On the Distance and Molecular Environment of Westerlund 2 and HESS J1023-575

TL;DR

This study determines the distance and molecular environment of Westerlund 2 and the associated gamma-ray source HESS J1023-575, revealing their connection to a giant molecular cloud in the Carina arm through CO emission and absorption analysis.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed analysis linking Westerlund 2 and HESS J1023-575 to a specific giant molecular cloud at a well-constrained distance.

Findings

Westerlund 2 and HESS J1023-575 are associated with a giant molecular cloud in the Carina arm.

The cloud has a mass of approximately 7.5 x 10^5 solar masses.

The kinematic distance to the cloud is about 6.0 kpc.

Abstract

The extended TeV gamma-ray source HESS J1023-575 is coincident with the massive, young stellar cluster Westerlund 2 (Wd2) and its surrounding HII region RCW 49. On the basis of an analysis of the CO emission and 21 cm absorption along the line of sight to Wd2, it is argued that this cluster, and by assumption the TeV source as well, must be associated with a giant molecular cloud in the far side of the Carina arm with a mass of 7.5 x 10^5 Mo. Analysis of the spatial and velocity structure of the cloud reveals clear evidence of interaction with Wd2. The cloud's kinematic distance of 6.0 +/- 1.0 kpc is shown to be consistent with distances inferred both from the radius-linewidth relation of molecular clouds and from the foreground gas column derived from 230 X-ray sources in Wd2.