Observations towards early-type stars in the ESO-POP survey: II -- searches for intermediate and high velocity clouds

We present CaII K and TiII optical spectra of early-type stars taken mainly from the UVES Paranal Observatory Project, plus HI 21-cm spectra from the Vila-Elisa and Leiden-Dwingeloo surveys, which are employed to obtain distances to intermediate and high velocity clouds. HI emission at a velocity of -117 km/s towards the sightline HD 30677 with NHI=1.7x10^19 cm-2 has no corresponding CaII K absorption, which has a signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio of 610. The star has a spectroscopically determined distance of 2.7-kpc, and hence sets this as a firm lower distance limit towards Anti-Centre cloud ACII. Towards another sightline (HD 46185), HI at +122 km/s and NHI=1.2x10^19 cm-2 is seen. The CaII K spectrum has a S/N = 780, although no absorption is observed at the cloud velocity. This similarly places a firm lower distance limit of 2.9-kpc towards this parcel of gas that may be an intermediate velocity cloud. The lack of intermediate velocity (IV) CaII K absorption towards HD 196426 at a S/N = 500 reinforces a lower distance limit of 700-pc towards this part of Complex gp, where NHI is 1.1x10^19 cm-2 and velocity is +78 km/s. Additionally, no IV CaII K is seen in absorption in the spectrum of HD 19445, which is strong in HI with NHI=8x10^19 cm-2 at -42 km/s, placing a firm although uninteresting lower distance limit of 39-pc to this part of IV South. Finally, no HV CaII K absorption is seen towards HD 115363 at a S/N = 410, placing a lower distance of 3.2-kpc towards the HVC gas at velocity of +224 km/s and NHI=5.2x10^19 cm-2. This gas is in the same region of the sky as complex WE (Wakker 2001), but at higher velocities. The non-detection of CaII K absorption sets a lower distance of 3.2-kpc towards the HVC, which is unsurprising if this feature is indeed related to the Magellanic System.