HI and Galactic Structure
Abstract
HI observations in the 21cm line have been a principal tool for investigating the large-scale structure of the Milky Way. This review considers what was learned in the first decade after the discovery of the 21cm line, and how that knowledge has been expanded and refined in subsequent years. Topics include spiral structure, the Galactic nucleus, the thickness of the HI layer, and affairs in the outskirts of the Galaxy. New advances in instrumentation and computing, and a broad attack on problems using information from all wavelengths, are likely to keep HI studies of the Milky Way interesting for years to come.
Cite
@article{arxiv.astro-ph/0203210,
title = {HI and Galactic Structure},
author = {Felix J. Lockman},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:astro-ph/0203210},
year = {2007}
}
Comments
16 pages, 4 figures. Invited review to appear in "Seeing Through the Dust: the Detection of HI and the Exploration of the ISM in Galaxies", eds. A.R. Taylor, T. Landecker, & A. Willis, ASP 2002