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Session 7 - Molecular Clouds.
Display session, Wednesday, January 07
Exhibit Hall,
Images from the FCRAO CO Survey of the Outer Galaxy are presented. The Survey is comprised of 1,696,800 ^12CO J=1-0 spectra sampled every 50\tt '' between galactic longitudes 102.49^\circ to 141.54^\circ and latitudes -3.03^\circ to 5.41^\circ. It provides the highest spatial dynamic range imaging of the molecular interstellar medium ever obtained. The images reveal a wide diversity of spatial structure within the molecular interstellar medium. We identify several voids with angular extents of 2-5^\circ in diameter which may result from the cumulative interactions of ultraviolet radiation fields and stellar winds from newborn massive stars with ambient interstellar gas. It is demonstrated that a large fraction of the integrated intensity summed over the Survey field originates from regions with low excitation conditions as gauged by the measured peak antenna temperature. Assuming kinematic distances to the observed emission, we derive the radial profile of mass surface density and the variation of the z midplane of the molecular gas distribution with galactocentric radius.
