Large Scale Structure and Turbulence: The Mopra G333 Survey

¹ School of Physics, University of New South Wales Sydney, Australia
² KOSMA. I. Physikalisches Institut, Universität zu Köln, Germany
³ Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology, Australia
⁴ Australia Telescope National Facility, CSIRO, Australia

Abstract

We have used the new broadband capabilities of the Mopra telescope to map the distribution of 26 different molecular transitions in an approximately 1 degree square region of the southern Galactic plane (the G333/RCW106 giant molecular cloud complex). The aim is to addresss observationally some of the key questions about the dynamical processes surrounding massive star formation (e.g. massive stellar winds and large-scale galactic flows) and their relative importance in regulating the star formation process. These dynamical processes help drive the turbulent motions, which are ubiquitous in giant molecular clouds (GMCs). The multi-molecular line nature of this survey is what distinguishes it from similar surveys and is crucial for gaining a clear picture of the energetics and dynamics of the gas. Investigating and understanding the chemistry of this region is a necessary part of the project if the molecular line observations are to be interpreted physically.