Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 May 2016
The molecular gas content in the Magellanic Clouds has been studied, with different spatial coverage and resolution, through obervations of CO(1-0) line emission. In the LMC and the SMC the molecular gas is dominated by clouds whose properties are different from those of their Galactic counterparts. The relation between the intensity of CO emission and molecular hydrogen column density, or the conversion factor X, is different than that of molecular clouds in our Galaxy and depends on the ambient physical conditions. Studying the molecular gas through observations in the H2 emission line may prove an alternative way to determine the molecular content associated with star forming regions in the Magellanic Clouds. In particular, results obtained towards 30 Doradus in the LMC are presented.