Abstract
We carry out a systematic study of HI shells and supershells in the first Galactic quadrant (l = $32^{\circ}$ to $77^{\circ}$, b = $-10^{\circ}$ to $10^{\circ}$) using the "Inner-Galaxy Arecibo L-band Feed Array (I-GALFA)" HI 21-cm survey data. The high-resolution (3.'4) and high sensitivity (0.2 K) of the survey provide us an opportunity to exploit the true nature of the sources detected in previous low-resolution studies and also to detect faint and/or small shells that were not detectable before. Our work is composed of three parts: (1) confirm the objects in the low-resolution (about 30') catalog of Heiles (1979), (2) search for fast-expanding HI shells associated with Galactic supernova remnants (SNRs), and (3) search for new shell structures. Among the 21 Heiles' supershells in the I-GALFA survey area, we confirm fourteen. The high resolution data reveal their complex morphology, and provide direct evidence for expansion in some sources. Among the 39 Galactic SNRs in the survey area, we find five with associated fast expanding HI shells, which is consistent with previous results. A remarkable result from the SNR study is the detection of HI gas at very high negative velocities in the SNR W44 that should be from the approaching part of the HI expanding shell. This is the first time to detect both the approaching and receding sides of an expanding shell in HI 21-cm emission line in SNRs. We have found 33 new shell candidates of angular sizes ranging from 0.5 to 6.5 degrees, half of which appear to be expanding. We summarize these results and discuss some individual interesting objects in detail.
(Seoul National University)