RAMPS: The Radio Ammonia Mid-Plane Survey

The Radio Ammonia Mid-Plane Survey (RAMPS) is a new 1.3 cm survey of the Galactic plane that will simultaneously image several 23 GHz ammonia lines [NH₃ (1,1), (2,2), (3,3), (4,4), and (5,5)] and the 22.2 GHz water maser line from l = 10^o to 40^o and b = -0.5^o to 0.5^o. RAMPS employs the K-band Focal Plane Array receiver on the NRAO Green Bank Telescope. The main goal of RAMPS is to characterize the Galactic population of dense star-forming molecular clumps by measuring the gas temperatures, column densities, radial velocities, and kinematic distances using the ammonia line ratios. I report results from the survey's first 6.4 square degrees and present large-scale NH3 (1,1), (2,2), and (3,3) integrated intensity maps, gas temperature maps, and column density maps. To date over 500 clumps have been identified and characterized. In addition, RAMPS has now detected 619 water maser sites, most of which are detected for the first time. Only 60% of the water masers are associated with detected ammonia emission. We have also discovered a remarkable star forming region with unusually broad NH₃ lines (ΔV ~ 25 km/s) and a very rare NH3 (3,3) shock-excited maser. Altough located in the Galactic disk, this clump has characteristics usually found in Galactic Center clouds.