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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 14 August 2015
The two-dimensional distribution of molecular clouds in the galactic center region has been investigated in the CO 115 GHz line and in the OH 1665 and 1667 MHz lines. As the former is an emission line, we can find molecular clouds without the unavoidable bias to continuum sources which is inherent in a survey of OH absorption lines. Because the CO line is usually optically thick, the brightness temperature of the line is directly related to the kinetic temperature of the cloud. On the other hand, the real optical depth of the OH line can be obtained from the intensity ratio between 1665 and 1667 MHz lines (assuming LTE). From this point of view we have compared the CO and OH observational results.