Publication Abstracts

White 1977

White, R.E., 1977: Microturbulence, systematic motions, and line formation in molecular clouds. Astrophys. J., 211, 744-754, doi:10.1086/154985.

Microturbulence and systematic motions are viewed as simplifying assumptions made to facilitate treatment of line formation in molecular clouds, and line intensities calculated in the two approximations are compared to estimate how uncertainties about the actual line-broadening mechanism affect the interpretation of molecular emission lines. For lines formed by two-level molecules in an isothermal homogeneous cloud, the alternative assumptions lead to peak and integrated line intensities which agree within the differences (up to a factor of 3) associated with the ignorance of cloud geometry. New multilevel calculations for CO in the same cloud model bear out the generality of this result. It follows that, within the geometrical uncertainties, the Sobolev approximation may be used confidently in the numerous applications for which this simple cloud model suffices.

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BibTeX Citation

@article{wh06000k,
  author={White, R. E.},
  title={Microturbulence, systematic motions, and line formation in molecular clouds},
  year={1977},
  journal={Astrophysical Journal},
  volume={211},
  pages={744--754},
  doi={10.1086/154985},
}

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RIS Citation

TY  - JOUR
ID  - wh06000k
AU  - White, R. E.
PY  - 1977
TI  - Microturbulence, systematic motions, and line formation in molecular clouds
JA  - Astrophys. J.
JO  - Astrophysical Journal
VL  - 211
SP  - 744
EP  - 754
DO  - 10.1086/154985
ER  -

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