scholarly journals The role of galactic dynamics in shaping the physical properties of giant molecular clouds in Milky Way-like galaxies

2020 ◽  
Vol 498 (1) ◽  
pp. 385-429 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah M R Jeffreson ◽  
J M Diederik Kruijssen ◽  
Benjamin W Keller ◽  
Mélanie Chevance ◽  
Simon C O Glover
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Clouds ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Gravitational Instability ◽  
Formation Rate ◽  
Tangential Velocity ◽  
Galactic Rotation ◽  
H Ii Regions ◽  
Giant Molecular Clouds

ABSTRACT We examine the role of the large-scale galactic-dynamical environment in setting the properties of giant molecular clouds in Milky Way-like galaxies. We perform three high-resolution simulations of Milky Way-like discs with the moving-mesh hydrodynamics code arepo, yielding a statistical sample of ${\sim}80\, 000$ giant molecular clouds and ${\sim}55\, 000$ H i clouds. We account for the self-gravity of the gas, momentum, and thermal energy injection from supernovae and H ii regions, mass injection from stellar winds, and the non-equilibrium chemistry of hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen. By varying the external gravitational potential, we probe galactic-dynamical environments spanning an order of magnitude in the orbital angular velocity, gravitational stability, mid-plane pressure, and the gradient of the galactic rotation curve. The simulated molecular clouds are highly overdense (∼100×) and overpressured (∼25×) relative to the ambient interstellar medium. Their gravoturbulent and star-forming properties are decoupled from the dynamics of the galactic mid-plane, so that the kpc-scale star formation rate surface density is related only to the number of molecular clouds per unit area of the galactic mid-plane. Despite this, the clouds display clear, statistically significant correlations of their rotational properties with the rates of galactic shearing and gravitational free-fall. We find that galactic rotation and gravitational instability can influence their elongation, angular momenta, and tangential velocity dispersions. The lower pressures and densities of the H i clouds allow for a greater range of significant dynamical correlations, mirroring the rotational properties of the molecular clouds, while also displaying a coupling of their gravitational and turbulent properties to the galactic-dynamical environment.

scholarly journals The Supershell-Molecular Cloud Connection in the Milky Way and Beyond

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (S292) ◽  
pp. 83-86
Author(s):  
J. R. Dawson ◽  
N. M. McClure-Griffiths ◽  
Y. Fukui ◽  
J. Dickey ◽  
T. Wong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Cloud ◽  
Molecular Clouds ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Observational Evidence ◽  
Cloud Formation ◽  
Stellar Feedback ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Global Contribution

AbstractThe role of large-scale stellar feedback in the formation of molecular clouds has been investigated observationally by examining the relationship between Hi and 12CO(J = 1−0) in supershells. Detailed parsec-resolution case studies of two Milky Way supershells demonstrate an enhanced level of molecularisation over both objects, and hence provide the first quantitative observational evidence of increased molecular cloud production in volumes of space affected by supershell activity. Recent results on supergiant shells in the LMC suggest that while they do indeed help to organise the ISM into over-dense structures, their global contribution to molecular cloud formation is of the order of only ∼ 10%.

scholarly journals Reproducing the CO-to-H2 conversion factor in cosmological simulations of Milky-Way-mass galaxies

2020 ◽  
Vol 499 (1) ◽  
pp. 837-850
Author(s):  
Laura C Keating ◽  
Alexander J Richings ◽  
Norman Murray ◽  
Claude-André Faucher-Giguère ◽  
Philip F Hopkins ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Clouds ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Conversion Factor ◽  
Star Formation Rate ◽  
Formation Rate ◽  
Giant Molecular Clouds ◽  
Post Processing ◽  
Subgrid Model ◽  
Local Sources ◽  
Molecular Abundances

ABSTRACT We present models of CO(1–0) emission from Milky-Way-mass galaxies at redshift zero in the FIRE-2 cosmological zoom-in simulations. We calculate the molecular abundances by post-processing the simulations with an equilibrium chemistry solver while accounting for the effects of local sources, and determine the emergent CO(1–0) emission using a line radiative transfer code. We find that the results depend strongly on the shielding length assumed, which, in our models, sets the attenuation of the incident UV radiation field. At the resolution of these simulations, commonly used choices for the shielding length, such as the Jeans length, result in CO abundances that are too high at a given H2 abundance. We find that a model with a distribution of shielding lengths, which has a median shielding length of ∼3 pc in cold gas (T < 300 K) for both CO and H2, is able to reproduce both the observed CO(1–0) luminosity and inferred CO-to-H2 conversion factor at a given star formation rate compared with observations. We suggest that this short shielding length can be thought of as a subgrid model, which controls the amount of radiation that penetrates giant molecular clouds.

scholarly journals Accretion in the Center of the Milky Way

1997 ◽  
Vol 163 ◽  
pp. 659-662
Author(s):  
Wolfgang J. Duschl ◽  
Susanne von Linden
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Clouds ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Galactic Center ◽  
Radial Velocities ◽  
Line Of Sight ◽  
Giant Molecular Clouds ◽  
Large Scale Motion ◽  
Scale Motion

AbstractWe have analyzed the distribution of giant molecular clouds and their radial velocities in the inner ~ 300 pc of the Milky Way in order to deduce the characteristic properties of its large scale motion. We find radial inflow of matter towards the Galactic Center of ~ 10−2 M⊙/yr. Moreover, we have determined the position of individual clouds along the line of sight.

scholarly journals Star Formation and the Properties of Giant Molecular Clouds in Global Simulations

2010 ◽  
Vol 6 (S270) ◽  
pp. 377-380
Author(s):  
Elizabeth J. Tasker ◽  
Jonathan C. Tan
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Interstellar Medium ◽  
Mass Distribution ◽  
Molecular Clouds ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Star Formation Rate ◽  
Formation Rate ◽  
Type Ii ◽  
Giant Molecular Clouds

AbstractWe simulated an isolated quiescent Milky Way-type galaxy with a maximum effective resolution of 7.8 pc. Clouds formed in the interstellar medium through gravitational fragmentation and became the sites for star formation. We tracked the evolution of the clouds through 300 Myr in the presence of star formation, photoelectric heating and feedback from Type II supernovae. The cloud mass distribution agreed well with observational results. Feedback suppressed star formation but did not destroy the surrounding cloud. Collisions between clouds were found to be sufficiently frequent to be a significant factor in determining the star formation rate.

scholarly journals General physical characteristics of the interstellar molecular gas

1979 ◽  
Vol 84 ◽  
pp. 257-270
Author(s):  
B. E. Turner
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Clouds ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Galactic Disk ◽  
Gravitational Instability ◽  
Giant Molecular Clouds ◽  
Low Mass Stars ◽  
Heating And Cooling ◽  
Low Mass ◽  
General Physical ◽  
Diffuse Clouds

The interstellar medium may be characterized by several physically rather distinct regimes: coronal gas, intercloud gas, diffuse clouds, isolated dark clouds and globules (of small to modest mass), more massive molecular clouds containing OB (and later) stars, and giant molecular clouds. Molecules first appear in the denser diffuse clouds, and occur everywhere that AV ≳ 1m. Values of temperature, density, ionization fraction, mass, size, and velocity field are discussed for each regime. Heating and cooling mechanisms are reviewed. Nearly all molecular clouds exceed the Jeans criteria for gravitational instability, yet detailed models reveal no cases where observations can be interpreted unambiguously in terms of rapid collapse. The possibility that clouds are supported by turbulence, rotation, or magnetic fields is discussed, and it is concluded that none of these agencies suffice. Comments are made about fragmentation and star formation in molecular clouds, with possible explanations for why only low mass stars form in low mass clouds, why early-type stars form only in clouds with masses ≳ 103 M⊙, and why O-stars seem to form near edges of clouds. Finally, large-scale interactions between molecular clouds and the galactic disk stellar population are discussed.

scholarly journals The Ballistic Particle Model

1983 ◽  
Vol 100 ◽  
pp. 133-134
Author(s):  
Frank N. Bash
Keyword(s):  
Radial Velocity ◽  
Gravitational Potential ◽  
Molecular Clouds ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Terminal Velocity ◽  
Particle Model ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Giant Molecular Clouds ◽  
Spiral Pattern ◽  
Armed Spiral

Bash and Peters (1976) suggested that giant molecular clouds (GMC's) can be viewed as ballistic particles launched from the two-armed spiral-shock (TASS) wave with orbits influenced only by the overall galactic gravitational potential perturbed by the spiral gravitational potential in the arms. For GMC's in the Milky Way, the model predicts that the radial velocity observed from the Sun increases with age (time since launch). We showed that the terminal velocity of CO observed from l ≃ 30° to l ≃ 60° can be understood if all GMC's are born in the spiral pattern given by Yuan (1969) and live 30 × 106 yrs. Older GMC's were predicted to have radial velocities which exceed observed terminal velocities.

scholarly journals The less significant role of large-scale environment than optical AGN in nearby, isolated elliptical galaxies

2018 ◽  
Vol 620 ◽  
pp. A117 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Lacerna ◽  
M. Argudo-Fernández ◽  
S. Duarte Puertas
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Formation Rate ◽  
Elliptical Galaxies ◽  
Stellar Mass ◽  
Mass Scale ◽  
Strength Parameter ◽  
Primary Role ◽  
Isolated Galaxies ◽  
Low Mass

Context. The formation and evolution of elliptical galaxies in low-density environments are less understood than classical elliptical galaxies in high-density environments. Isolated galaxies are defined as galaxies without massive neighbors within scales of galaxy groups. The effect of the environment at several Mpc scales on their properties has been barely explored. We study the role of the large-scale environment in 573 isolated elliptical galaxies out to z = 0.08. Aims. We aim to explore whether the large-scale environment affects some of the physical properties of the isolated galaxies studied in this work. Methods. We used three environmental estimators of the large-scale structure within a projected radius of 5 Mpc around isolated galaxies: the tidal strength parameter, projected density ηk,LSS, and distance to the fifth nearest neighbor galaxy. We studied isolated galaxies regarding stellar mass, integrated optical g − i color, specific star formation rate (sSFR), and emission lines. Results. We find 80% of galaxies at lower densities correspond to “red and dead” elliptical galaxies. Blue and red galaxies do not tend to be located in different environments according to ηk,LSS. Almost all the isolated ellipticals in the densest large-scale environments are red or quenched, of which a third are low-mass galaxies. The percentage of isolated elliptical galaxies located in the active galactic nucleus (AGN) region of the BPT diagram is 64%. We identified 33 blue, star-forming (SF) isolated ellipticals using both color and sSFR. Half of these are SF nuclei in the BPT diagram, which amounts to 5% of the galaxies in this diagram. Conclusions. The large-scale environment does not play the primary role in determining the color or sSFR of isolated elliptical galaxies. The large-scale environment seems to be negligible from a stellar mass scale around 1010.6 M⊙, probably because of the dominant presence of AGN at higher masses. For lower masses, the processes of cooling and infall of gas from large scales are very inefficient in ellipticals. Active galactic nuclei might also be an essential ingredient to keep most of the low-mass isolated elliptical galaxies quenched.

scholarly journals Synthetic 26Al emission from galactic-scale superbubble simulations

2019 ◽  
Vol 490 (2) ◽  
pp. 1894-1912 ◽  
Author(s):  
D Rodgers-Lee ◽  
M G H Krause ◽  
J Dale ◽  
R Diehl
Keyword(s):  
Milky Way ◽  
Formation Rate ◽  
Radioactive Decay ◽  
Line Of Sight ◽  
Galactic Rotation ◽  
Spiral Arms ◽  
Hydrodynamic Simulations ◽  
Doppler Shifts ◽  
Γ Ray ◽  
Halo Gas

ABSTRACT Emission from the radioactive trace element 26Al has been observed throughout the Milky Way with the COMPTEL and INTEGRAL satellites. In particular, the Doppler shifts measured with INTEGRAL connect 26Al with superbubbles, which may guide 26Al flows off spiral arms in the direction of Galactic rotation. In order to test this paradigm, we have performed galaxy-scale simulations of superbubbles with 26Al injection in a Milky Way-type galaxy. We produce all-sky synthetic γ-ray emission maps of the simulated galaxies. We find that the 1809 keV emission from the radioactive decay of 26Al is highly variable with time and the observer’s position. This allows us to estimate an additional systematic variability of 0.2 dex for a star formation rate derived from 26Al for different times and measurement locations in Milky Way-type galaxies. High-latitude morphological features indicate nearby emission with correspondingly high-integrated γ-ray intensities. We demonstrate that the 26Al scale height from our simulated galaxies depends on the assumed halo gas density. We present the first synthetic 1809 keV longitude-velocity diagrams from 3D hydrodynamic simulations. The line-of-sight velocities for 26Al can be significantly different from the line-of-sight velocities associated with the cold gas. Over time, 26Al velocities consistent with the INTEGRAL observations, within uncertainties, appear at any given longitude, broadly supporting previous suggestions that 26Al injected into expanding superbubbles by massive stars may be responsible for the high velocities found in the INTEGRAL observations. We discuss the effect of systematically varying the location of the superbubbles relative to the spiral arms.

scholarly journals The atomic hydrogen/molecular cloud association: an unavoidable relationship

1991 ◽  
Vol 147 ◽  
pp. 37-40
Author(s):  
G. Joncas
Keyword(s):  
Atomic Hydrogen ◽  
Molecular Clouds ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Young Stars ◽  
Physical Processes ◽  
Star Forming ◽  
Dark Clouds ◽  
Star Forming Regions ◽  
The Impact

The presence of HI in the interstellar medium is ubiquitous. HI is the principal actor in the majority of the physical processes at work in our Galaxy. Restricting ourselves to the topics of this symposium, atomic hydrogen is involved with the formation of molecular clouds and is one of the byproducts of their destruction by young stars. HI has different roles during a molecular cloud's life. I will discuss here a case of coexisting HI and H2 at large scale and the origin of HI in star forming regions. For completeness' sake, it should be mentionned that there are at least three other aspects of HI involvement: HI envelopes around molecular clouds, the impact of SNRs (see work on IC 443), and the role of HI in quiescent dark clouds (see van der Werf's work).

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