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Register a new userCharacterizing the transition from diffuse atomic to dense molecular clouds in the Magellanic clouds with [CII], [CI], and CO
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We present and analyze deep Herschel/HIFI observations of the [CII] 158um, [CI] 609um, and [CI] 370um lines towards 54 lines-of-sight (LOS) in the Large and Small Magellanic clouds. These observations are used to determine the physical conditions of the line--emitting gas, which we use to study the transition from atomic to molecular gas and from C^+ to C^0 to CO in their low metallicity environments. We trace gas with molecular fractions in the range 0.1<f(H2)<1, between those in the diffuse H2 gas detected by UV absorption (f(H2)<0.2) and well shielded regions in which hydrogen is essentially completely molecular. The C^0 and CO column densities are only measurable in regions with molecular fractions f(H2)>0.45 in both the LMC and SMC. Ionized carbon is the dominant gas-phase form of this element that is associated with molecular gas, with C^0 and CO representing a small fraction, implying that most (89% in the LMC and 77% in the SMC) of the molecular gas in our sample is CO-dark H2. The mean X_CO conversion factors in our LMC and SMC sample are larger than the value typically found in the Milky Way. When applying a correction based on the filling factor of the CO emission, we find that the values of X_CO in the LMC and SMC are closer to that in the Milky Way. The observed [CII] intensity in our sample represents about 1% of the total far-infrared intensity from the LOSs observed in both Magellanic Clouds.
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We study the behavior of eight diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs) in different interstellar environments, as characterized by the fraction of hydrogen in molecular form [$f$(H$_2$)], with comparisons to the corresponding behavior of various known atomic and molecular species. The equivalent widths of the five normal DIBs ($lambdalambda$5780.5, 5797.1, 6196.0, 6283.8, and 6613.6), normalized to $E(B-V)$, show a Lambda-shaped behavior: they increase at low $f$(H$_2$), peak at $f$(H$_2$) ~ 0.3, and then decrease. The similarly normalized column densities of Ca, Ca$^+$, Ti$^+$, and CH$^+$ also decline for $f$(H$_2$) > 0.3. In contrast, the normalized column densities of Na, K, CH, CN, and CO increase monotonically with $f$(H$_2$), and the trends exhibited by the three C$_2$ DIBs ($lambdalambda$4726.8, 4963.9, and 4984.8) lie between those two general behaviors. These trends with $f$(H$_2$) are accompanied by cosmic scatter, the dispersion at any given $f$(H$_2$) being significantly larger than the individual errors of measurement. The Lambda-shaped trends suggest the balance between creation and destruction of the DIB carriers differs dramatically between diffuse atomic and diffuse molecular clouds; additional processes besides ionization and shielding are needed to explain those observed trends. Except for several special cases, the highest $W$(5780)/$W$(5797) ratios, characterizing the so-called sigma-zeta effect, occur only at $f$(H$_2$) < 0.2. We propose a sequence of DIBs based on trends in their pair-wise strength ratios with increasing $f$(H$_2$). In order of increasing environmental density, we find the $lambda$6283.8 and $lambda$5780.5 DIBs, the $lambda$6196.0 DIB, the $lambda$6613.6 DIB, the $lambda$5797.1 DIB, and the C$_2$ DIBs.
Towards the high galactic latitude sky, the far-infrared (FIR) intensity is tightly correlated to the total hydrogen column density which is made up of atomic (HI) and molecular hydrogen (H$_{2})$. Above a certain column density threshold, atomic hydrogen turns molecular. We analyse gas and dust properties of intermediate-velocity clouds (IVCs) in the lower galactic halo to explore their transition from the atomic to the molecular phase. Driven by observations, we investigate the physical processes that transform a purely atomic IVC into a molecular one. Data from the Effelsberg-Bonn HI-Survey (EBHIS) are correlated to FIR wavebands of the Planck satellite and IRIS. Modified black-body emission spectra are fitted to deduce dust optical depths and grain temperatures. We remove the contribution of atomic hydrogen to the FIR intensity to estimate molecular hydrogen column densities. Two IVCs show different FIR properties, despite their similarity in HI, such as narrow spectral lines and large column densities. One FIR bright IVC is associated with H$_{2}$, confirmed by $^{12}$CO $(1rightarrow0)$ emission; the other IVC is FIR dim and shows no FIR excess, which indicates the absence of molecular hydrogen. We propose that the FIR dim and bright IVCs probe the transition between the atomic and molecular gas phase. Triggered by dynamical processes, this transition happens during the descent of IVCs onto the galactic disk. The most natural driver is ram pressure exerted onto the cloud by the increasing halo density. Because of the enhanced pressure, the formation timescale of H$_{2}$ is reduced, allowing the formation of large amounts of H$_{2}$ within a few Myr.
We characterize the column density probability distributions functions (PDFs) of the atomic hydrogen gas, HI, associated with seven Galactic molecular clouds (MCs). We use 21 cm observations from the Leiden/Argentine/Bonn Galactic HI Survey to derive column density maps and PDFs. We find that the peaks of the HI PDFs occur at column densities ranging from ~1-2$times 10^{21}$ cm$^2$ (equivalently, ~0.5-1 mag). The PDFs are uniformly narrow, with a mean dispersion of $sigma_{HI}approx 10^{20}$ cm$^2$ (~0.1 mag). We also investigate the HI-to-H$_2$ transition towards the cloud complexes and estimate HI surface densities ranging from 7-16 $M_odot$ pc$^{-2}$ at the transition. We propose that the HI PDF is a fitting tool for identifying the HI-to-H$_2$ transition column in Galactic MCs.
Near ultraviolet observations of OH+ and OH in diffuse molecular clouds reveal a preference for different environments. The dominant absorption feature in OH+ arises from a main component seen in CH+ (that with the highest CH+/CH column density ratio), while OH follows CN absorption. This distinction provides new constraints on OH chemistry in these clouds. Since CH+ detections favor low-density gas with small fractions of molecular hydrogen, this must be true for OH+ as well, confirming OH+ and H2O+ observations with the Herschel Space Telescope. Our observed correspondence indicates that the cosmic ray ionization rate derived from these measurements pertains to mainly atomic gas. The association of OH absorption with gas rich in CN is attributed to the need for high enough density and molecular fraction before detectable amounts are seen. Thus, while OH+ leads to OH production, chemical arguments suggest that their abundances are controlled by different sets of conditions and that they coexist with different sets of observed species. Of particular note is that non-thermal chemistry appears to play a limited role in the synthesis of OH in diffuse molecular clouds.
Diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs) trace warm neutral and weakly-ionized diffuse interstellar medium (ISM). Here we present a dedicated, high signal-to-noise spectroscopic study of two of the strongest DIBs, at 5780 and 5797 AA, in optical spectra of 666 early-type stars in the Small and Large Magellanic Clouds, along with measurements of the atomic Na,{sc i},D and Ca,{sc ii},K lines. The resulting maps show for the first time the distribution of DIB carriers across large swathes of galaxies, as well as the foreground Milky Way ISM. We confirm the association of the 5797 AA DIB with neutral gas, and the 5780 AA DIB with more translucent gas, generally tracing the star-forming regions within the Magellanic Clouds. Likewise, the Na,{sc i},D line traces the denser ISM whereas the Ca,{sc ii},K line traces the more diffuse, warmer gas. The Ca,{sc ii},K line has an additional component at $sim200$--220 km s$^{-1}$ seen towards both Magellanic Clouds; this may be associated with a pan-Magellanic halo. Both the atomic lines and DIBs show sub-pc-scale structure in the Galactic foreground absorption; the 5780 and 5797 AA DIBs show very little correlation on these small scales, as do the Ca,{sc ii},K and Na,{sc i},D lines. This suggests that good correlations between the 5780 and 5797 AA DIBs, or between Ca,{sc ii},K and Na,{sc i},D, arise from the superposition of multiple interstellar structures. Similarity in behaviour between DIBs and Na,{sc i} in the SMC, LMC and Milky Way suggests the abundance of DIB carriers scales in proportion to metallicity.
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