Very Large Array Observations of Ammonia in Infrared-Dark Clouds II:
  Internal Kinematics
  Infrared-dark clouds (IRDCs) are believed to be the birthplaces of rich
clusters and thus contain the earliest phases of high-mass star formation. We
use the Green Bank Telescope (GBT) and Very Large Array (VLA) maps of ammonia
(NH3) in six IRDCs to measure their column density and temperature structure
(Paper 1), and here, we investigate the kinematic structure and energy content.
We find that IRDCs overall display organized velocity fields, with only
localized disruptions due to embedded star formation. The local effects seen in
NH3 emission are not high velocity outflows but rather moderate (few km/s)
increases in the line width that exhibit maxima near or coincident with the
mid-infrared emission tracing protostars. These line width enhancements could
be the result of infall or (hidden in NH3 emission) outflow. Not only is the
kinetic energy content insufficient to support the IRDCs against collapse, but
also the spatial energy distribution is inconsistent with a scenario of
turbulent cloud support. We conclude that the velocity signatures of the IRDCs
in our sample are due to active collapse and fragmentation, in some cases
augmented by local feedback from stars.
