Structure and Kinematics of Sh2-138—A Distant Hub-filament System in the Outer Galactic Plane

Abstract

We present a molecular line study of the Sh2-138 (IRAS 22308+5812) hub-filament system with the aim of investigating its structure and kinematics. Archival CO molecular line data from the Canadian Galactic Plane Survey (CO( J = 1–0)) for the wider region (∼50′ × 50′) and the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (CO(3–2), ^13 CO(3–2), and C ^18 O(3–2)) for the central portion (∼5′ × 5′) have been utilized. Analysis of the CO(1–0) spectra for the extended region in conjunction with the identification of the hub and filament using a column density map and the getsf tool, respectively, reveals a complex structure with the spectral extraction for the central position displaying multiple velocity components. Based on the Herschel 70 μ m warm dust emission, one of the filaments in the extended region was inferred to be associated with active star formation, and is host to a Bolocam 1.1 mm clump of ∼1606 M _☉ . An integrated intensity map of ^13 CO(3–2) emission, constructed from clumps detected at above 5 σ in position–position–velocity space, reveals three filamentary structures (labeled the western filament (W-f), southwestern filament (SW-f), and southeast filament (SE-f)) in the central portion. Velocity gradients observed in ^13 CO(3–2) position–velocity slices point to longitudinal gas flow along the filaments into the central region. Filaments W-f, SW-f, and SE-f were calculated to have observed line masses of ∼32, 33.5, and 50 M _☉ pc ^−1 , respectively. The cloud was found to be dominated by supersonic and nonthermal motions, with high Mach numbers (≳3) and a low thermal-to-nonthermal pressure ratio (∼0.01–0.1).

Keywords

• Interstellar medium
• Interstellar filaments
• Interstellar molecules
• H II regions
• Millimeter astronomy
• Star formation