We present an analysis of results on absorption from Ca II, Ca I, K I, and the molecules CH+, CH, C2, and CN that probes gas interacting with the supernova remnant IC443. The eleven directions sample material across the visible nebula and beyond its eastern edge. Most of the neutral material, including the diatomic molecules, is associated with the ambient cloud detected via H I and CO emission. Analysis of excitation and chemistry yields gas densities that are typical of diffuse molecular gas. The low density gas probed by Ca II extends over a large range in velocities, from -120 to +80 km/s in the most extreme cases. This gas is distributed among several velocity components, unlike the situation for the shocked molecular clumps, whose emission occurs over much the same range but as very broad features. The extent of the high-velocity absorption suggests a shock velocity of 100 km/s for the expanding nebula.
In many barred galaxies, star formation efficiency (SFE) in the bar is lower than those in the arm and bar-end, and its cause has still not been clear. Focusing on the strongly barred galaxy NGC 1300, we investigate the possibility that the presence of a large amount of diffuse molecular gas, which would not contribute to the SF, makes the SFE low in appearance. We examine the relation between the SFE and the diffuse molecular gas fraction ($f_{\rm dif}$), which is derived using the $^{12}$CO($1-0$) flux obtained from the interferometer of ALMA 12-m array, which has no sensitivity on diffuse (…
We study four lines of sight that probe the transition from diffuse molecular gas to molecular cloud material in Taurus. Measurements of atomic and molecular absorption are used to infer the distribution of species and the physical conditions toward stars behind the Taurus Molecular Cloud (TMC). New high-resolution spectra at visible and near infrared wavelengths of interstellar Ca II, Ca I, K I, CH, CH^+, C2, CN, and CO toward HD28975 and HD29647 are combined with data at visible wavelengths and published CO results from ultraviolet measurements for HD27778 and HD30122. Gas densities and temp…
Molecular clouds are a fundamental ingredient of galaxies: they are the channels that transform the diffuse gas into stars. The detailed process of how they do it is not completely understood. We review the current knowledge of molecular clouds and their substructure from scales $\sim~$1~kpc down to the filament and core scale. We first review the mechanisms of cloud formation from the warm diffuse interstellar medium down to the cold and dense molecular clouds, the process of molecule formation and the role of the thermal and gravitational instabilities. We also discuss the main physical mech…
The path to understanding star formation processes begins with the study of the formation of molecular clouds. The outskirts of these clouds are characterized by low column densities that allow the penetration of ultraviolet radiation, resulting in a non-negligible ionization fraction and the charging of the small dust grains that are mixed with the gas; this diffuse phase is then coupled to the ambient magnetic field. Despite the general assumption that dust and gas are tightly correlated, several observational and theoretical studies have reported variations in the dust-to-gas ratio toward d…
The diffuse molecular component in the nuclear bulge of the Milky Way
内容：银河系中心区域的中央分子带（CMZ）中的大部分分子气体显示出温暖的动力学温度，从最冷和最密集区域的$>20$ K（n $\sim 10^{4-5}$ cm $^{-3}$）到密度约为n $\sim 10^3$ cm $^{-3}$的100 K以上。最近，通过H $_3^+$的吸收观测发现了一种更弥散、更热的（$n \sim 100$ cm $^{-3}$，$T\sim 250$ K）气体成分。这种成分可能广泛分布在银河系中心，即使在CMZ之外，沿着穿过银河系扩展隆起的视线，也可能存在可被吸收的低密度气体。目的：我们的目标是观察和表征扩散和低密度气体的观察3毫米的分子跃迁吸收。研究方法：利用阿塔卡马大（亚）毫米阵列（ALMA），我们观察到对类星体J1744-312的吸收，它位于$(l,b)=(-2{^\circ}.13,-1{^\circ}.0)$的银河系凸出区域，但在主要的分子复合体之外。结果如下：ALMA对J1744-312类星体的吸收观测揭示了低密度分子云和可能的扩散云中丰富而复杂的化学物质。我们检测到三个速度分量，在$\sim $ 0，$-153$，和$-192$ km s $^{-1}$。$\sim 0$ km s $^{-1}$的分量可能代表银河系盘中的气体，而$-153$和$-192$ km s $^{-1}$的速度分量可能来自银河系凸起。我们在调查中检测到12个…
We present CO observations toward a sample of six HI-rich Ultra-diffuse galaxies (UDGs) as well as one UDG (VLSB-A) in the Virgo Cluster with the IRAM 30-m telescope. CO 1-0 is marginally detected at 4sigma level in AGC122966, as the first detection of CO emission in UDGs. We estimate upper limits of molecular mass in other galaxies from the non-detection of CO lines. These upper limits and the marginal CO detection in AGC122966 indicate low mass ratios between molecular and atomic gas masses. With the star formation efficiency derived from the molecular gas, we suggest that the inefficiency o…
The transition between atomic and molecular hydrogen is associated with important changes in the structure of interstellar clouds, and marks the beginning of interstellar chemistry. Because of the relatively simple networks controlling their abundances, molecular ions are usually good probes of the underlying physical conditions including for instance the fraction of gas in molecular form or the fractional ionization. In this paper we focus on three possible probes of the molecular hydrogen column density, HCO+, HOC+, and CF+. We presented high sensitivity ALMA absorption data toward a sample …
Chemical complexity in local diffuse and translucent clouds: ubiquitous l-C3H and CH3CN, a detection of HC3N and an upper limit on the abundance of CH2CN
One of the surprises of the Herschel mission was the detection of ArH+ towards the Crab Nebula in emission and in absorption towards strong Galactic background sources. Although these detections were limited to the first quadrant of the Galaxy, the existing data suggest that ArH+ ubiquitously and exclusively probes the diffuse atomic regions of the ISM. In this study, we extend the coverage of ArH+ to other parts of the Galaxy with new observations of its J = 1-0 transition along seven Galactic sight lines towards bright sub-mm continuum sources. We aim to benchmark its efficiency as a tracer …
CO-dark molecular gas traced by HCO$^+$ in the diffuse interstellar medium
University of Wisconsin–Madison（威斯康星大学麦迪逊分校）；National Radio Astronomy Observatory（美国国家射电天文台）；Macquarie University（麦考瑞大学）；CSIRO Space & Astronomy（澳大利亚联邦科学与工业研究组织空间与天文部）；Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute（韩国天文学与空间科学研究所）；University of Science and Technology（科学技术大学）；Institut de Radioastronomie Millimetrique（毫米波射电天文研究所）
We aim to compare variations in the full-UV dust extinction curve (912-3000 Angstrom), with the HI/H$_2$/total H content along diffuse Milky Way sightlines, to investigate possible connections between ISM conditions and dust properties. We combine an existing sample of 75 UV extinction curves based on IUE and FUSE data, with atomic and molecular column densities measured through UV absorption. The H$_2$ column density data are based on existing Lyman-Werner absorption band models from earlier work on the extinction curves. Literature values for the HI column density were compiled, and improved…
We have complemented existing observations of HI absorption with new observations of HCO$^+$, C$_2$H, HCN, and HNC absorption from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and the Northern Extended Millimeter Array (NOEMA) in the direction of 20 background radio continuum sources with $4^\circ \leq |b| \leq 81^\circ$ to constrain the atomic gas conditions that are suitable for the formation of diffuse molecular gas. We find that these molecular species form along sightlines where $A_V \gtrsim 0.25$, consistent with the threshold for the HI-to-H$_2$ transition at solar metallicit…
There is a robust polyatomic chemistry in diffuse, partially-molecular interstellar gas that is readily accessible in absorption at radio/mm/sub-mm wavelengths. Accurate column densities are derived owing to the weak internal excitation, so relative molecular abundances are well known with respect to each other but not with respect to H2. Here we consider the use of proxies for hydrogen column densities N(H2) and N(H) = N(HI)+2N(H2) based on measurements of HCO+ absorption and CO emission and absorption, and we compare these with results obtained by others when observing HI, H2 and CO toward s…
Data of $^{12}$CO/$^{13}$CO/C$^{18}$O $J=1\to0$ emission toward the Galactic plane region of $l=35^\circ$ to $45^\circ$ and $b= -5^\circ$ to $+5^\circ$ are available with the Milky Way Imaging Scroll Painting (MWISP) project. Using the data, we found a giant molecular filament (GMF) around $l\approx38\sim42^\circ$, $b\approx-3.5\sim0^\circ$, $V_{LSR} \approx 27 \sim 40$ km~s$^{-1}$, named the GMF MWISP G041-01. At a distance of 1.7 kpc, the GMF is about 160 pc long. With a median excitation temperature about 7.5 K and a median column density about $10^{21}$ cm$^{-2}$, this GMF is very cold and…
The global Schmidt law of star formation provides a power-law relation between the surface densities of star-formation rate (SFR) and gas, and successfully explains plausible scenarios of galaxy formation and evolution. However, star formation being a multi-scale process, requires spatially-resolved analysis for a better understanding of the physics of star formation. It has been shown that the removal of a diffuse background from SFR tracers, such as H$α$, far-ultraviolet (FUV), infrared, leads to an increase in the slope of the sub-galactic Schmidt relation. We reinvestigate the local Schmid…
Turbulent Diffuse Molecular Media with Non-ideal Magnetohydrodynamics and Consistent Thermochemistry: Numerical Simulations and Dynamic Characteristics
We observed $λ$3mm \cotw, \coth, \coei, \hcop, HCN and CS emission from diffuse molecular gas along sightlines with \EBV\ $\approx$ 0.1 - 1 mag. Directions were mostly chosen for their proximity to sightlines toward background mm-wave continuum sources studied in \hcop\ absorption, at positions where maps of \cotw\ at 1\arcmin\ resolution showed surprisingly bright integrated CO J=1-0 emission \WCO\ = 5-12 K-\kms\ but we also observed in L121 near \zoph. Coherence emerges when data are considered over a broad range of \cotw\ and \coth\ brightness. \WCO/\Wth\ and N(\cotw)/N(\coth) are 20-40 for…
This paper calls attention to the relevance of Raman scattering by atomic hydrogen to three optical and near/mid-infrared spectral features of HI clouds: extended red emission (ERE), diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs), and the unidentified infrared bands (UIBs). DIBs, ERE, and UIBs are observed predominantly at the edge of HI clouds, are manifestly related, and remain poorly understood. Their salient properties correspond to two major characteristics of HI Raman scattering: unusual line broadenings and a concentration of the Raman scattered ultraviolet continuum in the vicinity of hydrogen's op…
The diffuse and translucent molecular clouds traced in absorption along the line of sight to strong background sources have so far been investigated mainly in the spectral domain because of limited angular resolution or small sizes of the background sources. We aim to resolve and investigate the spatial structure of molecular clouds traced by several molecules detected in absorption along the line of sight to SgrB2(N). We have used spectral line data from the EMoCA survey performed with ALMA, taking advantage of the high sensitivity and angular resolution. We identify, on the basis of the spec…
We compare observations of HI from the Very Large Array (VLA) and the Arecibo Observatory and observations of HCO$^+$ from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and the Northern Extended Millimeter Array (NOEMA) in the diffuse ($A_V\lesssim1$) interstellar medium (ISM) to predictions from a photodissociation region (PDR) chemical model and multi-phase ISM simulations. Using a coarse grid of PDR models, we estimate the density, FUV radiation field, and cosmic ray ionization rate (CRIR) for each structure identified in HCO$^+$ and HI absorption. These structures fall into two c…
