Multi-Wavelength View of the Interstellar Medium in the Large Magellanic Cloud

You-Hua Chu, PASA, 15 (1), 136
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Introduction

The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) provides an ideal site for observational studies of the interstellar medium (ISM), as its small inclination (30-40tex2html_wrap_inline131) minimizes the confusion along the line of sight, its small distance (50 kpc) affords high spatial resolutions, and its small foreground and internal extinctions (typically Atex2html_wrap_inline133 0.5 mag) offer unobscured views. Interstellar structures of the LMC can be studied in detail across the entire galaxy.

The ISM exists in multiple phases, including ionized gas at temperatures ranging from 10tex2html_wrap_inline135 K to several 10tex2html_wrap_inline137 K, neutral atomic gas, and molecular gas. To achieve a comprehensive understanding of the physical structure and evolution of the ISM, one must study all of these components. Interstellar gas in different physical conditions emits preferentially in different wavelength ranges, while the sophistication of observing facilities for these wavelengths has been advancing disparately. It is not until recently that high-resolution radio and X-ray images of the LMC have become available. We are finally able to examine the multiple-phase ISM of the LMC at multiple wavelengths in great detail.


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