The structure of the Orion A molecular cloud

Details The structure of the Orion A molecular cloud The structure of the Orion A molecular cloud

Mar 1975

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1975apj...196..473g&link_type=abstract

Astrophysical Journal, vol. 196, Mar. 1, 1975, pt. 1, p. 473-478.

Physics

15

Astronomical Models, Interstellar Gas, Molecular Spectra, Nebulae, Radiative Transfer, Brightness Temperature, Carbon Monoxide, Cloud Physics, Electron Transitions, Line Spectra, Milky Way Galaxy

Scientific paper

A consistent model of the Orion A molecular cloud is obtained by fitting brightness temperature distributions and line profiles of CO and HCN transitions through solutions of the coupled equations of statistical equilibrium and radiative transfer for a spherical cloud having a kinetic temperature gradient and different density and velocity distributions. The model indicates that Orion A is strongly gravitationally bound and contracting and that the observed temperature distribution can be maintained only by internal energy sources other than contraction. The latter conclusion is obtained by computing the radiative losses due to CO and HD cooling and to inelastic collisions between the gas and dust, and noting that the contraction rate is just sufficient to balance the CO radiation loss, but is less than 0.1 of the HD loss and less than 0.001 of the inelastic collision loss.

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