Disentangling the excitation conditions of the dense gas in M17 SW

TL;DR

This study investigates the physical and chemical conditions of dense gas in M17 SW using multi-transition molecular line observations and radiative transfer modeling to understand excitation mechanisms and magnetic influences.

Contribution

It provides detailed excitation conditions and magnetic field analysis of dense gas in M17 SW based on new high-J CO, HCN, and HCO+ observations combined with radiative transfer models.

Findings

High-J CO lines reveal distinctive excitation conditions.

Magnetic pressure dominates thermal pressure in the gas phases.

Internal motions are likely MHD waves influenced by magnetic fields.

Abstract

We probe the chemical and energetic conditions in dense gas created by radiative feedback through observations of multiple CO, HCN and HCO$^+$ transitions toward the dense core of M17 SW. We used the dual band receiver GREAT on board the SOFIA airborne telescope to obtain maps of the $J=16-15$, $J=12-11$, and $J=11-10$ transitions of $^{12}$CO. We compare these maps with corresponding APEX and IRAM 30m telescope data for low- and mid-$J$ CO, HCN and HCO$^+$ emission lines, including maps of the HCN $J=8-7$ and HCO$^+$ $J=9-8$ transitions. The excitation conditions of $^{12}$CO, HCO$^+$ and HCN are estimated with a two-phase non-LTE radiative transfer model of the line spectral energy distributions (LSEDs) at four selected positions. The energy balance at these positions is also studied. We obtained extensive LSEDs for the CO, HCN and HCO$^+$ molecules toward M17 SW. The LSED shape, particularly the high-$J$ tail of the CO lines observed with SOFIA/GREAT, is distinctive for the underlying excitation conditions. The critical magnetic field criterion implies that the cold cloudlets at two positions are partially controlled by processes that create and dissipate internal motions. Supersonic but sub-Alfv\'enic velocities in the cold component at most selected positions indicates that internal motions are likely MHD waves. Magnetic pressure dominates thermal pressure in both gas components at all selected positions, assuming random orientation of the magnetic field. The magnetic pressure of a constant magnetic field throughout all the gas phases can support the total internal pressure of the cold components, but it cannot support the internal pressure of the warm components. If the magnetic field scales as $B \propto n^{2/3}$, then the evolution of the cold cloudlets at two selected positions, and the warm cloudlets at all selected positions, will be determined by ambipolar diffusion.