Related papers: AU Scale Structures in Extra-planar Gas
We present two sets of grid-based hydrodynamical simulations of high-velocity clouds (HVCs) traveling through the diffuse, hot Galactic halo. These HI clouds have been suggested to provide fuel for ongoing star formation in the Galactic…
Based on 19 high-resolution N-body/gas-dynamical galaxy formation simulations in the LCDM cosmology it is shown, that for a galaxy like the Milky Way, in addition to the baryonic mass of the galaxy itself, about 70% extra baryonic mass…
We report the first direct detection of molecular hydrogen associated with the Galactic nuclear wind. The Far-Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer spectrum of LS 4825, a B1 Ib-II star at $l,b$ = 1.67$^{\circ}$,$-$6.63$^{\circ}$ lying $d$ =…
Various dynamically important extragalactic large-scale structures in the local Universe lie behind the Milky Way. Most of these structures (predicted and unexpected) have only recently been made ``visible'' through dedicated deep surveys…
High Velocity Clouds (HVCs) have recently attracted renewed attention as being long lived, massive dark matter dominated clouds of primordial composition distributed throughout the Local Group. In this picture the HVCs would contain a few…
Galactic magnetic field (GMF) and secondary cosmic rays (CRs) (e.g. $^{10}$beryllium, boron, antiproton) are important components to understand the propagation of CRs in the Milky Way Galaxy. Realistic modeling of GMF is based on the…
We review here the main direct or indirect ways to detect the possible presence of large amounts of cold molecular hydrogen in the outer parts of disk galaxies, an hypothesis that we have recently developed. Direct ways range from H2…
We analyze an adaptive mesh refinement hydrodynamic cosmological simulation of a Milky Way-sized galaxy to study the cold gas in the halo. HI observations of the Milky Way and other nearby spirals have revealed the presence of such gas in…
Atomic hydrogen (HI) is a vital player in the star-formation process in galaxies. It is the raw fuel for making molecules, an important shielding agent against interstellar radiation, and a buffer that soaks up the energy and momentum of…
We present high-resolution (<0.7") ground-based images of the edge-on spiral galaxies NGC 891 (D=9.5 Mpc) and NGC 4013 (D=17 Mpc) acquired with the WIYN 3.5-m telescope. These BVI + H-alpha images reveal complex webs of dusty interstellar…
There is a robust polyatomic chemistry in diffuse, partially-molecular interstellar gas that is readily accessible in absorption at radio/mm/sub-mm wavelengths. Accurate column densities are derived owing to the weak internal excitation, so…
The high-velocity cloud (HVC) Complex A is a probe of the physical conditions in the Galactic halo. The kinematics, morphology, distance, and metallicity of Complex A indicate that it represents new material that is accreting onto the…
The Milky Way is acquiring gas from infalling high-velocity clouds. The material enters a disk-halo interface that in many places is populated with HI clouds that have been ejected from the disk through processes linked to star formation.…
The Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) is the way station at the heart of our Milky Way Galaxy, connecting gas flowing in from Galactic scales with the central nucleus. Key open questions remain about its 3-D structure, star formation properties,…
The processes taking place in the outermost reaches of spiral disks (the 'proto-disk') are intimately connected to the build-up of mass and angular momentum in galaxies. The thinness of spiral disks suggests that the activity is mostly…
Our galaxy is the nearest known quasar absorption line system, and it uniquely provides us with an opportunity to probe multiple lines of sight through the same galaxy. This is essential for our interpretations of the complex kinematic…
We report ultraviolet spectra of Galactic high-velocity clouds (HVCs) in Complex C, taken by the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), together with new 21-cm spectra from the Green Bank Telescope. The wide…
Optical depth variations in the Galactic neutral interstellar medium (ISM) with spatial scales from hundreds to thousands of astronomical units have been observed through HI absorption against pulsars and continuum sources, while extremely…
A recent discovery of two stellar clusters associated with the diffuse high-latitude cloud HRK 81.4-77.8 has important implications for star formation in the Galactic halo. We derive a plausible distance estimate to HRK 81.4-77.8 primarily…
Detailed studies of stellar populations in the halos of the Milky Way and the Andromeda (M 31) galaxies have shown increasing numbers of tidal streams and dwarf galaxies, attesting to a complicated and on-going process of hierarchical…