Astrophysics
At a distance of 8 kpc only, the center of the Galaxy provides a unique testbed for studies about the physics of the interstellar medium and star formation in the nuclei of galaxies. Since it shares many properties of other, more…
We report new observations of the H_2O megamaser in the Seyfert 2 galaxy Mrk348. The line is redshifted by about 130 km s^-1 with respect to the systemic velocity, is extremely broad, with a FWHM of 130 km s^-1, and has no detectable high…
We present a high-resolution spectroscopic study of the envelope of the young Class 0 protostar IRAM 04191+1522 in Taurus. N2H+(1-0) observations with the Plateau de Bure Interferometer and the IRAM 30m telescope demonstrate that the…
In the course of a comprehensive mm/submm survey of massive star-forming regions, a particularly interesting object has been found in the surroundings of the bright FIR source IRAS 07029-1215, in a distance of 1 kpc. The object -- named…
We here present an innovative technique to handle the problem of deriving physical parameters from observed multi-line spectra of methanol, based on the simultaneous fit of all the lines with a synthetic spectrum computed under the Large…
In this review, I highlight a number of recent surveys of molecular gas in nearby spiral galaxies. Through such surveys, more complete observations of the distribution and kinematics of molecular gas have become available for galaxies with…
Although far-IR -- mm-wave astronomy has now been developing for several decades, access to this portion of the spectrum remains difficult and limited. Relative to their optical-wavelength counterparts, the submillimeter observatories are…
We have used the KOSMA 3m telescope to map the core 7'x5' of the Galactic massive star forming region W3Main in the two fine structure lines of atomic carbon and four mid-J transitions of CO and 13CO. In combination with a map of singly…
The topic of the stellar "original mass function" has a nearly 50 year history,dating to the publication in 1955 of Salpeter's seminal paper. In this review I discuss the many more recent results that have emerged on the initial mass…
Observations of Carbon bearing species are among the most important diagnostic probes of ongoing star formation. CO is a surrogate for H$_2$ and is found in the vicinity of star formation sites. There, [CI] emission is thought to outline…
In recent years large efforts have been made to detect molecular gas towards high redshifted objects. Up to now the literature reports on only two cases of CO-detection in quasars at a redshift between 1 and 2 - Q0957+561, a gravitationally…
One of the most informative techniques of studying magnetic fields in molecular clouds is based on the use of starlight polarization and polarized emission arising from aligned dust. How reliable the interpretation of the polarization maps…
We present results from an extensive survey of molecular gas in nearby dwarf galaxies. This survey consists of a single-dish search for CO emission at the UASO Kitt Peak 12m telescope and interferometric follow-up using the…
We report on high-angular resolution observations of a dense core in the cirrus cloud MCLD123.5+24.9 obtained with the PdB and the OVRO interferometers. Our maps show substructures down to the scale of the beam (~ 1000 AU). The chosen…
A major limitation and a continuing source of confusion in the interpretation of molecular line observations has been the large degree of chemical complexity that is observed in star-forming molecular cores. The past decade has seen…
This paper explores the sensitivity of line profiles of H2D+, HCO+ and N2H+, observed towards the center of L1544, to various kinematic and chemical parameters. The total width of the H2D+ line can be matched by a static model and by models…
Molecular lines hold valuable information on the physical and chemical composition of disks around young stars, the likely progenitors of planetary systems. This invited contribution discusses techniques to calculate the molecular emission…
In this contribution we present new near-infrared (NIR) data on the quasar 3C 48 and its host galaxy, obtained with ISAAC at the Very Large Telescope (ESO, Chile). The NIR images and spectra reveal a reddening of several magnitudes caused…
How does turbulence contribute to the formation and structure of the dense interstellar medium (ISM)? Molecular clouds are dense, high-pressure objects. It is usually argued that gravitational confinement causes the high pressures, and that…
The likely merger process and the properties of the stellar populations in the I Zw 1 host galaxy are analyzed on the basis of multi-wavelength observations (with the ISAAC camera at the Very Large Telescope (VLT/UT1) of the European…