Clumps in NGC 6334 from 450/850um observations

The region consists of several major sites of star formation known previously from far-infrared (IR) and radio-wavelength observations. We present images of NGC 6334 obtained at wavelengths of 850 and 450um with the Submillimeter Common-User Bolometric Array at the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope.

These data highlight the distribution of dense cold dust, a particularly striking feature of which is a narrow ridge of emission passing between most of the star-forming centers. We use a clump-finding technique to quantify the distribution of dust emission throughout the region, and we obtain estimates of the sizes, masses, and temperatures of the clump ensemble under simple assumptions.