| Name | OT1_dhunter_3 |
| Title | Characterizing Molecular Clouds at Low Metallicity |
| URL | http://archives.esac.esa.int/hsa/whsa-tap-server/data?retrieval_type=OBSERVATION&observation_id=1342232282&instrument_name=PACS&product_level=LEVEL0&compress=true |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-91y4pj5 |
| Author | hunter, d. |
| Description | Molecular gas is difficult to detect from traditional millimeter CO transitionsin dwarf galaxies below a certain metallicity. Yet, there is evidence for lots ofmolecular H_2 in these galaxies. Fortunately, Photo-dissociation Regions are abetter tracer of the molecular material in low metallicity systems. In metal-poor galaxies, PDRs dominate the molecular core where CO is found, and in the current paradigm the PDR grows and the core shrinks as metallicity decreases.Thus, we expect critical differences in the molecular clouds of dwarfs compared to spirals, with the differences becoming more extreme with lower metallicity. Yet, understanding these differences and their consequences to star formation is essential to understanding the processes that drive star formation at low metallicities. Therefore, we propose to observe the PDRs in 5 regions in 5 typical metal-poor dwarf galaxies spanning a range in oxygen abundance. We will use these observations to characterize the molecular gas, examine the correspondence between the molecular clouds and the atomic gas and star formation characteristics, and determine the characteristics of the atomic ISM that are necessary for the formation of these dense molecular clouds. We will also test the molecular cloud structure paradigm as a function of metallicity. |
| Publication |
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| Instrument | PACS_PacsLineSpec_large |
| Temporal Coverage | 2011-11-12T15:48:49Z/2012-01-14T09:41:12Z |
| Version | SPG v14.2.0 |
| Mission Description | Herschel was launched on 14 May 2009! It is the fourth cornerstone mission in the ESA science programme. With a 3.5 m Cassegrain telescope it is the largest space telescope ever launched. It is performing photometry and spectroscopy in approximately the 55-671 µm range, bridging the gap between earlier infrared space missions and groundbased facilities. |
| Creator Contact | https://support.cosmos.esa.int/h®erschel/ |
| Date Published | 2012-07-14T07:21:32Z |
| Last Update | 2026-03-02 |
| Keywords | Herschel Space Observatory data, ESA Herschel mission dataset, far-infrared astronomy observations, submillimeter astronomy data, infrared space telescope observations, PACS photometer data, PACS spectrometer data, SPIRE photometer data, SPIRE Fourier transform spectrometer data, HIFI heterodyne spectroscopy data, far-infrared spectroscopy dataset, submillimeter spectral line observations, cold universe observations dataset, star formation infrared data, molecular cloud far-infrared observations, interstellar medium spectroscopy data, protoplanetary disk infrared observations, galaxy evolution far-infrared data, dust emission submillimeter observations, cosmic infrared background measurements, extragalactic infrared survey data, calibrated level 2 data products, FITS files astronomy, spectral cubes far-infrared, flux-calibrated maps, continuum photometry data, spectral energy distribution measurements, ESA Herschel Science Archive data |
| Publisher And Registrant | European Space Agency |
| Credit Guidelines | European Space Agency, hunter et al., 2012, 'Characterizing Molecular Clouds at Low Metallicity', SPG v14.2.0, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-91y4pj5 |