Essential Radio Astronomy

Appendix E Essential Equations

The specific intensity Iν of radiation is defined by

Iν≡d⁢P(cos⁡θ⁢d⁢σ)⁢d⁢ν⁢d⁢Ω, (2.2)

where d⁢P is the power received by a detector with projected area (cos⁡θ⁢d⁢σ) in the solid angle d⁢Ω and in the frequency range ν to ν+d⁢ν. Likewise Iλ is the brightness per unit wavelength:

Iλ≡d⁢P(cos⁡θ⁢d⁢σ)⁢d⁢λ⁢d⁢Ω. (2.3)

These two quantities are related by

IλIν=|d⁢νd⁢λ|=cλ2=ν2c. (2.5)

The flux density Sν of a source is the spectral power received per unit detector area:

Sν≡∫sourceIν(θ,ϕ)cosθdΩ. (2.9)

If the source is compact enough that cos⁡θ≈1 then

Sν≈∫sourceIν(θ,ϕ)dΩ. (2.10)

The MKS units of flux density are W⁢m-2⁢Hz-1; 1⁢jansky⁢(Jy)≡10-26⁢W⁢m-2⁢Hz-1.

The spectral luminosity Lν of a source is the total power per unit frequency radiated at frequency ν; its MKS units are W Hz-1. In free space and at distances d much greater than the source size, the inverse-square law

Lν=4⁢π⁢d2⁢Sν (2.15)

relates the spectral luminosity of an isotropic source to its flux density.

The linear absorption coefficient at frequency ν of an absorber is defined as the probability d⁢P⁢(ν) that a photon will be absorbed in a layer of thickness d⁢s:

κ(ν)≡d⁢P⁢(ν)d⁢s. (2.18)

The opacity or optical depth τ is defined as the sum of those infinitesimal probabilities through the absorber, starting at the source end:

τ≡∫soutsin-κ(s′)ds′. (2.23)

The emission coefficient at frequency ν is the infinitesimal increase d⁢Iν in specific intensity per infinitesimal distance d⁢s:

jν≡d⁢Iνd⁢s. (2.26)

The equation of radiative transfer is

d⁢Iνd⁢s=-κIν+jν. (2.27)

For any substance in Local Thermodynamic Equilibrium (LTE), Kirchhoff’s law connects the emission and absorption coefficients via the specific intensity Bν of blackbody radiation:

jνκ=Bν(T). (2.30)

The brightness temperature of a source with any specific intensity Iν is defined as

Tb(ν)≡Iν⁢c22⁢k⁢ν2. (2.33)

For an opaque body in LTE, Kirchhoff’s law connects the emission coefficient eν (the spectral power per unit area emitted by the body divided by the spectral power per unit area emitted by a blackbody) to the absorption coefficient aν (fraction of radiation absorbed by the body) and the reflection coefficient rν (fraction of radiation reflected by the body):

eν=aν=1-rν. (2.47)

The spectral energy density of radiation is

uν=1c∫IνdΩ. (2.76)

The Rayleigh–Jeans approximation for the specific intensity of blackbody radiation when h⁢ν≪k⁢T is

Bν=2⁢k⁢T⁢ν2c2=2⁢k⁢Tλ2. (2.79)

The energy of a photon is

E=hν. (2.81)

Planck’s equation for the specific intensity of blackbody radiation at any frequency is

Bν=2⁢h⁢ν3c21exp⁡(h⁢νk⁢T)-1. (2.86)

The total intensity of blackbody radiation is

B(T)≡∫0∞Bν(T)dν=σ⁢T4π, (2.89)

where the Stefan–Boltzmann constant σ is defined by

σ≡2⁢π5⁢k415⁢c2⁢h3≈5.67×10-5ergcm2⁢s⁢K4⁢sr. (2.90)

The total energy density of blackbody radiation is

u=4⁢σ⁢T4c=aT4, (2.93)

where a≡4⁢σ/c≈7.56577×10-15⁢erg⁢cm-3⁢K-4 is the radiation constant.

The photon number density of blackbody radiation is

(nγcm-3)≈20.3(TK)3. (2.100)

The mean photon energy of blackbody radiation is

⟨Eγ⟩≈ 2.70kT. (2.101)

The frequency of the peak blackbody brightness per unit frequency Bν is

(νmaxGHz)≈59(TK). (2.104)

The wavelength of the peak blackbody brightness per unit wavelength Bλ is given by Wien’s displacement law:

(λmaxcm)≈0.29(TK)-1. (2.106)

The flux density of isotropic radiation is

Sν=πIν. (2.109)

The Nyquist approximation for the spectral power generated by a warm resistor in the limit h⁢ν≪k⁢T is

Pν=kT. (2.117)

At any frequency, the exact Nyquist formula is

Pν=h⁢νexp⁡(h⁢νk⁢T)-1. (2.119)

The critical density needed to close the universe is

ρc=3⁢H028⁢π⁢G≈8.6×10-30gcm-3. (2.126)

Redshift z is defined by

z≡λo-λeλe=λoλe-1=νeνo-1, (2.127)

where λe and νe are the wavelength and frequency emitted by a source at redshift z, and λo and νo are the observed wavelength and frequency at z=0.

Redshift z and expansion scale factor a are related by

(1+z)=a-1. (2.128)

The CMB temperature at redshift z is

T=T0(1+z). (2.129)

The radiated electric field at distance r from a charge q at angle θ from the acceleration v˙ is

E⊥=q⁢v˙⁢sin⁡θr⁢c2. (2.136)

In a vacuum, the Poynting flux, or power per unit area, is

|S→|=c4⁢πE2. (2.139)

The total power emitted by an accelerated charge is given by Larmor’s formula

P=23q2⁢v˙2c3, (2.143)

which is valid only if v≪c.

Exponential notation for trigonometric functions is

e-i⁢ω⁢t=cos(ωt)-isin(ωt). (3.2)

Electric current is defined as the time derivative of electric charge:

I≡d⁢qd⁢t. (3.4)

The power pattern of a short dipole antenna is

P∝sin2θ. (3.14)

The power emitted by a short (l≪λ) dipole driven by a current I=I0⁢e-i⁢ω⁢t is

⟨P⟩=π23⁢c(I0⁢lλ)2. (3.17)

Radiation resistance is defined by

R≡2⁢⟨P⟩I02. (3.25)

Energy conservation implies the average power gain of any lossless antenna is

⟨G⟩=1 (3.32)

and

∫sphereGdΩ=4π. (3.33)

The beam solid angle is defined by

ΩA≡4⁢πGmax=1Gmax∫4⁢πG(θ,ϕ)dΩ. (3.34)

The effective area of an antenna is defined by

Ae≡2Pν/Sν, (3.35)

where Pν is the output power density produced by an unpolarized point source of total flux density Sν.

The average effective area of any lossless antenna is

⟨Ae⟩=λ24⁢π. (3.41)

Reciprocity implies

G(θ,ϕ)∝Ae(θ,ϕ). (3.44)

Reciprocity and energy conservation imply

Ae(θ,ϕ)=λ2⁢G⁢(θ,ϕ)4⁢π. (3.46)

Antenna temperature is defined by

TA≡Pνk. (3.47)

The antenna temperature produced by an unpolarized point source of flux density S is

TA=Ae⁢S2⁢k. (3.48)

If Ae≈2761⁢m2, the point-source sensitivity is 1⁢K⁢Jy-1.

For a uniform compact source of brightness temperature Tb covering solid angle Ωs,

TATb=ΩsΩA. (3.56)

The main beam solid angle is defined by the integral over the main beam to the first zero only:

ΩMB≡1Gmax⁢∫MBG⁢(θ,ϕ)⁢𝑑Ω (3.57)

and is used in the definition of main beam efficiency:

ηB≡ΩMBΩA. (3.58)

The height z at axial distance r above the vertex of a paraboloidal reflector of focal length f is

z=r24⁢f. (3.60)

The far-field distance of an aperture of diameter D used at wavelength λ is

Rff≈2⁢D2λ. (3.64)

In the far field, the electric field pattern of an aperture antenna is the Fourier transform of the aperture illumination:

⁢l≡sin⁡θ, (3.69)
⁢u≡xλ, (3.72)
⁢f⁢(l)=∫apertureg⁢(u)⁢e-i⁢2⁢π⁢l⁢u⁢𝑑u. (3.73)

The power pattern of a uniformly illuminated linear aperture is

P(θ)∝sinc2(θ⁢Dλ), (3.79)

where sinc⁢(x)≡sin⁡(π⁢x)/(π⁢x), and the half-power beamwidth is

θHPBW≈0.89λD. (3.82)

The half-power beamwidth (HPBW) of a a typical radio telescope with tapered illumination is

θHPBW≈1.2λD. (3.96)

The two-dimensional aperture field pattern is

f(l,m)∝∫-∞∞∫-∞∞g(u,v)e-i⁢2⁢π⁢(l⁢u+m⁢v)dudv, (3.97)

where m is the y-axis analog of l on the x-axis, and v≡y/λ. The electric field pattern of a two-dimensional aperture is the two-dimensional Fourier transform of the aperture field illumination.

The power pattern of a uniformly illuminated rectangular aperture is

G≈4⁢π⁢Dx⁢Dyλ2sinc2(θx⁢Dxλ)sinc2(θy⁢Dyλ). (3.107)

Aperture efficiency is defined by

ηA≡max⁢(Ae)Ageom. (3.111)

The beam solid angle of a Gaussian beam is

ΩA=(π4⁢ln⁡2)θHPBW2≈1.133θHPBW2. (3.118)

The surface efficiency ηs of a reflector whose surface errors ϵ have rms σ is given by the Ruze equation:

ηs=exp[-(4⁢π⁢σλ)2]. (3.129)

Noise temperature is defined by

TN≡Pνk. (3.149)

The system noise temperature is the sum of noise contributions from all sources:

Ts=Tcmb+Trsb+ΔTsource+[1-exp(-τA)]Tatm+Tspill+Tr+⋯. (3.150)

The ideal total-power radiometer equation is

σT≈Ts[1Δ⁢ν⁢τ]1/2. (3.154)

The practical total-power radiometer equation includes the effects of gain fluctuations:

σT≈Ts[1Δ⁢ν⁢τ+(Δ⁢GG)2]1/2. (3.158)

The Dicke-switching radiometer equation is

σT≈2Ts[1Δ⁢ν⁢τ]1/2. (3.162)

The rms confusion caused by unresolved continuum sources in a Gaussian beam with HPBW θ at frequency ν is

(σcmJy⁢beam-1)≈{0.2(νGHz)-0.7(θarcmin)2(θ>0.17⁢arcmin),2.2(νGHz)-0.7(θarcmin)10/3(θ<0.17⁢arcmin). (3.163)

Individual sources fainter than the confusion limit ≈5⁢σc cannot be detected reliably.

Radiometer input noise temperature Tr can be measured by the Y-factor method; it is

Tr=Th-Y⁢TcY-1. (3.168)

The response of a two-element interferometer to a source of brightness distribution Iν⁢(s^) is the complex visibility

𝒱ν=∫Iν(s^)exp(-i2πb→⋅s^/λ)dΩ. (3.186)

To minimize bandwidth smearing in bandwidth Δ⁢ν, the image angular radius Δ⁢θ should satisfy

ΔθΔν≪θsν. (3.192)

To minimize time smearing in an image of angular radius Δ⁢θ the averaging time should satisfy

ΔθΔt≪θs⁢P2⁢π≈θs⋅1.37×104s. (3.194)

The source brightness distribution Iν⁢(l,m) and the visibilities 𝒱ν⁢(u,v,w) for an interferometer in three dimensions are related by

𝒱ν(u,v,w)=∫∫Iν⁢(l,m)(1-l2-m2)1/2exp[-i2π(ul+vm+wn)]dldm. (3.197)

For a two-dimensional interferometer confined to the (u,v) plane, the source brightness distribution Iν⁢(l,m) is the Fourier transform of the fringe visibilities 𝒱ν⁢(u,v):

Iν⁢(l,m)(1-l2-m2)1/2=∫∫𝒱ν(u,v,0)exp[+i2π(ul+vm)]dudv. (3.198)

The point-source sensitivity (or brightness sensitivity in units of flux density per beam solid angle) for an interferometer with N antennas, each with effective area Ae, is

σS=2⁢k⁢TsAe⁢[N⁢(N-1)⁢Δ⁢ν⁢τ]1/2. (3.203)

The brightness sensitivity (K) corresponding to a point source sensitivity σS and a beam solid angle ΩA is

σT=(σSΩA)λ22⁢k, (3.204)

where ΩA=π⁢θHPBW2/(4⁢ln⁡2)≈1.133⁢θ02 for a Gaussian beam of HPBW θHPBW.

The (nonrelativistic) Maxwellian distribution of particle speeds v is

f(v)=4⁢v2π(m2⁢k⁢T)3/2exp(-m⁢v22⁢k⁢T). (4.34)

The free–free emission coefficient is

jν=π2⁢Z2⁢e6⁢ne⁢ni4⁢c3⁢me2(2⁢meπ⁢k⁢T)1/2ln(bmaxbmin), (4.39)

where

bmin≈Z⁢e2me⁢v2. (4.43)

The free–free absorption coefficient is

κ=1ν2⁢T3/2[Z2⁢e6cneni12⁢π⁢(me⁢k)3]π24ln(bmaxbmin). (4.52)

At frequencies low enough that τ≫1, the Hii region becomes opaque, its spectrum approaches that of a blackbody with temperature T∼104 K, and the flux density varies as S∝ν2. At very high frequencies, τ≪1, the Hii region is nearly transparent, and

Sν∝2⁢k⁢T⁢ν2c2τ(ν)∝ν-0.1. (4.54)

On a log-log plot, the overall spectrum of a uniform Hii region has a break near the frequency at which τ≈1.

The emission measure of a plasma is defined by

EMpc⁢cm-6≡∫los(necm-3)2d(spc). (4.57)

The free–free optical depth of a plasma is

τ≈3.28×10-7(T104⁢K)-1.35(νGHz)-2.1(EMpc⁢cm-6). (4.60)

The ionization rate QH of Lyman continuum photons produced per second required to maintain an Hii region is

(QHs-1)≈6.3×1052(T104⁢K)-0.45(νGHz)0.1(Lν1020⁢W⁢Hz-1), (4.62)

where Lν is the free–free luminosity at any frequency ν high enough that τ⁢(ν)≪1.

The magnetic force on a moving charge is

F→=q⁢(v→×B→)c. (5.1)

The gyro frequency is defined by

ωG≡q⁢Bm⁢c. (5.4)

The (nonrelativistic) electron gyro frequency in MHz is

(νGMHz)=2.8(Bgauss). (5.7)

The Lorentz transform is

x=γ(x′+vt′),y=y′,z=z′,t=γ(t′+βx′/c), (5.12)
x′=γ(x-vt),y′=y,z′=z,t′=γ(t-βx/c), (5.13)

where

β≡v/c (5.14)

and

γ≡(1-β2)-1/2 (5.15)

is called the Lorentz factor. If (Δ⁢x′,Δ⁢y′,Δ⁢z′,Δ⁢t′) and (Δ⁢x,Δ⁢y,Δ⁢z,Δ⁢t) are the coordinate differences between two events, the differential form of the (linear) Lorentz transform is

Δx=γ(Δx′+vΔt′),Δy=Δy′,Δz=Δz′,Δt=γ(Δt′+βΔx′/c), (5.16)
Δx′=γ(Δx-vΔt),Δy′=Δy,Δz′=Δz,Δt′=γ(Δt-βΔx/c). (5.17)

The Thomson cross section of an electron is defined by

σT≡8⁢π3(e2me⁢c2)2. (5.33)

Magnetic energy density is given by

UB=B28⁢π. (5.35)

The synchrotron power of one electron is

P=2σTβ2γ2cUBsin2α. (5.37)

Synchrotron power averaged over all pitch angles α is

⟨P⟩=43σTβ2γ2cUB. (5.42)

The synchrotron spectrum of a single electron is

P(ν)=3⁢e3⁢B⁢sin⁡αme⁢c2(ννc)∫ν/νc∞K5/3(η)dη, (5.66)

where K5/3 is a modified Bessel function and the critical frequency is

νc=32γ2νGsinα≈γ2νG∝E2B⊥. (5.67)

The observed energy distribution of cosmic-ray electrons in our Galaxy is roughly a power law:

n(E)dE≈KE-δdE, (5.70)

where n⁢(E)⁢d⁢E is the number of electrons per unit volume with energies E to E+d⁢E and δ≈5/2. The corresponding synchrotron emission coefficient is

jν∝B(δ+1)/2ν(1-δ)/2. (5.78)

The (negative sign convention) spectral index of both synchrotron radiation and inverse-Compton radiation is

α=δ-12. (5.79)

The effective temperature of a relativistic electron emitting at frequency ν in magnetic field B is

(TeK)≈1.18×106(νHz)1/2(Bgauss)-1/2. (5.85)

At a sufficiently low frequency ν,

Sν∝ν-5/2 (5.89)

and

(Bgauss)≈1.4×1012(νHz)(TbK)-2. (5.91)

For a given synchrotron luminosity, the electron energy density is

Ue∝B-3/2. (5.98)

The total energy density of both cosmic rays and magnetic fields is

U=(1+η)Ue+UB, (5.100)

where η is the ion/electron energy ratio.

At minimum total energy, the ratio of particle to field energy is ∼1 (equipartition):

particle⁢energyfield⁢energy=(1+η)⁢UeUB=43. (5.107)

The minimum-energy magnetic field is

Bmin=[4.5⁢(1+η)⁢c12⁢L]2/7⁢R-6/7⁢gauss (5.109)

and the corresponding total energy is

Emin(total)=c13[(1+η)L]4/7R9/7ergs. (5.110)

The synchrotron lifetime is approximately

τ≈c12B⊥-3/2, (5.112)

where the functions c12 and c13 in Gaussian CGS units are plotted in Figures 5.10 and 5.11. Frequency limits νmin=107 Hz and νmax=1011 Hz are commonly used.

The Eddington limit for luminosity is

(LEL⊙)≈3.3×104(MM⊙). (5.117)

The nonrelativistic Thomson-scattering power is

P=σTcUrad. (5.132)

The relativistic Doppler equation is

ν′=ν[γ(1+βcosθ)]. (5.142)

The net inverse-Compton power emitted is

PIC=43σTcβ2γ2Urad. (5.152)

The IC/synchrotron power ratio is

PICPsyn=UradUB. (5.154)

The average frequency ⟨ν⟩ of upscattered photons having initial frequency ν0 is

⟨ν⟩ν0=43γ2. (5.160)

The maximum rest-frame brightness temperature of an incoherent synchrotron source is limited by inverse-Compton scattering to

Tmax∼1012K. (5.163)

The apparent transverse velocity of a moving source component is

β⊥(apparent)=β⁢sin⁡θ1-β⁢cos⁡θ. (5.167)

For any β the angle θm that maximizes β⊥⁢(apparent) satisfies

cos⁡θm=β (5.170)

and

sinθm=γ-1. (5.171)

The largest apparent transverse speed is

max[β⊥(apparent)]=βγ. (5.172)

The transverse Doppler shift (at θ=π/2) is

νν′=γ-1. (5.180)

The Doppler boosting for Doppler factor δ≡ν/ν′ is in the range

δ2+α<SS0<δ3+α. (5.183)

Thermal and nonthermal radio luminosities of star-forming galaxies are

(LTW⁢Hz-1)≈5.5×1020⁢(νGHz)-0.1⁢[SFR(M>5M⊙)M⊙⁢yr-1] (5.184)

and

(LNTW⁢Hz-1)≈5.3×1021(νGHz)-0.8[SFR(M>5M⊙)M⊙⁢yr-1]. (5.185)

The minimum mean density of a pulsar with period P is

ρ>3⁢πG⁢P2. (6.5)

A rotating magnetic dipole radiates power

Prad=23(m¨⊥)2c3. (6.10)

The spin-down luminosity of a pulsar is

-E˙≡-d⁢Erotd⁢t=-4⁢π2⁢I⁢P˙P3. (6.20)

The minimum magnetic field strength of a pulsar is

(Bgauss)>3.2×1019(P⁢P˙s)1/2. (6.26)

The characteristic age of a pulsar is defined by

τ≡P2⁢P˙. (6.31)

The braking index of a pulsar in terms of its observable period P and the first and second time derivatives is

n=2-P⁢P¨P˙2. (6.37)

At frequency ν the refractive index of a cold plasma is

μ=[1-(νpν)2]1/2, (6.39)

where νp is the plasma frequency

νp=(e2⁢neπ⁢me)1/2≈8.97kHz(necm-3)1/2. (6.40)

The group velocity of pulses is

vg≈c(1-νp22⁢ν2). (6.42)

The dispersion delay of a pulsar is

(tsec)≈4.149×103(DMpc⁢cm-3)(νMHz)-2, (6.45)

where

DM≡∫0dne⁢𝑑l (6.46)

in units of pc cm-3 is the dispersion measure of a pulsar at distance d.

The Bohr radius of a hydrogen atom is

an=n2⁢ℏ2me⁢e2≈0.53×10-8cm⋅n2. (7.6)

The frequency of a recombination line is

ν=RMc[1n2-1(n+Δ⁢n)2],where  RM≡R∞(1+meM)-1. (7.12)

The approximate recombination line separation frequency Δ⁢ν≡ν⁢(n)-ν⁢(n+1) for n≫1 is

Δ⁢νν≈3n. (7.15)

The spontaneous emission rate is

An+1,n≈64⁢π6⁢me⁢e103⁢c3⁢h6⁢n5≈5.3×109(1n5)s-1. (7.23)

The normalized Gaussian line profile is

ϕ(ν)=cν0(M2⁢π⁢k⁢T)1/2exp[-M⁢c22⁢k⁢T(ν-ν0)2ν02], (7.32)

where

Δ⁢ν=(8⁢ln⁡2⁢kc2)1/2⁢(TM)1/2⁢ν0 (7.35)

and

ϕ(ν0)=(ln⁡2π)1/22Δ⁢ν. (7.37)

Rate balance is given by

nUAUL+nUBULu¯=nLBLUu¯. (7.42)

The detailed balance equations connecting Einstein coefficients are

⁢gLgU⁢BLUBUL=1, (7.50)
⁢AULBUL=8⁢π⁢h⁢ν03c3. (7.51)

The spectral line radiative transfer equation is

d⁢Iνd⁢s=-(h⁢ν0c)(nLBLU-nUBUL)ϕ(ν)Iν+(h⁢ν04⁢π)nUAULϕ(ν). (7.57)

The Boltzmann equation for a two-level system is

nUnL=gUgLexp(-h⁢ν0k⁢T). (7.64)

The line opacity coefficient in LTE is

κ=c28⁢π⁢ν02gUgLnLAUL[1-exp(-h⁢ν0k⁢T)]ϕ(ν). (7.67)

The excitation temperature Tx is defined by

nUnL≡gUgLexp(-h⁢ν0k⁢Tx). (7.70)

The recombination-line opacity coefficient is

κ⁢(ν0)≈(ne2Te5/2⁢Δ⁢ν)⁢(4⁢π⁢e6⁢h3⁢me3/2⁢k5/2⁢c)⁢(ln⁡22)1/2 (7.94)

and the recombination line opacity is

τL≈1.92×103(TeK)-5/2(EMpc⁢cm-6)(Δ⁢νkHz)-1. (7.96)

The recombination line brightness temperature is given by

TL≈TeτL≈1.92×103(TeK)-3/2(EMpc⁢cm-6)(Δ⁢νkHz)-1. (7.97)

The recombination line/continuum ratio is

TLTC≈7.0×103(Δ⁢vkm⁢s-1)-1(νGHz)1.1(TeK)-1.15[1+N⁢(He+)N⁢(H+)]-1, (7.98)

where [1+N⁢(He+)/N⁢(H+)]≈1.08.

The electron temperature from the line/continuum ratio is

(TeK)≈[7.0×103(νGHz)1.1 1.08-1(Δ⁢vkm⁢s-1)-1(TCTL)]0.87. (7.99)

Quantization of angular momentum is given by

L=nℏ. (7.100)

The angular momentum of a diatomic molecule is

L=mre2ω, (7.104)

where

m≡(mA⁢mBmA+mB) (7.105)

is the reduced mass and re is the separation of the atoms with masses mA and mB.

The rotational energy levels of a diatomic molecule with moment of inertia I are

Erot=J⁢(J+1)⁢ℏ22⁢I,J=0,1,2,…. (7.107)

For a transition satisfying the selection rule

ΔJ=±1, (7.108)

the line frequency is

ν=h⁢J4⁢π2⁢m⁢re2. (7.111)

The minimum temperature needed to excite the J→J-1 transition at frequency ν is

Tmin≈ν⁢h⁢(J+1)2⁢k. (7.119)

The spontaneous emission coefficient is

AUL=64⁢π43⁢h⁢c3νUL3|μUL|2, (7.131)

where

|μJ→J-1|2=μ2⁢J2⁢J+1 (7.132)

and μ is the electric dipole moment of the molecule.

The critical density is

n*≈AULσ⁢v, (7.135)

where σ∼10-15⁢cm-2 is the collision cross section and v∼105⁢cm⁢s-1 is the typical H2 molecular velocity.

The CO-to-H2 conversion factor XCO in our Galaxy is

XCO=(2±0.6)×1020cm-2(Kkms-1)-1. (7.140)

The Hi hyperfine line frequency is

ν10=83gI(memp)α2(RMc)≈1420.405751MHz. (7.141)

The Hi hyperfine line emission coefficient is

A10≈2.85×10-15s-1. (7.146)

The Hi spin temperature Ts is defined by

n1n0≡g1g0exp(-h⁢ν10k⁢Ts), (7.148)

where g1/g0 = 3.

The Hi line opacity coefficient is

κ(ν)≈3⁢c232⁢πA10⁢nHν10hk⁢Tsϕ(ν). (7.153)

The hydrogen column density ηH is defined as the integral of density along the line of sight:

ηH≡∫losnH(s)ds. (7.154)

If the Hi line is optically thin (τ≪1) then the Hi column density is

(ηHcm-2)≈1.82×1018∫[Tb⁢(v)K]d(vkm⁢s-1). (7.155)

If τ≪1 the hydrogen mass of a galaxy is

(MHM⊙)≈2.36×105(DMpc)2∫[S⁢(v)Jy](d⁢vkm⁢s-1). (7.166)

The total mass of a galaxy is

(MM⊙)≈2.33×105(vrotkm⁢s-1)2(rkpc). (7.172)