2026ApJ...996...62H

We analyze the hierarchical structure in the Rosette molecular cloud using ¹³CO J = 1-0 data from the Milky Way Imaging Scroll Painting survey with a nonbinary Dendrogram algorithm that allows multiple branches to emerge from parent structures. A total of 588 substructures are identified, including 458 leaves and 130 branches. The physical parameters of the substructures-including peak brightness temperature (T_peak), brightness temperature difference (T_diff), radius (R), mass (M), velocity dispersion (σ_v), and surface density (Σ)-are characterized. The T_peak and T_diff distributions follow exponential functions with characteristic values above 5σ_rms. The statistical properties and scaling relations-i.e., the σ_v-R, M-R, and σ_v-RΣ relations-are in general consistent with those from traditional segmentation methods. The mass and radius follow power-law distributions with exponents of 2.2-2.5, with slightly flatter slopes for substructures inside the H II region. The velocity dispersion scales weakly with radius (σ_v ∝ R^0.45±0.03, r = 0.58) but shows a tighter correlation with the product of surface density and size (σ_v ∝ (ΣR)^0.29±0.01, r = 0.73). Self-gravitating substructures are found across scales from ∼0.2 to 10 pc, and nearly all structures with peak brightness above 4 K are gravitationally bound (α_vir < 2). The fraction of bound structures increases with mass, size, and surface density, supporting the scenario of global hierarchical collapse for the evolution of molecular clouds, in which molecular clouds and their substructures are undergoing multiscale collapse.