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arXiv 1010.3472astro-ph.GA
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热不稳定的暖中性介质:模拟星际介质的关键

The thermally-unstable warm neutral medium: key for modeling the interstellar medium

Ayesha Begum, Snezana Stanimirovic, W. M. Goss, Carl Heiles, Anthony S. Pavkovich, Patrick Hennebelle

摘要:

我们提出了21厘米吸收测量对12个无线电连续源与先前确定的热不稳定的暖中性介质(WNM)。这些观测是用扩展甚大阵列(EVLA)获得的,并与阿雷西博天文台获得的HI发射光谱进行了补充。在12个来源中,沿着5条视线检测到HI吸收(总共7个新的吸收特征),导致检测率约为42%。当自旋温度T_s<3000 K时,我们的观测对WNM很敏感,而在T_s=400-900 K时,我们只观测到两条宽吸收线。这些温度高于热平衡模型所允许的冷中性介质(CNM)的范围,并表示热不稳定的WNM。若干吸收特征具有仅几个x10^{-3}的光学深度。虽然这是接近或低于理论上预期的CNM,我们表明,这些弱线是重要的约束热不稳定WNM的分数。我们的观察表明,第一次,高的带通稳定性可以实现与VLA,允许检测吸收线的峰值光学深度为~10^{-3}。

英文摘要:

We present 21-cm absorption measurements towards 12 radio continuum sources with previously identified thermally-unstable warm neutral medium (WNM). These observations were obtained with the Expanded Very Large Array (EVLA) and were complemented with the HI emission spectra obtained with the Arecibo Observatory. Out of 12 sources, HI absorption was detected along 5 lines of sight (seven new absorption features in total), resulting in a detection rate of ~42%. While our observations are sensitive to the WNM with a spin temperature T_s<3000 K, we detected only two wide absorption lines with T_s=400-900 K. These temperatures lie above the range allowed for the cold neutral medium (CNM) by the thermal equilbrium models and signify the thermally unstable WNM. Several absorption features have an optical depth of only a few x10^{-3}. While this is close or lower than what is theoretically expected for the CNM, we show that these weak lines are important for constraining the fraction of the thermally unstable WNM. Our observations demonstrate that, for the first time, high bandpass stability can be achieved with the VLA, allowing detection of absorption lines with a peak optical depth of ~10^{-3}.

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