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Kee-Tae Kim

Publications and source records attributed to Kee-Tae Kim.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

Multi-scale analysis of the Monoceros OB 1 star-forming region: I. The dense core population

Current theories and models attempt to explain star formation globally, from core scales to giant molecular cloud scales. A multi-scale observational characterisation of an entire molecular complex is necessary to constrain them. We investigate star formation in G202.3+2.5, a ~10x3 pc sub-region of the Monoceros OB1 cloud with a complex morphology harbouring interconnected filamentary structures. We aim to connect the evolution of cores and filaments in G202.3+2.5 with the global evolution of the cloud and to identify the engines of the cloud dynamics. In this first paper, the star formation activity is evaluated by surveying the distributions of dense cores and protostars, and their evolutionary state, as characterised using both infrared observations from the Herschel and WISE telescopes and molecular line observations with the IRAM 30-m telescope. We find ongoing star formation in the whole cloud, with a local peak in star formation activity around the centre of G202.3+2.5 where a chain of massive cores (10-50 Msun) forms a massive ridge (>150 Msun). All evolutionary stages from starless cores to Class II protostars are found in G202.3+2.5, including a possibly starless, large column density (8x10^{22} cm-2), and massive (52 Msun) core. All the core-scale observables examined in this paper point to an enhanced star formation activity centred on the junction between the three main branches of the ramified structure of G202.3+2.5. This suggests that the increased star-formation activity results from the convergence of these branches. To further investigate the origin of this enhancement, it is now necessary to extend the analysis to larger scales, in order to examine the relationship between cores, filaments and their environment. We address these points through the analysis of the dynamics of G202.3+2.5 in a joint paper.

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Magnetic fields in the infrared dark cloud G34.43+0.24

We present the B-fields mapped in IRDC G34.43+0.24 using 850\,$μ$m polarized dust emission observed with the POL-2 instrument at JCMT. We examine the magnetic field geometries and strengths in the northern, central, and southern regions of the filament. The overall field geometry is ordered and aligned closely perpendicular to the filament's main axis, particularly in regions containing the central clumps MM1 and MM2, whereas MM3 in the north has field orientations aligned with its major axis. The overall field orientations are uniform at large (POL-2 at 14$\arcsec$ and SHARP at 10$\arcsec$) to small scales (TADPOL at 2.5$\arcsec$ and SMA at 1.5$\arcsec$) in the MM1 and MM2 regions. SHARP/CSO observations in MM3 at 350\,$μ$m from Tang et al. show a similar trend as seen in our POL-2 observations. TADPOL observations demonstrate a well-defined field geometry in MM1/MM2 consistent with MHD simulations of accreting filaments. We obtained a plane-of-sky magnetic field strength of 470$\pm$190\,$μ$G, 100$\pm$40\,$μ$G, and 60$\pm$34\,$μ$G in the central, northern and southern regions of G34, respectively, using the updated Davis-Chandrasekhar-Fermi relation. The estimated value of field strength, combined with column density and velocity dispersion values available in the literature, suggests G34 to be marginally critical with criticality parameter $\rm λ$ values 0.8$\pm$0.4, 1.1$\pm$0.8, and 0.9$\pm$0.5 in the central, northern, and southern regions, respectively. The turbulent motions in G34 are sub-Alfvénic with Alfvénic Mach numbers of 0.34$\pm$0.13, 0.53$\pm$0.30, and 0.49$\pm$0.26 in the three regions. The observed aligned B-fields in G34.43+0.24 are consistent with theoretical models suggesting that B-fields play an important role in guiding the contraction of the cloud driven by gravity.

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Simultaneous 22 GHz Water and 44 GHz Methanol Masers Survey of Ultracompact HII Regions

We have carried out a multi-epoch simultaneous survey of 22 GHz H$_2$O and 44 GHz Class I CH$_3$OH masers toward 103 ultracompact HII regions (UCHIIs) between 2010 and 2017. We detected H$_2$O and CH$_3$OH maser emission in 74 (72%) and 55 (53%) UCHIIs, respectively. Among them, 3 H$_2$O and 27 CH$_3$OH maser sources are new detections. These high detection rates suggest that the occurrence periods of both maser species are significantly overlapped with the UCHII phase of massive star formation. The CH$_3$OH maser lines always have small (< 10 km s$^{-1}$) relative velocities with respect to the natal molecular cores, while H$_2$O maser lines often show larger relative velocities. Twenty four H$_2$O maser-detected sources have maser lines at relative velocities > 30 km s$^{-1}$, and thirteen of them show extremely high-velocity (> 50 km s$^{-1}$) components. The appearance and disappearance of H$_2$O maser lines are quite frequent over six-month or one-year time intervals. In contrast, CH$_3$OH maser lines usually do not exhibit significant variations in the line intensity, velocity, or shape for the same periods. The isotropic luminosities of both masers appear to correlate with the bolometric luminosities of the central stars. This correlation becomes much stronger in the case that data points in the low- and intermediate-mass regimes are added. The maser luminosities also tend to increase with the radio continuum luminosities of UCHIIs and the submillimeter continuum luminosities of the associated dense cores.

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Galactic continuum surveys with the new 850 micron MKID camera at the EAO/JCMT 15-m telescope

This white paper gives a brief summary of Galactic continuum surveys with the next generation 850 micron camera at the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) in the next decade. This new camera will have mapping speeds at least 10-20 times faster than the present SCUBA-2 camera, and will enable deep (<10 mJy/beam) and extensive continuum surveys such as a wider (-5 deg.<l<240 deg., |b|<2-5 deg.) Galactic Plane survey, a larger Gould Belt survey, and a follow-up survey of all Planck compact objects visible from the northern hemisphere. These surveys will provide a complete census of molecular clouds, filaments, and dense cores across the Galaxy, vital for studying star formation in various environments.

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Cloud G074.11+00.11: a stellar cluster in formation

We present molecular line and dust continuum observations of a Planck-detected cold cloud, G074.11+00.11. The cloud consists of a system of curved filaments and a central star-forming clump. The clump is associated with several infrared sources and H2O maser emission. We aim to determine the mass distribution and gas dynamics within the clump, to investigate if the filamentary structure seen around the clump repeats itself on a smaller scale, and to estimate the fractions of mass contained in dense cores and filaments. The velocity distribution of pristine dense gas can be used to investigate the global dynamical state of the clump, the role of filamentary inflows, filament fragmentation and core accretion. We use molecular line and continuum observations from single dish observatories and interferometric facilities to study the kinematics of the region. The molecular line observations show that the central clump may have formed as a result of a large-scale filament collision. The central clump contains three compact cores. Assuming a distance of 2.3 kpc, based on Gaia observations and a three-dimensional extinction method of background stars, the mass of the central clump exceeds 700 solar masses, which is roughly 25% of the total mass of the cloud. Our virial analysis suggests that the central clump and all identified substructures are collapsing. We find no evidence for small-scale filaments associated with the cores. Our observations indicate that the clump is fragmented into three cores with masses in the range [10,50] solar masses and that all three are collapsing. The presence of an H2O maser emission suggests active star formation. However, the CO lines show only weak signs of outflows. We suggest that the region is young and any processes leading to star formation have just recently begun.

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Submillimeter continuum variability in Planck Galactic cold clumps

In the early stages of star formation, a protostar is deeply embedded in an optically thick envelope such that it is not directly observable. Variations in the protostellar accretion rate, however, will cause luminosity changes that are reprocessed by the surrounding envelope and are observable at submillimeter wavelengths. We searched for submillimeter flux variability toward 12 Planck Galactic Cold Clumps detected by the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT)-SCUBA-2 Continuum Observations of Pre-protostellar Evolution (SCOPE) survey. These observations were conducted at 850 um using the JCMT/SCUBA-2. Each field was observed three times over about 14 months between 2016 April and 2017 June. We applied a relative flux calibration and achieved a calibration uncertainty of ~ 3.6% on average. We identified 136 clumps across 12 fields and detected four sources with flux variations of ~ 30%. For three of these sources, the variations appear to be primarily due to large-scale contamination, leaving one plausible candidate. The flux change of the candidate may be associated with low- or intermediate-mass star formation assuming a distance of 1.5 kpc, although we cannot completely rule out the possibility that it is a random deviation. Further studies with dedicated monitoring would provide a better understanding of the detailed relationship between submillimeter flux and accretion rate variabilities while enhancing the search for variability in star-forming clumps farther away than the Gould Belt.

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Sequential Star Formation in the filamentary structures of Planck Galactic cold clump G181.84+0.31

We present a multi-wavelength study of the Planck cold clump G181.84+0.31, which is located at the northern end of the extended filamentary structure S242. We have extracted 9 compact dense cores from the SCUBA-2 850 um map, and we have identified 18 young stellar objects (YSOs, 4 Class I and 14 Class II) based on their Spitzer, Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) and Two-Micron All-Sky Survey (2MASS) near- and mid-infrared colours. The dense cores and YSOs are mainly distributed along the filamentary structures of G181.84 and are well traced by HCO$^{+}$(1-0) and N$_{2}$H$^{+}$(1-0) spectral-line emission. We find signatures of sequential star formation activities in G181.84: dense cores and YSOs located in the northern and southern sub-structures are younger than those in the central region. We also detect global velocity gradients of about 0.8$\pm$0.05 km s$^{-1}$pc$^{-1}$ and 1.0$\pm$0.05 km s$^{-1}$pc$^{-1}$ along the northern and southern sub-structures, respectively, and local velocity gradients of 1.2$\pm$0.1 km s$^{-1}$pc$^{-1}$ in the central substructure. These results may be due to the fact that the global collapse of the extended filamentary structure S242 is driven by an edge effect, for which the filament edges collapse first and then further trigger star formation activities inward. We identify three substructures in G181.84 and estimate their critical masses per unit length, which are $\sim$ 101$\pm$15 M$_{\odot}$ pc$^{-1}$, 56$\pm$8 M$_{\odot}$ pc$^{-1}$ and 28$\pm$4 M$_{\odot}$ pc$^{-1}$, respectively. These values are all lower than the observed values ($\sim$ 200 M$_{\odot}$ pc$^{-1}$), suggesting that these sub-structures are gravitationally unstable.

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Carbon-Chain Molecules in Molecular Outflows and Lupus I Region--New Producing Region and New Forming Mechanism

Using the new equipment of the Shanghai Tian Ma Radio Telescope, we have searched for carbon-chain molecules (CCMs) towards five outflow sources and six Lupus I starless dust cores, including one region known to be characterized by warm carbon-chain chemistry (WCCC), Lupus I-1 (IRAS 15398-3359), and one TMC-1 like cloud, Lupus I-6 (Lupus-1A). Lines of HC3N J=2-1, HC5N J=6-5, HC7N J=14-13, 15-14, 16-15 and C3S J=3-2 were detected in all the targets except in the outflow source L1660 and the starless dust core Lupus I-3/4. The column densities of nitrogen-bearing species range from 10$^{12}$ to 10$^{14}$ cm$^{-2}$ and those of C$_3$S are about 10$^{12}$ cm$^{-2}$. Two outflow sources, I20582+7724 and L1221, could be identified as new carbon-chain--producing regions. Four of the Lupus I dust cores are newly identified as early quiescent and dark carbon-chain--producing regions similar to Lup I-6, which together with the WCCC source, Lup I-1, indicate that carbon-chain-producing regions are popular in Lupus I which can be regard as a Taurus like molecular cloud complex in our Galaxy. The column densities of C3S are larger than those of HC7N in the three outflow sources I20582, L1221 and L1251A. Shocked carbon-chain chemistry (SCCC) is proposed to explain the abnormal high abundances of C3S compared with those of nitrogen-bearing CCMs. Gas-grain chemical models support the idea that shocks can fuel the environment of those sources with enough $S^+$ thus driving the generation of S-bearing CCMs.

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A particular carbon-chain-producing region: L1489 starless core

We detected carbon-chain molecules (CCMs) HC2n+1N (n=1-3) and C3S in Ku band as well as {high-energy excitation lines including C4H N=9-8, J=17/2-15/2, 19/2-17/2, and CH3CCH J=5-4, K=2 in the 3 mm band toward a starless core called the eastern molecular core (EMC) of L1489 IRS. Maps of all the observed lines were also obtained. Comparisons with a number of early starless cores and WCCC source L1527 show that the column densities of C4H and CH3CCH are close to those of L1527, and the CH3CCH column densities of the EMC and L1527 are slightly higher than those of TMC-1. The EMC and L1527 have similar C3S column densities, but they are much lower than those of all the starless cores, with only 6.5% and 10% of the TMC-1 value, respectively. The emissions of the N-bearing species of the EMC and L1527 are at the medium level of the starless cores. These comparisons show that the CCM emissions in the EMC are similar to those of L1527, though L1527 contains a protostar. Although dark and quiescent, the EMC is warmer and at a later evolutionary stage than classical carbon-chain--producing regions in the cold, dark, quiescent early phase. The PACS, SPIRE, and SCUBA maps evidently show that the L1489 IRS seems to be the heating source of the EMC. Although it is located at the margins of the EMC, its bolometric luminosity and bolometric temperature are relatively high. Above all, the EMC is a rather particular carbon-chain-producing region and is quite significant for CCM science.

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The JCMT BISTRO Survey: The Magnetic Field of the Barnard 1 Star-Forming Region

We present the POL-2 850 $μ$m linear polarization map of the Barnard 1 clump in the Perseus molecular cloud complex from the B-fields In STar-forming Region Observations (BISTRO) survey at the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope. We find a trend of decreasing polarization fraction as a function of total intensity, which we link to depolarization effects towards higher density regions of the cloud. We then use the polarization data at 850 $μ$m to infer the plane-of-sky orientation of the large-scale magnetic field in Barnard 1. This magnetic field runs North-South across most of the cloud, with the exception of B1-c where it turns more East-West. From the dispersion of polarization angles, we calculate a turbulence correlation length of $5.0 \pm 2.5$ arcsec ($1500$ au), and a turbulent-to-total magnetic energy ratio of $0.5 \pm 0.3$ inside the cloud. We combine this turbulent-to-total magnetic energy ratio with observations of NH$_3$ molecular lines from the Green Bank Ammonia Survey (GAS) to estimate the strength of the plane-of-sky component of the magnetic field through the Davis-Chandrasekhar-Fermi method. With a plane-of-sky amplitude of $120 \pm 60$ $μ$G and a criticality criterion $λ_c = 3.0 \pm 1.5$, we find that Barnard 1 is a supercritical molecular cloud with a magnetic field nearly dominated by its turbulent component.

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JCMT BISTRO survey: Magnetic Fields within the Hub-Filament Structure in IC 5146

We present the 850 $μ$m polarization observations toward the IC5146 filamentary cloud taken using the Submillimetre Common-User Bolometer Array 2 (SCUBA-2) and its associated polarimeter (POL-2), mounted on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT), as part of the B-fields In STar forming Regions Observations (BISTRO). This work is aimed at revealing the magnetic field morphology within a core-scale ($\lesssim 1.0$ pc) hub-filament structure (HFS) located at the end of a parsec-scale filament. To investigate whether or not the observed polarization traces the magnetic field in the HFS, we analyze the dependence between the observed polarization fraction and total intensity using a Bayesian approach with the polarization fraction described by the Rice likelihood function, which can correctly describe the probability density function (PDF) of the observed polarization fraction for low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) data. We find a power-law dependence between the polarization fraction and total intensity with an index of 0.56 in $A_V\sim$ 20--300 mag regions, suggesting that the dust grains in these dense regions can still be aligned with magnetic fields in the IC5146 regions. Our polarization maps reveal a curved magnetic field, possibly dragged by the contraction along the parsec-scale filament. We further obtain a magnetic field strength of 0.5$\pm$0.2 mG toward the central hub using the Davis-Chandrasekhar-Fermi method, corresponding to a mass-to-flux criticality of $\sim$ $1.3\pm0.4$ and an Alfvénic Mach number of $<$0.6. These results suggest that gravity and magnetic field is currently of comparable importance in the HFS, and turbulence is less important.

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SCOPE: SCUBA-2 Continuum Observations of Pre-protostellar Evolution - Survey Description and Compact Source Catalogue

We present the first release of the data and compact-source catalogue for the JCMT Large Program SCUBA-2 Continuum Observations of Pre-protostellar Evolution (SCOPE). SCOPE consists of 850-um continuum observations of 1235 Planck Galactic Cold Clumps (PGCCs) made with the Submillimetre Common-User Bolometer Array 2 on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope. These data are at an angular resolution of 14.4 arcsec, significantly improving upon the 353-GHz resolution of Planck at 5 arcmin, and allowing for a catalogue of 3528 compact sources in 558 PGCCs. We find that the detected PGCCs have significant sub-structure, with 61 per cent of detected PGCCs having 3 or more compact sources, with filamentary structure also prevalent within the sample. A detection rate of 45 per cent is found across the survey, which is 95 per cent complete to Planck column densities of $N_{H_{2}}$ $>$ 5 $\times$ 10$^{21}$ cm$^{-2}$. By positionally associating the SCOPE compact sources with YSOs, the star formation efficiency, as measured by the ratio of luminosity to mass, in nearby clouds is found to be similar to that in the more distant Galactic Plane, with the column density distributions also indistinguishable from each other.

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The JCMT BISTRO Survey: The Magnetic Field In The Starless Core $ρ$ Ophiuchus C

We report 850~$μ$m dust polarization observations of a low-mass ($\sim$12 $M_{\odot}$) starless core in the $ρ$ Ophiuchus cloud, Ophiuchus C, made with the POL-2 instrument on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) as part of the JCMT B-fields In STar-forming Region Observations (BISTRO) survey. We detect an ordered magnetic field projected on the plane of sky in the starless core. The magnetic field across the $\sim$0.1~pc core shows a predominant northeast-southwest orientation centering between $\sim$40$^\circ$ to $\sim$100$^\circ$, indicating that the field in the core is well aligned with the magnetic field in lower-density regions of the cloud probed by near-infrared observations and also the cloud-scale magnetic field traced by Planck observations. The polarization percentage ($P$) decreases with an increasing total intensity ($I$) with a power-law index of $-$1.03 $\pm$ 0.05. We estimate the plane-of-sky field strength ($B_{\mathrm{pos}}$) using modified Davis-Chandrasekhar-Fermi (DCF) methods based on structure function (SF), auto-correlation (ACF), and unsharp masking (UM) analyses. We find that the estimates from the SF, ACF, and UM methods yield strengths of 103 $\pm$ 46 $μ$G, 136 $\pm$ 69 $μ$G, and 213 $\pm$ 115 $μ$G, respectively. Our calculations suggest that the Ophiuchus C core is near magnetically critical or slightly magnetically supercritical (i.e. unstable to collapse). The total magnetic energy calculated from the SF method is comparable to the turbulent energy in Ophiuchus C, while the ACF method and the UM method only set upper limits for the total magnetic energy because of large uncertainties.

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Multi-epoch VLBI of a double maser super burst

In a rare and spectacular display, two well-known massive star forming regions, W49N and G25.65+1.05, recently underwent maser 'super burst' - their fluxes suddenly increasing above 30,000 and 18,000 Jy, respectively, reaching several orders of magnitude above their usual values. In quick-response, ToO observations with the EVN, VLBA and KaVA were obtained constituting a 4 week campaign - producing a high-cadence multi-epoch VLBI investigation of the maser emission. The combination of high-resolution, polarisation and flux monitoring during the burst provides one of the best accounts, to date, of the maser super burst phenomenon, aiding their use as astrophysical tools. These proceedings contain the preliminary results of our campaign.

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The dense galactic environments of the Milky Way

Star formation takes place in the dense gas phase, and therefore a simple dense gas and star formation rate relation has been proposed. With the advent of multi-beam receivers, new observations show that the deviation from linear relations is possible. In addition, different dense gas tracers might also change significantly the measurement of dense gas mass and subsequently the relation between star formation rate and dense gas mass. We report the preliminary results the DEnse GAs in MAssive star-forming regions in the Milky Way (DEGAMA) survey that observed the dense gas toward a suit of well-characterized massive star forming regions in the Milky Way. Using the resulting maps of HCO$^{+}$ 1--0, HCN 1--0, CS 2--1, we discuss the current understanding of the dense gas phase where star formation takes place.

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Compressed magnetic field in the magnetically-regulated global collapsing clump of G9.62+0.19

How stellar feedback from high-mass stars (e.g., H{\sc ii} regions) influences the surrounding interstellar medium and regulates new star formation is still unclear. To address this question, we observed the G9.62+0.19 complex in 850 $μ$m continuum with the JCMT/POL-2 polarimeter. An ordered magnetic field has been discovered in its youngest clump, the G9.62 clump. The magnetic field strength is determined to be $\sim$1 mG. Magnetic field plays a larger role than turbulence in supporting the clump. However, the G9.62 clump is still unstable against gravitational collapse even if thermal, turbulent, and magnetic field support are taken into account all together. The magnetic field segments in the outskirts of the G9.62 clump seem to point toward the clump center, resembling a dragged-in morphology, indicating that the clump is likely undergoing magnetically-regulated global collapse. However, The magnetic field in its central region is aligned with the shells of the photodissociation regions (PDRs) and is approximately parallel to the ionization (or shock) front, indicating that the magnetic field therein is likely compressed by the expanding H{\sc ii} regions that formed in the same complex.

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A holistic perspective on the dynamics of G035.39-00.33: the interplay between gas and magnetic fields

Magnetic field is one of the key agents that play a crucial role in shaping molecular clouds and regulating star formation, yet the complete information on the magnetic field is not well constrained due to the limitations in observations. We study the magnetic field in the massive infrared dark cloud G035.39-00.33 from dust continuum polarization observations at 850 $\micron$ with SCUBA-2/POL-2 at JCMT. The magnetic field tends to be perpendicular to the densest part of the main filament (F$_{M}$), whereas it has a less defined relative orientation in the rest of the structure, where it tends to be parallel to some diffuse regions. A mean plane-of-the-sky magnetic field strength of $\sim$50 $μ$G for F$_{M}$ is obtained using Davis-Chandrasekhar-Fermi method. Based on $^{13}$CO (1-0) line observations, we suggest a formation scenario of F$_{M}$ due to large-scale ($\sim$10 pc) cloud-cloud collision. Using additional NH$_3$ line data, we estimate that F$_{M}$ will be gravitationally unstable if it is only supported by thermal pressure and turbulence. The northern part of F$_{M}$, however, can be stabilized by a modest additional support from the local magnetic field. The middle and southern parts of F$_{M}$ are likely unstable even if the magnetic field support is taken into account. We claim that the clumps in F$_{M}$ may be supported by turbulence and magnetic fields against gravitational collapse. Finally, we identified for the first time a massive ($\sim$200 M$_{\sun}$), collapsing starless clump candidate, "c8", in G035.39-00.33. The magnetic field surrounding "c8" is likely pinched, hinting at an accretion flow along the filament.

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Galactic HCO+ Absorption toward Compact Extragalactic Radio Sources

As part of the search for the "dark molecular gas (DMG)," we report on the results of HCO$^+$ J = 1-0 absorption observations toward nine bright extragalactic millimeter wave continuum sources. The extragalactic sources are at high Galactic latitudes (|b| > 10$°$) and seen at small extinction (E(B-V) $\lesssim$ 0.1 mag). We have detected the HCO$^+$ absorption lines toward two sources, B0838+133 and B2251+158. The absorption toward B2251+158 was previously reported, while the absorption toward B0838+133 is a new detection. We derive hydrogen column densities or their upper limits toward the nine sources from our observations and compare them to those expected from CO line emission and far-infrared dust continuum emission. Toward the seven sources with no HCO$^+$ detection, CO emission has not been detected, either. Thus the sight lines are likely to be filled with almost pure atomic gas. Toward the two sources with HCO$^+$ detection, CO emission has been also detected. Comparison of the H$_2$ column densities from HCO$^+$ absorption and CO emission suggests a non-negligible amount of DMG toward B0838+133.

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