Cloud Disruption via Ionized Feedback: Tracing Pillar Dynamics in
  Vulpecula
  The major physical processes responsible for shaping and sculpting pillars in
the clouds surrounding massive stars (i.e. the `Pillars of Creation') are now
being robustly incorporated into models quantifying the ionizing radiation from
massive stars. The detailed gas dynamics within these pillars can now be
compared with observations. Our goal is to quantify the gas dynamics in a
pillar being sculpted by a nearby massive star. To do this, we use the CO,
$^{13}$CO, and C$^{18}$O J=1-0 emission towards a pillar in the Vulpecula Rift.
These data are a combination of CARMA and FCRAO observations providing high
resolution ($\sim5''$) imaging of large scale pillar structures ($>100''$). We
find that this cold ($\sim18$ K), low density material ($8\times10^3$
cm$^{-3}$) material is fragmenting on Jeans scales, has very low velocity
dispersions ($\sim0.5$ km s$^{-1}$), and appears to be moving away from the
ionizing source. We are able to draw direct comparisons with three models from
the literature, and find that those with lower velocity dispersions best fit
our data, although the dynamics of any one model do not completely agree with
our observations. We do however, find that our observed pillar exhibits many of
the characteristics expected from simulations.
