Electron temperatures in the galactic HII regions W43 and M17

Abstract

We present 1.2-arcmin resolution images of the Galactic HII regions W43 and M17 made with the Very Large Array (VLA) at a frequency of 330 MHz; these are the highest resolution images to date of the large-scale structures of these complexes at any frequency. The electron temperature towards the component of W43 that has the highest emission measure, G30.8-0.0, is 5410+/-300K. The electron temperatures towards the components of M17, G15.0-0.7 and G15.1-0.7, are 7600^+700-210 and 8000^+450-220 K respectively. These estimates are consistent with previous estimates based on radio recombination line and continuum observations of these HII regions.