Journal
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
Volume 514, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
EDP SCIENCES S A
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/200912489
Keywords
infrared: ISM; HII regions; ISM: lines and bands
Categories
Funding
- AKARI
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Aims. We investigate the structure of the interstellar medium (ISM) and identify the location of possible embedded excitation sources from far-infrared (FIR) line and mid-infrared continuum emission maps. Methods. We carried out imaging spectroscopic observations of four giant Galactic star-forming regions with the Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS) onboard AKARI. We obtained [OIII] 88 mu m and [C II] 158 mu m line intensity maps of all the regions: G3.270-0.101, G333.6-0.2, NGC 3603, and M 17. Results. For G3.270-0.101, we obtained high-spatial-resolution [O III] 88 mu m line-emission maps and a FIR continuum map for the first time, which imply that [O III] 88 mu m emission identifies the excitation sources more clearly than the radio continuum emission. In G333.6-0.2, we found a local [O III] 88 mu m emission peak, which is indicative of an excitation source. This is supported by the 18 mu m continuum emission, which is considered to trace the hot dust distribution. For all regions, the [C II] 158 mu m emission is distributed widely as suggested by previous observations of star-forming regions. Conclusions. We conclude that [O III] 88 mu m emission traces the excitation sources more accurately than the radio continuum emission, especially where there is a high density and/or column density gradient. The FIR spectroscopy provides a promising means of understanding the nature of star-forming regions.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available