scholarly journals FOREST Unbiased Galactic Plane Imaging Survey with the Nobeyama 45 m telescope (FUGIN). V. Dense gas mass fraction of molecular gas in the Galactic plane

2019 ◽  
Vol 71 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazufumi Torii ◽  
Shinji Fujita ◽  
Atsushi Nishimura ◽  
Kazuki Tokuda ◽  
Mikito Kohno ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Molecular Clouds ◽  
Galactic Plane ◽  
Formation Rate ◽  
Molecular Gas ◽  
Galactic Rotation ◽  
Dense Gas ◽  
Gas Formation ◽  
Star Formation In Galaxies ◽  
Fractional Mass

Abstract Recent observations of the nearby Galactic molecular clouds indicate that the dense gas in molecular clouds has quasi-universal properties on star formation, and observational studies of extra-galaxies have shown a galactic-scale correlation between the star formation rate (SFR) and the surface density of molecular gas. To reach a comprehensive understanding of both properties, it is important to quantify the fractional mass of dense gas in molecular clouds, fDG. In particular, for the Milky Way (MW) there are no previous studies resolving fDG disk over a scale of several kpc. In this study, fDG was measured over 5 kpc in the first quadrant of the MW, based on the CO J = 1–0 data in l = 10°–50° obtained as part of the FOREST Unbiased Galactic plane Imaging survey with the Nobeyama 45 m telescope (FUGIN) project. The total molecular mass was measured using 12CO, and the dense gas mass was estimated using C18O. The fractional masses, including fDG, in the region within ±30% of the distances to the tangential points of the Galactic rotation (e.g., the Galactic Bar, Far-3 kpc Arm, Norma Arm, Scutum Arm, Sagittarius Arm, and inter-arm regions) were measured. As a result, an averaged fDG of $2.9^{+2.6}_{-2.6}$% was obtained for the entirety of the target region. This low value suggests that dense gas formation is the primary factor in inefficient star formation in galaxies. It was also found that fDG shows large variations depending on the structures in the MW disk. In the Galactic arms, fDG was estimated to be ∼4%–5%, while in the bar and inter-arm regions it was as small as ∼0.1%–0.4%. These results indicate that the formation/destruction processes of the dense gas and their timescales are different for different regions in the MW, leading to differences in Star formation efficiencies.

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 Dense gas is not enough: environmental variations in the star formation efficiency of dense molecular gas at 100 pc scales in M 51

2019 ◽  
Vol 625 ◽  
pp. A19 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Querejeta ◽  
E. Schinnerer ◽  
A. Schruba ◽  
E. Murphy ◽  
S. Meidt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Surface Density ◽  
Formation Rate ◽  
Radio Continuum ◽  
Molecular Gas ◽  
Dense Gas ◽  
Environmental Variations ◽  
Formation Efficiency ◽  
Density Threshold ◽  
Spiral Arm

It remains unclear what sets the efficiency with which molecular gas transforms into stars. Here we present a new VLA map of the spiral galaxy M 51 in 33 GHz radio continuum, an extinction-free tracer of star formation, at 3″ scales (∼100 pc). We combined this map with interferometric PdBI/NOEMA observations of CO(1–0) and HCN(1–0) at matched resolution for three regions in M 51 (central molecular ring, northern and southern spiral arm segments). While our measurements roughly fall on the well-known correlation between total infrared and HCN luminosity, bridging the gap between Galactic and extragalactic observations, we find systematic offsets from that relation for different dynamical environments probed in M 51; for example, the southern arm segment is more quiescent due to low star formation efficiency (SFE) of the dense gas, despite its high dense gas fraction. Combining our results with measurements from the literature at 100 pc scales, we find that the SFE of the dense gas and the dense gas fraction anti-correlate and correlate, respectively, with the local stellar mass surface density. This is consistent with previous kpc-scale studies. In addition, we find a significant anti-correlation between the SFE and velocity dispersion of the dense gas. Finally, we confirm that a correlation also holds between star formation rate surface density and the dense gas fraction, but it is not stronger than the correlation with dense gas surface density. Our results are hard to reconcile with models relying on a universal gas density threshold for star formation and suggest that turbulence and galactic dynamics play a major role in setting how efficiently dense gas converts into stars.

scholarly journals CO Observations of Bright IRAS Galaxies

1987 ◽  
Vol 115 ◽  
pp. 653-653
Author(s):  
D. B. Sanders
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Molecular Clouds ◽  
Formation Rate ◽  
Far Infrared ◽  
Molecular Gas ◽  
Infrared Excess ◽  
Luminous Galaxies ◽  
Be Star ◽  
Co Emission ◽  
Co Observations

CO emission has been detected from 75 bright infrared galaxies with CZ = 2 000 – 16 000 km/s. These include the most distant and the most luminous galaxies (Arp 55, IR 1713+63) yet detected in CO. All of these galaxies are rich in molecular gas with Mtotal (H2) = 2 × 109 −6x1010 M⊙, and they have a strong far-infrared excess, with LFIR/LB = 2-40 and LFIR (40-400μ) = 1010 – 3 × 1012 L⊙. The primary luminosity source appears to be star formation in molecular clouds. A strong correlation is found between the FIR and 21-cm continuum flux, implying that the IMF is independent of the star formation rate. The ratio LFIR/M(H2) provides a measure of the current rate of star-formation, which is found to be a factor 3-20 larger in these galaxies than for the ensemble of molecular clouds in the Milky Way. VLA maps plus a few high resolution (14″-30″) CO (1-0) and CO (2-1) maps suggest that most of the luminosity comes from core regions 1-3 kpc in size. The abnormal concentration of molecular gas in these galactic cores is presumably the result of a collision or strong interaction with a nearby companion.

scholarly journals The life cycle of the Central Molecular Zone – II. Distribution of atomic and molecular gas tracers

2020 ◽  
Vol 493 (4) ◽  
pp. 5273-5289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucia Armillotta ◽  
Mark R Krumholz ◽  
Enrico M Di Teodoro
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Molecular Clouds ◽  
Time Window ◽  
Thermal State ◽  
Formation Rate ◽  
Galactic Centre ◽  
Molecular Gas ◽  
Emission Data ◽  
Data Cubes ◽  
Intense Star Formation

ABSTRACT We use the hydrodynamical simulation of our inner Galaxy presented in Armillotta et al. to study the gas distribution and kinematics within the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ). We use a resolution high enough to capture the gas emitting in dense molecular tracers such as NH3 and HCN, and simulate a time window of 50 Myr, long enough to capture phases during which the CMZ experiences both quiescent and intense star formation. We then post-process the simulated CMZ to calculate its spatially dependent chemical and thermal state, producing synthetic emission data cubes and maps of both H i and the molecular gas tracers CO, NH3, and HCN. We show that, as viewed from Earth, gas in the CMZ is distributed mainly in two parallel and elongated features extending from positive longitudes and velocities to negative longitudes and velocities. The molecular gas emission within these two streams is not uniform, and it is mostly associated with the region where gas flowing towards the Galactic Centre through the dust lanes collides with gas orbiting within the ring. Our simulated data cubes reproduce a number of features found in the observed CMZ. However, some discrepancies emerge when we use our results to interpret the position of individual molecular clouds. Finally, we show that, when the CMZ is near a period of intense star formation, the ring is mostly fragmented as a consequence of supernova feedback, and the bulk of the emission comes from star-forming molecular clouds. This correlation between morphology and star formation rate should be detectable in observations of extragalactic CMZs.

scholarly journals Star Formation in the Local Milky Way

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (S314) ◽  
pp. 8-15
Author(s):  
Charles J. Lada
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Molecular Clouds ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Star Formation Rate ◽  
Formation Rate ◽  
Young Stars ◽  
Molecular Gas ◽  
Physical Processes ◽  
Star Forming ◽  
Star Forming Regions

AbstractStudies of molecular clouds and young stars near the sun have provided invaluable insights into the process of star formation. Indeed, much of our physical understanding of this topic has been derived from such studies. Perhaps the two most fundamental problems confronting star formation research today are: 1) determining the origin of stellar mass and 2) deciphering the nature of the physical processes that control the star formation rate in molecular gas. As I will briefly outline here, observations and studies of local star forming regions are making particularly significant contributions toward the solution of both these important problems.

scholarly journals The EDGE-CALIFA survey: exploring the star formation law through variable selection

2019 ◽  
Vol 488 (2) ◽  
pp. 1926-1940 ◽  
Author(s):  
Biprateep Dey ◽  
Erik Rosolowsky ◽  
Yixian Cao ◽  
Alberto Bolatto ◽  
Sebastian F Sanchez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Star Formation Rate ◽  
Formation Rate ◽  
Line Emission ◽  
Molecular Gas ◽  
Multilinear Analysis ◽  
Star Formation In Galaxies ◽  
Galaxy Masses ◽  
Selection Operator ◽  
Significant Factors

ABSTRACT We present a multilinear analysis to determine the significant predictors of star formation in galaxies using the combined EDGE-CALIFA sample of galaxies. We analyse 1845 kpc-scale lines of sight across 39 galaxies with molecular line emission measurements from EDGE combined with optical IFU data drawn from CALIFA. We use the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) to identify significant factors in predicting star formation rates. We find that the local star formation rate surface density is increased by higher molecular gas surface densities and stellar surface densities. In contrast, we see lower star formation rates in systems with older stellar populations, higher gas- and stellar-phase metallicities and larger galaxy masses. We also find a significant increase in star formation rate with galactocentric radius normalized by the disc scale length, which suggests additional parameters regulating star formation rate not explored in this study.

scholarly journals Stochastic Star Formation and Magnetic Fields

1990 ◽  
Vol 140 ◽  
pp. 257-258
Author(s):  
J. V. Feitzinger ◽  
E. Harfst ◽  
J. Spicker
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Interstellar Medium ◽  
Molecular Clouds ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Spiral Structure ◽  
Galactic Plane ◽  
Molecular Gas ◽  
Cell Content ◽  
Star Forming ◽  
Flat Rotation Curves

The model of selfpropagating star formation uses local processes (200 pc cell size) in the interstellar medium to simulate the large scale cooperative behaviour of spiral structure in galaxies. The dynamic of the model galaxies is taken into account via the mass distribution and the resulting rotation curve; flat rotation curves are used. The interstellar medium is treated as a multiphase medium with appropriate cooling times and density history. The phases are: molecular gas, cool HI gas, warm intercloud and HII gas and hot coronal fountain gas. A detailed gas reshuffeling between the star forming cells in the plane and outside the galactic plane controls the cell content. Two processes working stochastically are incooperated: the building and the decay of molecular clouds and the star forming events in the molecular clouds.

scholarly journals Using the Milky Way as a template for understanding star formation in extreme environments across cosmological timescales

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (S292) ◽  
pp. 333-333
Author(s):  
Steven N. Longmore
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Formation Rate ◽  
Volume Density ◽  
Galactic Centre ◽  
Molecular Gas ◽  
Dense Gas ◽  
Star Forming ◽  
Star Formation Activity ◽  
The Galaxy

AbstractRecent surface- and volume-density star formation relations have been proposed which potentially unify our understanding of how gas is converted into stars, from the nearest star forming regions to ultra-luminous infrared galaxies. The inner 500 pc of our Galaxy – the Central Molecular Zone – contains the largest concentration of dense, high-surface density molecular gas in the Milky Way, providing an environment where the validity of these star-formation prescriptions can be tested.We have used recently-available data from HOPS, MALT90 and HiGAL at wavelengths where the Galaxy is transparent, to find the dense, star-forming molecular gas across the Milky Way [Longmore et al. (2012a), Longmore et al. (2012b)]. We use water and methanol maser emission to trace star formation activity within the last 105 years and 30 GHz radio continuum emission from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Satellite (WMAP) to estimate the high-mass star formation rate averaged over the last ∼ 4 × 106 years.We find the dense gas distribution is dominated by the very bright and spatially-extended emission within a few degrees of the Galactic centre [Purcell et al. (2012)]. This region accounts for ∼80% of the NH3(1,1) integrated intensity but only contains 4% of the survey area. However, in stark contrast, the distribution of star formation activity tracers is relatively uniform across the Galaxy.To probe the dense gas vs SFR relationship towards the Galactic centre region more quantitatively, we compared the HiGAL column density maps to the WMAP-derived SFR across the same region. The total mass and SFR derived using these methods agree well with previous values in the literature. The main conclusion from this analysis is that both the column-density threshold and volumetric SF relations over-predict the SFR by an order of magnitude given the reservoir of dense gas available to form stars. The region 1° < l < 3.5°, |b| < 0.5° is particular striking in this regard. It contains ∼107 M⊙ of dense molecular gas — enough to form 1000 Orion-like clusters — but the present-day star formation rate within this gas is only equivalent to that in Orion. This implication of this result is that any universal column/volume density relations must be a necessary but not sufficient condition for SF to occur.Understanding why such large reservoirs of dense gas deviate from commonly assumed SF relations is of fundamental importance and may help in the quest to understand SF in more extreme (dense) environments, like those found in interacting galaxies and at earlier epochs of the Universe.

scholarly journals Characteristic scale of star formation – I. Clump formation efficiency on local scales

2020 ◽  
Vol 500 (1) ◽  
pp. 191-210
Author(s):  
D J Eden ◽  
T J T Moore ◽  
R Plume ◽  
A J Rigby ◽  
J S Urquhart ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Molecular Clouds ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Galactic Plane ◽  
Power Spectrum Analysis ◽  
Molecular Gas ◽  
Characteristic Scale ◽  
James Clerk Maxwell ◽  
Formation Efficiency ◽  
Spiral Arm

ABSTRACT We have used the ratio of column densities derived independently from the 850-μm continuum James Clerk Maxwell Telescope Plane Survey and the 13CO/C18O (J = 3 → 2) Heterodyne Inner Milky Way Plane Survey to produce maps of the dense-gas mass fraction (DGMF) in two slices of the Galactic plane centred at ℓ = 30° and 40°. The observed DGMF is a metric for the instantaneous clump formation efficiency (CFE) in the molecular gas. We split the two fields into velocity components corresponding to the spiral arms that cross them, and a two-dimensional power-spectrum analysis of the spiral-arm DGMF maps reveals a break in slope at the approximate size scale of molecular clouds. We interpret this as the characteristic scale of the amplitude of variations in the CFE and a constraint on the dominant mechanism regulating the CFE and, hence, the star formation efficiency in CO-traced clouds.

scholarly journals Molecular Clouds and Star Formation Rate in Disk Galaxies

2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
E. O. Vasiliev ◽  
S. A. Khoperskov ◽  
A. V. Khoperskov
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Molecular Clouds ◽  
Star Formation Rate ◽  
Formation Rate ◽  
Disk Galaxies

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