2002 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Large-Scale Far-Infrared Spectroscopic Study of the Galactic Center Region with High Spatial Resolution
| Project/Area Number |
12440055
|
|---|
| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
|
| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
|---|
| Section | 一般 |
|---|
| Research Field |
Astronomy
|
|---|
| Research Institution | THE INSTITUTE OF SPACE AND ASTRONAUTICAL SCIENCE |
|---|
Principal Investigator |
NAKAGAWA Takao ISAS, SPACE ASTROPHYSICS, PROFESSOR, 宇宙圏研究系, 教授 (20202210)
|
|---|
| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
YAMAMURA Issei ISAS, SPACE ASTROPHYSICS, RESEARCH ASSOCIATE, 宇宙圏研究系, 助手 (40322630)
KANEDA Hidehiro ISAS, SPACE ASTROPHYSICS, RESEARCH ASSOCIATE, 宇宙圏研究系, 助手 (30301724)
MURAKAMI Hiroshi ISAS, SPACE ASTROPHYSICS, PROFESSOR, 宇宙圏研究系, 教授 (40135299)
SHIBAI hiroshi NAGOYA Univ., Dep. of Science, PROFESSOR, 大学院・理学研究科, 教授 (70154234)
MATSUURA Shuji ISAS, SPACE ASTROPHYSICS, RESEARCH ASSOCIATE, 宇宙圏研究系, 助手 (10321572)
|
|---|
| Project Period (FY) |
2000 – 2002
|
| Keywords | Galactic center / far-infrared Spectroscopy / far-infrared [CII] line / balloon-borne telescope / star-formation rate / photo-dissociation region / interstellar matter / interstellar radiation field |
|---|
| Research Abstract |
Our previous balloon-borne observations revealed that the far-infrared [CII] line is systematically weak toward the Galactic center. We proposed a hypothesis that this weakness of the [CII] line can be attributed to the soft interstellar radiation field in the Galactic center. This hypothesis can also explain the ubiquitousness of warm molecular clouds in the region. Moreover, this hypothesis leads to an interesting prediction that the star-formation rate in the Galactic center region is low.
However, most of the above discussions relied on observation with very poor spatial resolution, and high-spatial observations had been long-awaited.
In order to check the above hypothesis, we performed high-spatial resolution observations of the far-infrared [CII] line using a balloon-borne telescope. This is a joint project with the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in India. TIFR is in charge of the 1m balloon-borne telescope, and the Japanese group is in charge of the far-infrared Fabry-Perot spectrometer.
We performed two balloon flights in the period of the fiscal year from 2000 to 2002, and made high-spatial spectroscopic observations of Galactic star-forming regions. Furthermore, we analyzed observational results of our previous balloon observations and previous space-borne missions. We thereby obtained very important information to understand the effects of radiation field on interstellar clouds.
Through these activities, we made detailed study of interaction between interstellar radiation field and interstellar matter as a basis of the understanding the physical processed in the Galactic center.
|
