Related papers: HI-to-H2 Transition Layers in the Star-Forming Reg…
Observations of various molecular lines toward a disk region of a nearby galaxy are now feasible, and they are being employed as diagnostic tools to study star-formation activities there. However, the spatial resolution attainable for a…
Context. The earliest phases of high-mass star formation are poorly understood. Aims. Our goal is to determine the physical conditions and kinematic structure of massive star-forming cloud clumps. Methods. We analyze H$_2$O 557 GHz line…
We present results from JHKs imaging of the densest region of the W49 molecular cloud. In a recent paper (Alves & Homeier 2003), we reported the detection of (previously unknown) massive stellar clusters in the well-known giant radio HII…
We have observed the $^{12}$CO J=2-1, J=3-2, and $^{13}$CO J=2-1 lines in a sample of seven giant molecular clouds in the Local Group spiral galaxy M33. The $^{12}$CO/$^{13}$CO J=2-1 line ratio is constant across the entire sample, while…
The abundance of H2 in molecular clouds, relative to the commonly used tracer CO, has only been measured toward a few embedded stars, which may be surrounded by atypical gas. We present observations of near-infrared absorption by H2, CO,…
The H II region W40 harbors a small group of young, hot stars behind roughly 9 magnitudes of visual extinction. We have detected gaseous carbon monoxide (CO) and diatomic carbon (C_2) in absorption toward the star W40 IRS 1a. The 2-0 R0,…
Using the PMO-13.7 m millimeter telescope at Delingha in China, we have conducted a large-scale simultaneous survey of $^{12}$CO, $^{13}$CO, and C$^{18}$O $J=1-0$ emission toward the sky region centered at $l$=$209.7^\circ$,…
N113 is an HII region located in the central part of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) with an associated molecular cloud very rich in molecular species. Most of the previously observed molecular lines cover the frequency range 85-270 GHz.…
We study the formation of molecular hydrogen on dust grain surfaces and apply our results to the high redshift universe. We find that a range of physical parameters, in particular dust temperature and gas temperature, but not so much dust…
The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) exhibits vigorous high-mass star formation, including the HII regions 30~Dor that is the most active site of star formation in the local group. The present paper focuses on the Giant Molecular Cloud (GMC) in…
We study four lines of sight that probe the transition from diffuse molecular gas to molecular cloud material in Taurus. Measurements of atomic and molecular absorption are used to infer the distribution of species and the physical…
We use a sample of 47 homogeneous and high sensitivity CO images taken from the Nobeyama and BIMA surveys to demonstrate that, contrary to common belief, a significant number (~40%) of HI-deficient nearby spiral galaxies are also depleted…
Understanding water deuterium fractionation is important for constraining the mechanisms of water formation in interstellar clouds. Observations of HDO and H$_2^{18}$O transitions were carried out towards the high-mass star-forming region…
We present a complete map of the Giant Molecular Clouds in M33 and show that they lie exclusively on filaments of HI. The GMCs are localized on the extended HI filaments, and HI filaments extend well beyond the radius where the GMCs are…
A reliable estimate of the molecular gas content in galaxies plays a crucial role in determining their dynamical and star-forming properties. However, H2, the dominant molecular species, is difficult to observe directly, particularly in the…
We investigate the star formation activity in the molecular complex associated with the Galactic HII region Sh2-90, using radio-continuum maps obtained at 1280 MHz and 610 MHz, Herschel Hi-GAL observations at 70 -- 500 microns, and deep…
The molecular gas content of high-redshift galaxies is a highly sought-after property. However, H$_2$ is not directly observable in most environments, so its mass is probed through other emission lines (e.g., CO, [CI], [CII]), or through a…
Aims: We wish to establish whether sequential star formation is taking place at the periphery of the Galactic HII region Sh2-212. Methods: We present CO millimetre observations of this region obtained at the IRAM 30-m telescope to…
We report the results of initial FUSE observations of molecular hydrogen (H2) in translucent clouds. These clouds have greater optical depth than any of the diffuse clouds previously observed for far-UV H2 absorption, and provide new…
H2 is the simplest and the most abundant molecule in the ISM, and its formation precedes the formation of other molecules. Understanding the dynamical influence of the environment and the interplay between the thermal processes related to…