scholarly journals The global star formation law: from dense cores to extreme starbursts

2006 ◽  
Vol 2 (S237) ◽  
pp. 331-335
Author(s):  
Yu Gao
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Linear Correlation ◽  
Molecular Clouds ◽  
High Redshift ◽  
Gas Content ◽  
Molecular Gas ◽  
Giant Molecular Clouds ◽  
Active Star ◽  
Dense Cores ◽  
The Galaxy

AbstractActive star formation (SF) is tightly related to the dense molecular gas in the giant molecular clouds' dense cores. Our HCN (measure of the dense molecular gas) survey in 65 galaxies (including 10 ultraluminous galaxies) reveals a tight linear correlation between HCN and IR (SF rate) luminosities, whereas the correlation between IR and CO (measure of the total molecular gas) luminosities is nonlinear. This suggests that the global SF rate depends more intimately upon the amount of dense molecular gas than the total molecular gas content. This linear relationship extends to both the dense cores in the Galaxy and the hyperluminous extreme starbursts at high-redshift. Therefore, the global SF law in dense gas appears to be linear all the way from dense cores to extreme starbursts, spanning over nine orders of magnitude in IR luminosity.

scholarly journals NRO Legacy Project: M33 all Disk Survey of Giant Molecular Clouds with NRO 45-m and ASTE 10-m telescopes

2010 ◽  
Vol 6 (S277) ◽  
pp. 67-70
Author(s):  
N. Kuno ◽  
T. Tosaki ◽  
S. Onodera ◽  
R. Miura ◽  
K. Muraoka ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Surface Density ◽  
Molecular Clouds ◽  
Molecular Gas ◽  
Evolutionary Stage ◽  
Giant Molecular Clouds ◽  
Radio Observatory ◽  
Active Star ◽  
Star Forming ◽  
The Difference

AbstractWe have conducted all disk imaging of M33 in 12CO(1-0) using the 45-m telescope at Nobeyama Radio Observatory. We present preliminary results of this project. The spatial resolution of ~ 80 pc is comparable to the size of GMCs. The identified GMCs show wide variety in star forming activity. The variety can be regarded as the difference of their evolutionary stage. We found that Kennicutt-Schmidt law breaks in GMC scale (~ 80 pc), although it is still valid in 1 kpc scale. The correlation between molecular gas fraction, fmol = Σ(H2)/Σ(HI+H2) and gas surface density shows two distinct sequences and shows that fmol tends to be higher near the center. We also made partial mapping 12CO(3-2) with ASTE telescope. These data show that the variation of physical properties of molecular gas are correlated with the GMC evolution and mass. That is, GMCs with more active star formation and more mass tend to have higher fraction of dense gas.

scholarly journals Major impact from a minor merger

2018 ◽  
Vol 615 ◽  
pp. A122 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. König ◽  
S. Aalto ◽  
S. Muller ◽  
J. S. Gallagher III ◽  
R. J. Beswick ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Brightness Temperature ◽  
Central Region ◽  
Molecular Clouds ◽  
Molecular Gas ◽  
Transfer Model ◽  
Dense Gas ◽  
Giant Molecular Clouds ◽  
Minor Mergers ◽  
Co Emission

Context. Minor mergers are important processes contributing significantly to how galaxies evolve across the age of the Universe. Their impact on the growth of supermassive black holes and star formation is profound – about half of the star formation activity in the local Universe is the result of minor mergers. Aims. The detailed study of dense molecular gas in galaxies provides an important test of the validity of the relation between star formation rate and HCN luminosity on different galactic scales – from whole galaxies to giant molecular clouds in their molecular gas-rich centers. Methods. We use observations of HCN and HCO+ 1−0 with NOEMA and of CO3−2 with the SMA to study the properties of the dense molecular gas in the Medusa merger (NGC 4194) at 1′′ resolution. In particular, we compare the distribution of these dense gas tracers with CO2−1 high-resolution maps in the Medusa merger. To characterize gas properties, we calculate the brightness temperature ratios between the three tracers and use them in conjunction with a non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (non-LTE) radiative line transfer model. Results. The gas represented by HCN and HCO+ 1−0, and CO3−2 does not occupy the same structures as the less dense gas associated with the lower-J CO emission. Interestingly, the only emission from dense gas is detected in a 200 pc region within the “Eye of the Medusa”, an asymmetric 500 pc off-nuclear concentration of molecular gas. Surprisingly, no HCN or HCO+ is detected for the extended starburst of the Medusa merger. Additionally, there are only small amounts of HCN or HCO+ associated with the active galactic nucleus. The CO3−2/2−1 brightness temperature ratio inside “the Eye” is ~2.5 – the highest ratio found so far – implying optically thin CO emission. The CO2−1/HCN 1−0 (~9.8) and CO2−1/HCO+ 1−0 (~7.9) ratios show that the dense gas filling factor must be relatively high in the central region, consistent with the elevated CO3−1/2−1 ratio. Conclusions. The line ratios reveal an extreme, fragmented molecular cloud population inside the Eye with large bulk temperatures (T > 300 K) and high gas densities (n(H2) > 104 cm-3). This is very different from the cool, self-gravitating structures of giant molecular clouds normally found in the disks of galaxies. The Eye of the Medusa is found at an interface between a large-scale minor axis inflow and the central region of the Medusa. Hence, the extreme conditions inside the Eye may be the result of the radiative and mechanical feedback from a deeply embedded, young and massive super star cluster formed due to the gas pile-up at the intersection. Alternatively, shocks from the inflowing gas entering the central region of the Medusa may be strong enough to shock and fragment the gas. For both scenarios, however, it appears that the HCN and HCO+ dense gas tracers are not probing star formation, but instead a post-starburst and/or shocked ISM that is too hot and fragmented to form newstars. Thus, caution is advised in taking the detection of emission from dense gas tracers as evidence of ongoing or imminent star formation.

scholarly journals Head-on collisions: how to bring large quantities of gas out of inner disks

2004 ◽  
Vol 217 ◽  
pp. 420-421
Author(s):  
Jonathan Braine ◽  
U. Lisenfeld ◽  
P.-A. Duc
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Molecular Clouds ◽  
Intergalactic Medium ◽  
Spiral Galaxies ◽  
Molecular Gas ◽  
Hii Region ◽  
Neutral Gas ◽  
Dense Cores ◽  
Clear Cases ◽  
Formation Efficiency

Head-on collisions of spiral galaxies can bring large quantities of gas out of spiral disks and into the intergalactic medium. Only two clear cases (UGC 12914/5 and UGC 813/6) of such collisions are known (Condon et al. 1993, 2002) and in both cases several 109 M⊙ of neutral gas is found in the bridge between the two galaxies which are now separating. About half of the gas is molecular. The gas, atomic or molecular, is brought out by collisions between clouds, which then acquire an intermediate velocity and end up between the galaxies. The bridges contain no old stars and in each case only one HII region despite the large masses of molecular gas, such that the star formation efficiency is very low in the bridges. The collisions occurred 20 – 50 million years ago, much greater than the collapse time for dense cores. We (Braine et al. 2003, 2004) show that collisions between molecular clouds, and not only between atomic gas clouds, bring gas into the bridges. It is not currently known whether the galaxies and bridges are bound or whether they will continue to separate, releasing several 109 M⊙ of neutral gas into the intergalactic medium.

scholarly journals Towards a multi-scale understanding of the gas-star formation cycle in the Central Molecular Zone

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (S322) ◽  
pp. 64-74
Author(s):  
J. M. Diederik Kruijssen
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
High Redshift ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Orbital Dynamics ◽  
Molecular Gas ◽  
Stellar Clusters ◽  
High Redshift Galaxies ◽  
Multi Scale ◽  
The Galaxy

AbstractThe Central Molecular Zone (CMZ, the central 500 pc of the Milky Way) contains the largest reservoir of high-density molecular gas in the Galaxy, but forms stars at a rate 10–100 times below commonly-used star formation relations. We discuss recent efforts in understanding how the nearest galactic nucleus forms its stars. The latest models of the gas inflow, star formation, and feedback duty cycle reproduce the main observable features of the CMZ, showing that star formation is episodic and that the CMZ currently resides at a star formation minimum. Using orbital modelling, we derive the three-dimensional geometry of the CMZ and show how the orbital dynamics and the star formation potential of the gas are closely coupled. We discuss how this coupling reveals the physics of star formation and feedback under the conditions seen in high-redshift galaxies, and promotes the formation of the densest stellar clusters in the Galaxy.

scholarly journals Molecular line ratio diagnostics along the radial cut and dusty ultraviolet-bright clumps in a spiral galaxy NGC 0628

2020 ◽  
Vol 495 (3) ◽  
pp. 2682-2712
Author(s):  
Selçuk Topal
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Molecular Clouds ◽  
Line Ratio ◽  
H Ii Regions ◽  
Giant Molecular Clouds ◽  
Star Forming ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Star Formation In Galaxies ◽  
Molecular Lines ◽  
Co Gas

ABSTRACT Molecular emission lines are essential tools to shed light on many questions regarding star formation in galaxies. Multiple molecular lines are particularly useful to probe different phases of star-forming molecular clouds. In this study, we investigate the physical properties of giant molecular clouds (GMCs) using multiple lines of CO, i.e. CO(1–0, 2–1, 3–2) and 13CO(1–0), obtained at selected 20 positions in the disc of NGC 0628. A total of 11 positions were selected over the radial cut, including the centre, and remaining 9 positions were selected across the southern and northern arms of the galaxy. A total of 13 out of 20 positions are brighter at $24\, \mu {\rm m}$ and ultraviolet (UV) emission and hosting significantly more H ii regions compared to the rest of the positions indicating opposite characteristics. Our line ratio analysis shows that the gas gets warmer and thinner as a function of radius from the galaxy centre up to 1.7 kpc, and then the ratios start to fluctuate. Our empirical and model results suggest that the UV-bright positions have colder and thinner CO gas with higher hydrogen and CO column densities. However, the UV-dim positions have relatively warmer CO gas with lower densities bathed in GMCs surrounded by less number of H ii regions. Analysis of multiwavelength infrared and UV data indicates that the UV-bright positions have higher star formation efficiency than that of the UV-dim positions.

scholarly journals Gas and star formation from HD and dust emission in a strongly lensed galaxy

2020 ◽  
Vol 498 (3) ◽  
pp. 4109-4118
Author(s):  
G C Jones ◽  
R Maiolino ◽  
P Caselli ◽  
S Carniani
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Conversion Factor ◽  
High Redshift ◽  
Spectral Energy Distribution ◽  
Formation Rate ◽  
Gas Content ◽  
Spectral Energy ◽  
Molecular Gas ◽  
Co Conversion ◽  
Single Temperature

ABSTRACT The molecular gas content of high-redshift galaxies is a highly sought-after property. However, H2 is not directly observable in most environments, so its mass is probed through other emission lines (e.g. CO, [C i], [C ii]), or through a gas-to-dust ratio. Each of these methods depends on several assumptions, and are best used in parallel. In this work, we extend an additional molecular gas tracer to high-redshift studies by observing hydrogen deuteride (HD) emission in the strongly lensed z = 5.656 galaxy SPT0346−52 with ALMA. While no HD(1–0) emission is detected, we are able to place an upper limit on the gas mass of $\rm M_{H_2}\lt 6.4\times 10^{11}\, M_{\odot }$. This is used to find a limit on the $L^{\prime }_{\mathrm{ CO}}$ conversion factor of      $\rm \alpha _{CO}\lt 5.8\,M_{\odot}(K\,km\,s^{-1}\,pc^2)^{-1}$. In addition, we construct the most complete spectral energy distribution of this source to date, and fit it with a single-temperature modified blackbody using the nested sampling code multinest, yielding a best-fitting dust mass Mdust = 108.92 ± 0.02 M⊙, dust temperature 78.6 ± 0.5 K, dust emissivity spectral index β = 1.81 ± 0.03, and star formation rate SFR = 3800 ± 100 M⊙ yr−1. Using the continuum flux densities to estimate the total gas mass of the source, we find   $\rm M_{H_2}\lt 2.4\times 10^{11}\, M_{\odot }$ , assuming subsolar metallicity. This implies a CO conversion factor of αCO < 2.2, which is between the standard values for MW-like galaxies and starbursts. These properties confirm that SPT0346−52 is a heavily starbursting, gas-rich galaxy.

scholarly journals The implications of the surprising existence of a large, massive CO disk in a distant protocluster

2017 ◽  
Vol 608 ◽  
pp. A48 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Dannerbauer ◽  
M. D. Lehnert ◽  
B. Emonts ◽  
B. Ziegler ◽  
B. Altieri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
High Redshift ◽  
Formation Rate ◽  
Optical Emission ◽  
Rotating Disk ◽  
Major Axis ◽  
Gas Content ◽  
Molecular Gas ◽  
Star Forming ◽  
Co Emission

It is not yet known if the properties of molecular gas in distant protocluster galaxies are significantly affected by their environment as galaxies are in local clusters. Through a deep, 64 h of effective on-source integration with the Australian Telescope Compact Array (ATCA), we discovered a massive, Mmol = 2.0 ± 0.2× 1011 M⊙, extended, ~40 kpc, CO(1–0)-emitting disk in the protocluster surrounding the radio galaxy, MRC 1138−262. The galaxy, at zCO = 2.1478, is a clumpy, massive disk galaxy, M∗ ~ 5 × 1011 M⊙, which lies 250 kpc in projection from MRC 1138−262 and is a known Hα emitter, named HAE229. This source has a molecular gas fraction of ~30%. The CO emission has a kinematic gradient along its major axis, centered on the highest surface brightness rest-frame optical emission, consistent with HAE229 being a rotating disk. Surprisingly, a significant fraction of the CO emission lies outside of the UV/optical emission. In spite of this, HAE229 follows the same relation between star-formation rate and molecular gas mass as normal field galaxies. HAE229 is the first CO(1–0) detection of an ordinary, star-forming galaxy in a protocluster. We compare a sample of cluster members at z > 0.4 thatare detected in low-order CO transitions, with a similar sample of sources drawn from the field. We confirm findings that the CO-luminosity and full-width at half maximum are correlated in starbursts and show that this relation is valid for normal high-z galaxies as well as for those in overdensities. We do not find a clear dichotomy in the integrated Schmidt-Kennicutt relation for protocluster and field galaxies. Our results suggest that environment does not have an impact on the “star-formation efficiency” or the molecular gas content of high-redshift galaxies. Not finding any environmental dependence in these characteristics, especially for such an extended CO disk, suggests that environmentally-specific processes such as ram pressure stripping do not operate efficiently in (proto)clusters.

scholarly journals Extra-Galactic Star Formation Revealed

2004 ◽  
Vol 221 ◽  
pp. 107-117
Author(s):  
Eva Schinnerer
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Early Universe ◽  
High Redshift ◽  
Gas Content ◽  
High Angular Resolution ◽  
Molecular Gas ◽  
Stellar Clusters ◽  
High Redshift Galaxies ◽  
Nearby Galaxies ◽  
Massive Clusters

High angular resolution observations of nearby galaxies in the optical using ground-based and space-based telescopes have not only revealed the presence of young stellar clusters, but also allowed to study their properties in various dynamical environments. These studies have shown that young massive clusters (YMCs) have typical masses of a few 1000 M⊙ and sizes of a few parsec irrespective of their site of formation (such as bulges, spiral arms, starburst rings, or mergers). This points toward a universal formation mechanism for these stellar clusters.Observations of the dust and gas content in high redshift galaxies allows one to study the reservoir for star formation in the early universe. These studies reveal extremely high star formation rates of a few 1000 M⊙ yr−1, while the distribution of the molecular gas still seems to be comparable to what is observed in the local universe. The detection of considerable amounts of molecular gas via its CO lines in the highest redshifted QSOs known today (up to z=6.4) indicates that star formation in the early universe has already produced considerable amounts of metals.

scholarly journals Gas Content of Markarian Starburst Galaxies

1999 ◽  
Vol 186 ◽  
pp. 279-280
Author(s):  
Rafik Kandalyan
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Surface Density ◽  
Rotating Disk ◽  
Radio Continuum ◽  
Gas Content ◽  
Molecular Gas ◽  
Line Broadening ◽  
Gas Phases ◽  
Star Formation Activity ◽  
The Galaxy

The main results of this study can be summarized as follows: (a) The HI and CO linewidths are well correlated. Interaction between galaxies has little influence on the HI and CO line broadening. A rapidly rotating nuclear disk in the galaxy could lead to CO line broadening, while the HI line is less affected by the rotating disk. Molecular gas in Markarian galaxies is centrally concentrated. (b) For past and present star formation activity both HI and H2 components of the gas are important. The atomic and molecular gas surface densities are well correlated with blue, FIR, and radio continuum surface brightnesses, but the H2 surface density is better correlated than that of the HI. The two gas phases are also connected. (c) In general, galaxies with UV-excess (Markarian galaxies) are not distinguished by star formation properties from non-UV galaxies, however some second order differences may exist, like the relation between atomic surface density and radio continuum surface brightness.

scholarly journals Properties of giant molecular clouds in the strongly barred galaxy NGC 1300

2020 ◽  
Vol 493 (4) ◽  
pp. 5045-5061 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fumiya Maeda ◽  
Kouji Ohta ◽  
Yusuke Fujimoto ◽  
Asao Habe
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Molecular Clouds ◽  
High Angular Resolution ◽  
Molecular Gas ◽  
Giant Molecular Clouds ◽  
Star Formation Activity ◽  
Kolmogorov Smirnov ◽  
Formation Efficiency ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Smirnov Test

ABSTRACT Star formation activity depends on galactic-scale environments. To understand the variations in star formation activity, comparing the properties of giant molecular clouds (GMCs) among environments with different star formation efficiency (SFE) is necessary. We thus focus on a strongly barred galaxy to investigate the impact of the galactic environment on the GMC properties, because the SFE is clearly lower in bar regions than in arm regions. In this paper, we present the 12CO(1 − 0) observations towards the western bar, arm, and bar-end regions of the strongly barred galaxy NGC 1300 with ALMA 12-m array at a high angular resolution of ∼40 pc. We detected GMCs associated with the dark lanes not only in the arm and bar-end regions but also in the bar region, where massive star formation is not seen. Using the CPROPS algorithm, we identified and characterized 233 GMCs across the observed regions. Based on the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, we find that there is virtually no significant variations in GMC properties (e.g. radius, velocity dispersion, molecular gas mass, and virial parameter) among the bar, arm, and bar-end region. These results suggest that systematic differences in the physical properties of the GMCs are not the cause for SFE differences with environments, and that there should be other mechanisms which control the SFE of the GMCs such as fast cloud–cloud collisions in NGC 1300.

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