To identify and study outflows, one of the techniques we use is to analyze spectral line data cubes in three dimensional space. Using 3D Slicer, a brain imaging and visualization computer application developed at Brigham and Women's Hospital's Surgical Planning Lab, isosurface models (solid pink representing ¹³CO and transparent purple representing ¹²CO in the above image) are generated and outflows are identified by their sharp spikes in RA-DEC-Velocity space (marked with blue/red points in the above image). Using this visualization technique, over 8 square degrees and 150,000 spectra have been analyzed, and 60 new outflow candidates identified. For more information on the visualization tools and techniques used in this research, check out the Astronomical Medicine Project.

Integrated intensity ¹³CO molecular line map of the same data set shown in Figure 1. The red stars indicate the position of candidate YSOs from the c2d survey, the green diamonds represent HH objects and H2 outflow shock emission, while orange stars represent known outflow sources and IRAS sources not included in the c2d YSO list. Integrated intensity contour maps of CPOCs (COMPLETE Perseus Outflow Catalog objects), indentified using the 3D analysis (see Figure 1), in the region are shown. Redshifted (blueshifted) CPOCs are shown in red (blue) contours. For all panels the x-axis shows the Right Ascension (J2000), and the y-axis shows the Declination (J2000). The telescope beam is shown as a filled black circle in the lower part of each CPOC map. Lines with arrow show the extent of the B5-IRS molecular outflow lobes, including newly identified extensions. The full CPOC catalog and similar images for the rest of Perseus are available in Arce et al. (2010).