The Millimeter Astronomy Legacy Team 90 GHz (MALT90) Pilot Survey

TL;DR

This paper details a pilot survey using the Mopra telescope to identify dense molecular clumps and map them in multiple lines at 90 GHz, informing the design of the larger MALT90 survey.

Contribution

It introduces a pilot survey that optimized target selection and mapping strategies for the comprehensive MALT90 molecular cloud survey.

Findings

Identified 182 candidate dense molecular clumps.

Mapped sources in 16 lines near 90 GHz.

Informed the design of the main MALT90 survey.

Abstract

We describe a pilot survey conducted with the Mopra 22-m radio telescope in preparation for the Millimeter Astronomy Legacy Team Survey at 90 GHz (MALT90). We identified 182 candidate dense molecular clumps using six different selection criteria and mapped each source simultaneously in 16 different lines near 90 GHz. We present a summary of the data and describe how the results of the pilot survey shaped the design of the larger MALT90 survey. We motivate our selection of target sources for the main survey based on the pilot detection rates and demonstrate the value of mapping in multiple lines simultaneously at high spectral resolution.