Broad-velocity-width Molecular Features in the Galactic Plane

TL;DR

This study systematically identifies broad-velocity-width molecular features in the Galactic plane using CO survey data, revealing their associations with star formation and potential analogs to high-velocity clouds.

Contribution

It provides the first comprehensive catalog of BVFs in the Galactic disk and analyzes their multi-wavelength counterparts, highlighting their possible origins.

Findings

58 BVFs identified in the Galactic disk

36 BVFs have infrared and radio counterparts, with 15 linked to young stellar objects

8 BVFs are potential high-velocity cloud analogs

Abstract

We performed a systematic search for broad-velocity-width molecular features (BVFs) in the disk part of our Galaxy by using the CO J = 1-0 survey data obtained with the Nobeyama Radio Observatory 45 m telescope. From this search, 58 BVFs were identified. In comparisons with the infrared and radio continuum images, 36 BVFs appeared to have both infrared and radio continuum counterparts, and 15 of them are described as molecular outflows from young stellar objects in the literature. In addition, 21 BVFs have infrared counterparts only, and eight of them are described as molecular outflows in the literature. One BVF (CO 16.134-0.553) does not have any luminous counterpart in the other wavelengths, which suggests that it may be an analog of high-velocity compact clouds in the Galactic center.