Using the Purple Mountain Observatory Delingha (PMODLH) 13.7 m telescope, we report a 96-square-degree 12CO/13CO/C18O mapping observation toward the Galactic region of l = [139.75, 149.75]$^\circ$, b = [-5.25, 5.25]$^\circ$. The molecular structure of the Local Arm and Perseus Arm are presented. Combining HI data and part of the Outer Arm results, we obtain that the warp structure of both atomic and molecular gas is obvious, while the flare structure only exists in atomic gas in this observing region. In addition, five filamentary giant molecular clouds on the Perseus Arm are identified. Among them, four are newly identified. Their relations with the Milky Way large-scale structure are discussed.
We report trigonometric parallax and proper motion measurements of 6.7-GHz CH3OH and 22-GHz H2O masers in eight high-mass star-forming regions (HMSFRs) based on VLBA observations as part of the BeSSeL Survey. The distances of these HMSFRs combined with their Galactic coordinates, radial velocities, and proper motions, allow us to assign them to a segment of the Perseus arm with ~< 70 deg. These HMSFRs are clustered in Galactic longitude from ~30 deg to ~50, neighboring a dirth of such sources between longitudes ~50 deg to ~90 deg.
In this letter we present evidence of coherent outward motion of a sample of young stars ($t<$30 Myr) in the Perseus Arm, whose apparent origin is located in the vicinity of the W3/W4/W5 complex. Using astrometric and photometric data from the Gaia DR2 catalog of an 8$^\circ$ radius field centered near W4, we selected a sample of young, intermediate to high-mass star candidates. The sample is limited to sources with parallax uncertainties below 20% and Bayesian distance estimates within 1800 and 3100 pc. The selection includes embedded stellar populations as well as young open clusters. Projec…
We have discovered a clear sign of the disruption phase of the Perseus arm in the Milky Way using Cepheid variables, taking advantage of the accurately measured distances of Cepheids and the proper motions from Gaia Data Release 1. Both the Galactocentric radial and rotation velocities of 77 Cepheids within 1.5 kpc of the Perseus arm are correlated with their distances from the locus of the Perseus arm, as the trailing side is rotating faster and moving inward compared to the leading side. We also found a negative vertex deviation for the Cepheids on the trailing side, $-27.6\pm2.4$ deg, in co…
We report measurements of parallax and proper motion for five 6.7-GHz methanol maser sources in the outer regions of the Perseus arm as part of the BeSSeL Survey of the Galaxy. By combining our results with previous astrometric results, we determine an average spiral arm pitch angle of $9.2\pm1.5$ deg and an arm width of 0.39 kpc for this spiral arm. For sources in the interior side of the Perseus arm, we find on average a radial inward motion in the Galaxy of $13.3\pm5.4$ km s$^{-1}$ and counter to Galactic rotation of $6.2\pm3.2$ km s$^{-1}$. These characteristics are consistent with models …
In this work we demonstrate that the Perseus Arm is not a continuous structure of molecular gas in the second quadrant. We first show that the observed, distanced-resolved velocity structure of the Galaxy in the outer disk is capable of creating illusory spiral arms, as was first proposed by Burton (1971). Second, we measure the distances to a collection of CO clouds at velocities consistent with the Perseus arm with $135^\circ < l < 160^\circ$. We find these distances using 3D dust maps from Green et al. (2019). We determine that these molecular cloud do not preferentially lie at the distance…
An updated model for the Perseus Spiral Arm from Trigonometric Parallax and 3-dimensional kinematic distances of distant massive stars
University of Tasmania（塔斯马尼亚大学）；International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research, The University of Western Australia（西澳大利亚大学国际射电天文研究中心）；Nanjing University（南京大学）
We report on the detection of a small overdensity of stars in velocity space with systematically higher Galactocentric rotation velocity than the Sun by about 20 km s$^{-1}$ in the $Gaia$ Data Release 1 Tycho-Gaia astrometric solution (TGAS) data. We find these fast Galactic rotators more clearly outside of the Solar radius, compared to inside of the Solar radius. In addition, the velocity of the fast Galactic rotators is independent of the Galactocentric distance up to $R-R_{\odot}\sim0.6$ kpc. Comparing with numerical models, we qualitatively discuss that a possible cause of this feature is …
We present a new catalogue of cool supergiants in a section of the Perseus arm, most of which had not been previously identified. To generate it, we have used a set of well-defined photometric criteria to select a large number of candidates (637) that were later observed at intermediate resolution in the the Infrared Calcium Triplet spectral range, using a long-slit spectrograph. To separate red supergiants from luminous red giants, we used a statistical method, developed in previous works and improved in the present paper. We present a method to assign probabilities of being a red supergiant …
The radial distance to the co-rotation radius Rcoro (where the angular speed of the gas and stars in orbit around the Galactic Centre is equal to the angular speed of the spiral arm pattern) has often been predicted (at various places), but not measured with a high precision. Here we test the locations of masers with respect to the Perseus arm (Table 1). Our analysis of the masers and HII regions near the Perseus arm (mostly located on the inner arm side, by about 0.4 kpc from the cold CO mid-arm) shows that the co-rotation Rcoro must be > 10.8 kpc from the Galactic Center (Figure 1). This imp…
The INT Photometric H$α$ Survey (IPHAS) has provided us with a number of new-emission line sources, among which planetary nebulae (PNe) constitute an important fraction. Here we present a detailed analysis of the IPHAS nebula Sab\,19 (IPHASX\,J055242.8+262116) based on radio, infrared, and optical images and intermediate- and high-dispersion longslit spectra. Sab\,19 consists of a roundish 0.10 pc in radius double-shell nebula surrounded by a much larger 2.8 pc in radius external shell with a prominent H-shaped filament. We confirm the nature of the main nebula as a PN whose sub-solar N/O rati…
We present results of a survey of 14 star-forming regions from the Perseus spiral arm in CS(2-1) and 13CO(1-0) lines with the Onsala Space Observatory 20 m telescope. Maps of 10 sources in both lines were obtained. For the remaining sources a map in just one line or a single-point spectrum were obtained. On the basis of newly obtained and published observational data we consider the relation between velocities of the "quasi-thermal" CS(2-1) line and 6.7 GHz methanol maser line in 24 high-mass star-forming regions in the Perseus arm. We show that, surprisingly, velocity ranges of 6.7 GHz methan…
We report the discovery of a likely outbursting Class I young stellar object, associated with the star-forming region NGC 281-W (distance $\sim 2.8$ kpc). The source is currently seen only at infrared wavelengths, appearing in both the Palomar Gattini InfraRed ($1.2~μ$m) and the Near Earth Object Widefield Infrared Survey Explorer ($3.4$ and $4.6~μ$m) photometric time-domain surveys. Recent near-infrared imaging reveals a new, extended scattered light nebula. Recent near-infrared spectroscopy confirms the similarity of PGIR 20dci to FU Ori type sources, based on strong molecular absorption in …
The Perseus Arm is the closest Galactic spiral arm from the Sun, offering an excellent opportunity to study in detail its stellar population. However, its distance has been controversial with discrepancies by a factor of two. Kinematic distances are in the range 3.9-4.2 kpc as compared to 1.9-2.3 kpc from spectrophotometric and trigonometric parallaxes, reinforcing previous claims that this arm exhibits peculiar velocities. We used the astrometric information of a sample of 31 OB stars from the star-forming W3 Complex to identify another 37 W3 members and to derive its distance from their Gaia…
This study extends to the structure of the Galaxy. Our main goal is to focus on the first spiral arm beyond the Perseus arm, often called the Cygnus arm or the Outer Norma arm, by appraising the distributions of the masers near the Cygnus arm. The method is to employ masers whose trigonometric distances were measured with accuracy. The maser data come from published literature, having been obtained via the existing networks (US VLBA, the Japanese VERA, the European VLBI, and the Australian LBA). The new results for Cygnus are split in two groups: those located near a recent CO fitted global mo…
The Perseus arm has a gap in Galactic longitudes (l) between 50 and 80 deg (hereafter the Perseus arm gap) where the arm has little star formation activity. To better understand the gap, we conducted astrometric observations with VERA and analyzed archival H I data. We report on parallax and proper motion results from four star-forming regions, of which G050.28-00.39 and G070.33+01.59 are likely associated with the gap. The measured parallaxes are 0.140+/-0.018 (mas), 0.726+/-0.038 (mas), 0.074+/-0.037 (mas), and 0.118+/-0.035 (mas) for G050.28-00.39, G053.14+00.07, G070.33+01.59, and G079.08+…
We report the results from a new, highly sensitive ($ΔT_{mb} \sim 3 $mK) survey for thermal OH emission at 1665 and 1667 MHz over a dense, 9 x 9-pixel grid covering a $1°$ x $1°$ patch of sky in the direction of $l = 105°, b = +2.50°$ towards the Perseus spiral arm of our Galaxy. We compare our Green Bank Telescope (GBT) 1667 MHz OH results with archival CO J=1-0 observations from the Five College Radio Astronomy Observatory (FCRAO) Outer Galaxy Survey within the velocity range of the Perseus Arm at these galactic coordinates. Out of the 81 statistically-independent pointings in our survey are…
The Fan Region is one of the dominant features in the polarized radio sky, long thought to be a local (distance < 500 pc) synchrotron feature. We present 1.3-1.8 GHz polarized radio continuum observations of the region from the Global Magneto-Ionic Medium Survey (GMIMS) and compare them to maps of Halpha and polarized radio continuum intensity from 0.408-353 GHz. The high-frequency (> 1 GHz) and low-frequency (< 600 MHz) emission have different morphologies, suggesting a different physical origin. Portions of the 1.5 GHz Fan Region emission are depolarized by about 30% by ionized gas structure…
New star clusters discovered towards the Galactic anticentre direction using Gaia DR3 data
Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais（米纳斯吉拉斯联邦大学）；Centro Federal de Educação Tecnológica de Minas Gerais（米纳斯吉拉斯州联邦技术教育中心）；Laboratório Nacional de Astrofísica LNA（国家天体物理实验室）
A large, long-lived, slowly-expanding superbubble across the Perseus Arm
South-Western Institute for Astronomy Research, Yunnan University（云南大学西南天文研究所）；Institute for Frontiers in Astronomy and Astrophysics, Beijing Normal University（北京师范大学前沿天文与天体物理研究院）；School of Physics and Astronomy, Beijing Normal University（北京师范大学物理与天文学院）；National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院国家天文台）；University of Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院大学）；School of Physics and Astronomy, Cardiff University（卡迪夫大学物理与天文学院）；Centre for Astrophysics Research, School of Physics, Astronomy and Mathematics, University of Hertfordshire（赫特福德大学物理、天文与数学学院天体物理研究中心）
Our aim is to measure the interstellar 14N/15N ratio across the Galaxy, to establish a standard data set on interstellar ammonia isotope ratios, and to provide new constraints on the Galactic chemical evolution. The (J, K ) = (1, 1), (2, 2), and (3, 3) lines of 14NH3 and 15NH3 were observed with the Shanghai Tianma 65 m radio telescope (TMRT) and the Effelsberg 100 m telescope toward a large sample of 210 sources. One hundred fourty-one of these sources were detected by the TMRT in 14NH3. Eight of them were also detected in 15NH3. For 10 of the 36 sources with strong NH3 emission, the Effelsbe…
Using the cross-matched data of Gaia DR2 and 2MASS Point Source Catalog, we investigated the surface density distribution of stars aged ~1 Gyr in the thin disk in the range of 90° <= l <= 270°. We selected 4,654 stars above the turnoff corresponding to the age ~1 Gyr, that fall within a small box region in the color-magnitude diagram, (J-Ks)0 versus M(Ks), for which the distance and reddening are corrected. The selected sample shows an arm-like overdensity at 90° <= l <= 190°.This overdensity is located close to the Local arm traced by high-mass star forming regions (HMSFRs), but its pitch ang…
We present Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations of multiple protostar systems in the Perseus molecular cloud previously detected by the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA). We observed 17 close ($<$600~AU separation) multiple systems at 1.3~mm in continuum and five molecular lines (i.e., \twco, \cateo, \thco, H$_2$CO, SO) to characterize the circum-multiple environments in which these systems are forming. We detect at least one component in the continuum for the 17 multiple systems. In three systems, one companion is not detected, and for two systems the companion…
Using the Purple Mountain Observatory Delingha 13.7 m telescope, we conducted a large-scale $^{12}$CO $\left(J=1 \rightarrow 0\right)$ outflow survey (over $\sim$ 110 deg$^2$) toward the W3/4/5 complex and its surroundings. In total, 459 outflow candidates were identified. Approximately 62\% (284) were located in the Perseus arm, including W3/4/5 complex and its surroundings, while $\sim$ 35\% (162) were located in the Local arm, $\sim$ 1\% (5) in the Outer arm, and $\sim$ 2\% (8) in two interarm regions. This result indicated that star formation was concentrated in the Galactic spiral arms. T…
We have studied the properties of molecular clouds in the second quadrant of the Milky Way Mid-plane from l$=$104$.\!\!^{\circ}$75 to l$=$119$.\!\!^{\circ}$75 and b$=-$5$.\!\!^{\circ}$25 to b$=$5$.\!\!^{\circ}$25 using the $^{12}$CO, $^{13}$CO, and C$^{18}$O $J=1-0$ emission line data from the Milky Way Imaging Scroll Painting project (MWISP). We have identified 857 and 300 clouds in the $^{12}$CO and $^{13}$CO spectral cubes, respectively, using the DENDROGRAM + SCIMES algorithms. The distances of the molecular clouds are estimated and the physical properties like masses, sizes, and surface d…
Carbon Radio Recombination Lines trace the interface between molecular and atomic gas. We present GMRT observations of Carbon Radio Recombination Lines (CRRL), C$α$244-C$α$250 towards Cassiopeia A. We use a novel technique of stacking the emission lines in the visibility domain to obtain, for the first time, sub-pc resolution optical depth maps of these CRRLs. The emission shows a wide range of spatial and velocity structures, some of which are unresolved within our synthesis beam of 0.29 pc and velocity channel of 0.55 km/s. These variations in the emission optical depth and line width are in…
In the standard picture for low-mass star formation, a dense molecular cloud undergoes gravitational collapse to form a protostellar system consisting of a new central star, a circumstellar disk, and a surrounding envelope of remaining material. The mass distribution of the system evolves as matter accretes from the large-scale envelope through the disk and onto the protostar. While this general picture is supported by simulations and indirect observational measurements, the specific timescales related to disk growth and envelope dissipation remain poorly constrained. In this paper we conduct …
In an effort to improve our understanding of the spiral arm structure of the Milky Way, we use Classical Cepheids (CCs) to increase the number of young tracers on the far side of the Galactic disk with accurately determined distances. We use a sample of 30 CCs, discovered using near-infrared photometry from the VISTA Variables in the Vía Láctea survey (VVV) and classified based on their radial velocities and metallicities. We combine them with another 20 CCs from the literature for which VVV photometry is available. The compiled sample of CCs with homogeneously computed distances based on VVV …
We have measured trigonometric parallaxes for four water masers associated with distant massive young stars in the inner regions of the Galaxy using the VLBA as part of the BeSSeL Survey. G026.50$+$0.28. is located at the near end of the Galactic bar, perhaps at the origin of the Norma spiral arm. G020.77$-$0.05 is in the Galactic Center region and is likely associated with a far-side extension of the Scutum arm. G019.60$-$0.23 and G020.08$-$0.13 are likely associated and lie well past the Galactic Center. These sources appear to be in the Sagittarius spiral arm, but an association with the Pe…
Large-Scale Spiral Structure of the Milky Way Traced by Young Classical Cepheids
Purple Mountain Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院紫金山天文台）；China Three Gorges University（三峡大学）；University of Science and Technology of China（中国科学技术大学）
Some galactic theories of spiral arms predict an offset between different tracers of star formation. Our goal here is to find such an offset between the observed location of radio masers and the location of the arms, using a recent 4-arm model fitted to the CO 1-0 gas. Our method here is to compare a recent global 4-arm spiral model (as fitted to the arm tangents in the observed broad CO 1-0 gas) with the recent results for the trigonometric distances of radio masers, for the main arms (Cygnus-Norma, Perseus, Sagittarius-Carina, Scutum, and Norma). Our results indicate that most radio masers a…
