Surveying Interstellar Carbon Monoxide Via Ultraviolet Absorption

Details Surveying Interstellar Carbon Monoxide Via Ultraviolet Absorption Surveying Interstellar Carbon Monoxide Via Ultraviolet Absorption

Jul 2003

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2003hst..prop.9921f&link_type=abstract

HST Proposal ID #9921

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Hst Proposal Id #9921 Ism And Circumstellar Matter

Scientific paper

We propose a comprehensive survey of CO column densities in diffuse molecular clouds extracted from archival spectra. The primary dataset involves STIS high resolution spectra, supplemented by high quality data obtained with GHRS. We will examine the 12C16O/13C16O ratio in 15 to 20 directions and the CO/H2 ratio in over 30 sight lines, thereby more than doubling the number of clouds with precisely determined column densities. The survey will provide the basis for the most thorough comparison between observations and theoretical models of CO photochemistry. Since CO is used as a diagnostic of the physical conditions in many astronomical environments, accurate models are essential. The comparison made with our survey will lead to more accurate models than those available today. Particular attention will be given to discerning the CO column where self shielding significantly reduces photodissociation. The trends in the CO/H2 ratio, especially for CO column densities much greater than those obtained from observations with the Copernicus satellite, will provide the means for more precise estimates of molecular cloud masses from CO emission at radio wavelengths in our Galaxy and others. Better cloud masses are needed in studies describing how star formation has changed over time.

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