期刊
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
卷 505, 期 1, 页码 405-415出版社
EDP SCIENCES S A
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/200912127
关键词
catalogs; stars: formation; ISM: clouds
资金
- PPARC
- STFC
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Earth Science Technology Office [NCC5-626]
- California Institute of Technology
- Science and Technology Facilities Council [ST/F003196/1] Funding Source: researchfish
- STFC [ST/F003196/1] Funding Source: UKRI
Context. The majority of stars form in clusters. Therefore a comprehensive view of star formation requires understanding the initial conditions for cluster formation. Aims. The goal of our study is to shed light on the physical properties of infrared dark clouds (IRDCs) and the role they play in the formation of stellar clusters. This article, the first of a series dedicated to the study of IRDCs, describes techniques developed to establish a complete catalogue of Spitzer IRDCs in the Galaxy. Methods. We have analysed Spitzer GLIMPSE and MIPSGAL data to identify a complete sample of IRDCs in the region of Galactic longitude and latitude 10 degrees < vertical bar l vertical bar < 65 degrees and vertical bar b vertical bar < 1 degrees. From the 8 mu m observations we have constructed opacity maps and used a newly developed extraction algorithm to identify structures above a column density of N(H2) greater than or similar to 1 x 10(22) cm(-2). The 24 mu m data are then used to characterize the star formation activity of each extracted cloud. Results. A total of 11 303 clouds have been extracted. A comparison with the existing MSX based catalogue of IRDCs shows that 80% of these Spitzer dark clouds were previously unknown. The algorithm also extracts similar to 20 000 to 50 000 fragments within these clouds, depending on detection threshold used. A first look at the MIPSGAL data indicates that between 20% and 68% of these IRDCs show 24 mu m point-like association. This new database provides an important resource for future studies aiming to understand the initial conditions of star formation in the Galaxy.
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