Giant molecular clouds in the Galaxy - The distribution of CO-13 emission in the galactic plane

1979 ◽  
Vol 232 ◽  
pp. L89 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. M. Solomon ◽  
D. B. Sanders ◽  
N. Z. Scoville
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Clouds ◽  
Galactic Plane ◽  
Giant Molecular Clouds ◽  
The Galaxy

scholarly journals Measurements of Isotopic Abundances in Interstellar Clouds

1980 ◽  
Vol 87 ◽  
pp. 397-404 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arno A. Penzias
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Clouds ◽  
General Framework ◽  
Galactic Center ◽  
Galactic Plane ◽  
Giant Molecular Clouds ◽  
Interstellar Clouds ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Isotopic Abundances ◽  
Si Isotopes

While an examination of the available data reveals some seemingly contradictory results, a general framework having the following outlines can be put forward:1. With the exception of the two galactic center sources SgrA and SgrB, the relative isotopic abundances exhibited by the giant molecular clouds in our Galaxy exhibit few, if any, significant variations from the values obtained by averaging the data from all these sources.2. The 13C/12C and 14N/15N abundance ratios are ∼130% and ∼150%, respectively, of their terrestrial values throughout the galactic plane and somewhat higher, ∼300%, near the galactic center.3. The 16O/18O and 17O/18O abundance ratios are ∼130% and ∼160%, respectively, of their terrestrial values throughout the Galaxy, although the former may be somewhat lower near the galactic center.4. The S and Si isotopes have generally terrestrial abundances.

scholarly journals Giant Molecular Clouds in the Galaxy: The Massachusetts-Stony Brook CO Galactic Plane Survey

1987 ◽  
Vol 115 ◽  
pp. 499-499 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. M. Solomon
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Clouds ◽  
Galactic Plane ◽  
Far Infrared ◽  
Formation Mechanisms ◽  
H Ii Regions ◽  
Giant Molecular Clouds ◽  
Star Forming ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Two Populations ◽  
Spiral Arm

The CO Galactic Plane Survey consists of 40,572 spectral line observations in the region between 1 = 8° to 90° and b = −1°.05 to +1°.05 spaced every 3 arc minutes, carried out with the FCRAO 14-m antenna. The velocity coverage from −100 to +200 km/s includes emission from all galactic radii. This high resolution survey was designed to observe and identify essentially all molecular clouds or cloud components larger than 10 parsecs in the inner galaxy. There are two populations of molecular clouds which separate according to temperature. The warm clouds are closely associated with H II regions, exhibit a non-axisymmetric galactic distribution and are a spiral arm population. The cold clouds are a disk population, are not confined to any patterns in longitude-velocity space and must be widespread in the galaxy both in and out of spiral arms. The correlation between far infrared luminosities from IRAS, and molecular masses from CO is utilized to determine a luminosity to mass ratio for the clouds. A face-on picture of the galaxy locating the warm population is presented, showing ring like or spiral arm features at R ∼ 5, 7.5 and 9 kpc. The cloud size and mass spectrum will be discussed and evidence presented showing the presence of clusters of giant molecular clouds with masses of 106 to 107 M⊙. The two populations of clouds probably have different star forming luminosity functions. The implication of the two populations for star formation mechanisms will be discussed.

scholarly journals Stellar encounters with giant molecular clouds

2019 ◽  
Vol 489 (4) ◽  
pp. 5165-5180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giorgi Kokaia ◽  
Melvyn B Davies
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Clouds ◽  
Galactic Plane ◽  
Oort Cloud ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Habitable Zone ◽  
Giant Molecular Clouds ◽  
Thick Disc ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Pass Through ◽  
Earth’S Climate

ABSTRACTGiant molecular clouds (GMCs) are believed to affect the biospheres of planets as their host star passes through them. We simulate the trajectories of stars and GMCs in the Galaxy and determine how often stars pass through GMCs. We find a strong decreasing dependence with Galactocentric radius, and with the velocity perpendicular to the Galactic plane, V$\mathrm{ z}$. The XY-component of the kinematic heating of stars was shown to not affect the GMC hit rate, unlike the Z-dependence (V$\mathrm{ z}$) implies that stars hit fewer GMCs as they age. GMCs are locations of star formation, therefore we also determine how often stars pass near supernovae. For the supernovae the decrease with V$\mathrm{ z}$ is steeper as how fast the star passes through the GMC determines the probability of a supernova encounter. We then integrate a set of Sun-like trajectories to see the implications for the Sun. We find that the Sun hits 1.6 ± 1.3 GMCs per Gyr which results in 1.5 ± 1.1 or (with correction for clustering) 0.8 ± 0.6 supernova closer than 10 pc per Gyr. The different the supernova frequencies are from whether one considers multiple supernovae per GMC crossing (few Myr) as separate events. We then discuss the effect of the GMC hits on the Oort cloud, and the Earth’s climate due to accretion, we also discuss the records of distant supernova. Finally, we determine Galactic Habitable Zone using our model. For the thin disc, we find it to lie between 5.8 and 8.7 kpc and for the thick disc to lie between 4.5 and 7.7 kpc.

scholarly journals The global star formation law: from dense cores to extreme starbursts

2006 ◽  
Vol 2 (S237) ◽  
pp. 331-335
Author(s):  
Yu Gao
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Linear Correlation ◽  
Molecular Clouds ◽  
High Redshift ◽  
Gas Content ◽  
Molecular Gas ◽  
Giant Molecular Clouds ◽  
Active Star ◽  
Dense Cores ◽  
The Galaxy

AbstractActive star formation (SF) is tightly related to the dense molecular gas in the giant molecular clouds' dense cores. Our HCN (measure of the dense molecular gas) survey in 65 galaxies (including 10 ultraluminous galaxies) reveals a tight linear correlation between HCN and IR (SF rate) luminosities, whereas the correlation between IR and CO (measure of the total molecular gas) luminosities is nonlinear. This suggests that the global SF rate depends more intimately upon the amount of dense molecular gas than the total molecular gas content. This linear relationship extends to both the dense cores in the Galaxy and the hyperluminous extreme starbursts at high-redshift. Therefore, the global SF law in dense gas appears to be linear all the way from dense cores to extreme starbursts, spanning over nine orders of magnitude in IR luminosity.

scholarly journals Dynamical evolution of the Oort cloud

1985 ◽  
Vol 83 ◽  
pp. 87-96
Author(s):  
Paul R. Weissman
Keyword(s):  
Monte Carlo Simulation ◽  
Molecular Clouds ◽  
Dynamical Evolution ◽  
Oort Cloud ◽  
Giant Planets ◽  
Giant Molecular Clouds ◽  
The Earth ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Periodic Comet ◽  
Monte Carlo Simulation Model

AbstractNew studies of the dynamical evolution of cometary orbits in the Oort cloud are made using a revised version of Weissman’s (1982) Monte Carlo simulation model, which more accurately mimics the perturbation of comets by the giant planets. It is shown that perturbations by Saturn provide a substantial barrier to the diffusion of cometary perihelia into the inner solar system; Jupiter also. Perturbations by Uranus and Neptune are rarely great enough to remove comets from the Oort cloud, but do serve to scatter the comets in the cloud in 1/a. The new model gives a population of 1.8 to 2.1 × 1012 comets for the present-day Oort cloud, and a mass of 7 to 8 earth masses. Perturbation of the Oort cloud by giant molecular clouds in the galaxy is discussed, as is evidence for a massive “inner Oort cloud” internal to the observed one. The possibility of an unseen solar companion orbiting in the Oort cloud and causing periodic comet showers is shown to be dynamically plausible but unlikely based on the observed cratering rate on the earth and moon.

scholarly journals CO observations of spiral structure and the lifetime of giant molecular clouds

1979 ◽  
Vol 84 ◽  
pp. 277-283
Author(s):  
N. Z. Scoville ◽  
P. M. Solomon ◽  
D. B. Sanders
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Cloud ◽  
Mass Fraction ◽  
Molecular Clouds ◽  
Spiral Structure ◽  
Large Mass ◽  
Giant Molecular Clouds ◽  
Spiral Pattern ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Co Emission ◽  
Co Observations

Observations of CO emission at ℓ=0 to 70°, |b| ≤ 1° are analyzed to give a map of the molecular cloud distribution in the galaxy as viewed from the galactic pole. From the fact that this distribution shows no obvious spiral pattern we conclude that the giant molecular clouds sampled in the CO line are situated in both arm and interarm regions and they must last more than 108 years. A similar age estimate is deduced from the large mass fraction of H2 in the interstellar medium in the interior of the galaxy. An implication of this longevity is that the great masses of these clouds may be accumulated through cloud-cloud collisions of originally smaller clouds.

Giant molecular clouds in the Galaxy. II - Characteristics of discrete features

1985 ◽  
Vol 289 ◽  
pp. 373 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. B. Sanders ◽  
N. Z. Scoville ◽  
P. M. Solomon
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Clouds ◽  
Giant Molecular Clouds ◽  
The Galaxy
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document