scholarly journals ALMACAL – VI. Molecular gas mass density across cosmic time via a blind search for intervening molecular absorbers

2019 ◽  
Vol 490 (1) ◽  
pp. 1220-1230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Klitsch ◽  
Céline Péroux ◽  
Martin A Zwaan ◽  
Ian Smail ◽  
Dylan Nelson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Star Formation Rate ◽  
Mass Density ◽  
Formation Rate ◽  
Cosmic Time ◽  
Absorption Lines ◽  
Molecular Gas ◽  
Systematic Uncertainties ◽  
Deep Survey ◽  
Blind Search

ABSTRACT We are just starting to understand the physical processes driving the dramatic change in cosmic star formation rate between z ∼ 2 and the present day. A quantity directly linked to star formation is the molecular gas density, which should be measured through independent methods to explore variations due to cosmic variance and systematic uncertainties. We use intervening CO absorption lines in the spectra of mm-bright background sources to provide a census of the molecular gas mass density of the Universe. The data used in this work are taken from ALMACAL, a wide and deep survey utilizing the ALMA calibrator archive. While we report multiple Galactic absorption lines and one intrinsic absorber, no extragalactic intervening molecular absorbers are detected. However, due to the large redshift path surveyed (Δz = 182), we provide constraints on the molecular column density distribution function beyond z ∼ 0. In addition, we probe column densities of N(H2) > 1016 atoms cm−2, 5 orders of magnitude lower than in previous studies. We use the cosmological hydrodynamical simulation IllustrisTNG to show that our upper limits of $\rho ({\rm H}_2)\lesssim 10^{8.3}\, \text{M}_{\odot }\, \text{Mpc}^{-3}$ at 0 < z ≤ 1.7 already provide new constraints on current theoretical predictions of the cold molecular phase of the gas. These results are in agreement with recent CO emission-line surveys and are complementary to those studies. The combined constraints indicate that the present decrease of the cosmic star formation rate history is consistent with an increasing depletion of molecular gas in galaxies compared to z ∼ 2.

scholarly journals The Cosmic Baryon and Metal Cycles

2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 363-406 ◽  
Author(s):  
Céline Péroux ◽  
J. Christopher Howk
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Mass Density ◽  
Formation Rate ◽  
Cosmic Time ◽  
Dust Content ◽  
Star Formation History ◽  
Molecular Gas ◽  
Neutral Gas ◽  
Formation History ◽  
The Universe

Characterizing the relationship between stars, gas, and metals in galaxies is a critical component of understanding the cosmic baryon cycle. We compile contemporary censuses of the baryons in collapsed structures and their chemical makeup and dust content. We show the following: ▪  The [Formula: see text] mass density of the Universe is well determined to redshifts [Formula: see text] and shows minor evolution with time. New observations of molecular hydrogen reveal its evolution mirrors that of the global star-formation rate density, implying a universal cosmic molecular gas depletion timescale. The low-redshift decline of the star-formation history is thus driven by the lack of molecular gas supply due to a drop in net accretion rate related to the decreased growth of dark matter halos. ▪  The metal mass density in cold gas ([Formula: see text] K) contains virtually all the metals produced by stars for [Formula: see text]. At lower redshifts, the contributors to the total amount of metals are more diverse; at [Formula: see text], most of the observed metals are bound in stars. Overall, there is little evidence for a “missing metals problem” in modern censuses. ▪  We characterize the dust content of neutral gas over cosmic time, finding the dust-to-gas and dust-to-metals ratios fall with decreasing metallicity. We calculate the cosmological dust mass density in the neutral gas up to [Formula: see text]. There is good agreement between multiple tracers of the dust content of the Universe.

scholarly journals Molecular gas across cosmic time

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (S352) ◽  
pp. 205-209
Author(s):  
Georgios E. Magdis
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Star Formation Rate ◽  
Formation Rate ◽  
Cosmic Time ◽  
Continuum Emission ◽  
Molecular Gas ◽  
Direct Observations ◽  
Distant Galaxies ◽  
Ir Emission

AbstractWe have entered an era where the gas mass estimates of distant galaxies do not rely on a single tracer but rather on an inventory of different and independent methods, much like the case for the determination of the star formation rate (SFR) of the galaxies. This is crucial as the traditional Mgas tracers, i.e. low-J CO transition lines and dust continuum emission are becoming highly uncertain as we move to higher redshifts due to metallicity and CMB effects. Here, we present a homogeneous and statistically significant investigation of the use of atomic carbon as an alternative Mgas tracer (Valentino et al.2018) and provide evidence of optically thick far-IR emission in high−z starbursts that point towards higher dust temperatures and lower dust and gas mass estimates than previously inferred (Cortzen et al.2019, submitted). Finally, we present direct observations of the effect of the CMB on the far-IR SEDs of high-z SBs, manifested by unphyscally large (β = 2.5–3.5) apparent spectral indexes in R-J tail (Jin et al. 2019, submitted).

scholarly journals A statistical measurement of the H i spin temperature in DLAs at cosmological distances

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
James R Allison
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Atomic Hydrogen ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Star Formation Rate ◽  
Mass Density ◽  
Formation Rate ◽  
Neutral Medium ◽  
Molecular Gas ◽  
Spin Temperature ◽  
Order Of Magnitude

Abstract Evolution of the cosmic star formation rate (SFR) and molecular mass density is expected to be matched by a similarly strong evolution of the fraction of atomic hydrogen (H i) in the cold neutral medium (CNM). We use results from a recent commissioning survey for intervening 21-cm absorbers with the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) to construct a Bayesian statistical model of the NHI-weighted harmonic mean spin temperature (Ts) at redshifts between z = 0.37 and 1.0. We find that Ts ≤ 274 K with 95 per cent probability, suggesting that at these redshifts the typical H i gas in galaxies at equivalent DLA column densities may be colder than the Milky Way interstellar medium (Ts, MW ∼ 300 K). This result is consistent with an evolving CNM fraction that mirrors the molecular gas towards the peak in SFR at z ∼ 2. We expect that future surveys for H i 21-cm absorption with the current SKA pathfinder telescopes will be able to provide constraints on the CNM fraction that are an order of magnitude greater than presented here.

scholarly journals The cosmic star formation rate evolution fromz = 5 toz = 0 from the VIMOS VLT deep survey

2007 ◽  
Vol 472 (2) ◽  
pp. 403-419 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Tresse ◽  
O. Ilbert ◽  
E. Zucca ◽  
G. Zamorani ◽  
S. Bardelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Star Formation Rate ◽  
Formation Rate ◽  
Deep Survey

scholarly journals The Star Formation Reference Survey. IV. Stellar mass distribution of local star-forming galaxies

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
P Bonfini ◽  
A Zezas ◽  
M L N Ashby ◽  
S P Willner ◽  
A Maragkoudakis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Mass Distribution ◽  
Star Formation Rate ◽  
Mass Density ◽  
Full Range ◽  
Formation Rate ◽  
Stellar Mass ◽  
Nearby Star ◽  
Star Forming ◽  
Mass Functions

Abstract We constrain the mass distribution in nearby, star-forming galaxies with the Star Formation Reference Survey (SFRS), a galaxy sample constructed to be representative of all known combinations of star formation rate (SFR), dust temperature, and specific star formation rate (sSFR) that exist in the Local Universe. An innovative two-dimensional bulge/disk decomposition of the 2MASS/Ks-band images of the SFRS galaxies yields global luminosity and stellar mass functions, along with separate mass functions for their bulges and disks. These accurate mass functions cover the full range from dwarf galaxies to large spirals, and are representative of star-forming galaxies selected based on their infra-red luminosity, unbiased by AGN content and environment. We measure an integrated luminosity density j = 1.72 ± 0.93 × 109 L⊙  h−1 Mpc−3 and a total stellar mass density ρM = 4.61 ± 2.40 × 108 M⊙  h−1 Mpc−3. While the stellar mass of the average star-forming galaxy is equally distributed between its sub-components, disks globally dominate the mass density budget by a ratio 4:1 with respect to bulges. In particular, our functions suggest that recent star formation happened primarily in massive systems, where they have yielded a disk stellar mass density larger than that of bulges by more than 1 dex. Our results constitute a reference benchmark for models addressing the assembly of stellar mass on the bulges and disks of local (z = 0) star-forming galaxies.

scholarly journals Environmental Effects on the ISM and Star Formation Properties of Nearby Spiral Galaxies

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (S315) ◽  
Author(s):  
Angus Mok ◽  
Christine Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Environmental Effects ◽  
Spiral Galaxies ◽  
Star Formation Rate ◽  
Formation Rate ◽  
Molecular Gas ◽  
Turbulent Pressure ◽  
Cluster Environment ◽  
Gas Properties

AbstractWe studied molecular gas properties in a sample of 98 Hi - flux selected spiral galaxies within ~ 25 Mpc using the CO J = 3 − 2 line, observed with the JCMT, and subdivided into isolated, group, and Virgo subsamples. We find a larger mean H2 mass in the Virgo galaxies compared to group galaxies, despite their lower mean Hi mass. Combining our data with complementary Hα star formation rate measurements, Virgo galaxies have a longer molecular gas depletion times compared to group galaxies, perhaps due to heating processes in the cluster environment or differences in the turbulent pressure.

scholarly journals Testing galaxy formation simulations with damped Lyman-α abundance and metallicity evolution

2020 ◽  
Vol 492 (2) ◽  
pp. 2835-2846 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sultan Hassan ◽  
Kristian Finlator ◽  
Romeel Davé ◽  
Christopher W Churchill ◽  
J Xavier Prochaska
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Galaxy Formation ◽  
Star Formation Rate ◽  
Initial Conditions ◽  
Mass Density ◽  
Formation Rate ◽  
Thomson Scattering ◽  
Stellar Mass ◽  
Rate Functions ◽  
Metallicity Distribution

ABSTRACT We examine the properties of damped Lyman-α absorbers (DLAs) emerging from a single set of cosmological initial conditions in two state-of-the-art cosmological hydrodynamic simulations: simba and technicolor dawn. The former includes star formation and black hole feedback treatments that yield a good match with low-redshift galaxy properties, while the latter uses multifrequency radiative transfer to model an inhomogeneous ultraviolet background (UVB) self-consistently and is calibrated to match the Thomson scattering optical depth, UVB amplitude, and Ly α forest mean transmission at z &gt; 5. Both simulations are in reasonable agreement with the measured stellar mass and star formation rate functions at z ≥ 3, and both reproduce the observed neutral hydrogen cosmological mass density, $\Omega _{\rm H\, \small{I}}(z)$. However, the DLA abundance and metallicity distribution are sensitive to the galactic outflows’ feedback and the UVB amplitude. Adopting a strong UVB and/or slow outflows underproduces the observed DLA abundance, but yields broad agreement with the observed DLA metallicity distribution. By contrast, faster outflows eject metals to larger distances, yielding more metal-rich DLAs whose observational selection may be more sensitive to dust bias. The DLA metallicity distribution in models adopting an H2-regulated star formation recipe includes a tail extending to [M/H] ≪ −3, lower than any DLA observed to date, owing to curtailed star formation in low-metallicity galaxies. Our results show that DLA observations play an important role in constraining key physical ingredients in galaxy formation models, complementing traditional ensemble statistics such as the stellar mass and star formation rate functions.

scholarly journals Evolution of the star formation efficiency in galaxies

2012 ◽  
Vol 10 (H16) ◽  
pp. 341-341
Author(s):  
Jonathan Braine
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Chemical Evolution ◽  
Conversion Factor ◽  
Star Formation Rate ◽  
Formation Rate ◽  
Molecular Gas ◽  
Present Evidence ◽  
Ngc 6822 ◽  
Physical And Chemical ◽  
Formation Efficiency

AbstractThe physical and chemical evolution of galaxies is intimately linked to star formation, We present evidence that molecular gas (H2) is transformed into stars more quickly in smaller and/or subsolar metallicity galaxies than in large spirals – which we consider to be equivalent to a star formation efficiency (SFE). In particular, we show that this is not due to uncertainties in the N(H2)/Ico conversion factor. Several possible reasons for the high SFE in galaxies like the nearby M33 or NGC 6822 are proposed which, separately or together, are the likely cause of the high SFE in this environment. We then try to estimate how much this could contribute to the increase in cosmic star formation rate density from z = 0 to z = 1.

scholarly journals Effect of the environment on star formation activity and stellar mass for star-forming galaxies in the COSMOS field

2020 ◽  
Vol 499 (1) ◽  
pp. 948-956
Author(s):  
S M Randriamampandry ◽  
M Vaccari ◽  
K M Hess
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Main Sequence ◽  
Star Formation Rate ◽  
Formation Rate ◽  
Cosmic Time ◽  
Stellar Mass ◽  
Star Forming ◽  
Galaxy Environment ◽  
Stellar Masses ◽  
The Relationship

ABSTRACT We investigate the relationship between the environment and the galaxy main sequence (the relationship between stellar mass and star formation rate), as well as the relationship between the environment and radio luminosity ($P_{\rm 1.4\, GHz}$), to shed new light on the effects of the environment on galaxies. We use the VLA-COSMOS 3-GHz catalogue, which consists of star-forming galaxies and quiescent galaxies (active galactic nuclei) in three different environments (field, filament, cluster) and for three different galaxy types (satellite, central, isolated). We perform for the first time a comparative analysis of the distribution of star-forming galaxies with respect to the main-sequence consensus region from the literature, taking into account galaxy environment and using radio observations at 0.1 ≤ z ≤ 1.2. Our results corroborate that the star formation rate is declining with cosmic time, which is consistent with the literature. We find that the slope of the main sequence for different z and M* bins is shallower than the main-sequence consensus, with a gradual evolution towards higher redshift bins, irrespective of environment. We see no trends for star formation rate in either environment or galaxy type, given the large errors. In addition, we note that the environment does not seem to be the cause of the flattening of the main sequence at high stellar masses for our sample.

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