Musca APEX 12CO(2-1), 12CO(3-2) & 12CO(4-3) data

We aim to understand the formation of these dense structures by performing observations covering the ^12^CO(4-3), ^12^CO(3-2), and various CO(2-1) isotopologue lines of the Musca filament, using the APEX telescope.

The observed CO intensities and line ratios cannot be explained by PDR (photodissociation region) emission because of the low ambient far-UV field that is strongly constrained by the non-detections of the [CII] line at 158um and the [OI] line at 63um, observed with the upGREAT receiver on SOFIA, as well as a weak [CI] 609um line detected with APEX. We propose that the observations are consistent with a scenario in which shock excitation gives rise to warm and dense gas close to the highest column density regions in the Musca filament.