The Infrared Extinction Law in the Ophiuchus Molecular Cloud Based on the UKIDSS and Spitzer c2d Surveys

Abstract

Investigating the extinction properties in dense molecular clouds is of significant importance for understanding the behavior of interstellar dust and its impact on observations. In this study, we comprehensively examined the extinction law in the Ophiuchus cloud across a wavelength range from 0.8 μm to 8 μm. To achieve this, we analyzed NIR and MIR data obtained from the UKIDSS GCS and the Spitzer c2d survey, respectively. By fitting a series of color–color diagrams, we determined color-excess ratios EJ−λ/EJ−K for seven passbands. These ratios were then directly converted to derive the relative extinction law Aλ/AK. Our findings demonstrate that the Ophiuchus cloud exhibits a characteristic of flat MIR extinction, consistent with previous studies. Additionally, our results reveal variations in the extinction law with extinction depth, indicating a flatter trend from the NIR to MIR bands as extinction increases. Notably, our analysis reveals no significant difference in the MIR extinction law among the four dark clouds: L1712, L1689, L1709, and L1688. However, distinct variations were observed in the extinction law for regions outside the dark clouds, specifically L1688N and L1688W. These regions displayed lower color-excess ratios EJ−λ/EJ−K in the Spitzer/IRAC bands. This observation lends support to the dust growth occurring in the dense regions of the Ophiuchus cloud.