Insights on molecular cloud structure

Author(s)

João Alves, Marco Lombardi, Charles Lada

Abstract

Stars form in the densest regions of clouds of cold molecular hydrogen.

Measuring structure in these clouds is far from trivial as 99% of the

mass of a molecular cloud is inaccessible to direct observation. Over

the last decade we have been developing an alternative, more robust

density tracer technique based on dust extinction measurements towards

background starlight. The new technique does not suffer from the

complications plaguing the more conventional molecular line and dust

emission techniques, and when used with these can provide unique views

on cloud chemistry and dust grain properties in molecular clouds. In

this brief communication we summarize the main results achieved so far

using this technique.

Organisation(s)

Department of Astrophysics

External organisation(s)

Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

Volume

270

Pages

99-102

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1017/S1743921311000238

Publication date

04-2011

Austrian Fields of Science 2012

103004 Astrophysics

Keywords

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