Global properties of the HI high velocity sky, a statistical investigation based on the LAB survey

TL;DR

This study analyzes the properties and structure of high velocity clouds (HVCs) in the Milky Way using the LAB survey, revealing multi-phase structures, interaction indications, and implications for halo pressure estimates.

Contribution

It provides a detailed statistical analysis of HVC complexes, identifying their multi-component structure and revising mass and pressure estimates based on new line width measurements.

Findings

HVC complexes exhibit a multi-component structure with cold and broad line regions.

The line widths suggest HVC masses should be scaled up by a factor of 1.4.

Halo pressure estimates need to be increased by a factor of 2.

Abstract

We study the properties of all major HVC complexes from a sample compiled 1991 by Wakker & van Woerden (WvW). We use the Leiden/Argentine/Bonn all sky 21-cm line survey and decompose the profiles into Gaussian components. We find a well defined multi-component structure for most of the HVC complexes. The cold HVC phase has lines with typical velocity dispersions of sigma = 3 km/s and exists only within more extended broad line regions, typically with sigma = 12 km/s. The motions of the cores relative to the envelopes are characterized by Mach numbers M = 1.5. The center velocities of the cores within a HVC complex have typical dispersions of 20 km/s. Remarkable is the well defined two-component structure for some prominent HVC complexes in the outskirts of the Milky Way: Complex H, the Magellanic Stream and the Leading Arm. There might be some indications for an interaction between HVCs and disk gas at intermediate velocities. This is possible for complex H, M, C, WB, WD, WE, WC, R, G, GCP, and OA, but not for complex A, MS, ACVHV, EN, WA, and P. Conclusions: The line widths, determined by us, imply that estimates of HVC masses, as far as derived from the WvW database, need to be scaled up by a factor 1.4. Correspondingly, guesses for the external pressure of a confining coronal gas need to be revised upward by a factor of 2. The HVC multi-phase structure implies in general that currently the halo pressure is significantly underestimated. In consequence, the HVC multi-phase structure may indicate that most of the complexes are circum-galactic. HVCs have turbulent energy densities which are an order of magnitude larger than that of comparable clumps in the Galactic disk.