Far Ultraviolet Observations of the Spica Nebula and the Interaction Zone

We report the results of our analysis of far ultraviolet (FUV) observations made for the broad region around the ${\alpha}$ Vir (Spica) including the interaction zone of the Loop I and the Local Bubble. We employed the datasets of the GALEX and the FIMS, which made observations at similar FUV wavelengths. First, we noted that the GALEX image was enhanced in the southern region where the interaction zone exists. We attribute this enhanced FUV emission to dust scattering of the stellar photons, mostly from the background field stars with small contributions from the central star Spica. While the region is optically thin in general, the FUV intensity did not correlate well with the dust extinction level, indicating that the local radiation field has significant fluctuations. On the other hand, the GALEX FUV intensity well with the $H{\alpha}$ intensity as well as the dust extinction level in the northern part. In fact, the neutral hydrogen column density correlated very well with the dust extinction level throughout the whole region in consideration. The relationship between the neutral hydrogen column density and the color excess was estimated to be ${\sim}7{\times}10^{21}atoms\;cm^{-2}$, which is a little higher than the previous observations made for a diffuse interstellar medium. The spectral analyses of the FIMS observations showed the enhanced C IV emission throughout the whole region, indicating that the C IV emission arises by the interaction of the hot gases with the shell boundaries. A simple model showed that a large portion of the C IV emission comes from the Loop I side of the interaction zone, compared to the Local Bubble side. The FIMS spectrum also showed indications of the molecular hydrogen fluorescence lines for the interaction zone.