum emission elsewhere, we concentrate on the H I analysis in this paper. Methods. With the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) in C-configuration, we observed a large portion of the first Galactic quadrant, achieving an angular resolution of ≤40′′. At L Band, the WIDAR correlator at the VLA was set to cover the 21 cm H I line, four OH transitions, a series of Hnα radio recombination lines (RRLs; n = 151 to 186), and eight 128 MHz-wide continuum spectral windows, simultaneously. Results. We publish all OH and RRL data from the C-configuration observations, and a new H I dataset combining VLA C+D+GBT (VLA D-configuration and GBT data are from the VLA Galactic Plane Survey) for the whole survey. The H I emission shows clear filamentary substructures at negative velocities with low velocity crowding. The emission at positive velocities is more smeared-out, likely due to higher spatial and velocity crowding of structures at the positive velocities. Compared to the spiral arm model of the Milky Way, the atomic gas follows the Sagittarius and Perseus Arm well, but with significant material in the inter-arm regions. With the C-configuration-only H I+continuum data, we produce an H I optical depth map of the THOR areal coverage from 228 absorption spectra with the nearest-neighbor method. With this τ map, we corrected the H I emission for optical depth, and the derived column density is 38% higher than the column density with optically thin assumption. The total H I mass with optical depth correction in the survey region is 4.7 × 108 M⊙, 31% more than the mass derived assuming the emission is optically thin. If we applied this 31% correction to the whole Milky Way, the total atomic gas mass would be 9.4–10.5 × 109 M⊙. Comparing the H I with existing CO data, we find a significant increase in the atomic-to-molecular gas ratio from the spiral arms to the inter-arm regions. Conclusions. The high-sensitivity and resolution THOR H I dataset provides an important new window on the physical and kinematic properties of gas in the inner Galaxy. Although the optical depth we derive is a lower limit, our study shows that the optical depth correction issignificant for H I column density and mass estimation. Together with the OH, RRL and continuum emission from the THOR survey, these new H I data provide the basis for high-angular-resolution studies of the interstellar medium in different phases.

1991 ◽  
Vol 147 ◽  
pp. 361-372
Author(s):  
J. Keene ◽  
C. R. Masson

Our interferometric and single-dish observations of the continuum emission from L1551-IRS 5 show that, at millimeter wavelengths, there are two distinct components to the source, an envelope with a radius ≥ 2000 AU, and a compact core with a radius ≤ 64 AU. The compact core has a large optical depth, indicating a high column density (∼ 1000 g cm—2). By modeling the temperature in the region of the compact core, we show that its size must lie in the range 45 ± 20 AU. The compact core is most plausibly identified with an accretion, or preplanetary, disk around the star, although the present observations do not have sufficient angular resolution to rule out other structures.


2018 ◽  
Vol 619 ◽  
pp. A124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Wang ◽  
S. Bihr ◽  
M. Rugel ◽  
H. Beuther ◽  
K. G. Johnston ◽  
...  

Context Radio continuum surveys of the Galactic plane can find and characterize H II regions, supernova remnants (SNRs), planetary nebulae (PNe), and extragalactic sources. A number of surveys at high angular resolution (≤25″) at different wavelengths exist to study the interstellar medium (ISM), but no comparable high-resolution and high-sensitivity survey exists at long radio wavelengths around 21 cm. Aims. Our goal is to investigate the 21 cm radio continuum emission in the northern Galactic plane at < 25″ resolution. Methods We observed a large percentage of the Galactic plane in the first quadrant of the Milky Way (l = 14.0−67.4° and |b| ≤ 1.25°) with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) in the C-configuration covering six continuum spectral windows (SPW). These data provide a detailed view on the compact as well as extended radio emission of our Galaxy and thousands of extragalactic background sources. Results We used the BLOBCAT software and extracted 10 916 sources. After removing spurious source detections caused by the side lobes of the synthesized beam, we classified 10 387 sources as reliable detections. We smoothed the images to a common resolution of 25″ and extracted the peak flux density of each source in each SPW to determine the spectral indices α (assuming I(ν) ∝ να). By cross-matching with catalogs of H II regions, SNRs, PNe, and pulsars, we found radio counterparts for 840 H II regions, 52 SNRs, 164 PNe, and 38 pulsars. We found 79 continuum sources that are associated with X-ray sources. We identified 699 ultra-steep spectral sources (α < −1.3) that could be high-redshift galaxies. About 9000 of the sources we extracted are not classified specifically, but based on their spatial and spectral distribution, a large percentage of these are likely to be extragalactic background sources. More than 7750 sources do not have counterparts in the SIMBAD database and more than 3760 sources do not have counterparts in the NED database. Conclusions Studying the long wavelengths centimeter continuum emission and the associated spectral indices allows us to characaterize a large percentage of Galactic and extragalactic radio sources in the area of the northern inner Milky Way. This database will be extremely useful for future studies of a diverse set of astrophysical objects.


2019 ◽  
Vol 632 ◽  
pp. A58 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. Rigby ◽  
T. J. T. Moore ◽  
D. J. Eden ◽  
J. S. Urquhart ◽  
S. E. Ragan ◽  
...  

The latest generation of high-angular-resolution unbiased Galactic plane surveys in molecular-gas tracers are enabling the interiors of molecular clouds to be studied across a range of environments. The CO Heterodyne Inner Milky Way Plane Survey (CHIMPS) simultaneously mapped a sector of the inner Galactic plane, within 27.8° ≲ ℓ ≲ 46.2° and |b|≤ 0°.5, in 13CO (3–2) and C18O (3–2) at an angular resolution of 15 arcsec. The combination of the CHIMPS data with 12CO (3–2) data from the CO High Resolution Survey (COHRS) has enabled us to perform a voxel-by-voxel local-thermodynamic-equilibrium (LTE) analysis, determining the excitation temperature, optical depth, and column density of 13CO at each ℓ, b, v position. Distances to discrete sources identified by FELLWALKER in the 13CO (3–2) emission maps were determined, allowing the calculation of numerous physical properties of the sources, and we present the first source catalogues in this paper. We find that, in terms of size and density, the CHIMPS sources represent an intermediate population between large-scale molecular clouds identified by CO and dense clumps seen in thermal dust continuum emission, and therefore represent the bulk transition from the diffuse to the dense phase of molecular gas. We do not find any significant systematic variations in the masses, column densities, virial parameters, mean excitation temperature, or the turbulent pressure over the range of Galactocentric distance probed, but we do find a shallow increase in the mean volume density with increasing Galactocentric distance. We find that inter-arm clumps have significantly narrower linewidths, and lower virial parameters and excitation temperatures than clumps located in spiral arms. When considering the most reliable distance-limited subsamples, the largest variations occur on the clump-to-clump scale, echoing similar recent studies that suggest that the star-forming process is largely insensitive to the Galactic-scale environment, at least within the inner disc.


1991 ◽  
Vol 147 ◽  
pp. 361-372
Author(s):  
J. Keene ◽  
C. R. Masson

Our interferometric and single-dish observations of the continuum emission from L1551-IRS 5 show that, at millimeter wavelengths, there are two distinct components to the source, an envelope with a radius ≥ 2000 AU, and a compact core with a radius ≤ 64 AU. The compact core has a large optical depth, indicating a high column density (∼ 1000 g cm—2). By modeling the temperature in the region of the compact core, we show that its size must lie in the range 45 ± 20 AU. The compact core is most plausibly identified with an accretion, or preplanetary, disk around the star, although the present observations do not have sufficient angular resolution to rule out other structures.


2019 ◽  
Vol 626 ◽  
pp. L2 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Facchini ◽  
E. F. van Dishoeck ◽  
C. F. Manara ◽  
M. Tazzari ◽  
L. Maud ◽  
...  

The large majority of protoplanetary disks have very compact continuum emission (≲15 AU) at millimeter wavelengths. However, high angular resolution observations that resolve these small disks are still lacking, due to their intrinsically fainter emission compared with large bright disks. In this Letter we present 1.3 mm ALMA data of the faint disk (∼10 mJy) orbiting the TTauri star CX Tau at a resolution of ∼40 mas, ∼5 AU in diameter. The millimeter dust disk is compact, with a 68% enclosing flux radius of 14 AU, and the intensity profile exhibits a sharp drop between 10 and 20 AU, and a shallow tail between 20 and 40 AU. No clear signatures of substructure in the dust continuum are observed, down to the same sensitivity level of the DSHARP large program. However, the angular resolution does not allow us to detect substructures on the scale of the disk aspect ratio in the inner regions. The radial intensity profile closely resembles the inner regions of more extended disks imaged at the same resolution in DSHARP, but with no rings present in the outer disk. No inner cavity is detected, even though the disk has been classified as a transition disk from the spectral energy distribution in the near-infrared. The emission of 12CO is much more extended, with a 68% enclosing flux radius of 75 AU. The large difference of the millimeter dust and gas extents (> 5) strongly points to radial drift, and closely matches the predictions of theoretical models.


2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (S336) ◽  
pp. 113-116
Author(s):  
Ylva M. Pihlström ◽  
Loránt O. Sjouwerman

AbstractIs M31 going to collide with the Milky Way, or spiral around it? Determining the gravitational potential in the Local Group has been a challenge since it requires 3D space velocities and orbits of the members, and most objects have only had line-of-sight velocities measured. Compared to the less massive group members, the transverse velocity of M31 is of great interest, as after the Milky Way, M31 is the most dominant constituent and dynamic force in the Local Group. Proper motion studies of M31 are preferentially done using masers, as continuum sources are much weaker, and are enabled through the high angular resolution provided by VLBI in the radio regime. The challenges of achieving high astrometric accuracy at high VLBI frequencies (> 20 GHz) makes observations at lower frequencies attractive, as long as sufficient angular resolution is obtained. In particular, we have discovered 6.7 GHz methanol masers in M31 using the VLA, and here we will address their feasibility as VLBI proper motion targets using a set of global VLBI observations.


2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (S303) ◽  
pp. 106-108
Author(s):  
Kazufumi Torii ◽  
Rei Enokiya ◽  
Yasuo Fukui ◽  
Hiroaki Yamamoto ◽  
Akiko Kawamura ◽  
...  

AbstractWe present the first results of the new CO J = (2 − 1) observations toward the central molecular zone (CMZ) using the NANTEN2 telescope at an angular resolution of 100″. Large area coverage of 4° × 2° in l and b and a high angular resolution of 100″ enable us to investigate detailed structures of the molecular gas in the CMZ including peculiar molecular filaments perpendicularly to the Galactic plane to b > |0.5°|. The major components of the CMZ, e.g., Sgr A, Sgr B and Sgr C cloud complexes, show high CO J = (2 − 1)/J = (1 − 0) ratios around 0.9, indicating highly excited conditions of the molecular gas, while the local foreground components show less than 0.4. The molecular filaments show the typical ratios of 0.6–0.7 indicate that they are indeed located in the Galactic center.


2001 ◽  
Vol 200 ◽  
pp. 117-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralf Launhardt

The Bok globule CB230 (L1177) contains an active, low-mass star-forming core which is associated with a double NIR reflection nebula, a collimated bipolar molecular outflow, and strong mm continuum emission. The morphology of the NIR nebula suggests the presence of a deeply embedded, wide binary protostellar system. High-angular resolution observations now reveal the presence of two sub-cores, two distinct outflow centers, and an embedded accretion disk associated with the western bipolar NIR nebula. Judging from the separation and specific angular momentum, the CB230 double protostar system probably results from core fragmentation and will end up at the upper end of the pre-main sequence binary separation distribution.


2007 ◽  
Vol 3 (S242) ◽  
pp. 184-185
Author(s):  
D. Wong-McSweeney ◽  
G. A. Fuller ◽  
S. Etoka

AbstractHigh angular resolution observations are essential for understanding the nature of maser emission and the sources which excite it. Here we present preliminary results from MERLIN observations of three methanol masers from the Toruń survey. These MERLIN observations are being analysed as part of the interferometric component of the Methanol Multibeam (MMB) Survey which is surveying the Galactic plane at |b|≤2° for 6.67 GHz methanol maser sources.


2018 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frédérique Motte ◽  
Sylvain Bontemps ◽  
Fabien Louvet

This review examines the state-of-the-art knowledge of high-mass star and massive cluster formation, gained from ambitious observational surveys, which acknowledges the multiscale characteristics of these processes. After a brief overview of theoretical models and main open issues, we present observational searches for the evolutionary phases of high-mass star formation, first among high-luminosity sources and more recently among young massive protostars and the elusive high-mass prestellar cores. We then introduce the most likely evolutionary scenario for high-mass star formation, which emphasizes the link of high-mass star formation to massive cloud and cluster formation. Finally, we introduce the first attempts to search for variations of the star-formation activity and cluster formation in molecular cloud complexes in the most extreme star-forming sites and across the Milky Way. The combination of Galactic plane surveys and high–angular resolution images with submillimeter facilities such as Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) are prerequisites to make significant progress in the forthcoming decade.


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