# Characterising the high-mass star forming filament G351.776--0.527 with Herschel and APEX dust continuum and gas observations

## TL;DR

This study uses Herschel and APEX observations to analyze the structure, mass distribution, and kinematics of the massive, nearby filament G351.776-0.527, revealing its stability and potential for ongoing mass accretion.

## Contribution

It provides a detailed characterization of G351.776-0.527's structure, mass, and kinematic features using combined FIR, submillimetre, and spectroscopic data, highlighting its stability and gas reservoir.

## Key findings

- Main filament width is 0.2 pc.
- Total mass of the network is ≥2600 M_sun.
- Region is close to virial equilibrium.

## Abstract

G351.776-0.527 is among the most massive, closest, and youngest filaments in the inner Galactic plane and therefore it is an ideal laboratory to study the kinematics of dense gas and mass replenishment on a large scale. In this paper, we present far-infrared (FIR) and submillimetre wavelength continuum observations combined with spectroscopic C$^{18}$O (2-1) data of the entire region to study its temperature, mass distribution, and kinematics. The structure is composed of a main elongated region with an aspect ratio of $\sim 23$, which is associated with a network of filamentary structures. The main filament has a remarkably constant width of 0.2 pc. The total mass of the network (including the main filament) is $\geq 2600$ M$_\odot$, while we estimate a mass of $\sim 2000$ M$_\odot$ for the main structure. Therefore, the network harbours a large reservoir of gas and dust that could still be accreted onto the main structure. From the analysis of the gas kinematics, we detect two velocity components in the northern part of the main filament. The data also reveal velocity oscillations in C$^{18}$O along the spine in the main filament and in at least one of the branches. Considering the region as a single structure, we find that it is globally close to virial equilibrium indicating that the entire structure is approximately in a stable state.