Abstract
We review the physical conditions and the distribution of the three phases which consitute the atomic component: the cold clouds, the warm, neutral medium and the warm, ionized medium. Together, these three phases occupy about ≳ 40% of the interstellar volume and contain half the interstellar mass. The size of the H I disk is comparable or exceeds that of the stellar disk. In the outer Galaxy, a spiral pattern is clearly discernable. We discuss extensively the distribution of the three phases near the sun as well as the physics and the limitations of various probes that have been used to study the atomic component. The ionization of the phases is studied in depth and we conclude that most of the interstellar electrons reside in the warm, ionized medium. We review various determinations of interstellar pressure and its scale height. Finally, we derive the filling factors of the atomic phases as a function of z. [Unless otherwise stated, R 0 = 10 kpc]
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Bahcall, J. N., Schmidt, M. and Soneira, R. M. 1983, Ap. J.265, 730.
Barsuhn, J. and Walmsley, C. M. 1977, Astr. Ap.54, 345.
Belfort, P. and Crovisier, J. 1984, Astr. Ap.136, 368.
Bertaux, J. L., Lallement, R., Kurt, V. G. and Mironova, E. N. 1985, Astr. Ap.150, 1.
Blitz, L., Fich, M. F. and Kulkarni, S. R. 1983, Science 220, 1233.
Bridle, A. H. and Venugopal, V. R. 1980, Nature 224, 545.
Cesarsky, C. J. and Volk, H. J. 1978, Astr. Ap.70, 367.
Cleary, M. N., Heiles, C. and Haslam, C. G. T. 1979, Astr. Ap.,Suppl.36, 95.
Clifton, T. and Lyne, A. G. 1986, Nature 320, 43.
Cohen, R. J. 1981, M.N.R.A.S.196, 835.
Colomb, F. R., Poppel, W. G. L. and Heiles, C. 1980, Astr. Ap. Suppl.40
Crovisier, J. 1981, Astr. Ap.94, 162.
Crovisier, J., Dickey. J. M. and Kazes, I. 1985, Astr. Ap.146, 223.
Deiter, N. H. 1960, Ap. J.132, 49.
Dickey, J. M., Kulkarni, S. R., van Gorkom, J. H. and Heiles, C. E. 1983, Ap. J.53, 591.
Draine, B. T. 1978, Ap. J. Suppl. Ser.36, 595.
Ellis, G. R. A. 1982, Austr. J. Phys.35, 91.
Elmegreen, B. G. 1975, Ap. J.198, L31.
Elmegreen, B. G. 1976, Ap. J.205, 405.
Giovanelli, R. 1980, A. J.85, 1155.
Gordon, C. P. 1971, A. J.74, 914.
Guelin, M., Langer, W. D. and Wilson, R. W. 1982, Astr. Ap.107, 107.
Field, G. B. 1959, Ap. J.129, 551.
Field, G. B., Goldsmith, D. W. and Habing, H. J. 1969, Ap. J.155, L149.
Heiles, C. 1967, Ap. J. Suppl. Ser.15, 97.
Heiles, C. and Habing, H. J. 1974, Astr. Ap. Suppl.14, 1.
Heiles, C. 1976, Ap. J.204, 379.
Heiles, C. 1979, Ap. J.229, 533.
Heiles, C. 1980, Ap. J.235, 833.
Heiles, C. 1984, Ap. J.55, 585.
Henderson, A. P., Jackson, P. D. and Kerr, F. J. 1982, Ap. J.263, 116.
Hobbs, L. 1974, Ap. J.191, 395.
Jenkins, E. B., Jura, M., and Loewenstein, M. 1983, Ap. J.270, 88.
Kalberla, P. M. W., Mebold, U. and Reich, W. 1980, Astr. Ap.82, 275.
Kalberla, P. M. W., Schwarz, U. J. and Goss, W. M. 1985, Astr. Ap.144, 27.
Kulkarni, S. R., Blitz, L., and Heiles, C. 1982, Ap. J.259, L63.
Kulkarni, S. R. 1983, Ph. D. Thesis, U. C. Berkeley.
Kulkarni, S. R., Turner, K. C., Heiles, C. and Dickey, J. M. 1985, Ap. J. Suppl.57, 631.
Kulkarni, S. R. and Fich, M. 1985, Ap. J.289, 792.
Kulkarni, S. R., Dickey, J. M. and Heiles, C. 1985, Ap. J.281, 796.
Kulkarni, S. R. and Mathieu, R. 1986, Space Astr.118, 531.
Kulkarni, S. R. and Heiles, C. 1986, Ch. 3 in Galactic and Extragalactic Radio Astronomy (Eds. K. I. Kellerman and G. L. Verschuur), submitted.
Lazareff, B. 1975, Astr. Ap.42, 225.
Lindblad, P. O., Grape, K., Sandquist, A. and Scheler, J. 1973, Ap. Astr.24, 309.
Liszt, H. 1983, Ap. J.275, 163.
Lockman, F. J. 1984, Ap. J.283, 90.,
Lockman, F. J., Hobbs, L. M. and Shull, M. J. 1986, Ap. J.301, 380.
Lyne, A. G., Manchester, R. N. and Taylor, J. H, 1985, M.N. R.A. S.213, 613.
Manchester, R. N. and Taylor, J. H. 1977, Pulsars (Freeman:San Francisco).
Mathis, J. S. 1986, Ap. J.301, 423.
McKee, C. F. and Ostriker, J. P. 1977, Ap. J.196, 565.
McKee, C. F., van Buren, D. and Lazareff, B. 1984, Ap. J.278, L115.
Mebold, U. 1972, Astr. Ap.19, 13.
Mebold, U., Winnberg, A., Kalberla, P. M. W. and Goss, W. M. 1982, Astrr. Ap.115, 223.
Mirabel, I. F. 1982, Ap. J.256, 112.
Nichols-Bohlin, J. and Fesen, R. A. 1986, A. J.92, 642.
Pottasch, S. R., Wesselius, P. R., and van Duinen, R. J. 1979, Astr. Ap.74, L15.
Radhakrishnan, V., Murray, J. D., Lockhart, P. and Whittle, R. P. J. 1972, Ap. J. Suppl. Ser.24, 15.
Raimond, E. 1966, Bull. Astr. Inst. Netherlands 18, 191.
Readhead, A. C. S. and Duffet-Smith, P. J. 1975, Astr. Ap.42, 151.
Reynolds, R. J., Roesler, F. L. and Scherb, F. 1977, Ap. J.211, 115.
Reynolds, R. J. 1982, A. J.87, 306.
Reynolds, R. J. 1984, Ap. J.282, 191.
Reynolds, R. J. 1985, Ap. J.285, 256.
Reynolds, R. J. 1986, preprint.
Schwarz, U. J. and van Woerden, H. 1974, in IAU Symposium on Galactic Radio Astronomy, Eds. F. J. Kerr and S. C. Simonson (Reidel:Dordrecht).
Spitzer, L. Jr. and Tomasko, 1968, Ap. J.152, 971.
Spitzer, L. and Jenkins, E. B. 1975, Ann. Rev. Astr. Ap.13, 133.
Spitzer, L. Jr. 1978, Physical Processes in the Interstellar Medium (John Wiley:New York).
Stacey, G. J., Viscuso, P. J., Fuller, C. E., and Kurtz, N. T. 1985, Ap. J.289, 803.
Thaddeus, P.1982, Ann. New York. Acad. Sci.395, 9.
van Dischoeck E. F. and Black, J. H. 1986, preprint.
Verschuur, G. L. 1975, Ann. Rev. Astr. Astrophys.13, 257.
Vivekanand, M. and Narayan, R. 1982, J. Ap. Astr.3, 399.
Watson, W. D. 1978, Ann. Rev. Astr. Ap.16, 585.
Weaver, H. F. and Williams, D. R. W. 1973, Astr. Ap. Suppl.8, 1.
Wesselius, P. R. and Fejes, I 1973, Astr. Ap.24, 15.
York, D. G. and Frisch, P. 1984, I.A.U. Colloq.81, 3 (NASA Conf. Publ. 2345).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1987 D. Reidel Publishing Company
About this paper
Cite this paper
Kulkarni, S.R., Heiles, C. (1987). The Atomic Component. In: Hollenbach, D.J., Thronson, H.A. (eds) Interstellar Processes. Astrophysics and Space Science Library, vol 134. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-3861-8_5
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-3861-8_5
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-90-277-2485-4
Online ISBN: 978-94-009-3861-8
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive