1. SEDIGISM: Structure, excitation, and dynamics of the inner Galactic interstellar medium
- Author
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Schuller, F., Csengeri, T., Urquhart, S., Duarte-Cabral, A., Barnes, P. J., Giannetti, A., Hernandez, A. K., Leurini, S., Mattern, M., Medina, S.-N. X., Agurto, C., Azagra, F., Anderson, L. D., Beltrán, M. T., Beuther, H., Bontemps, Sylvain, Bronfman, L., Dobbs, L., Dumke, M., Finger, R., Ginsburg, A., Gonzalez, E., Henning, T., Kauffmann, J., Mac-Auliffe, F., Menten, M., Montenegro-Montes, F. M., Moore, T. J. T., Muller, E., Parra, R., Perez-Beaupuits, P., Pettitt, A., Russeil, D., Sánchez-Monge, Á., Schilke, P., Schisano, E., Suri, S., Testi, L., Torstensson, K., Venegas, P., Wang, K., Wienen, M., Wyrowski, F., Zavagno, Annie, Urquhart, J. S., Dobbs, C. L., Menten, K. M., Perez-Beaupuits, J.-P., Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie (MPIFR), Institut de Veille Sanitaire (INVS), Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie (MPIA), Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, FORMATION STELLAIRE 2017, Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux [Pessac] (LAB), Université de Bordeaux (UB)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Bordeaux (UB)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), European Southern Observatory (ESO), Laboratoire de recherche en Electronique, Electrotechnique et Systèmes (L2ES), Institut National de Recherche sur les Transports et leur Sécurité (INRETS)-Université de Technologie de Belfort-Montbeliard (UTBM)-Université de Franche-Comté (UFC), Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté [COMUE] (UBFC)-Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté [COMUE] (UBFC), NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Laboratoire Dynamique de la Biodiversité (LADYBIO), Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Haemophilia Unit, Vall d'Hebron University Hospital [Barcelona], Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille (LAM), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES), Physikalisches Institut [Köln], Universität zu Köln, Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali - INAF (IAPS), Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF), University of Oxford [Oxford], School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Exceter, University of Exceter, Millimeter and Submillimeter Astronomy, Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Universität zu Köln = University of Cologne, and University of Oxford
- Subjects
Infrared ,ISM: structure ,Rotational transition ,FOS: Physical sciences ,Astrophysics ,Astrophysics::Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics ,01 natural sciences ,ISM: clouds ,surveys ,0103 physical sciences ,Isotopologue ,010303 astronomy & astrophysics ,Galaxy: structure ,QC ,Astrophysics::Galaxy Astrophysics ,QB ,Physics ,radio lines: ISM ,010308 nuclear & particles physics ,Molecular cloud ,Astronomy and Astrophysics ,Galactic plane ,Astrophysics - Astrophysics of Galaxies ,Galaxy ,Interstellar medium ,13. Climate action ,Space and Planetary Science ,Astrophysics of Galaxies (astro-ph.GA) ,[SDU.ASTR.GA]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Galactic Astrophysics [astro-ph.GA] ,Data reduction - Abstract
The origin and life-cycle of molecular clouds are still poorly constrained, despite their importance for understanding the evolution of the interstellar medium. We have carried out a systematic, homogeneous, spectroscopic survey of the inner Galactic plane, in order to complement the many continuum Galactic surveys available with crucial distance and gas-kinematic information. Our aim is to combine this data set with recent infrared to sub-millimetre surveys at similar angular resolutions. The SEDIGISM survey covers 78 deg^2 of the inner Galaxy (-60 deg < l < +18 deg, |b| < 0.5 deg) in the J=2-1 rotational transition of 13CO. This isotopologue of CO is less abundant than 12CO by factors up to 100. Therefore, its emission has low to moderate optical depths, and higher critical density, making it an ideal tracer of the cold, dense interstellar medium. The data have been observed with the SHFI single-pixel instrument at APEX. The observational setup covers the 13CO(2-1) and C18O(2-1) lines, plus several transitions from other molecules. The observations have been completed. Data reduction is in progress, and the final data products will be made available in the near future. Here we give a detailed description of the survey and the dedicated data reduction pipeline. Preliminary results based on a science demonstration field covering -20 deg < l < -18.5 deg are presented. Analysis of the 13CO(2-1) data in this field reveals compact clumps, diffuse clouds, and filamentary structures at a range of heliocentric distances. By combining our data with data in the (1-0) transition of CO isotopologues from the ThrUMMS survey, we are able to compute a 3D realization of the excitation temperature and optical depth in the interstellar medium. Ultimately, this survey will provide a detailed, global view of the inner Galactic interstellar medium at an unprecedented angular resolution of ~30"., 30 pages. Accepted for publication in A&A. Abstract slightly shortened due to arXiv requirements
- Published
- 2017
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