We present a study of the structure of the Galactic interstellar medium through the Delta-variance technique, related to the power spectrum and the fractal properties of infrared/sub-mm maps. Through this method, it is possible to provide quantitativ
e parameters which are useful to characterize different morphological and physical conditions, and to better constrain the theoretical models. In this respect, the Herschel Infrared Galactic Plane Survey carried out at five photometric bands from 70 to 500 mu m constitutes an unique database for applying statistical tools to a variety of regions across the Milky Way. In this paper, we derive a robust estimate of the power-law portion of the power spectrum of four contiguous 2{deg}x2{deg} Hi-GAL tiles located in the third Galactic quadrant (217{deg} < l < 225{deg}, -2{deg} < b < 0{deg}). The low level of confusion along the line of sight testified by CO observations makes this region an ideal case. We find very different values of the power spectrum slope from tile to tile but also from wavelength to wavelength (2 < beta < 3), with similarities between fields attributable to components located at the same distance. Thanks to the comparison with models of turbulence, an explanation of the determined slopes in terms of the fractal geometry is also provided, and possible relations with the underlying physics are investigated. In particular, an anti-correlation between ISM fractal dimension and star formation efficiency is found for the two main distance components observed in these fields. A possible link between the fractal properties of the diffuse emission and the resulting clump mass function is discussed.
We present the first Herschel PACS and SPIRE photometric observations in a portion of the outer Galaxy ($216.5^{circ} lesssim ell lesssim 225.5^{circ}$ and $-2^{circ} lesssim b lesssim 0^{circ}$) as a part of the Hi-GAL survey. The maps between 70 an
d 500 $mu$m, the derived column density and temperature maps, and the compact source catalog are presented. NANTEN CO(1-0) line observations are used to derive cloud kinematics and distances, so that we can estimate distance-dependent physical parameters of the compact sources (cores and clumps) having a reliable spectral energy distribution, that we separate in 255 proto-stellar and 688 starless. Both typologies are found in association with all the distance components observed in the field, up to $sim 5.8$ kpc, testifying the presence of star formation beyond the Perseus arm at these longitudes. Selecting the starless gravitationally bound sources we identify 590 pre-stellar candidates. Several sources of both proto- and pre-stellar nature are found to exceed the minimum requirement for being compatible with massive star formation, based on the mass-radius relation. For the pre-stellar sources belonging to the Local arm ($dlesssim1.5$ kpc) we study the mass function, whose high-mass end shows a power-law $N(log M) propto M^{-1.0 pm 0.2}$. Finally, we use a luminosity vs mass diagram to infer the evolutionary status of the sources, finding that most of the proto-stellar are in the early accretion phase (with some cases compatible with a Class I stage), while for pre-stellar sources, in general, accretion has not started yet.
We present a first study of the star-forming compact dust condensations revealed by Herschel in the two 2 times 2 degr Galactic Plane fields centered at [l;b] = [30degr; 0 degr] and [l;b] = [59degr; 0 degr], respectively, and observed during the Scie
nce Demonstration Phase for the Herschel infrared Galactic Plane survey (Hi-GAL) Key-Project. Compact source catalogs extracted for the two fields in the five Hi-GAL bands (70, 160, 250, 350 and 500 $mu$m) were merged based on simple criteria of positional association and spectral energy distribution (SED) consistency into a final catalog which contains only coherent SEDs with counterparts in at least three adjacent Herschel bands. These final source lists contain 528 entries for the l = 30degr field, and 444 entries for the l = 59degr field. The SED coverage has been augmented with ancillary data at 24 $mu$m and 1.1 mm. SED modeling for the subset of 318 and 101 sources (in the two fields, respectively) for which the distance is known was carried out using both a structured star/disk/envelope radiative transfer model and a simple isothermal grey-body. Global parameters like mass, luminosity, temperature and dust properties have been estimated. The Lbol/Menv ratio spans four orders of magnitudes from values compatible with the pre-protostellar phase to embedded massive zero-age main sequence stars. Sources in the l = 59degr field have on average lower L/M, possibly outlining an overall earlier evolutionary stage with respect to the sources in the l = 30degr field. Many of these cores are actively forming high-mass stars, although the estimated core surface densities appear to be an order of magnitude below the 1 g cm$^{-2}$ critical threshold for high-mass star formation.
