https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/202226500019
The LEGO Large Program: Constraining the Physics of Line Emission in Galaxy Observations
1 Haystack Observatory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 99 Millstone Road, Westford, MA 01886, USA
2 Argelander-Institut für Astronomie, Universität Bonn, Auf dem Hügel 71, 53121 Bonn, Germany
* e-mail: jens.kauffmann@mit.edu
Published online: 7 September 2022
The IRAM Large Program LEGO studies molecular clouds in the Milky Way to constrain the physics controlling molecular line emission in galaxies. This is done by imaging two dozen clouds with setups that provide continuous spectral coverage of about 85–115 GHz. To give one example, research in this area permits to “calibrate” extragalactic observations of molecules like HCN and N2H+ to explore how the star formation activity in galaxies depends on their dense gas contents (i.e., Gao & Solomon relation). Interestingly, LEGO and other studies now reveal a substantial cloud-to-cloud variation in line ratios. Once understood properly, this diversity can be used to constrain the properties of extragalactic molecular clouds at great detail. Here we outline the LEGO sample and describe the project status.
© The Authors, Published by EDP Sciences, 2022
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
