FOREST Unbiased Galactic plane Imaging survey with the Nobeyama 45 m telescope (FUGIN): Molecular clouds toward W 33; possible evidence for a cloud–cloud collision triggering O star formation

Abstract

We observed molecular clouds in the W 33 high-mass star-forming region associated with compact and extended H ii regions using the NANTEN2 telescope as well as the Nobeyama 45 m telescope in the J = 1–0 transitions of 12CO, 13CO, and C18O as part of the FOREST Unbiased Galactic plane Imaging survey with the Nobeyama 45 m telescope (FUGIN) legacy survey. We detected three velocity components at 35 km s−1, 45 km s−1, and 58 km s−1. The 35 km s−1 and 58 km s−1 clouds are likely to be physically associated with W 33 because of the enhanced 12CO J = 3–2 to J = 1–0 intensity ratio as $R_{\rm 3\mbox{-}2/1\mbox{-}0} > 1.0$ due to the ultraviolet irradiation by OB stars, and morphological correspondence between the distributions of molecular gas and the infrared and radio continuum emissions excited by high-mass stars. The two clouds show complementary distributions around W 33. The velocity separation is too large to be gravitationally bound, and yet not explained by expanding motion by stellar feedback. Therefore, we discuss whether a cloud–cloud collision scenario likely explains the high-mass star formation in W 33.