The Geometry of the H I of Several Members of the M81 Group: The H I Is Fractal

Details The Geometry of the H I of Several Members of the M81 Group: The H I Is Fractal The Geometry of the H I of Several Members of the M81 Group: The H I Is Fractal

Publishing date

Feb 1999

URL

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1999aj....117..868w&link_type=abstract

Journals

The Astronomical Journal, Volume 117, Issue 2, pp. 868-880.

Science

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Field

Astronomy

Additional info 2

54

Additional info 3

Galaxies: Ism, Ism: H I, Ism: Clouds, Ism: Structure, Galaxies: Individual (M81, Ic 2574), Galaxies: Individual: Name: Holmberg Ii, Galaxies: Individual: Name: Holmberg I, Galaxies: Individual: Messier Number: M81 Dwarf A, Galaxies: Individual: Name: Karachentseva 73

Type

Scientific paper

Abstract

We use the box-counting method on single H I contours and the perimeter-area method on families of contours to show that the projected H I distributions of seven members of the M81 group are fractal. All seven have fractal dimensions that cover a small range, 1.5>=D>=1.2. This is nearly the same dimension as that of CO clouds in the Milky Way and suggests that the ISM may have a fractal dimension that stays within a limited range at all scales. Reliable determination of fractal dimension requires that observations be made with high angular and frequency resolution. If theorems of projection of opaque fractals apply to H I, then the dimension of the deprojected H I distributions may be 1.5>=D>=1.2 as well. Fractal structures have much more surface area than smooth structures, allowing heating, cooling, and material exchange to proceed much more rapidly.

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