NH3 Line Width Research Articles

The Radio Ammonia Mid-plane Survey (RAMPS) Pilot Survey

The Radio Ammonia Mid-Plane Survey (RAMPS) is a molecular line survey that aims to map a portion of the Galactic midplane in the first quadrant of the Galaxy (l = 10 deg - 40 deg, |b| < 0.4 deg) using the Green Bank Telescope. We present results from the pilot survey, which has mapped approximately 6.5 square degrees in fields centered at l = 10 deg, 23 deg, 24 deg, 28 deg, 29 deg, 30 deg, 31 deg, 38 deg, 45 deg, and 47 deg. RAMPS observes the NH3 inversion transitions NH3(1, 1) - (5, 5), the H2O 6(1,6) - 5(2,3) maser line at 22.235 GHz, and several other molecular lines. We present a representative portion of the data from the pilot survey, including NH3(1,1) and NH3(2,2) integrated intensity maps, H2O maser positions, maps of NH3 velocity, NH3 line width, total NH3 column density, and NH3 rotational temperature. These data and the data cubes from which they were produced are publicly available on the RAMPS website (http://sites.bu.edu/ramps/).

ATLASGAL – Ammonia observations towards the southern Galactic plane

Context. The initial conditions of molecular clumps in which high-mass stars form are poorly understood. In particular, a more detailed study of the earliest evolutionary phases is needed. The APEX Telescope Large Area Survey of the whole inner Galactic disk at 870 μm, ATLASGAL, has therefore been conducted to discover high-mass star-forming regions at different evolutionary phases. Aims. We derive properties such as velocities, rotational temperatures, column densities, and abundances of a large sample of southern ATLASGAL clumps in the fourth quadrant. Methods. Using the Parkes telescope, we observed the NH3 (1, 1) to (3, 3) inversion transitions towards 354 dust clumps detected by ATLASGAL within a Galactic longitude range between 300° and 359° and a latitude within ± 1.5°. For a subsample of 289 sources, the N2H+ (1–0) line was measured with the Mopra telescope. Results. We measured a median NH3 (1, 1) line width of ~ 2 km s-1, rotational temperatures from 12 to 28 K with a mean of 18 K, and source-averaged NH3 abundances from 1.6 × 10-6 to 10-8. For a subsample with detected NH3 (2, 2) hyperfine components, we found that the commonly used method to compute the (2, 2) optical depth from the (1, 1) optical depth and the (2, 2) to (1, 1) main beam brightness temperature ratio leads to an underestimation of the rotational temperature and column density. A larger median virial parameter of ~ 1 is determined using the broader N2H+ line width than is estimated from the NH3 line width of ~ 0.5 with a general trend of a decreasing virial parameter with increasing gas mass. We obtain a rising NH3 (1, 1)/N2H+ line-width ratio with increasing rotational temperature. Conclusions. A comparison of NH3 line parameters of ATLASGAL clumps to cores in nearby molecular clouds reveals smaller velocity dispersions in low-mass than high-mass star-forming regions and a warmer surrounding of ATLASGAL clumps than the surrounding of low-mass cores. The NH3 (1, 1) inversion transition of 49% of the sources shows hyperfine structure anomalies. The intensity ratio of the outer hyperfine structure lines with a median of 1.27 ± 0.03 and a standard deviation of 0.45 is significantly higher than 1, while the intensity ratios of the inner satellites with a median of 0.9 ± 0.02 and standard deviation of 0.3 and the sum of the inner and outer hyperfine components with a median of 1.06 ± 0.02 and standard deviation of 0.37 are closer to 1.

PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF L1689-SMM16, AN OSCILLATING PRESTELLAR CORE IN OPHIUCHUS

We present single-dish observations of the L1689-SMM16 core in the Ophiuchus molecular cloud in NH3 (1, 1) and (2, 2) emission using the Green Bank Telescope, in N2H+ (1-0) emission using the Nobeyama Radio Observatory, and in NH2D (), HCN (1-0), HNC (1-0), H13CO+ (1-0), and HCO+ (1-0) emission using the Mopra telescope. The morphologies of the integrated NH3 (1, 1) and N2H+ (1-0) emission well match that of 250 μm continuum emission. Line widths of NH3 (1, 1) and N2H+ (1-0) show the presence of transonic turbulence across the core. Jeans and virial analyses made using updated measurements of core mass and size confirm that L1689-SMM16 is prestellar, i.e., gravitationally bound. It also has accumulated more mass compared to its corresponding Jeans mass in the absence of magnetic fields and therefore is a super-Jeans core. The high levels of X(NH3)/X(N2H+) and deuterium fractionation reinforce the idea that the core has not yet formed a protostar. Comparing the physical parameters of the core with those of a Bonnor-Ebert sphere reveals the advanced evolutionary stage of L1689-SMM16 and shows that it might be unstable to collapse. We do not detect any evidence of infall motions toward the core. Instead, red asymmetry in the line profiles of HCN (1-0) and HNC (1-0) indicates the expansion of the outer layers of the core at a speed of ~0.2 km s–1 to 0.3 km s–1. For a gravitationally bound core, expansion in the outer layers might indicate that the core is experiencing oscillations.

Ammonia from cold high-mass clumps discovered in the inner Galactic disk by the ATLASGAL survey

The APEX Telescope Large Area Survey: The Galaxy (ATLASGAL) is an unbiased continuum survey of the inner Galactic disk at 870 \mu m. It covers +/- 60 deg in Galactic longitude and aims to find all massive clumps at various stages of high-mass star formation in the inner Galaxy, particularly the earliest evolutionary phases. We aim to determine properties such as the gas kinetic temperature and dynamics of new massive cold clumps found by ATLASGAL. Most importantly, we derived their kinematical distances from the measured line velocities. We observed the ammonia (J,K) = (1,1) to (3,3) inversion transitions toward 862 clumps of a flux-limited sample of submm clumps detected by ATLASGAL and extracted 13CO (1-0) spectra from the Galactic Ring Survey (GRS). We determined distances for a subsample located at the tangential points (71 sources) and for 277 clumps whose near/far distance ambiguity is resolved. Most ATLASGAL clumps are cold with rotational temperatures from 10-30 K. They have a wide range of NH3 linewidths, which by far exceeds the thermal linewidth, as well as a broad distribution of high column densities with an NH3 abundance in the range of 5 to 30 * 10^{-8}. We found an enhancement of clumps at Galactocentric radii of 4.5 and 6 kpc. The high detection rate (87%) confirms ammonia as an excellent probe of the molecular content of the massive, cold clumps revealed by ATLASGAL. A clear trend of increasing rotational temperatures and linewidths with evolutionary stage is seen for source samples ranging from 24 \mu m dark clumps to clumps with embedded HII regions. The survey provides the largest ammonia sample of high-mass star forming clumps and thus presents an important repository for the characterization of statistical properties of the clumps and the selection of subsamples for detailed, high-resolution follow-up studies.

THE INITIAL CONDITIONS OF CLUSTERED STAR FORMATION. I. NH3OBSERVATIONS OF DENSE CORES IN OPHIUCHUS

We present combined interferometer and single dish telescope data of NH3 (J,K) = (1,1) and (2,2) emission towards the clustered star forming Ophiuchus B, C and F Cores at high spatial resolution (~1200 AU) using the Australia Telescope Compact Array, the Very Large Array, and the Green Bank Telescope. While the large scale features of the NH3 (1,1) integrated intensity appear similar to 850 micron continuum emission maps of the Cores, on 15" (1800 AU) scales we find significant discrepancies between the dense gas tracers in Oph B, but good correspondence in Oph C and F. Using the Clumpfind structure identifying algorithm, we identify 15 NH3 clumps in Oph B, and 3 each in Oph C and F. Only five of the Oph B NH3 clumps are coincident within 30" (3600 AU) of a submillimeter clump. We find v_LSR varies little across any of the Cores, and additionally varies by only ~1.5 km/s between them. The observed NH3 line widths within the Oph B and F Cores are generally large and often mildly supersonic, while Oph C is characterized by narrow line widths which decrease to nearly thermal values. We find several regions of localized narrow line emission (\Delta v < 0.4 km/s), some of which are associated with NH3 clumps. We derive the kinetic temperatures of the gas, and find they are remarkably constant across Oph B and F, with a warmer mean value (T_K = 15 K) than typically found in isolated regions and consistent with previous results in clustered regions. Oph C, however, has a mean T_K = 12 K, decreasing to a minimum T_K = 9.4 K towards the submillimeter continuum peak, similar to previous studies of isolated starless cores. There is no significant difference in temperature towards protostars embedded in the Cores. [Abridged]

DENSE CORES IN PERSEUS: THE INFLUENCE OF STELLAR CONTENT AND CLUSTER ENVIRONMENT

We present the chemistry, temperature, and dynamical state of a sample of 193 dense cores or core candidates in the Perseus Molecular cloud and compare the properties of cores associated with young stars and clusters with those which are not. The combination of our NH3 and CCS observations with previous millimeter, sub-millimeter, and Spitzer data available for this cloud enable us both to determine core properties precisely and to accurately classify cores as starless or protostellar. The properties of cores in different cluster environments and before-and-after star formation provide important constraints on simulations of star-formation, particularly under the paradigm that the essence of star formation is set by the turbulent formation of prestellar cores. We separate the influence of stellar content from that of cluster environment and find that cores within clusters have (1) higher kinetic temperatures and (2) lower fractional abundances of CCS and NH3. Cores associated with protostars have (1) slightly higher kinetic temperatures (2) higher NH3 excitation temperatures), (3) are at higher column density, have (4) slightly more non-thermal/turbulent NH3 linewidths, have (5) higher masses and have (6) lower fractional abundance of CCS. We find that neither cluster environment nor protostellar content makes a significant difference to the dynamical state of cores as estimated by the virial parameter -- most cores in each category are gravitationally bound. Overall, cluster environment and protostellar content have a smaller influence on the properties of the cores than is typically assumed, and the variation within categories is larger than the differences between categories.

The Nature of the Dense Core Population in the Pipe Nebula: A Survey of NH 3 , CCS, and HC 5 N Molecular Line Emission

Recent extinction studies of the Pipe Nebula (d = 130 pc) reveal many cores spanning a range in mass from 0.2 to 20.4 M☉. These dense cores were identified via their high extinction and comprise a starless population in a very early stage of development. Here we present a survey of NH3 (1,1), NH3 (2,2), CCS (21-10), and HC5N (9,8) emission toward 46 of these cores. An atlas of the 2MASS extinction maps is also presented. In total, we detect 63% of the cores in NH3 (1,1), 22% in NH3 (2,2), 28% in CCS, and 9% in HC5N emission. We find the cores are associated with dense gas (~104 cm−3) with 9.5 K ⩽ TK ⩽ 17 K. Compared to C18O, we find the NH3 line widths are systematically narrower, implying that the NH3 is tracing the dense component of the gas and that these cores are relatively quiescent. We find no correlation between core line width and size. The derived properties of the Pipe cores are similar to cores within other low-mass star-forming regions: the only differences are that the Pipe cores have weaker NH3 emission and most show no current star formation as evidenced by the lack of embedded infrared sources. Such weak NH3 emission could arise due to low column densities and abundances or reduced excitation due to relatively low core volume densities. Either alternative implies that the cores are relatively young. Thus, the Pipe cores represent an excellent sample of dense cores in which to study the initial conditions for star formation and the earliest stages of core formation and evolution.

Molecular Gas and Dust in the Massive Star Forming Region S 233 IR

The massive star forming region S 233 IR is observed in the molecular lines CO J = 2–1, 3–2, NH3 (1,1), (2,2) and the 870 um dust continuum. Four submillimeter continuum sources, labelled SMM 1–4, are revealed in the 870 um dust emission. The main core, SMM1, is found to be associated with a deeply embedded near infrared cluster in the northeast; while the weaker source SMM2 coincides with a more evolved cluster in the southwest. The best fit spectral energy distribution of SMM1 gives an emissivity of β = 1.6, and temperatures of 32 K and 92 K for the cold- and hot-dust components. An SMM1 core mass of 246 M☉, and a total mass of 445 M☉ are estimated from the 870 um dust continuum emission. SMM1 is found to have a temperature gradient decreasing from inside out, indicative of the presence of interior heating sources. The total outflow gas mass as traced by the CO J = 3–2 emission is estimated to be 35 M☉. Low velocity outflows are also found in the NH3 (1,1) emission. The non-thermal dominant NH3 line width as well as the substantial core mass suggest that the SMM1 core is a ``turbulent, massive dense core", in the process of forming a group or a cluster of stars. The much higher star formation efficiency found in the southwest cluster supports the suggestion that this cluster is more evolved than the northeast one. Large near infrared photometric variations found in the source PCS-IR93, a previously found highly polarized nebulosity, indicate an underlying star showing the FU Orionis type of behavior.

Thermal and nonthermal motions in dense cores

Kinetic temperature and NH3 line width data for 61 dense cores with embedded IRAS sources show that the nonthermal component of the core motions increases with source luminosity more rapidly than does the thermal component. The trends cross in the luminosity range 7-22 solar luminosities, which divides the regimes of thermal and nonthermal motions. Maps of line widths in dense cores and their surrounding clouds indicate that nonthermal line broadening is due not only to stellar winds, but also to gas properties independent of the star. The 'initial conditions' for motions in cores forming lower-mass stars are primarily thermal, while those in cores forming higher mass stars are probably primarily nonthermal. These differences in core properties may arise from differences in the relative proportion of magnetic and gravitational energy in the condensing core. 30 refs.

The Core of a Quiescent Cloud, L183

Simultaneous observation of the J,K=1,1 and 2,2 inversion transitions of ammonia (NH3) with high spatial resolution (≲1 arc min) offers a powerful method of probing the core region of interstellar clouds for evidence of molecular clumping and of prevailing physical conditions which could lead to star formation. We have therefore used the Effelsberg 100-m radiotelescope to make an extensive study of the central region of the nearby dark dust cloud L183 (also known as L134N) in the NH3 (1,1) transition; the spatial resolution was 40 arcsec. The core region as mapped in the NH3 (1,1) transition with a velocity resolution of 0.08 km s-1 consists of two elongated condensations separated by about 2 arcmin in north-south direction (see Fig. 1). The central part of the NH3 cloud has an approximate dimension of 6′ (N-S) by 2′ (E-W) corresponding to a linear extent of 0.17 × 0.06 pc at an assumed distance of 100 pc. The measured velocity structure of the NH3 cloud seems to reflect the double peaked nature of the cloud in that it increases from 2.30 km s-1 in the south to about 2.5 km s-1 at the northern end of the southern NH3 peak, and then decreases again to 2.3 km s-1 towards the north. The intrinsic linewidths of NH3 (corrected for hyperfine blending) do not vary significantly with position and are between 0.2 and 0.3 km s-1. The two ammonia peaks are part of a central molecular ridge from which we have observed NH3 (2,2) emission at 9 positions (see Fig. 1). The rotation temperature T21 as determined from the optical depths of the (1,1) and (2,2) transitions is ∼9K for all positions, and hence the kinetic temperature Tkin seems close to this value as well, i.e. ∼10K throughout the central part of L183. A more detailed account is being publsihed elsewhere (Ungerechts, Walmsley and Winnewisser).