Filamentary structures and compact objects in the Aquila and Polaris clouds observed byHerschel
Year: 2010
Type: article
Abstract: Our PACS and SPIRE images of the Aquila Rift and part of the Polaris Flare regions, taken during the science demonstration phase of Herschel discovered fascinating, omnipresent filamentary structures that appear to be physically related to compact cores. We briefly describe a new multi-scale, multi-wavelength source extraction method used to detect objects and measure their parameters in our Herschel images. All of the extracted starless cores (541 in Aquila and 302 in Polaris) appear to form in the long and very narrow filaments. With its combination of the far-IR resolution and sensitivity, Herschel directly reveals the filaments in which the dense cores are embedded; the filaments are resolved and have deconvolved widths of ~35” in Aquila and ~59” in Polaris (~9000 AU in both regions). Our first results of observations with Herschel enable us to suggest that in general dense cores may originate in a process of fragmentation of complex networks of long, thin filaments, likely formed as a result of an interplay between gravity, interstellar turbulence, and magnetic fields. To unravel the roles of the processes, one has to obtain additional kinematic and polarization information; these follow-up observations are planned.
Source: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Authors: A. Men'shchikov, Ph. André, P. Didelon, V. Könyves, N. Schneider, F. Motte, S. Bontemps, D. Arzoumanian, M. Attard, A. Abergel, J.-P. Baluteau, J.-Ph. Bernard, L. Cambrésy, P. Cox, J. Di Francesco, A. M. di Giorgio, M. Griffin, P. Hargrave, M. Huang, J. Kirk, J. Z. Li, P. Martin, V. Minier, M.-A. Miville-Deschênes, S. Molinari, G. Olofsson, S. Pezzuto, H. Roussel, D. Russeil, P. Saraceno, M. Sauvage, B. Sibthorpe, L. Spinoglio, L. Testi, D. Ward-Thompson, G. White, C. D. Wilson, A. Woodcraft, A. Zavagno
Institutions: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives, Astrophysique, Instrumentation et Modélisation, CEA Paris-Saclay, Université Paris Diderot, Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux, Université Paris-Sud, Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Marseille, Université de Provence Aix-Marseille I, Observatoire astronomique de Strasbourg, Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics, University of Victoria, National Institute for Astrophysics, Cardiff University, Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Astronomical Observatories, University of Toronto, Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics, Stockholm University, AlbaNova, Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris, Université Pierre-et-Marie-Curie, Royal Observatory, UK Astronomy Technology Centre, European Southern Observatory, European Southern Observatory, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, The Open University, McMaster University
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
Funders: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, California Institute of Technology, Imperial College London, Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales, KU Leuven, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Bundesministerium für Verkehr, Innovation und Technologie, Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie, Science and Technology Facilities Council, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Awards: G2144016747, G8509441750
OpenAlex ID: W1972664573