2MASS wide field extinction maps

Abstract

We present a near-infrared extinction map of a large region in the sky (∼3500 deg 2 ) in the general directions of Taurus, Perseus, and Aries. The map has been obtained using robust and optimal methods to map dust column density at near-infrared wavelengths (Nicer, described in Lombardi & Alves 2001, AA we name this region the Perseus-Andromeda hole. We find that over the region that encompasses the Taurus, Perseus, and California clouds the column density measurements below AK < 0.2 mag are perfectly described by a log-normal distribution, and that a significant deviation is observed at larger extinction values. If turbulence models are invoked to justify the log-normal distribution, the observed departure could be interpreted as the result of the effect of gravity that acts on the cores of the clouds. Finally, we investigate the cloud structure function, and show that significant deviations from the results predicted by turbulent models are observed in at least one cloud.