An H I absorption line survey of Messier 31

Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy

Scientific paper

Rate now

  [ 0.00 ] – not rated yet Voters 0   Comments 0

Details

16

Absorption Spectra, Interstellar Matter, Line Spectra, Solar Neighborhood, Spiral Galaxies, Very Large Array (Vla), Hydrogen Atoms, Interstellar Gas, Milky Way Galaxy, Neutral Gases

Scientific paper

The 21-cm absorption through the disk of M31 has been observed, using the VLA to study the cool atomic phase of the interstellar medium in this nearby spiral galaxy. It is found that the abundance of diffuse clouds with tau between 0.125 and 1 in M31 is no higher than in the solar neighborhood of the Milky Way. The mean spin temperature, 300 K, is similar to or higher than the local value. The fraction of the neutral atomic hydrogen in the cool phase is about 0.25 or less. These results imply that M31 has a mixture of warm and cool interstellar phases similar to that in our vicinity of the Milky Way, which suggests either that the heating and cooling balance occurs in a similar pressure environment, or that whatever dynamical processes determine the mixture of warm and cool gas reach a similar equilibrium in M31 as here. Specifically, the warm neutral medium seems to be a robust phase, with a much larger filling-factor than the cool clouds.

No associations

LandOfFree

Say what you really think

Search LandOfFree.com for scientists and scientific papers. Rate them and share your experience with other people.

Rating

An H I absorption line survey of Messier 31 does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with An H I absorption line survey of Messier 31, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and An H I absorption line survey of Messier 31 will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

     

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1695218

  Search
All data on this website is collected from public sources. Our data reflects the most accurate information available at the time of publication.