High-density Tracers Research Articles

ALMA observations of envelopes around first hydrostatic core candidates

ABSTRACT We present ALMA 3 mm molecular line and continuum observations with a resolution of ∼3.5 arcsec towards five first hydrostatic core (FHSC) candidates (L1451-mm, Per-bolo 58, Per-bolo 45, L1448-IRS2E, and Cha-MMS1). Our goal is to characterize their envelopes and identify the most promising sources that could be bona fide FHSCs. We identify two candidates that are consistent with an extremely young evolutionary state (L1451-mm and Cha-MMS1), with L1451-mm being the most promising FHSC candidate. Although our envelope observations cannot rule out Cha-MMS1 as an FHSC yet, the properties of its CO outflow and SED published in recent studies are in better agreement with the predictions for a young protostar. For the remaining three sources, our observations favour a pre-stellar nature for Per-bolo 45 and rule out the rest as FHSC candidates. Per-bolo 58 is fully consistent with being a Class 0, while L1448 IRS2E shows no emission of high-density tracers (NH2D and N2H+) at the location of the previously identified compact continuum source, which is also undetected in our observations. Thus, we argue that there is no embedded source at the presumptive location of the FHSC candidate L1448 IRS2E. We propose instead that what was thought to be emission from the presumed L1448 IRS2E outflow corresponds to outflow emission from a nearby Class 0 system, deflected by the dense ambient material. We compare the properties of the FHSC candidates studied in this work and the literature, which shows that L1451-mm appears as possibly the youngest source with a confirmed outflow.

An imaging line survey of OMC-1 to OMC-3

Context. Recently, sensitive wide-bandwidth receivers in the millimetre regime have enabled us to combine large spatial and spectral coverage for observations of molecular clouds. The resulting capability to map the distributions of lines from many molecules simultaneously yields unbiased coverage of the various environments within star-forming regions. Aims. Our aim is to identify the dominant molecular cooling lines and characteristic emission features in the 1.3 mm window of distinct regions in the northern part of the Orion A molecular cloud. By defining and analysing template regions, we also intend to help with the interpretation of observations from more distant sources which cannot be easily spatially resolved. Methods. We analyse an imaging line survey covering the area of OMC-1 to OMC-3 from 200.2 to 281.8 GHz obtained with the PI230 receiver at the APEX telescope. Masks are used to define regions with distinct properties (e.g. column density or temperature ranges) from which we obtain averaged spectra. Lines of 29 molecular species (55 isotopologues) are fitted for each region to obtain the respective total intensity. Results. We find that strong sources like Orion KL have a clear impact on the emission on larger scales. Although not spatially extended, their line emission contributes substantially to spectra averaged over large regions. Conversely, the emission signatures of dense, cold regions like OMC-2 and OMC-3 (e.g. enhanced N2H+ emission and low HCN/HNC ratio) seem to be difficult to pick up on larger scales, where they are eclipsed by signatures of stronger sources. In all regions, HCO+ appears to contribute between 3 and 6% to the total intensity, the most stable value for all bright species. N2H+ shows the strongest correlation with column density, but not with typical high-density tracers like HCN, HCO+, H2CO, or HNC. Common line ratios associated with UV illumination, CN/HNC and CN/HCO+, show ambiguous results on larger scales, suggesting that the identification of UV illuminated material may be more challenging. The HCN/HNC ratio may be related to temperature over varying scales.

Toward a robust inference method for the galaxy bispectrum: likelihood function and model selection

The forthcoming generation of galaxy redshift surveys will sample the large-scale structure of the Universe over unprecedented volumes with high-density tracers. This advancement will make robust measurements of three-point clustering statistics possible. In preparation for this improvement, we investigate how several methodological choices can influence inferences based on the bispectrum about galaxy bias and shot noise. We first measure the real-space bispectrum of dark-matter haloes extracted from 298 N-body simulations covering a volume of approximately 1000 Gpc3. We then fit a series of theoretical models based on tree-level perturbation theory to the numerical data. To achieve this, we estimate the covariance matrix of the measurement errors by using 10,000 mock catalogues generated with the PINOCCHIO code. We study how the model constraints are influenced by the binning strategy for the bispectrum configurations and by the form of the likelihood function. We also use Bayesian model-selection techniques to single out the optimal theoretical description of our data. We find that a three-parameter bias model combined with Poissonian shot noise is necessary to model the halo bispectrum up to scales of kmax≲ 0.08 Mpc-1, although fitting formulae that relate the bias parameters can be helpful to reduce the freedom of the model without compromising accuracy. Our data clearly disfavour local Eulerian and local Lagrangian bias models and do not require corrections to Poissonian shot noise. We anticipate that model-selection diagnostics will be particularly useful to extend the analysis to smaller scales as, in this case, the number of model parameters will grow significantly large.

MILLIMETER AND FAR-IR STUDY OF THE IRDC SDC 341.232-0.268

We analyze the molecular gas and dust associated with the infrared dark cloud SDC 341.232-0.268 in order to investigate the characteristics and parameters of the gas, determine the evolutionary status of four embedded EGO candidates, and establish possible infall or outflow gas motions. We base our study on 12 CO(2-1), 13 CO(2-1), and C18 O(2-1) data obtained with the APEX telescope, molecular data of high density tracers from the MALT90 survey and IR images from Spitzer, Herschel and ATLASGAL. The study reveals two clumps at −44 km/s towards the IRDC, with densities of > 104 cm^{−3}, typical of IRDCs, while high density tracers show H2 densities > 105 . FIR images reveals the presence of cold dust linked to the molecular clumps and EGOs. A comparison of the spectra of the optically thin and optically thick molecular lines towards the EGOs suggests the existence of infall and outflow motions.

Relative Alignment between the Magnetic Field and Molecular Gas Structure in the Vela C Giant Molecular Cloud Using Low- and High-density Tracers

We compare the magnetic field orientation for the young giant molecular cloud Vela C inferred from 500-$\mu$m polarization maps made with the BLASTPol balloon-borne polarimeter to the orientation of structures in the integrated line emission maps from Mopra observations. Averaging over the entire cloud we find that elongated structures in integrated line-intensity, or zeroth-moment maps, for low density tracers such as $^{12}$CO and $^{13}$CO $J$ $\rightarrow$ 1 - 0 are statistically more likely to align parallel to the magnetic field, while intermediate or high density tracers show (on average) a tendency for alignment perpendicular to the magnetic field. This observation agrees with previous studies of the change in relative orientation with column density in Vela C, and supports a model where the magnetic field is strong enough to have influenced the formation of dense gas structures within Vela C. The transition from parallel to no preferred/perpendicular orientation appears to happen between the densities traced by $^{13}$CO and by C$^{18}$O $J$ $\rightarrow$ 1 - 0. Using RADEX radiative transfer models to estimate the characteristic number density traced by each molecular line we find that the transition occurs at a molecular hydrogen number density of approximately $10^3$ cm$^{-3}$. We also see that the Centre-Ridge (the highest column density and most active star-forming region within Vela C) appears to have a transition at a lower number density, suggesting that this may depend on the evolutionary state of the cloud.

IRAM and Gaia views of multi-episodic star formation in IC 1396A

Context. IC 1396A is a cometary globule that contains the Class 0 source IC 1396A-PACS-1, which was discovered with Herschel. Aims. We use IRAM 30m telescope and Gaia DR2 data to explore the star formation history of IC 1396A and investigate the possibilities of triggered star formation. Methods. IRAM and Herschel continuum data were used to obtain dust temperature and column density maps. Heterodyne data reveal the velocity structure of the gas. Gaia DR2 proper motions for the stars complete the kinematics of the region. Results. IC 1396A-PACS-1 presents molecular emission similar to a hot corino with warm carbon chain chemistry due to the UV irradiation. The source is embedded in a dense clump surrounded by gas at velocities that are significantly different from the velocities of the Tr 37 cluster. CN emission reveals photoevaporation, while continuum data and high-density tracers (C18O, HCO+, DCO+, and N2D+) reveal distinct gaseous structures with a range of densities and masses. Conclusions. By combining the velocity, column density, and temperature information and Gaia DR2 kinematics, we confirm that the globule has experienced various episodes of star formation. IC 1396A-PACS-1 is probably the last intermediate-mass protostar that will form within IC 1396A; it shows evidence of being triggered by radiation-driven implosion. Chemical signatures such as CCS place IC 1396A-PACS-1 among the youngest known protostars. Gaia DR2 data reveal velocities in the plane of the sky ~4 km s−1 for IC 1396A with respect to Tr 37. The total velocity difference (8 km s−1) between the Tr 37 cluster and IC 1396A is too small for IC 1396A to have undergone substantial rocket acceleration, which imposes constraints on the distance to the ionizing source in time and the possibilities of triggered star formation. The three stellar populations in the globule reveal that objects located within relatively close distances (<0.5 pc) can be formed in various star-forming episodes within ~1–2 Myr. Once the remaining cloud disperses, we expect substantial differences in evolutionary stage and initial conditions for the resulting objects and their protoplanetary disks, which may affect their evolution. Finally, evidence for short-range feedback from the embedded protostars, and in particular, the A-type star V390 Cep, is also observed.

A 10-M⊙ YSO with a Keplerian disk and a nonthermal radio jet

Context. To constrain present star formation models, we need to simultaneously establish the dynamical and physical properties of disks and jets around young stars. Aims. We previously observed the star-forming region G16.59−0.05 through interferometric observations of both thermal and maser lines, and identified a high-mass young stellar object (YSO) which is surrounded by an accretion disk and drives a nonthermal radio jet. Our goals are to establish the physical conditions of the environment hosting the high-mass YSO and to study the kinematics of the surrounding gas in detail. Methods. We performed high-angular-resolution (beam FWHM ≈ 0′′.15) 1.2-mm continuum and line observations towards G16.59−0.05 with the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA). Results. The main dust clump, with size ≈104 au, is resolved into four distinct, relatively compact (diameter ~2000 au) millimeter (mm) sources. The source harboring the high-mass YSO is the most prominent in molecular emission. By fitting the emission profiles of several unblended and optically thin transitions of CH3OCH3 and CH3OH, we derived gas temperatures inside the mm sources in the range 42–131 K, and calculated masses of 1–5 M⊙. A well-defined Local Standard of Rest (LSR) velocity (VLSR) gradient is detected in most of the high-density molecular tracers at the position of the high-mass YSO, pinpointed by compact 22-GHz free-free emission. This gradient is oriented along a direction forming a large (≈70°) angle with the radio jet, traced by elongated 13-GHz continuum emission. The butterfly-like shapes of the P–V plots and the linear pattern of the emission peaks of the molecular lines at high velocity confirm that this VLSR gradient is due to rotation of the gas in the disk surrounding the high-mass YSO. The disk radius is ≈500 au, and the VLSR distribution along the major axis of the disk is well reproduced by a Keplerian profile around a central mass of 10 ± 2 M⊙. The position of the YSO is offset by ≳0′′.1 from the axis of the radio jet and the dust emission peak. To explain this displacement we argue that the high-mass YSO could have moved from the center of the parental mm source owing to dynamical interaction with one or more companions.

Chemical tracers in proto-brown dwarfs: CO, ortho-H2CO, para-H2CO, HCO+, CS observations

We present a study of the CO isotopologues and the high-density tracers H$_{2}$CO, HCO$^{+}$, and CS in Class 0/I proto-brown dwarfs (proto-BDs). We have used the IRAM 30m telescope to observe the $^{12}$CO (2-1), $^{13}$CO (2-1), C$^{18}$O (2-1), C$^{17}$O (2-1), H$_{2}$CO (3-2), HCO$^{+}$ (3-2), and CS (5-4) lines in 7 proto-BDs. The hydrogen column density for the proto-BDs derived from the CO gas emission is $\sim$2-15 times lower than that derived from the dust continuum emission, indicating CO depletion from the gas-phase. The mean H$_{2}$CO ortho-to-para ratio is $\sim$3 for the proto-BDs and indicates gas-phase formation for H$_{2}$CO. We have investigated the correlations in the molecular abundances between the proto-BDs and protostars. Proto-BDs on average show a factor of $\sim$2 higher ortho-to-para H$_{2}$CO ratio than the protostars. Possible explanations include a difference in the H$_{2}$CO formation mechanism, spin-selective photo-dissociation, self-shielding effects, or different emitting regions for the ortho and para species. There is a tentative trend of a decline in the HCO$^{+}$ and H$_{2}$CO abundances with decreasing bolometric luminosity, while the CS and CO abundances show no particular difference between the proto-BDs and protostars. These trends reflect the scaled-down physical structures for the proto-BDs compared to protostars and differences in the peak emitting regions for these species. The C$^{17}$O isotopologue is detected in all of the proto-BDs as well as the more evolved Class Flat/Class II BDs in our sample, and can probe the quiescent gas at both early and late evolutionary stages.

ALMA Multiple-transition Observations of High-density Molecular Tracers in Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies

Abstract We present the results of our ALMA observations of 11 (ultra)luminous infrared galaxies ((U)LIRGs) at J = 4–3 of HCN, HCO+, and HNC and J = 3–2 of HNC. This is an extension of our previously published HCN and HCO+ J = 3–2 observations to multiple rotational J-transitions of multiple molecules, to investigate how molecular emission line flux ratios vary at different J-transitions. We confirm that ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) that contain or may contain luminous obscured active galactic nuclei (AGNs) tend to show higher HCN-to-HCO+ flux ratios than starburst galaxies, both at J = 4–3 and J = 3–2. For selected HCN-flux-enhanced AGN-important ULIRGs, our isotopologue H13CN, H13CO+, and HN13C J = 3–2 line observations suggest a higher abundance of HCN than HCO+ and HNC, which is interpreted to be primarily responsible for the elevated HCN flux in AGN-important galaxies. For such sources, the intrinsic HCN-to-HCO+ flux ratios after line opacity correction will be higher than the observed ratios, making the separation between AGNs and starbursts even larger. The signature of the vibrationally excited (v 2 = 1f) HCN J = 4–3 emission line is seen in one ULIRG, IRAS 12112−0305 NE. P Cygni profiles are detected in the HCO+ J = 4–3 and J = 3–2 lines toward IRAS 15250+3609, with an estimated molecular outflow rate of ∼250–750 M ⊙ yr−1. The SiO J = 6–5 line also exhibits a P Cygni profile in IRAS 12112+0305 NE, suggesting the presence of shocked outflow activity. Shock tracers are detected in many sources, suggesting ubiquitous shock activity in the nearby ULIRG population.

Molecular transitions as probes of the physical conditions of extragalactic environments

Ab initio grids of time dependent chemical models, varying in gas density, temperature, cosmic ray ionization rate, and radiation field, are used as input to RADEX calculations. Tables of abundances, column densities, theoretical line intensities, and line ratios for some of the most used dense gas tracers are provided. The degree of correlation as well as degeneracy inherent in molecular ratios is discussed. Comparisons of the theoretical intensities with example observations are also provided. We find that, within the parameters space explored, chemical abundances can be constrained by a well defined set of gas density-gas temperature-cosmic ray ionization rate for the species we investigate here. However, line intensities, as well as, more importantly, line ratios, from different chemical models can be very similar leading to a clear degeneracy. We also find that the gas subjected to a galactic cosmic ray ionization rate will not necessarily have reached steady state by 1 Myr. The species most affected by time dependency effects are HCN and CS, both high density tracers. We use our method to fit an example set of data from two galaxies. We find that (i) molecular line ratios can be easily matched even with erroneous individual line intensities; (ii) no set of species can be matched by a one-component ISM; (iii) a species may be a good tracer of an energetic process but only under specific density and temperature conditions. We show that by taking into consideration the chemistry behind each species and the individual line intensities, many degeneracies that arise by just using molecular line ratios can be avoided. Finally we show that using a species or a ratio as a tracer of an individual energetic process (e.g. cosmic rays, UV) ought to be done with caution.

Visualization of three pathways for macromolecule transport across cultured endothelium and their modification by flow.

Transport of macromolecules across vascular endothelium and its modification by fluid mechanical forces are important for normal tissue function and in the development of atherosclerosis. However, the routes by which macromolecules cross endothelium, the hemodynamic stresses that maintain endothelial physiology or trigger disease, and the dependence of transendothelial transport on hemodynamic stresses are controversial. We visualized pathways for macromolecule transport and determined the effect on these pathways of different types of flow. Endothelial monolayers were cultured under static conditions or on an orbital shaker producing different flow profiles in different parts of the wells. Fluorescent tracers that bound to the substrate after crossing the endothelium were used to identify transport pathways. Maps of tracer distribution were compared with numerical simulations of flow to determine effects of different shear stress metrics on permeability. Albumin-sized tracers dominantly crossed the cultured endothelium via junctions between neighboring cells, high-density lipoprotein-sized tracers crossed at tricellular junctions, and low-density lipoprotein-sized tracers crossed through cells. Cells aligned close to the angle that minimized shear stresses across their long axis. The rate of paracellular transport under flow correlated with the magnitude of these minimized transverse stresses, whereas transport across cells was uniformly reduced by all types of flow. These results contradict the long-standing two-pore theory of solute transport across microvessel walls and the consensus view that endothelial cells align with the mean shear vector. They suggest that endothelial cells minimize transverse shear, supporting its postulated proatherogenic role. Preliminary data show that similar tracer techniques are practicable in vivo.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Solutes of increasing size crossed cultured endothelium through intercellular junctions, through tricellular junctions, or transcellularly. Cells aligned to minimize the shear stress acting across their long axis. Paracellular transport correlated with the level of this minimized shear, but transcellular transport was reduced uniformly by flow regardless of the shear profile.

Multiwavelength Characterization of an ACT-selected, Lensed Dusty Star-forming Galaxy at z = 2.64

Abstract We present C i(2–1) and multi-transition 12CO observations of a dusty star-forming galaxy, ACT J2029+0120, which we spectroscopically confirm to lie at z = 2.64. We detect CO(3–2), CO(5–4), CO(7–6), CO(8–7), and C i(2–1) at high significance, tentatively detect HCO+(4–3), and place strong upper limits on the integrated strength of dense gas tracers (HCN(4–3) and CS(7–6)). Multi-transition CO observations and dense gas tracers can provide valuable constraints on the molecular gas content and excitation conditions in high-redshift galaxies. We therefore use this unique data set to construct a CO spectral line energy distribution (SLED) of the source, which is most consistent with that of a ULIRG/Seyfert or QSO host object in the taxonomy of the Herschel Comprehensive ULIRG Emission Survey. We employ RADEX models to fit the peak of the CO SLED, inferring a temperature of T ∼ 117 K and cm−3, most consistent with a ULIRG/QSO object and the presence of high-density tracers. We also find that the velocity width of the C i line is potentially larger than seen in all CO transitions for this object, and that the ratio is also larger than seen in other lensed and unlensed submillimeter galaxies and QSO hosts; if confirmed, this anomaly could be an effect of differential lensing of a shocked molecular outflow.

Electron Excitation of High Dipole Moment Molecules Re-examined

Abstract Emission from high-dipole moment molecules such as HCN allows determination of the density in molecular clouds, and is often considered to trace the “dense” gas available for star formation. We assess the importance of electron excitation in various environments. The ratio of the rate coefficients for electrons and H2 molecules, ≃105 for HCN, yields the requirements for electron excitation to be of practical importance if and , where the numerical factors reflect the critical values and . This indicates that in regions where a large fraction of carbon is ionized, will be large enough to make electron excitation significant. The situation is in general similar for other “high-density tracers,” including HCO+, CN, and CS. But there are significant differences in the critical electron fractional abundance, , defined by the value required for equal effect from collisions with H2 and e−. Electron excitation is, for example, unimportant for CO and C+. Electron excitation may be responsible for the surprisingly large spatial extent of emission from dense gas tracers in some molecular clouds. The enhanced estimates for HCN abundances and HCN/CO and HCN/HCO+ ratios observed in the nuclear regions of luminous galaxies may be in part a result of electron excitation of high dipole moment tracers. The importance of electron excitation will depend on detailed models of the chemistry, which may well be non-steady state and non-static.

The anatomy of the Orion B giant molecular cloud: A local template for studies of nearby galaxies

We aim to develop the Orion B Giant Molecular Cloud (GMC) as a local template for interpreting extra-galactic molecular line observations. We use the wide-band receiver at the IRAM-30m to spatially and spectrally resolve the Orion B GMC. The observations cover almost 1 square degree at 26" resolution with a bandwidth of 32 GHz from 84 to 116 GHz in only two tunings. Among the mapped spectral lines are the 12CO, 13CO, C18O, C17O, HCN, HNC, 12CN, CCH, HCO+, N2H+ (1-0), and 12CS, 32SO, SiO, c-C3H2, CH3OH (2-1) transitions. We introduce the molecular anatomy of the Orion B GMC, including relations between line intensities and gas column density or far-UV radiation fields, and correlations between selected line and line ratios. We also obtain a dust-traced gas mass that is less than about one third the CO-traced mass, using the standard Xco conversion factor. The presence of overluminous CO can be traced back to the dependence of the CO intensity on UV illumination. In fact, while most lines show some dependence on the UV radiation field, CN and CCH are the most sensitive. Moreover dense cloud cores are almost exclusively traced by N2H+. Other traditional high density tracers, such as HCN (1-0), are also easily detected in extended translucent regions at a typical density of about 500 H2 cm-3. In general, we find no straightforward relation between line critical density and the fraction of the line luminosity coming from dense gas regions. Our initial findings demonstrate that the relations between line (ratio) intensities and environment in GMCs are more complicated than often assumed. Sensitivity (i.e., the molecular column density), excitation, and above all chemistry contribute to the observed line intensity distributions. They must be considered together when developing the next generation of extra-galactic molecular line diagnostics of mass, density, temperature and radiation field.

Optical depth estimates and effective critical densities of dense gas tracers in the inner parts of nearby galaxy discs

High critical density molecular lines like HCN(1-0) or HCO+(1-0) represent our best tool to study currently star-forming, dense molecular gas at extragalactic distances. The optical depth of these lines is a key ingredient to estimate the effective density required to excite emission. However, constraints on this quantity are even scarcer in the literature than measurements of the high density tracers themselves. Here, we combine new observations of HCN, HCO+ and HNC(1-0) and their optically thin isotopologues H13CN, H13CO+ and HN13C(1-0) to measure isotopologue line ratios. We use IRAM 30-m observations from the large program EMPIRE and new ALMA observations, which together target 6 nearby star-forming galaxies. Using spectral stacking techniques, we calculate or place strong upper limits on the HCN/H13CN, HCO+/H13CO+ and HNC/HN13C line ratios in the inner parts of these galaxies. Under simple assumptions, we use these to estimate the optical depths of HCN(1-0) and HCO+(1-0) to be \tau ~2-11 in the active, inner regions of our targets. The critical densities are consequently lowered to values between 5-20$\times 10^5$, 1-3$\times 10^5$ and 9$\times 10^4$ cm-3 for HCN, HCO+ and HNC, respectively. We study the impact of having different beam-filling factors, $\eta$, on these estimates and find that the effective critical densities decrease by a factor of $\frac{\eta_{12}}{\eta_{13}}\,\tau_{12}$. A comparison to existing work in NGC 5194 and NGC 253 shows HCN/H13CN and HCO+/H13CO+ ratios in agreement with our measurements within the uncertainties. The same is true for studies in other environments such as the Galactic Centre or nuclear regions of AGN-dominated nearby galaxies.

STAR FORMATION LAWS IN BOTH GALACTIC MASSIVE CLUMPS AND EXTERNAL GALAXIES: EXTENSIVE STUDY WITH DUST CONINUUM, HCN (4-3), AND CS (7-6)

ABSTRACT We observed 146 Galactic clumps in HCN (4-3) and CS (7-6) with the Atacama Submillimeter Telescope Experiment 10 m telescope. A tight linear relationship between star formation rate and gas mass traced by dust continuum emission was found for both Galactic clumps and the high redshift (z > 1) star forming galaxies (SFGs), indicating a constant gas depletion time of ∼100 Myr for molecular gas in both Galactic clumps and high z SFGs. However, low z galaxies do not follow this relation and seem to have a longer global gas depletion time. The correlations between total infrared luminosities (L TIR) and molecular line luminosities of HCN (4-3) and CS (7-6) are tight and sublinear extending down to clumps with L TIR ∼ 103 L ☉. These correlations become linear when extended to external galaxies. A bimodal behavior in the L TIR– correlations was found for clumps with different dust temperature, luminosity-to-mass ratio, and σ line/σ vir. Such bimodal behavior may be due to evolutionary effects. The slopes of L TIR–L′mol correlations become more shallow as clumps evolve. We compared our results with lower J transition lines in Wu et al. (2010). The correlations between clump masses and line luminosities are close to linear for low effective excitation density tracers but become sublinear for high effective excitation density tracers for clumps with L TIR larger than L TIR ∼ 104.5 L ☉. High effective excitation density tracers cannot linearly trace the total clump masses, leading to a sublinear correlations for both M clump–L′mol and L TIR–L′mol relations.

The chemistry and kinematics of two molecular clouds near Sagittarius A*

We have analysed the chemical and kinematic properties of the 20 and 50 km s−1 molecular clouds in the Central Molecular Zone of the Milky Way Galaxy, as well as those of the molecular ridge bridging these two clouds. Our work has utilized 37 molecular transitions in the 0.65, 3 and 7-mm wavebands, from the Mopra and NANTEN2 telescopes. The 0.65-mm NANTEN2 data highlights a dense condensation of emission within the western part of the 20 km s−1 cloud, visible in only four other transitions, which are 3-mm H13CN (1–0), H13CO+ (1–0), HNC (1–0) and N2H+ (1–0), suggesting that the condensation is moderately optically thick and cold. We find that while the relative chemical abundances between both clouds are alike in many transitions, suggesting little variation in the chemistry between both clouds; the 20 km s−1, cold cloud is brighter than the 50 km s−1 cloud in shock and high density tracers. The spatial distribution of enhanced emission is widespread in the 20 km s−1 cloud, as shown via line ratio maps. The position velocity diagrams across both clouds indicate that the gas is well mixed. We show that the molecular ridge is most likely part of the 20 km s−1 cloud and that both of them may possibly extend to include the 50 km s−1 cloud, as part of one larger cloud. Furthermore, we expect that the 20 km s−1 cloud is being tidally sheared as a result of the gravitational potential from Sgr A*

LINKING DENSE GAS FROM THE MILKY WAY TO EXTERNAL GALAXIES

ABSTRACT In a survey of 65 galaxies, Gao & Solomon found a tight linear relation between the infrared luminosity (L IR, a proxy for the star formation rate) and the HCN(1–0) luminosity ( ). Wu et al. found that this relation extends from these galaxies to the much less luminous Galactic molecular high-mass star-forming clumps (∼1 pc scales), and posited that there exists a characteristic ratio L IR/ for high-mass star-forming clumps. The Gao–Solomon relation for galaxies could then be explained as a summation of large numbers of high-mass star-forming clumps, resulting in the same L IR/ ratio for galaxies. We test this explanation and other possible origins of the Gao–Solomon relation using high-density tracers (including HCN(1–0), N2H+(1–0), HCO+(1–0), HNC(1–0), HC3N(10–9), and C2H(1–0)) for ∼300 Galactic clumps from the Millimetre Astronomy Legacy Team 90 GHz (MALT90) survey. The MALT90 data show that the Gao–Solomon relation in galaxies cannot be satisfactorily explained by the blending of large numbers of high-mass clumps in the telescope beam. Not only do the clumps have a large scatter in the L IR/ ratio, but also far too many high-mass clumps are required to account for the Galactic IR and HCN luminosities. We suggest that the scatter in the L IR/ ratio converges to the scatter of the Gao–Solomon relation at some size-scale ≳1 kpc. We suggest that the Gao–Solomon relation could instead result from of a universal large-scale star formation efficiency, initial mass function, core mass function, and clump mass function.

Understanding star formation in molecular clouds

Column density (N) PDFs serve as a powerful tool to characterize the physical processes that influence the structure of molecular clouds. Star-forming clouds can best be characterized by lognormal PDFs for the lower N range and a power-law tail for higher N, commonly attributed to turbulence and self-gravity and/or pressure, respectively. We report here on PDFs obtained from observations of 12CO, 13CO, C18O, CS, and N2H+ in the Cygnus X North region and compare to a PDF derived from dust observations with the Herschel satellite. The PDF of 12CO is lognormal for Av~1-30, but is cut for higher Av due to optical depth effects. The PDFs of C18O and 13CO are mostly lognormal up for Av~1-15, followed by excess up to Av~40. Above that value, all CO PDFs drop, most likely due to depletion. The high density tracers CS and N2H+ exhibit only a power law distribution between Av~15 and 400, respectively. The PDF from dust is lognormal for Av~3-15 and has a power-law tail up to Av~500. Absolute values for the molecular line column densities are, however, rather uncertain due to abundance and excitation temperature variations. Taken the dust PDF face value, we 'calibrate' the molecular line PDF of CS to the one of the dust and determined an abundance [CS]/[H2] of 10^-9. The slopes of the power-law tails of the CS, N2H+, and dust PDFs are consistent with free-fall collapse of filaments and clumps. A quasi static configuration of filaments and clumps can possibly also account for the observed N-PDFs, as long as they have a sufficiently condensed density structure and external ram pressure by gas accretion is provided. The somehow flatter slopes of N2H+ and CS can reflect an abundance change and/or subthermal excitation at low column densities.

THE DISK-OUTFLOW SYSTEM IN THE S255IR AREA OF HIGH-MASS STAR FORMATION

We report the results of our observations of the S255IR area with the SMA at 1.3 mm in the very extended configuration and at 0.8 mm in the compact configuration as well as with the IRAM-30m at 0.8 mm. The best achieved angular resolution is about 0.4 arcsec. The dust continuum emission and several tens of molecular spectral lines are observed. The majority of the lines is detected only towards the S255IR-SMA1 clump, which represents a rotating structure (probably disk) around the young massive star. The achieved angular resolution is still insufficient for conclusions about Keplerian or non-Keplerian character of the rotation. The temperature of the molecular gas reaches 130-180 K. The size of the clump is about 500 AU. The clump is strongly fragmented as follows from the low beam filling factor. The mass of the hot gas is significantly lower than the mass of the central star. A strong DCN emission near the center of the hot core most probably indicates a presence of a relatively cold ($\lesssim 80$ K) and rather massive clump there. High velocity emission is observed in the CO line as well as in lines of high density tracers HCN, HCO+, CS and other molecules. The outflow morphology obtained from combination of the SMA and IRAM-30m data is significantly different from that derived from the SMA data alone. The CO emission detected with the SMA traces only one boundary of the outflow. The outflow is most probably driven by jet bow shocks created by episodic ejections from the center. We detected a dense high velocity clump associated apparently with one of the bow shocks. The outflow strongly affects the chemical composition of the surrounding medium.