Molecular Mapping of Filamentary Infrared Dark Clouds

Details Molecular Mapping of Filamentary Infrared Dark Clouds Molecular Mapping of Filamentary Infrared Dark Clouds

May 2010

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010aas...21642206f&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #216, #422.06; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 41, p.834

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

Scientific paper

Infrared Dark Clouds (IRDCs) are cold, dense molecular clouds seen in absorption against the bright mid-IR background in the Milky Way. Large-scale Galactic surveys at mid-IR wavelengths such as the Midcourse Space Experiment, Infrared Space Observatory, and Spitzer GLIMPSE have enabled astronomers to identify and study large numbers of these interesting clouds. Studies of individual IRDCs and cores within the clouds have shown that IRDCs host the earliest stages of high-mass star and cluster formation. An inspection of large samples of IRDCs reveals that many of them are very filamentary in nature. The ubiquity of these filamentary clouds suggests a possible connection between the filamentary nature of the clouds, and the star formation within them.
We have mapped 8 filamentary IRDCs using the 22 m ATNF Mopra Telescope in Australia in high-density molecular tracers at 3 mm. Using the MOPS Spectrometer on the Mopra Telescope enables simultaneous mapping in 16 different molecular tracers. We present maps of these 8 IRDCs in HNC (1-0), HCN (1-0), N2H+ (1-0), and HCO+ (1-0). The molecular emission in the maps matches well with the extinction seen in the mid-IR. The molecular line maps show that in all but one case, the entire filament is at one velocity, and thus is one molecular cloud and not the chance alignment of more than one feature along the line of sight. We calculate kinematic distances and LTE gas masses of the IRDCs. The IRDCs typically display an ordered velocity field within the clouds. We compare these observations with simple models of flow in a gas cylinder and helix.

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