Molecular cloud distance determination from deep NIR survey extinction measurements

Abstract

Using near infrared UKIDSS Galactic Plane Survey data, we make extinction measurements to individual stars along the same line of sight as molecular clouds. Using an existing 3D extinction map of the inner Galaxy, that provides line of sight specific extinction-distance relationships, we convert the measured extinction of molecular clouds to a corresponding distance. These distances are derived independently from kinematic methods, typically used to derive distances to molecular clouds, and as such they have no near/far ambiguity. The near/far distance ambiguity has been resolved for 27 clouds and distances have been derived to 20 clouds. The results are found to be in good agreement with kinematic measurements to molecular clouds where the ambiguity has already been resolved, using HI self-absorption techniques.

MNRAS accepted: 07/05/2010

References in corpus (10)

• Trigonometric Parallaxes of Massive Star Forming Regions: VI. Galactic Structure, Fundamental Parameters and Non-Circular Motions
• The Boston University-Five College Radio Astronomy Observatory Galactic Ring Survey
• The UKIDSS Galactic Plane Survey
• The WFCAM Science Archive
• Kinematic Distances to Molecular Clouds identified in the Galactic Ring Survey
• NICEST, a near-infrared color excess method tailored for small-scale structures
• The Slope of the Near Infrared Extinction Law
• Molecular clouds and clumps in the Boston University-Five College Radio Astronomy Observatory Galactic Ring Survey
• The RMS Survey: ${}^{13}$CO observations of candidate massive YSOs in the northern Galactic plane
• High Spatial Resolution Galactic 3D Extinction Mapping with IPHAS

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• Distances to Dark Clouds: Comparing Extinction Distances to Maser Parallax Distances
• Observations of 6.7 GHz Methanol Masers with EAVN I: VLBI Images of the first Epoch of Observations
• Distances to the Supernova Remnants in the Inner Disk
• A statistical study of gaseous environment of Spitzer interstellar bubbles
• HyGAL: Characterizing the Galactic ISM with observations of hydrides and other small molecules -- I. Survey description and a first look toward W3(OH), W3 IRS5 and NGC 7538 IRS1
• Molecular Lines of 13 Galactic Infrared Bubble Regions
• Determining the Age of Young Embedded Clusters