Journal
ASTROPHYSICS AND SPACE SCIENCE
Volume 285, Issue 3-4, Pages 661-675Publisher
KLUWER ACADEMIC PUBL
DOI: 10.1023/A:1026196825486
Keywords
ISM : clouds; lines
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I review the recent discoveries of variable interstellar absorption lines, widely taken to imply the existence of very small scale (10-100 AU) structure in the interstellar medium. Possible origins of this structure are discussed, and attention is drawn to the fact that most known examples seem to be associated with interstellar shells and bubbles of various kinds. On the other hand, in at least one case (kappa Velorum), the variation appears to occur in the supposedly quiescent cold neutral medium, consistent with earlier studies of small scale structure in atomic hydrogen probed at radio wavelengths. Further work is urgently required to determine the prevalence, mode of formation, and the physical and chemical state of these enigmatic structures. Only then will their implications for our wider understanding of the interstellar medium become apparent.
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