Compact High-velocity Clouds Research Articles

A Broad Line-width, Compact, Millimeter-bright Molecular Emission Line Source near the Galactic Center

A compact source, G0.02467–0.0727, was detected in Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array 3 mm observations in continuum and very broad line emission. The continuum emission has a spectral index α ≈ 3.3, suggesting that the emission is from dust. The line emission is detected in several transitions of CS, SO, and SO2 and exhibits a line width FWHM ≈ 160 km s−1. The line profile appears Gaussian. The emission is weakly spatially resolved, coming from an area on the sky ≲1″ in diameter (≲104 au at the distance of the Galactic center, GC). The centroid velocity is v LSR ≈ 40–50 km s−1, which is consistent with a location in the GC. With multiple SO lines detected, and assuming local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) conditions, the gas temperature is T LTE = 13 K, which is colder than seen in typical GC clouds, though we cannot rule out low-density, subthermally excited, warmer gas. Despite the high velocity dispersion, no emission is observed from SiO, suggesting that there are no strong (≳10 km s−1) shocks in the molecular gas. There are no detections at other wavelengths, including X-ray, infrared, and radio. We consider several explanations for the millimeter ultra-broad-line object (MUBLO), including protostellar outflow, explosive outflow, a collapsing cloud, an evolved star, a stellar merger, a high-velocity compact cloud, an intermediate-mass black hole, and a background galaxy. Most of these conceptual models are either inconsistent with the data or do not fully explain them. The MUBLO is, at present, an observationally unique object.

CMZoom III: Spectral line data release

ABSTRACT We present an overview and data release of the spectral line component of the SMA Large Program, CMZoom. CMZoom observed 12CO (2–1), 13CO (2–1), and C18O (2–1), three transitions of H2CO, several transitions of CH3OH, two transitions of OCS, and single transitions of SiO and SO within gas above a column density of N(H2) ≥ 1023 cm−2 in the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ; inner few hundred pc of the Galaxy). We extract spectra from all compact 1.3 mm CMZoom continuum sources and fit line profiles to the spectra. We use the fit results from the H2CO 3(0, 3)–2(0, 2) transition to determine the source kinematic properties. We find ∼90 per cent of the total mass of CMZoom sources have reliable kinematics. Only four compact continuum sources are formally self-gravitating. The remainder are consistent with being in hydrostatic equilibrium assuming that they are confined by the high external pressure in the CMZ. We find only two convincing proto-stellar outflows, ruling out a previously undetected population of very massive, actively accreting YSOs with strong outflows. Finally, despite having sufficient sensitivity and resolution to detect high-velocity compact clouds (HVCCs), which have been claimed as evidence for intermediate mass black holes interacting with molecular gas clouds, we find no such objects across the large survey area.

Broad-velocity-width Molecular Features in the Galactic Plane

Abstract We performed a systematic search for broad-velocity-width molecular features (BVFs) in the disk part of our Galaxy by using the CO J = 1–0 survey data obtained with the Nobeyama Radio Observatory 45 m telescope. From this search, 58 BVFs were identified. In comparisons with the infrared and radio continuum images, 36 BVFs appeared to have both infrared and radio continuum counterparts, and 15 of them are described as molecular outflows from young stellar objects in the literature. In addition, 21 BVFs have infrared counterparts only, and eight of them are described as molecular outflows in the literature. One BVF (CO 16.134–0.553) does not have any luminous counterpart in the other wavelengths, which suggests that it may be an analog of high-velocity compact clouds in the Galactic center.

Erratum: “Distance to the Low-velocity Cloud in the Direction of the High-velocity Compact Cloud CO–0.40–0.22” (2017, ApJ, 840, 18)

Erratum: “Distance to the Low-velocity Cloud in the Direction of the High-velocity Compact Cloud CO–0.40–0.22” (2017, ApJ, 840, 18)

Physical effects on compact high-velocity clouds in the circumgalactic medium

ABSTRACT We numerically investigate the evolution of compact high-velocity clouds (CHVCs) passing through a hot, tenuous gas representing the highly ionized circumgalactic medium (CGM) by applying the adaptive-mesh refinement code flash. The model clouds start from both hydrostatic and thermal equilibrium and are in pressure balance with the CGM. Here, we present 14 models, divided into two mass categories and two metallicities each and different velocities. We allow for self-gravity and thermal conduction or not. All models experience mass diffusion, radiative cooling, and external heating leading to dissociation and ionization. Our main findings are (1) self-gravity stabilizes clouds against Rayleigh–Taylor instability, which is disrupted within 10 sound-crossing times without; (2) clouds can develop Jeans-instable regions internally even though they are initially below Jeans mass; (3) all clouds lose mass by ram pressure and Kelvin–Helmholtz instability; (4) thermal conduction substantially lowers mass-loss rates, by this, extending the clouds’ lifetimes, particularly, more than doubling the lifetime of low-mass clouds; (5) thermal conduction leads to continuous, filamentary stripping, while the removed gas is heated up quickly and mixes efficiently with the ambient CGM; (6) without thermal conduction the removed gas consists of dense, cool, clumpy fragments; (7) thermal conduction might prevent CHVCs from forming stars; and (8) clouds decelerated by means of drag from the ambient CGM form head-tail shapes and collapse after they reach velocities characteristic for intermediate-velocity clouds. Conclusively, only sophisticated modelling of CHVCs as non-homogeneous and non-isothermal clouds with thermal conduction and self-gravity explains observed morphologies and naturally leads to the suppression of star formation.

The Fifth Candidate for an Intermediate-mass Black Hole in the Galactic Center

Abstract We report the results of high-resolution molecular line observations of the high-velocity compact cloud HCN–0.085–0.094 with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array. The HCN J = 4–3, HCO+ J = 4–3, and CS J = 7–6 line images reveal that HCN–0.085–0.094 consists mainly of three small clumps with extremely broad velocity widths. Each of the three clumps has a 5.5 GHz radio continuum counterpart in its periphery toward Sgr A*. The positional relationship indicates that their surfaces have been ionized by ultraviolet photons from young stars in the central cluster, suggesting the clumps are in close proximity to the Galactic nucleus. One of the three clumps has a ring-like structure with a very steep velocity gradient. This kinematical structure suggests an orbit around a point-like object with a mass of ∼104 M ⊙. The absence of stellar counterparts indicates that the point-like object may be a quiescent black hole. This discovery adds another intermediate-mass black hole candidate in the central region of our Galaxy.

An energetic high-velocity compact cloud: CO−0.31+0.11

ABSTRACT We have discovered an energetic high-velocity compact cloud CO$\, -0.31+$0.11 in the central molecular zone of our Galaxy. CO$\, -0.31+$0.11 is located at a projected distance of ∼45 pc from the Galactic nucleus Sgr A*. It is characterized by its compact spatial appearance (d ≃ 4 pc), extremely broad velocity width (ΔV > 100 km s−1), and high CO J = 3–2/J = 1–0 intensity ratio. The total gas mass and kinetic energy are estimated as approximately $10^{4}\, M_{\odot }$ and 1051 erg, respectively. Two expanding bubble-like structures are found in our HCN J = 1–0 map obtained with the Nobeyama Radio Observatory 45 m telescope. In the longitude–velocity maps, CO$\, -0.31+$0.11 exhibits an asymmetric V shape. This kinematical structure can be well fitted by Keplerian motion on an eccentric orbit around a point mass of $2\times 10^{5}\, M_\odot$. The enhanced CO J = 3–2/J = 1–0 ratio is possibly attributed to the tidal compression during the pericenter passage. The model suggests that a huge mass is packed within a radius of r < 0.1 pc. The huge mass, compactness, and absence of luminous stellar counterparts may correspond to a signature of an intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH) inside. We propose a formation scenario of CO$\, -0.31+$0.11 in which a compact cloud has gravitationally interacted with an IMBH and a bipolar molecular outflow was driven by the past activity of the putative IMBH.

High-resolution CO images of the Galactic central molecular zone

Abstract We performed Nyquist-sampled mapping observations of the central molecular zone of our Galaxy in the J = 1–0 lines of CO, 13CO, and C18O using the 45 m telescope at the Nobeyama Radio Observatory. The newly obtained data sets were an improvement by a factor of four in spatial resolution of the CO data previously obtained with the same telescope 22 years ago, providing the highest angular resolution CO atlas of this special area of the Galaxy. The data cover the area: −0${^{\circ}_{.}}$8 ≤ l ≤ +1${^{\circ}_{.}}$4 and −0${^{\circ}_{.}}$35 ≤ b ≤ +0${^{\circ}_{.}}$35 with a 15″ beamwidth. Total intensity ratios for CO J = 3–2/J = 1–0, 13CO/CO J = 1–0 and C18O/13CO J = 1–0, are 0.70 ± 0.06, 0.12 ± 0.01, and 0.14 ± 0.01, respectively. The high-resolution CO images show the fine structure of the molecular gas and enable us to identify a number of compact clouds with broad velocity widths, i.e., high-velocity compact clouds. We conducted a detailed comparison of our CO J = 1–0 data with the CO J = 3–2 data obtained with the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope to derive the distribution and kinematics of the highly excited gas. Three, out of four, of the previously identified high CO J = 3–2/J = 1–0 ratio areas at l = +1${^{\circ}_{.}}$3, 0${^{\circ}_{.}}$0, and −0${^{\circ}_{.}}$4 were confirmed with a higher spatial resolution. In addition to these, we identified several very compact, high CO J = 3–2/J = 1–0 spots with broad velocity widths for the first time. These are candidates for accelerated gas in the vicinity of invisible, point-like massive objects.

Indication of Another Intermediate-mass Black Hole in the Galactic Center

Abstract We report the discovery of molecular gas streams orbiting around an invisible massive object in the central region of our Galaxy, based on the high-resolution molecular line observations with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array. The morphology and kinematics of these streams can be reproduced well through two Keplerian orbits around a single point mass of (3.2 ± 0.6) × 104 M ⊙. We also found ionized gas toward the inner part of the orbiting gas, indicating dissociative shock and/or photoionization. Our results provide new circumstantial evidences for a wandering intermediate-mass black hole in the Galactic center, suggesting also that high-velocity compact clouds can be probes of quiescent black holes that abound in our Galaxy.

ALMA Images of the Host Cloud of the Intermediate-mass Black Hole Candidate CO−0.40–0.22*: No Evidence for Cloud–Black Hole Interaction, but Evidence for a Cloud–Cloud Collision

Abstract This paper reports a reanalysis of archival ALMA data of the high velocity(-width) compact cloud CO−0.40–0.22, which has recently been hypothesized to host an intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH). If beam-smearing effects, difference in beam sizes among frequency bands, and Doppler shift due to the motion of the Earth are considered accurately, none of the features reported as evidence for an IMBH in previous studies are confirmed in the reanalyzed ALMA images. Instead, through analysis of the position–velocity structure of the HCN J = 3–2 data cube, we have found kinematics typical of a cloud–cloud collision (CCC), namely, two distinct velocity components bridged by broad emission features with elevated temperatures and/or densities. One velocity component has a straight filamentary shape with approximately constant centroid velocities along its length but with a steep, V-shaped velocity gradient across its width. This contradicts the IMBH scenario but is consistent with a collision between two dissimilar-sized clouds. From a non-LTE analysis of the multitransition methanol lines, the volume density of the post-shock gas has been measured to be ≳106 cm−3, indicating that the CCC shock can compress gas in a short timescale to densities typical of star-forming regions. Evidence for star formation has not been found, possibly because the cloud is in an early phase of CCC-triggered star formation or because the collision is nonproductive.

Supernovae-generated high-velocity compact clouds

Context. A previous study claimed the discovery of an intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH). This hypothetical black hole was invoked in order to explain the high-velocity dispersion in one of several dense molecular clouds near the Galactic center. The same study considered the possibility that this cloud was due to a supernova explosion, but disqualified this scenario because no X-rays were detected. Aims. We here check whether a supernova explosion could have produced that cloud, and whether this explanation is more likely than an IMBH. More specifically, we wish to determine whether a supernova inside a dense molecular cloud would emit in the X-rays. Methods. We have approached this problem from two different directions. First, we performed an analytic calculation to determine the cooling rate by thermal bremsstrahlung and compared this time to the lifetime of the cloud. Second, we estimated the creation rate of these dense clouds in the central molecular zone (CMZ) region near the Galactic center, where they were observed. Based on this rate, we can place lower bounds on the total mass of IMBHs and clouds and compare this to the masses of the components of the CMZ. Results. We find that the cooling time of the supernova remnant inside a molecular cloud is shorter than its dynamical time. This means that the temperature in such a remnant would be much lower than that of a typical supernova remnant. At such a low temperature, the remnant is not expected to emit in the X-rays. We also find that to explain the rate at which such dense clouds are created requires fine-tuning the number of IMBHs. Conclusions. We find the supernova model to be a more likely explanation for the formation of high-velocity compact clouds than an IMBH.

The Smith Cloud: surviving a high-speed transit of the Galactic disc

The origin and survival of the Smith high-velocity HI cloud has so far defied explanation. This object has several remarkable properties: (i) its prograde orbit is ~100 km/s faster than the underlying Galactic rotation; (ii) its total gas mass ($\gtrsim 4 \times 10^6 ~{\rm M}_{\odot}$) exceeds the mass of all other high-velocity clouds (HVC) outside of the Magellanic Stream; (iii) its head-tail morphology extends to the Galactic HI disc, indicating some sort of interaction. The Smith Cloud's kinetic energy rules out models based on ejection from the disc. We construct a dynamically self-consistent, multi-phase model of the Galaxy with a view to exploring whether the Smith Cloud can be understood in terms of an infalling, compact HVC that has transited the Galactic disc. We show that while a dark-matter (DM) free HVC of sufficient mass and density can reach the disc, it does not survive the transit. The most important ingredient to survival during a transit is a confining DM subhalo around the cloud; radiative gas cooling and high spatial resolution ($\lesssim$ 10 pc) are also essential. In our model, the cloud develops a head-tail morphology within ~10 Myr before and after its first disc crossing; after the event, the tail is left behind and accretes onto the disc within ~400 Myr. In our interpretation, the Smith Cloud corresponds to a gas 'streamer' that detaches, falls back and fades after the DM subhalo, distorted by the disc passage, has moved on. We conclude that subhalos with ${\rm M}_{\rm DM} \lesssim 10^9 ~{\rm M}_{\odot}$ have accreted $\sim10^9 ~{\rm M}_{\odot}$ of gas into the Galaxy over cosmic time - a small fraction of the total baryon budget.

Discovery of Two Small High-velocity Compact Clouds in the Central 10 pc of Our Galaxy

Abstract We discovered two small high-velocity compact clouds (HVCCs) in the HCN J = 4–3 and J = 3–2 maps of the central 20 pc of our Galaxy. Both HVCCs have broad velocity widths ( km s−1) and compact sizes ( ), and originate from the dense molecular clouds in the position–velocity space. One of them has a faint counterpart in a Paschen-α image. Their spatial structure, kinematics, and absence of luminous stellar object are compatible with the notion that each of the small HVCCs is driven by the plunge of an invisible compact object into a molecular cloud. Such objects are most likely inactive, isolated black holes.

Distance to the Low-velocity Cloud in the Direction of the High-velocity Compact Cloud CO–0.40–0.22

Abstract CO–0.40–0.22 is a peculiar molecular cloud that is compact and has an extraordinary broad velocity width. It is found in the central molecular zone (CMZ) of our Galaxy. In this direction, there is another cloud with an H2O maser spot at a lower velocity. A collision with this low-velocity cloud could be responsible for the broad velocity width of CO–0.40–0.22. We performed phase-referencing very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) astrometry with VERA and detected the annual parallax of the H2O maser spot in the low-velocity cloud to be 0.33 ± 0.14 mas, which corresponds to a distance of from the Sun. This implies that the low-velocity cloud is located in the Galactic disk on the near side of the CMZ.

The properties of ‘dark’ ΛCDM haloes in the Local Group

We examine the baryon content of low-mass {\Lambda}CDM halos $(10^8<M_{200}/{\rm M_\odot}<5\times 10^{9})$ using the APOSTLE cosmological hydrodynamical simulations. Most of these systems are free of stars and have a gaseous content set by the combined effects of cosmic reionization, which imposes a mass-dependent upper limit, and of ram pressure stripping, which reduces it further in high-density regions. Halos mainly affected by reionization (RELHICs; REionization-Limited HI Clouds) inhabit preferentially low-density regions and make up a population where the gas is in hydrostatic equilibrium with the dark matter potential and in thermal equilibrium with the ionizing UV background. Their thermodynamic properties are well specified, and their gas density and temperature profiles may be predicted in detail. Gas in RELHICs is nearly fully ionized but with neutral cores that span a large range of HI masses and column densities and have negligible non-thermal broadening. We present predictions for their characteristic sizes and central column densities: the massive tail of the distribution should be within reach of future blind HI surveys. Local Group RELHICs (LGRs) have some properties consistent with observed Ultra Compact High Velocity Clouds (UCHVCs) but the sheer number of the latter suggests that most UCHVCs are not RELHICs. Our results suggest that LGRs (i) should typically be beyond 500 kpc from the Milky Way or M31; (ii) have positive Galactocentric radial velocities; (iii) HI sizes not exceeding 1 kpc, and (iv) should be nearly round. The detection and characterization of RELHICs would offer a unique probe of the small-scale clustering of cold dark matter.

A very dark stellar system lost in Virgo: kinematics and metallicity of SECCO 1 with MUSE

We present the results of VLT-MUSE integral field spectroscopy of SECCO1, a faint, star-forming stellar system recently discovered as the stellar counterpart of an Ultra Compact High Velocity Cloud (HVC274.68+74.0), very likely residing within a substructure of the Virgo cluster of galaxies. We have obtained the radial velocity of a total of 38 individual compact sources identified as HII regions in the main and secondary body of the system, and derived the metallicity for 18 of them. We provide the first direct demonstration that the two stellar bodies of SECCO1 are physically associated and that their velocities match the HI velocities. The metallicity is quite uniform over the whole system, with a dispersion sigma_12+log(O/H/)=0.08, lower than the uncertainty on individual metallicity estimates. The mean abundance, 12+log(O/H)=8.44, is much higher than the typical values for local dwarf galaxies of similar stellar mass. This strongly suggests that the SECCO~1 stars were born from a pre-enriched gas cloud, possibly stripped from a larger galaxy. Using archival HST images we derive a total stellar mass of ~1.6 X 10^5 M_sun for SECCO1, confirming that it has a very high HI to stellar mass ratio for a dwarf galaxy, M_HI/M_*~ 100. The star formation rate, derived from the H_alpha flux is a factor of more than 10 higher than in typical dwarf galaxies of similar luminosity.

A HIGH-VELOCITY CLOUD IMPACT FORMING A SUPERSHELL IN THE MILKY WAY

ABSTRACT Neutral atomic hydrogen (H i) gas in interstellar space is largely organized into filaments, loops, and shells, the most prominent of which are “supershells.” These gigantic structures, which require erg to form, are generally thought to be produced by either the explosion of multiple supernovae (SNe) in OB associations or, alternatively, by the impact of high-velocity clouds (HVCs) falling into the Galactic disk. Here, we report the detection of a kiloparsec (kpc)-size supershell in the outskirts of the Milky Way with the compact HVC 040 + 01−282 (hereafter, CHVC040) at its geometrical center using the “Inner-Galaxy Arecibo L-band Feed Array” H i 21 cm survey data. The morphological and physical properties of both objects suggest that CHVC040, which is either a fragment of a nearby disrupted galaxy or a cloud that originated from an intergalactic accreting flow, collided with the disk ∼5 Myr ago to form the supershell. Our results show that some compact HVCs can survive their trip through the Galactic halo and inject energy and momentum into the Milky Way disk.

Statistical Study of High-Velocity Compact Clouds Based on the Complete CO Imagings of the Central Molecular Zone

High-velocity compact clouds (HVCCs) is one of the populations of peculiar clouds detected in the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) of our Galaxy. They have compact appearances (&lt; 5 pc) and large velocity widths (&gt; 50 km s−1). Several explanations for the origin of HVCC were proposed; e.g., a series of supernovae (SN) explosions (Oka et al. 1999) or a gravitational kick by a point-like gravitational source (Oka et al. 2016). To investigate the statistical property of HVCCs, a complete list of them is acutely necessary. However, the previous list is not complete since the identification procedure included automated processes and manual selection (Nagai 2008). Here we developed an automated procedure to identify HVCCs in a spectral line data.

Kinematics of the Ultra-High-Velocity Gas in the Expanding Molecular Shell Adjacent to the W44 Supernova Remnant

High-velocity compact cloud (HVCC) is a peculiar category of molecular clouds detected in the central molecular zone of our Galaxy (Oka et al. 1998, 2007, and 2012). They are characterized by compact appearances (d &lt; 5 pc) and very large velocity widths (Δ V &gt; 50 km s−1). Some of them show high CO J=3–2/J=1–0 intensity ratios (≥ 1.5), indicating that they consist of dense and warm molecular gas. Dispite a number of efforts, we have not reached a comprehensive interpretation of HVCCs. Recently, we detected an extraordinaly broad velocity width feature, the ‘Bullet’, in the molecular cloud interacting with the W44 supernova remnant. The Bullet shares essential properties with HVCCs. Because of its proximity, a close inspection of the Bullet must contribute to the understanding of HVCCs.

Signature of an Intermediate-Mass Black Hole in the Central Molecular Zone of Our Galaxy

AbstractThe high-velocity compact cloud CO–0.40–0.22 was mapped in 22 molecular lines with the NRO 45 m radio telescope and the ASTE 10 m telescope. The map of each detected line shows that this cloud has a compact appearance (d≃3 pc) and extremely broad velocity width (Δ V≃100 km s−1). The representative position–velocity map along the major axis shows that CO–0.40–0.22 consists of an intense region with a shallow velocity gradient and a less intense high-velocity wing. This kinematical structure can be attributed to a gravitational kick to the molecular cloud caused by an invisible compact object with a mass of ~105M⊙. Its compactness and the absence of a counterpart at other wavelengths suggest that this massive object is an intermediate-mass black hole.