Comparison of 13CO line and far-infrared continuum emission as a diagnostic of dust and molecular gas physical conditions – II. The simulations: testing the method

The reliability of modelling the far-infrared continuum to  ¹³CO  J = 1 → 0  spectral line ratios applied to the Orion clouds (see previous paper in the series) on the scales of several parsecs (i.e. ∼7 pc) is tested by applying the models to simulated data. The two-component models are found to give the dust–gas temperature difference,  Δ T   , to within 1 or 2 K. However, other parameters like the column density per velocity interval and the gas density can be wrong by an order of magnitude or more. In particular, the density can be systematically underestimated by an order of magnitude or more. The overall mass of the clouds is estimated correctly to within a few per cent.
These results may permit us to reliably constrain estimates of the Orion clouds' physical parameters, based on the real observations of the far-infrared continuum and  ¹³CO  J = 1 → 0  spectral line. Nevertheless, other systematics must be treated first. These include the effects of background/foreground subtraction, effects of the H  i component of the interstellar medium, and others. These will be discussed in a future paper.     

The JCMT Legacy Survey of the Gould Belt: a first look at Orion B with HARP

The Gould Belt Legacy Survey will survey nearby star-forming regions (within 500 pc), using Heterodyne Array Receiver Programme (HARP), Submillimetre Common-User Bolometer Array 2 and Polarimeter 2 on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope. This paper describes the initial data obtained using HARP to observe ¹²CO, ¹³CO and C¹⁸O   J = 3 → 2  towards two regions in Orion B, NGC 2024 and NGC 2071. We describe the physical characteristics of the two clouds, calculating temperatures and opacities utilizing all the three isotopologues. We find good agreement between temperatures calculated from CO and from dust emission in the dense, energetic regions. We determine the mass and energetics of the clouds, and of the high-velocity material seen in ¹²CO emission, and compare the relative energetics of the high- and low-velocity material in the two clouds. We present a clumpfind analysis of the ¹³CO condensations. The slope of the condensation mass functions, at the high-mass ends, is similar to the slope of the initial mass function.     

A submillimetre survey of the kinematics of the Perseus molecular cloud – I. Data

We present submillimetre observations of the   J = 3 → 2  rotational transition of ¹²CO, ¹³CO and C¹⁸O across over 600 arcmin² of the Perseus molecular cloud, undertaken with the Heterodyne Array Receiver Programme (HARP), a new array spectrograph on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope. The data encompass four regions of the cloud, containing the largest clusters of dust continuum condensations: NGC 1333, IC348, L1448 and L1455. A new procedure to remove striping artefacts from the raw HARP data is introduced. We compare the maps to those of the dust continuum emission mapped with the Submillimetre Common-User Bolometer Array (SCUBA; Hatchell et al.) and the positions of starless and protostellar cores (Hatchell et al.). No straightforward correlation is found between the masses of each region derived from the HARP CO and SCUBA data, underlining the care that must be exercised when comparing masses of the same object derived from different tracers. From the ¹³CO/C¹⁸O line ratio the relative abundance of the two species  ([¹³CO]/[C¹⁸O]∼ 7)  and their opacities (typically τ is 0.02–0.22 and 0.15–1.52 for the C¹⁸O and ¹³CO gas, respectively) are calculated. C¹⁸O is optically thin nearly everywhere, increasing in opacity towards star-forming cores but not beyond  τ₁₈∼ 0.9  . Assuming the ¹²CO gas is optically thick, we compute its excitation temperature, T _ex (around 8–30 K), which has little correlation with estimates of the dust temperature.     

Discovery of a dense bipolar outflow from a new class 0 protostar in NGC 2068/LBS 17

We report the discovery of high-velocity dense gas from a bipolar outflow source near NGC 2068 in the L1630 giant molecular cloud. CO and HCO⁺ J =3→2 line wings have a bipolar distribution in the vicinity of LBS 17-H with the flow orientated roughly east–west and perpendicular to the elongation of the submillimetre dust continuum emission. The flow is compact (total extent ∼0.2 pc) and contains of the order of 0.1 M_⊙ of swept-up gas. The high-velocity HCO⁺ emission is distributed over a somewhat smaller area <0.1 pc in extent.
A map of C¹⁸O J =2→1 emission traces the LBS 17 core and follows the ambient HCO⁺ emission reasonably well, with the exception of the direction towards LBS 17-H where there is a significant anticorrelation between the C¹⁸O and HCO⁺. A comparison of beam-matched C¹⁸O and dust-derived H₂ column densities suggests that CO is depleted by up to a factor of ∼50 at this position if the temperature is as low as 9 K, although the difference is substantially reduced if the temperature is as high as 20 K. Chemical models of collapsing clouds can account for this discrepancy in terms of different rates of depletion on to dust grains for CO and HCO⁺.
LBS 17-H has a previously known water maser coincident with it but there are no known near-infrared, IRAS or radio continuum sources associated with this object, leading to the conclusion that it is probably very young. A greybody fit to the continuum data gives a luminosity of only 1.7 L_⊙ and a submillimetre-to-bolometric luminosity ratio of 0.1, comfortably satisfying the criteria for classification as a class 0 protostar candidate.     

CO abundances in a protostellar cloud: freeze-out and desorption in the envelope and outflow of L483

CO isotopes are able to probe the different components in protostellar clouds. These components, core, envelope and outflow have distinct physical conditions, and sometimes more than one component contributes to the observed line profile. In this study, we determine how CO isotope abundances are altered by the physical conditions in the different components. We use a 3D molecular line transport code to simulate the emission of four CO isotopomers, ¹²CO   J = 2 → 1, ¹³CO J = 2 → 1  , C¹⁸O   J = 2 → 1  and C¹⁷O   J = 2 → 1  from the Class 0/1 object L483, which contains a cold quiescent core, an infalling envelope and a clear outflow. Our models replicate James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) line observations with the inclusion of freeze-out, a density profile and infall. Our model profiles of ¹²CO and ¹³CO have a large linewidth due to a high-velocity jet. These profiles replicate the process of more abundant material being susceptible to a jet. C¹⁸O and C¹⁷O do not display such a large linewidth as they trace denser quiescent material deep in the cloud.     

Chemical composition of the Orion nebula derived from echelle spectrophotometry

We present echelle spectroscopy in the 3500- to 7060-... range for two positions of the Orion nebula. The data were obtained using the 2.1-m telescope at Observatorio Astronómico Nacional in San Pedro Mártir, Baja California. We have measured the intensities of about 220 emission lines, in particular 81 permitted lines of C⁺, N⁺, N⁺⁺, O⁰, O⁺, Ne⁰, Si⁺, Si⁺⁺ and S⁺, some of them produced by recombination only and others mainly by fluorescence. We have determined electron temperatures, electron densities and ionic abundances using different continuum and line intensity ratios. We derived the He, C and O abundances from recombination lines and find that the C/H and O/H values are very similar to those derived from B stars of the Orion association, and that these nebular values are independent of the temperature structure. We have also derived abundances from collisionally excited lines. These abundances depend on the temperature structure; accurate t ² values have been derived comparing the O II recombination lines with the [O III ] collisionally excited lines. The gaseous abundances of Mg, Si and Fe show significant depletions, implying that a substantial fraction of these atoms is tied up in dust grains. The derived depletions are similar to those found in warm clouds of the Galactic disc, but are not as large as those found in cold clouds. A comparison of the solar and Orion chemical abundances is made.     

Cosmic ray generation by quasar remnants: constraints and implications

We report the first detection of CO in the bulge of M31. The ¹²CO (1–0) and (2–1) lines are both detected in the dust complex D395A/393/384, at 1.3 arcmin (∼0.35 kpc) from the centre. From these data and from visual extinction data, we derive a CO luminosity to reddening ratio (and a CO luminosity to H₂ column density ratio) quite similar to that observed in the local Galactic clouds. The (2–1) to (1–0) line intensity ratio points to a CO rotational temperature and a gas kinetic temperature of >10 K. The molecular mass of the complex, inside a 25-arcsec (100 pc) region, is 1.5×10⁴ M_⊙.     

Accounting for the foreground contribution to the dust emission towards Kepler's supernova remnant

Whether or not supernovae contribute significantly to the overall dust budget is a controversial subject. Submillimetre (sub-mm) observations, sensitive to cold dust, have shown an excess at 450 and 850 μm in young remnants Cassiopeia A (Cas A) and Kepler. Some of the sub-mm emission from Cas A has been shown to be contaminated by unrelated material along the line of sight. In this paper, we explore the emission from material towards Kepler using sub-mm continuum imaging and spectroscopic observations of atomic and molecular gas, via H  i , ¹²CO( J = 2–1) and ¹³CO( J = 2–1). We detect weak CO emission (peak   T *_A  = 0.2–1 K, 1–2 km s⁻¹ full width at half-maximum) from diffuse, optically thin gas at the locations of some of the sub-mm clumps. The contribution to the sub-mm emission from foreground molecular and atomic clouds is negligible. The revised dust mass for Kepler's remnant is  0.1–1.2 M_⊙  , about half of the quoted values in the original study by Morgan et al., but still sufficient to explain the origin of dust at high redshifts.     

Multifrequency study of the ring nebula SG 13

We investigate the morphology and kinematics of the interstellar medium in the environs of the open cluster Mrk 50, which includes the Wolf–Rayet star WR 157 and a number of early B-type stars. The analysis was performed using radio continuum images at 408 and 1420 MHz, and H  i 21-cm line data taken from the Canadian Galactic Plane Survey, molecular observations of the ¹²CO  ( J = 1 → 0)  line at 115 GHz from the Five College Radio Astronomy Observatory and available mid- and far-infrared (FIR) observations obtained with the Midcourse Space Experiment and IRAS satellites, respectively.
This study allowed the identification of the radio continuum and molecular counterpart of the ring nebula SG 13, while no neutral atomic structure was found to be associated. The nebula is also detected in the images in the mid- and FIR, showing the existence of dust well mixed with the ionized gas. We estimate the main physical parameters of the material linked to the nebula.
The interstellar gas distribution in the environs of Mrk 50 is compatible with a stellar wind bubble created by the mass loss from WR 157.
The distribution of young stellar object candidates in the region shows that the stellar formation activity may be present in the molecular shell that encircles the ring nebula.     

The far-infrared signature of dust in high-latitude regions

We present ISOPHOT observations of eight interstellar regions in the 60–200 μm wavelength range. The regions belong to mostly quiescent high-latitude clouds and have optical extinction peaks from   A_V ∼1–6 mag  . From the 150- and 200-μm emission, we derived colour temperatures for the classical big grain component which show a clear trend of decreasing temperature with increasing 200-μm emission. The 200-μm emission per unit   A_V   , however, does not drop at lower temperatures. This fact can be interpreted in terms of an increased far-infrared (FIR) emissivity of the big grains. We developed a two-component model including warm dust with the temperature of the diffuse interstellar medium (ISM) of   T = 17.5 K  , and cold dust with   T = 13.5 K  and FIR emissivity increased by a factor of >4. A mixture of the two components can reproduce the observed colour variations and the ratios   I ₂₀₀/ A_V   and  τ₂₀₀/ A_V   . The relative abundance of small grains with respect to the big grains shows significant variations from region to region at low column densities. However, in lines of sight of higher column density, our data indicate the disappearance of small grains, perhaps a signature of adsorption/coagulation of dust. The larger size and porous structure could also explain the increased FIR emissivity. Our results from eight independent regions suggest that these grains might be ubiquitous in the galactic ISM.     

Impact of cosmic rays on Population III star formation

We explore the implications of a possible cosmic-ray (CR) background generated during the first supernova explosions that end the brief lives of massive Population III stars. We show that such a CR background could have significantly influenced the cooling and collapse of primordial gas clouds in minihaloes around redshifts of   z ∼ 15–20  , provided the CR flux was sufficient to yield an ionization rate greater than about 10⁻¹⁹ s⁻¹ near the centre of the minihalo. The presence of CRs with energies  ≲10⁷  eV would indirectly enhance the molecular cooling in these regions, and we estimate that the resulting lower temperatures in these minihaloes would yield a characteristic stellar mass as low as  ∼10 M_⊙  . CRs have a less-pronounced effect on the cooling and collapse of primordial gas clouds inside more massive dark matter haloes with virial masses  ≳10⁸ M_⊙  at the later stages of cosmological structure formation around   z ∼ 10–15  . In these clouds, even without CR flux the molecular abundance is already sufficient to allow cooling to the floor set by the temperature of the cosmic microwave background.     

The local far-infrared galaxy colour–luminosity distribution: a reference for BLAST and Herschel/SPIRE submillimetre surveys

We measure the local galaxy far-infrared (FIR) 60 to 100 μm colour–luminosity distribution using an all-sky IRAS survey. This distribution is an important reference for the next generation of FIR–submillimetre surveys that have and will conduct deep extragalactic surveys at 250–500 μm. With the peak in dust-obscured star-forming activity leading to present-day giant ellipticals now believed to occur in submillimetre galaxies near   z ∼ 2.5  , these new FIR–submillimetre surveys will directly sample the spectral energy distributions of these distant objects at rest-frame FIR wavelengths similar to those at which local galaxies were observed by IRAS . We have taken care to correct for the temperature bias and the evolution effects in our IRAS 60-μm-selected sample. We verify that our colour–luminosity distribution is consistent with the measurements of the local FIR luminosity function, before applying it to the higher redshift Universe. We compare our colour–luminosity correlation with recent dust–temperature measurements of submillimetre galaxies and find evidence for pure luminosity evolution of the form  (1 + z )³  . This distribution will be useful for the development of evolutionary models for Balloon-borne Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope (BLAST) and Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receiver (SPIRE) surveys as it provides a statistical distribution of the rest-frame dust temperatures for galaxies as a function of luminosity.     

Chemically driven desorption of CO from icy grains in dark clouds

The chemical desorption of an adsorbed CO molecule in the vicinity of H₂-forming sites on cosmic dust grains in cold dense clouds is investigated theoretically, mainly using a model based on a classical molecular dynamics computational simulation. As a model surface for icy mantles of dust grains, an amorphous water ice slab is generated at 10 K, and the first and the second H atoms are thrown on to the model surface to reproduce the recombination process of the two H atoms, H+H→H₂. Then, the time and space dependence of the local temperature increase of icy mantles caused by the release of H₂ formation energy in the vicinity of H₂-forming sites is examined. It is found that icy mantles are heated locally up to about 30 K in the surface region at R 4 Å and about 20 K at 4 R 6 Å, where R is the distance from the H₂-forming site. The critical temperature of CO desorption is estimated to be about 20–30 K under conditions in typical dense clouds, which might be seen to be comparable to the above result. However, the lifetime of local heating of icy mantles is found to be too short, compared with the time-scale of CO desorption (10¹³ s) and that for H₂ forming in the vicinity of an adsorbed CO molecule (more than 2×10¹³ s). Thus, it is found that the efficiency of chemical desorption of CO on a large dust grain is negligible. On the other hand, chemical desorption can occur on a small dust grain with size less than 20 Å.     

A SCUBA survey of compact dark Lynds clouds

We present the first results of a submillimetre continuum survey of Lynds dark clouds. Submillimetre surveys of star-forming regions are an important tool with which to obtain representative samples of the very first phases of star formation. Maps of 24 small clouds were obtained with SCUBA, the bolometer array receiver at the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope, and 19 clouds were detected. The total dark cloud area surveyed was ∼130 arcmin², and a total gas mass of 90 M_⊙ was detected. The dust emission is in general in good agreement with the extinction of optical starlight. The observed clouds contain a newly discovered protostar in L944, and a previously known protostar IRAS 23228+4320 in L1246. Another eight starless cores, either gravitationally unbound or pre-stellar in nature, were also detected. All starless cores and protostars were detected in only seven clouds, and the remaining 17 clouds seem quiescent and do not show any signs of recent star formation activity. The 850-μm images of all detected clouds are presented, as well as 450-μm images of L328, L944, L1014 and L1262. The outflows of the protostars in L944 and L1246 were also discovered and were mapped in ¹²CO J =2→1. The detection of the young protostar in L944, which is not present in the IRAS Point Source Catalog, shows the capacity of submillimetre surveys to detect unknown protostars.     

A disturbed molecular disc in the Circinus galaxy

We have used the Swedish ESO Submillimeter Telescope to observe the molecular gas in the Circinus galaxy using the CO(1 → 0) transition as a tracer. The central region and major axis have been mapped and several other points were also observed. The gas in the galaxy is concentrated towards the nucleus, the peak being coincident with the radio/optical core. The inclination of the molecular galactic disc is more comparable to that of the radio continuum than to that of the large-scale H  i emission. Evidence for an anomalous spur structure pointing radially away from the galactic centre is presented, and may indicate a causal link between it and similar features seen in optical lines and radio continuum. Our data suggest the presence of a central molecular ring or disc with radius 300 ± 50 pc and a rotation velocity of about 200 km s⁻¹ (assuming i  = 73°). The dynamical mass of the nucleus is estimated to be no greater than 3.9 × 10⁹ M_⊙. Assuming that the distribution of gas varies smoothly in the outer regions, we calculate the mass of molecular gas in the galaxy to be at least M _mol = 1.1 × 10⁹ M_⊙, and the star-forming efficiency to be 11 ± 2 L_⊙ M_⊙⁻¹. These results imply that Circinus is undergoing a massive central starburst which may be, at least partially, responsible for its extended minor axis emission seen in several wavebands.     

Molecular gas in the Perseus cooling flow galaxy, NGC 1275

The central arcminute of the Perseus cooling flow galaxy, NGC 1275, has been mapped with the JCMT in ¹²CO(2–1) at 21-arcsec resolution, with detections out to at least 36 arcsec (12 kpc). Within the limits of the resolution and coverage, the distribution of gas appears to be roughly east–west, consistent with previous observations of CO, X-ray, Hα and dust emission. The total detected molecular hydrogen mass is ∼ 1.6 × 10¹⁰ M_⊙, using a Galactic conversion factor. The inner central rotating disc is apparent in the data, but the overall distribution is not one of rotation. Rather, the line profiles are bluewards-asymmetric, consistent with previous observations in H  i and [O  iii ]. We suggest that the blueshift may be due to an acquired mean velocity of ∼ 150 km s⁻¹ imparted by the radio jet in the advancing direction. Within the uncertainties of the analysis, the available radio energy appears to be sufficient, and the interpretation is consistent with that of Bo¨hringer et al. for displaced X-ray emission. We have also made the first observations of ¹³CO(2–1) and ¹²CO(3–2) emission from the central 21-arcsec region of NGC 1275 and combined these data with IRAM data supplied by Reuter et al. to form line ratios over equivalent, well-sampled regions. An LVG radiative transfer analysis indicates that the line ratios are not well reproduced by single values of kinetic temperature, molecular hydrogen density and abundance per unit velocity gradient. At least two temperatures are suggested by a simple two-component LVG model, possibly reflecting a temperature gradient in this region.     

IRAM observations of JVAS/CLASS gravitational lenses

We have searched for molecular absorption lines at millimetre wavelengths in 11 gravitational lens systems discovered in the JVAS/CLASS surveys of flat spectrum radio sources. Spectra of only one source 1030+074 were obtained in the 3-, 2- and 1.3-mm bands at the frequencies corresponding to common molecular transitions of CO and HCO⁺ as continuum emission was not found in any of the other sources. We calculated upper limits to the column density in molecular absorption for 1030+074, using an excitation temperature of 15 K, to be N _CO<6.3×10¹³ cm⁻² and N _HCO+<1.3×10¹¹ cm⁻² , equivalent to hydrogen column density of the order N _H<10¹⁸ cm⁻² , assuming standard molecular abundances. We also present the best upper limits of the continuum at the lower frequency for the other 10 gravitational lenses.     

Sakurai's Object: characterizing the near-infrared CO ejecta between 2003 and 2007

We present observations of Sakurai's Object obtained at 1–5 μm between 2003 and 2007. By fitting a radiative transfer model to an echelle spectrum of CO fundamental absorption features around  4.7 μm  , we determine the excitation conditions in the line-forming region. We find  ¹²C/¹³C = 3.5^+2.0_−1.5  , consistent with CO originating in ejecta processed by the very late thermal pulse, rather than in the pre-existing planetary nebula. We demonstrate the existence of  2.2 × 10⁻⁶≤ M _CO≤ 2.7 × 10⁻⁶ M_⊙  of CO ejecta outside the dust, forming a high-velocity wind of  500 ± 80 km s⁻¹  . We find evidence for significant weakening of the CO band and cooling of the dust around the central star between 2003 and 2005. The gas and dust temperatures are implausibly high for stellar radiation to be the sole contributor.     

Wind-swept clouds and possible triggered star formation associated with the supernova remnant G357.7+0.3

We present evidence for interaction between the supernova remnant (SNR) G357.7+0.3 and nearby molecular clouds, leading to the formation of wind-swept structures and bright emission rims. These features are not observed at visual wavelengths, but are clearly visible in mid-infrared mapping undertaken using the Spitzer Space Telescope . Analysis of one of these clouds, the bright cometary structure G357.46+0.60, suggests that it contains strong polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon emission features in the 5.8 and 8.0 μm photometric bands, and that these are highly variable over relatively small spatial scales. The source is also associated with strong variations in electron density; a far-infrared continuum peak associated with dust temperatures of ∼30 K; and has previously been observed in the 1720 MHz maser transition of OH, known to be associated with SNR shock excitation of interstellar clouds. This source also appears to contain a young stellar object (YSO) within the bright rim structure, with a steeply rising spectrum between 1.25 and 24 μm. If the formation of this star has been triggered recently by the SNR, then YSO modelling suggests a stellar mass  ∼5–10 M_⊙  , and luminosity   L _YSO∼10²–2 × 10³ L_⊙  .
Finally, it is noted that a further, conical emission region appears to be associated with the Mira V1139 Sco, and it is suggested that this may represent the case of a Mira outflow interacting with a SNR. If this is the case, however, then the distance to the SNR must be ∼half of that determined from CS   J = 2–1  and 3–2 line radial velocities.     

Calculated rotational and vibrational excitation rates for electron–HeH+ collisions

Molecular R-matrix calculations are performed at a range of energies to give rotational and vibrational excitation and de-excitation cross-sections and, hence, rates for electron collisions with HeH⁺ up to electron temperatures of 20 000 K. Critical electron densities are also given. The rotational calculations include the Coulomb–Born completion of the cross-sections for high l values. Rates for the transition j  = 0 → 2, which have previously been assumed to be negligible, are found to be up to half those for j  = 0 → 1, raising the prospect of observing the HeH⁺ j  = 2 → 1 emission line at 74.8 μm.