Fitting a Turbulent Cloud Model to CO Observations of Starless Bok Globules

Abstract

We present observations of five starless Bok globules in transitions of 12CO (J=2-1 and {J=3-2}), 13CO (J=2-1), and C18O (J=2-1) which have been obtained at the Heinrich-Hertz-Telescope. For an analysis of the data we use the model of Kegel et al. (see e.g. Piehler & Kegel 1995, A&A 297, 841; Hegmann & Kegel 2000, A&A 359, 405) which describes an isothermal sphere stabilized by turbulent and thermal pressure. This approach deals with the full NLTE radiative transfer problem and accounts for a turbulent velocity field with finite correlation length. By a comparison of observed and calculated line profiles we are able not only to determine the kinetic temperature, hydrogen density and CO coloumn density of the globules, but also to study the properties of the turbulent velocity field, i.e. the variance of its one-point-distribution and its correlation length. We consider our model to be an alternative tool for the evaluation of molecular lines emitted by molecular clouds. The model assumptions are certainly closer to reality than the assumptions behind the standard evaluation models, as for example the LVG model. Our current study shows that that the results obtained from our model can differ significantly from those obtained from a LVG analysis.