Extended [CII] and CO 3-2 mapping of the M17 Nebula
Abstract
We present high-resolution, large-scale maps of ionized and molecular gas in M17. One of the brightest, most massive and young star forming regions in the galaxy, M17 is a unique region with 100s of OB stars that possibly influence star formation in their surrounding clouds through stellar feedback. For the first time, M17 has been fully mapped on a large scale in both the [CII] ionized carbon fine-structure line at 158 $\mu$m as part of FEEDBACK, a SOFIA legacy program studying the interaction of massive stars with their environments, along with new $^{12}$CO and $^{13}$CO ($J=3\rightarrow 2$) maps from APEX. Formerly obtained atomic [CI] emission maps from NANTEN2 are available and upcoming IRAM-30m observations of $^{12}$CO, $^{13}$CO and C$^{18}$O (J=2$\rightarrow$1) are awaited.
Preliminary analysis shows that the ratios of intensities of CO ($J=3\rightarrow 2$) to [CII] emission vary significantly across M17. The new data confirm that there are is a HII-illuminated bright region both in the north and the south, with complex line profiles in all observed tracers and the extended maps showing clumpy, broken up structure. The new large scale maps will enable a comprehensive analysis of the variation of intensity among different ionic, molecular and atomic species and outflows of molecular and ionized gas and the role of stellar feedback in the immediate vicinity of the star forming core, as well as the extended and diffuse regions, where 1000s of stars are shown to be in the process of formation. %\cite{povich_extended_2009, hoffmeister_stellar_2008}%.- Publication:
-
Physics and Chemistry of Star Formation: The Dynamical ISM Across Time and Spatial Scales
- Pub Date:
- February 2023
- Bibcode:
- 2023pcsf.conf..163M