[CII] emission properties of the massive star-forming region RCW36 in a filamentary molecular cloud

Abstract

Aims: To investigate properties of [CII]158 μm emission of RCW36 in a dense filamentary cloud. Methods: [CII] observations of RCW36 covering an area of ~30 arcmin×30 arcmin were carried out with a Fabry-P\'erot spectrometer aboard a 100-cm balloon-borne far-infrared (IR) telescope with an angular resolution of 90 arcsec. By using AKARI and Herschel images, the spatial distribution of the [CII] intensity was compared with those of emission from the large grains and PAH. Results: The [CII] emission is spatially in good agreement with shell-like structures of a bipolar lobe observed in IR images, which extend along the direction perpendicular to the direction of a cold dense filament. We found that the [CII]--160 μm relation for RCW36 shows higher brightness ratio of [CII]/160 μm than that for RCW 38, while the [CII]--9 μm relation for RCW36 is in good agreement with that for RCW38. Conclusions: The [CII] emission spatially well correlates with PAH and cold dust emissions. This means that the observed [CII] emission dominantly comes from PDRs. Moreover, the L[CII]/LFIR ratio shows large variation compared with the L[CII]/LPAH ratio. In view of the observed tight correlation between L[CII]/LFIR and the optical depth at λ=160 μm, the large variation in L[CII]/LFIR can be simply explained by the geometrical effect, viz., LFIR has contributions from the entire dust-cloud column along the line of sight, while L[CII] has contributions from far-UV illuminated cloud surfaces. Based on the picture of the geometry effect, the enhanced brightness ratio of [CII]/160 μm is attributed to the difference in gas structures where massive stars are formed: filamentary (RCW36) and clumpy (RCW38) molecular clouds and thus suggests that RCW36 is dominated by far-UV illuminated cloud surfaces compared with RCW38.

0

Turn this paper into a lesson

ArcXiv compiles a structured reading guide from this paper's metadata: plain-English importance, contributions, prerequisite concepts, which sections to read first, flashcards, and a quiz. Grounded in the abstract, never invented.

Discussion (0)

Sign in to join the discussion.

Loading comments…