Structure and Kinematics of Sh2-138—A Distant Hub-filament System in the Outer Galactic Plane

Abstract

We present a molecular line study of the Sh2-138 (IRAS 22308+5812) hub-filament system with the aim of investigating its structure and kinematics. Archival CO molecular line data from the Canadian Galactic Plane Survey (CO(J = 1–0)) for the wider region (∼50′ × 50′) and the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (CO(3–2), 13CO(3–2), and C18O(3–2)) for the central portion (∼5′ × 5′) have been utilized. Analysis of the CO(1–0) spectra for the extended region in conjunction with the identification of the hub and filament using a column density map and the getsf tool, respectively, reveals a complex structure with the spectral extraction for the central position displaying multiple velocity components. Based on the Herschel 70 μm warm dust emission, one of the filaments in the extended region was inferred to be associated with active star formation, and is host to a Bolocam 1.1 mm clump of ∼1606 M☉. An integrated intensity map of 13CO(3–2) emission, constructed from clumps detected at above 5σ in position–position–velocity space, reveals three filamentary structures (labeled the western filament (W-f), southwestern filament (SW-f), and southeast filament (SE-f)) in the central portion. Velocity gradients observed in 13CO(3–2) position–velocity slices point to longitudinal gas flow along the filaments into the central region. Filaments W-f, SW-f, and SE-f were calculated to have observed line masses of ∼32, 33.5, and 50 M☉ pc−1 , respectively. The cloud was found to be dominated by supersonic and nonthermal motions, with high Mach numbers (3) and a low thermal-to-nonthermal pressure ratio (∼0.01–0.1).