P. Thaddeus

The Milky Way in Molecular Clouds: A New Complete CO Survey

New large-scale CO surveys of the first and second Galactic quadrants and the nearby molecular cloud complexes in Orion and Taurus, obtained with the CfA 1.2 m telescope, have been combined with 31 other surveys obtained over the past two decades with that instrument and a similar telescope on Cerro Tololo in Chile, to produce a new composite CO survey of the entire Milky Way. The survey consists of 488,000 spectra that Nyquist or beamwidth ( °) sample the entire Galactic plane over a strip 4°-10° wide in latitude, and beamwidth or ° sample nearly all large local clouds at higher latitudes. Compared with the previous composite CO survey of Dame et al. (1987), the new survey has 16 times more spectra, up to 3.4 times higher angular resolution, and up to 10 times higher sensitivity per unit solid angle. Each of the component surveys was integrated individually using clipping or moment masking to produce composite spatial and longitude-velocity maps of the Galaxy that display nearly all of the statistically significant emission in each survey but little noise. The composite maps provide detailed information on individual molecular clouds, suggest relationships between clouds and regions widely separated on the sky, and clearly display the main structural features of the molecular Galaxy. In addition, since the gas, dust, and Population I objects associated with molecular clouds contribute to the Galactic emission in every major wavelength band, the precise kinematic information provided by the present survey will form the foundation for many large-scale Galactic studies. A map of molecular column density predicted from complete and unbiased far-infrared and 21 cm surveys of the Galaxy was used both to determine the completeness of the present survey and to extrapolate it to the entire sky at |b| 5°), X shows little systematic variation with latitude from a mean value of (1.8 ± 0.3) × 1020 cm-2 K-1 km-1 s. Given the large sky area and large quantity of CO data analyzed, we conclude that this is the most reliable measurement to date of the mean X value in the solar neighborhood.

EGRET Observations of the Diffuse Gamma-Ray Emission from the Galactic Plane

The high-energy diffuse gamma-ray emission from the Galactic plane, |b| ≤ 10°, is studied using observations from the Energetic Gamma-Ray Experiment Telescope (EGRET) on the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory. The spatial distribution of the diffuse emission has been determined for four broad energy ranges after removing the contribution from point sources detected with greater than 5 σ significance. The longitude and latitude distributions of the intensity, averaged over 4° latitude ranges and 10° longitude ranges, respectively, are shown for the four energy ranges. Spectra of the diffuse emission in 11 energy bands, covering the energy range 30 MeV to 30 GeV, were determined for 10° × 4° (l × b) bins after correcting for the finite EGRET angular resolution. The average spectrum from the direction of the inner Galaxy is shown for 29 energy bands, covering the energy range 30 MeV to 50 GeV. At latitudes |b| > 2°, corresponding to gamma rays emitted within about 3 kpc of the Sun, there is no significant variation in the spectra with Galactic longitude. Comparison of the spectra from the Galactic plane (|b| < 2°) reveals no significant variation with Galactic longitude below about 4 GeV, which suggests that the cosmic-ray electron to proton ratio does not vary significantly throughout the Galaxy. Above 4 GeV, however, there is weak (about 3 σ) evidence for variation of the Galactic plane (|b| < 2°) spectrum with longitude. The spectrum is softer in the direction of the outer Galaxy by about E compared to the spectrum from the inner Galaxy. This variation of the diffuse gamma-ray emission hints at a variation of the cosmic-ray proton spectrum with Galactic radius, which might be expected if cosmic rays are accelerated primarily in the inner Galaxy and then propagate to the outer Galaxy or if the high-energy cosmic rays are confined less well in the outer Galaxy. The spatial and spectral distributions of the diffuse emission are compared with a model calculation of this emission based on dynamic balance and realistic interstellar matter and photon distributions. The spatial comparison is used to establish the value of the molecular mass calibrating ratio N(H2)/WCO and the cosmic-ray/matter coupling scale r0, which are the only adjustable parameters of the model. Comparisons with the observations indicates N(H2)/WCO = (1.56 ± 0.05) × 1020 mol cm-2 (K km s-1)-1 and r0 = (1.76 ± 0.2) kpc. The spatial agreement between this model and the observation is very good. However, above about 1 GeV the integral intensity predicted by the model is about 60% less than the observed intensity. Although the explanation of this excess is unclear, uncertainties in the neutral pion production function or variations in the cosmic-ray spectrum with Galactic radius may partially account for the underprediction. A small medium-latitude (2° < |b| < 10°) excess in the direction of the inner Galaxy exists and may indicate that the low-energy photon density used in the model is too low.

A composite CO survey of the entire milky way

Large-scale CO surveys of the entire Galactic plane and specific nearby clouds have been combined to produce a panorama of the entire Milky Way in molecular clouds at an angular resolution of 1/2°. Covering 10°–20° in latitude at all longitudes and all large, nearby clouds at higher latitude, the composite survey is the only molecular line survey to date with sky coverage and resolution comparable to that of the early 21 cm surveys.

Laboratory and Astronomical Identification of the Negative Molecular Ion C6H

The negative molecular ion C6H- has been detected in the radio band in the laboratory and has been identified in the molecular envelope of IRC +10216 and in the dense molecular cloud TMC-1. The spectroscopic constants derived from laboratory measurements of 17 rotational lines between 8 and 187 GHz are identical to those derived from the astronomical data, establishing unambiguously that C6H- is the carrier of the series of lines with rotational constant 1377 MHz first observed by K. Kawaguchi et al. in IRC +10216. The column density of C6H- toward both sources is 1%-5% that of neutral C6H. These surprisingly high abundances for a negative ion imply that if other molecular anions are similarly abundant with respect to their neutral counterparts, they may be detectable both in the laboratory at high resolution and in interstellar molecular clouds.

Largest molecular cloud complexes in the first galactic quadrant

The CO emission within a few kiloparsecs of the Sun is dominated by a small number of very large molecular complexes, including those associated with the Orion Nebula (Thaddeus 1982), M16 and M17 (Elmegreen, Lada, and Dickinson 1979), and NGC7538 (Cohen et al. 1980). These complexes have masses from several 105 to 106 M⊙ and are generally very well-defined objects. They are also well endowed with HII regions, stellar clusters and associations, masers, and other Population-I objects whose distances can be measured. The complexes are thus valuable probes of the large-scale structure of the Galaxy.

Laboratory and astronomical identification of cyclopropenylidene, C3H2

Twenty-seven rotational lines of C/sub 3/H/sub 2/ have been identified in the laboratory or in astronomical sources, and the rotational and centrifugal distortion constants of this previously unobserved carbene ring determined to high accuracy. The assigned astronomical transitions include the strong, ubiquitous interstellar lines at 85338 MHz and 18343 MHz, which are the lowest lying transitions of ortho C/sub 3/H/sub 2/:2/sub 12/ ..-->.. 1/sub 01/ and 1/sub 10/ ..-->.. 1/sub 01/, respectively. Interstellar C/sub 3/H/sub 2/ can be rapidly formed by dissociative recombination of the very stable ion C/sub 3/H/sup +//sub 3/, which in turn can be produced from acetylene in only two steps. In standard molecular sources such as Ori A and Sgr B2, C/sub 3/H/sub 2/ is only moderately abundant, but in diffuse molecular clouds it may be one of the most abundant molecules. There is some radio spectroscopic evidence for two related molecules in Sgr B2 or TMC-1: ethynylmethylene HCCCH, a hypothetical carbon chain isomer, and cyclopropene, C/sub 3/H/sub 4/, a known, stable three-membered ring.

The large system of molecular clouds in Orion and Monoceros

Emission is noted over about one-eighth of an 850-sq deg region centered on Orion and Monoceros that has been surveyed in the J = 1 to 0 line of CO; most of the emission arises from giant molecular clouds associated with Orion A and B, and Mon R2. A much smaller area was surveyed for C-13O emission. A comparison of cloud masses obtained by three independent methods indicates that CO luminosity is as accurate a measure of cloud mass as other indicators. The possible relationships among clouds in the survey are discussed, including the conjecture that the overall Orion complex of clouds is a much larger system than previously considered, incorporating most of the clouds in the present survey.

The ethynyl radical C2H - A new interstellar molecule

Four new interstellar lines have been detected near 87.3 GHz. Based on laboratory ESR data these lines have been positively defined as hyperfine components of the lowest rotational transition of the ethynyl radical C2H. The observations gave precise values for the C2H rotation, spin-doubling, and hyperfine constants. C2H is probably one of the most abundant interstellar polyatomic molecules yet detected.

Laboratory and Astronomical Detection of the Negative Molecular Ion C3N

The negative molecular ion C3N− has been detected at millimeter wavelengths in a low-pressure laboratory discharge, and then with frequencies derived from the laboratory data in the molecular envelope of IRC+10216. Spectroscopic constants derived from laboratory measurements of 12 transitions between 97 and 378 GHz allow the rotational spectrum to be calculated well into the submillimeter-wave band to 0.03 km s−1 or better in equivalent radial velocity. Four transitions of C3N− were detected in IRC+10216 with the IRAM 30 m telescope at precisely the frequencies calculated from the laboratory measurements. The column density of C3N− is 0.5% that of C3N, or approximately 20 times greater than that of C4H− relative to C4H. The C3N− abundance in IRC+10216 is compared with a chemical model calculation by Petrie & Herbst. An upper limit in TMC-1 for C3N− relative to C3N (<0.8%) and a limit for C4H− relative to C4H (<0.004%) that is 5 times lower than that found in IRC+10216, were obtained from observations with the NRAO 100 m Green Bank Telescope (GBT). The fairly high concentration of C3N− achieved in the laboratory implies that other molecular anions containing the CN group may be within reach.

Detection of HC[TINF]11[/TINF]N in the Cold Dust Cloud TMC-1

Two consecutive rotational transitions of the long cyanopolyyne HC11N, J=39-38, and J=38-37, have been detected in the cold dust cloud TMC-1 at the frequencies expected from recent laboratory measurements by Travers et al. (1996), and at about the expected intensities. The astronomical lines have a mean radial velocity of 5.8(1) km/s, in good agreement with the shorter cyanopolyynes HC7N and HC9N observed in this very sharp-lined source [5.82(5) and 5.83(5) km/s, respectively]. The column density of HC11N is calculated to be 2.8x10^(11) cm^(-2). The abundance of the cyanopolyynes decreases smoothly with length to HC11N, the decrement from one to the next being about 6 for the longer carbon chains.