Star Formation Laws and Efficiencies across 80 Nearby Galaxies
We measure empirical relationships between the local star formation rate (SFR) and properties of the star-forming molecular gas on 1.5 kpc scales across 80 nearby galaxies. These relationships, commonly referred to as “star formation laws,” aim at predicting the local SFR surface density from variou...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2023-01-01
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| Series: | The Astrophysical Journal Letters |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/acbd9c |
| _version_ | 1797695608130109440 |
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| author | Jiayi Sun Adam K. Leroy Eve C. Ostriker Sharon Meidt Erik Rosolowsky Eva Schinnerer Christine D. Wilson Dyas Utomo Francesco Belfiore Guillermo A. Blanc Eric Emsellem Christopher Faesi Brent Groves Annie Hughes Eric W. Koch Kathryn Kreckel Daizhong Liu Hsi-An Pan Jérôme Pety Miguel Querejeta Alessandro Razza Toshiki Saito Amy Sardone Antonio Usero Thomas G. Williams Frank Bigiel Alberto D. Bolatto Mélanie Chevance Daniel A. Dale Jindra Gensior Simon C. O. Glover Kathryn Grasha Jonathan D. Henshaw María J. Jiménez-Donaire Ralf S. Klessen J. M. Diederik Kruijssen Eric J. Murphy Lukas Neumann Yu-Hsuan Teng David A. Thilker |
| author_facet | Jiayi Sun Adam K. Leroy Eve C. Ostriker Sharon Meidt Erik Rosolowsky Eva Schinnerer Christine D. Wilson Dyas Utomo Francesco Belfiore Guillermo A. Blanc Eric Emsellem Christopher Faesi Brent Groves Annie Hughes Eric W. Koch Kathryn Kreckel Daizhong Liu Hsi-An Pan Jérôme Pety Miguel Querejeta Alessandro Razza Toshiki Saito Amy Sardone Antonio Usero Thomas G. Williams Frank Bigiel Alberto D. Bolatto Mélanie Chevance Daniel A. Dale Jindra Gensior Simon C. O. Glover Kathryn Grasha Jonathan D. Henshaw María J. Jiménez-Donaire Ralf S. Klessen J. M. Diederik Kruijssen Eric J. Murphy Lukas Neumann Yu-Hsuan Teng David A. Thilker |
| author_sort | Jiayi Sun |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | We measure empirical relationships between the local star formation rate (SFR) and properties of the star-forming molecular gas on 1.5 kpc scales across 80 nearby galaxies. These relationships, commonly referred to as “star formation laws,” aim at predicting the local SFR surface density from various combinations of molecular gas surface density, galactic orbital time, molecular cloud free fall time, and the interstellar medium dynamical equilibrium pressure. Leveraging a multiwavelength database built for the Physics at High Angular Resolution in Nearby Galaxies (PHANGS) survey, we measure these quantities consistently across all galaxies and quantify systematic uncertainties stemming from choices of SFR calibrations and the CO-to-H _2 conversion factors. The star formation laws we examine show 0.3–0.4 dex of intrinsic scatter, among which the molecular Kennicutt–Schmidt relation shows a ∼10% larger scatter than the other three. The slope of this relation ranges β ≈ 0.9–1.2, implying that the molecular gas depletion time remains roughly constant across the environments probed in our sample. The other relations have shallower slopes ( β ≈ 0.6–1.0), suggesting that the star formation efficiency per orbital time, the star formation efficiency per free fall time, and the pressure-to-SFR surface density ratio (i.e., the feedback yield) vary systematically with local molecular gas and SFR surface densities. Last but not least, the shapes of the star formation laws depend sensitively on methodological choices. Different choices of SFR calibrations can introduce systematic uncertainties of at least 10%–15% in the star formation law slopes and 0.15–0.25 dex in their normalization, while the CO-to-H _2 conversion factors can additionally produce uncertainties of 20%–25% for the slope and 0.10–0.20 dex for the normalization. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T03:14:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0e442273fab548b79ec47e43f393c3ec |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2041-8205 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T03:14:45Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Astrophysical Journal Letters |
| spelling | doaj.art-0e442273fab548b79ec47e43f393c3ec2023-09-03T14:11:18ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal Letters2041-82052023-01-019452L1910.3847/2041-8213/acbd9cStar Formation Laws and Efficiencies across 80 Nearby GalaxiesJiayi Sun0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0378-4667Adam K. Leroy1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2545-1700Eve C. Ostriker2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0509-9113Sharon Meidt3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6118-4048Erik Rosolowsky4https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5204-2259Eva Schinnerer5https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3933-7677Christine D. Wilson6https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5817-0991Dyas Utomo7https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4161-2639Francesco Belfiore8https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2545-5752Guillermo A. Blanc9https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4218-3944Eric Emsellem10https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6155-7166Christopher Faesi11https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5310-467XBrent Groves12https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9768-0246Annie Hughes13https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9181-1161Eric W. Koch14https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9605-780XKathryn Kreckel15https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6551-3091Daizhong Liu16https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9773-7479Hsi-An Pan17https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1370-6964Jérôme Pety18https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3061-6546Miguel Querejeta19https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0472-1011Alessandro Razza20https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7876-1713Toshiki Saito21https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9016-2641Amy Sardone22https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5783-145XAntonio Usero23https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1242-505XThomas G. Williams24https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0012-2142Frank Bigiel25https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0166-9745Alberto D. Bolatto26https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5480-5686Mélanie Chevance27https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5635-5180Daniel A. Dale28https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5782-9093Jindra Gensior29https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6119-9883Simon C. O. Glover30https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6708-1317Kathryn Grasha31https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3247-5321Jonathan D. Henshaw32https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9656-7682María J. Jiménez-Donaire33https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9165-8080Ralf S. Klessen34https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0560-3172J. M. Diederik Kruijssen35https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8804-0212Eric J. Murphy36https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7089-7325Lukas Neumann37https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9793-6400Yu-Hsuan Teng38https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4209-1599David A. Thilker39https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8528-7340Department of Physics and Astronomy, McMaster University , 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4M1, Canada ; sun208@mcmaster.ca; Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics (CITA), University of Toronto , 60 St George Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3H8, CanadaDepartment of Astronomy, The Ohio State University , 140 West 18th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; Center for Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics (CCAPP) , 191 West Woodruff Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210, USADepartment of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University , Princeton, NJ 08544 USASterrenkundig Observatorium, Universiteit Gent , Krijgslaan 281 S9, B-9000 Gent, BelgiumDepartment of Physics, University of Alberta , Edmonton, AB T6G 2E1, CanadaMax-Planck-Institut für Astronomie , Königstuhl 17, D-69117, Heidelberg, GermanyDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, McMaster University , 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4M1, Canada ; sun208@mcmaster.caNational Radio Astronomy Observatory , 520 Edgemont Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903-2475, USAINAF—Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri , Largo E. Fermi 5, I-50157, Firenze, ItalyObservatories of the Carnegie Institution for Science , 813 Santa Barbara Street, Pasadena, CA 91101, USA; Departamento de Astronomía, Universidad de Chile , Camino del Observatorio 1515, Las Condes, Santiago, ChileEuropean Southern Observatory , Karl-Schwarzschild Straße 2, D-85748 Garching bei München, Germany; Univ Lyon, Univ Lyon 1, ENS de Lyon, CNRS, Centre de Recherche Astrophysique de Lyon UMR5574, F-69230 Saint-Genis-Laval, FranceUniversity of Massachusetts Amherst , 710 N. Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA 01003, USAInternational Centre for Radio Astronomy Research, University of Western Australia , 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, AustraliaCNRS, IRAP, 9 Av. du Colonel Roche, BP 44346, F-31028 Toulouse cedex 4, FranceCenter for Astrophysics ∣ Harvard & Smithsonian , 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USAAstronomisches Rechen-Institut , Zentrum für Astronomie der Universität Heidelberg, Mönchhofstraße 12-14, D-69120 Heidelberg, GermanyMax-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik , Giessenbachstraße 1, D-85748 Garching, GermanyDepartment of Physics, Tamkang University , No.151, Yingzhuan Rd., Tamsui Dist., New Taipei City 251301, TaiwanInstitut de Radioastronomie Millimétrique (IRAM) , 300 Rue de la Piscine, F-38406 Saint Martin d’Hères, France; Sorbonne Université, Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL , CNRS, LERMA, F-75014, Paris, FranceObservatorio Astronómico Nacional (IGN) , C/Alfonso XII, 3, E-28014 Madrid, SpainDepartamento de Astronomía, Universidad de Chile , Camino del Observatorio 1515, Las Condes, Santiago, ChileNational Astronomical Observatory of Japan , 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo, 181-8588, JapanDepartment of Astronomy, The Ohio State University , 140 West 18th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; Center for Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics (CCAPP) , 191 West Woodruff Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210, USAObservatorio Astronómico Nacional (IGN) , C/Alfonso XII, 3, E-28014 Madrid, SpainMax-Planck-Institut für Astronomie , Königstuhl 17, D-69117, Heidelberg, Germany; Sub-department of Astrophysics, Department of Physics, University of Oxford , Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3RH, UKArgelander-Institut für Astronomie, Universität Bonn , Auf dem Hügel 71, D-53121 Bonn, GermanyDepartment of Astronomy and Joint Space-Science Institute, University of Maryland , College Park, MD 20742, USAUniversität Heidelberg , Zentrum für Astronomie, Institut für Theoretische Astrophysik, Albert-Ueberle-Str 2, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany; Cosmic Origins Of Life (COOL) Research DAO40Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Wyoming , Laramie, WY 82071, USAInstitute for Computational Science, University of Zürich , Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, SwitzerlandUniversität Heidelberg , Zentrum für Astronomie, Institut für Theoretische Astrophysik, Albert-Ueberle-Str 2, D-69120 Heidelberg, GermanyResearch School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Australian National University , Canberra, ACT 2611, Australia; ARC Centre of Excellence for All Sky Astrophysics in 3 Dimensions (ASTRO 3D) , AustraliaMax-Planck-Institut für Astronomie , Königstuhl 17, D-69117, Heidelberg, Germany; Astrophysics Research Institute, Liverpool John Moores University , IC2, Liverpool Science Park, 146 Brownlow Hill, Liverpool L3 5RF, UKObservatorio Astronómico Nacional (IGN) , C/Alfonso XII, 3, E-28014 Madrid, SpainUniversität Heidelberg , Zentrum für Astronomie, Institut für Theoretische Astrophysik, Albert-Ueberle-Str 2, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany; Universität Heidelberg , Interdisziplinäres Zentrum für Wissenschaftliches Rechnen, Im Neuenheimer Feld 205, D-69120 Heidelberg, GermanyCosmic Origins Of Life (COOL) Research DAO40National Radio Astronomy Observatory , 520 Edgemont Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903-2475, USAArgelander-Institut für Astronomie, Universität Bonn , Auf dem Hügel 71, D-53121 Bonn, GermanyCenter for Astrophysics and Space Sciences, Department of Physics, University of California , San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093, USADepartment of Physics and Astronomy, The Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, MD 21218, USAWe measure empirical relationships between the local star formation rate (SFR) and properties of the star-forming molecular gas on 1.5 kpc scales across 80 nearby galaxies. These relationships, commonly referred to as “star formation laws,” aim at predicting the local SFR surface density from various combinations of molecular gas surface density, galactic orbital time, molecular cloud free fall time, and the interstellar medium dynamical equilibrium pressure. Leveraging a multiwavelength database built for the Physics at High Angular Resolution in Nearby Galaxies (PHANGS) survey, we measure these quantities consistently across all galaxies and quantify systematic uncertainties stemming from choices of SFR calibrations and the CO-to-H _2 conversion factors. The star formation laws we examine show 0.3–0.4 dex of intrinsic scatter, among which the molecular Kennicutt–Schmidt relation shows a ∼10% larger scatter than the other three. The slope of this relation ranges β ≈ 0.9–1.2, implying that the molecular gas depletion time remains roughly constant across the environments probed in our sample. The other relations have shallower slopes ( β ≈ 0.6–1.0), suggesting that the star formation efficiency per orbital time, the star formation efficiency per free fall time, and the pressure-to-SFR surface density ratio (i.e., the feedback yield) vary systematically with local molecular gas and SFR surface densities. Last but not least, the shapes of the star formation laws depend sensitively on methodological choices. Different choices of SFR calibrations can introduce systematic uncertainties of at least 10%–15% in the star formation law slopes and 0.15–0.25 dex in their normalization, while the CO-to-H _2 conversion factors can additionally produce uncertainties of 20%–25% for the slope and 0.10–0.20 dex for the normalization.https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/acbd9cInterstellar mediumStar formationGalaxy evolutionScaling relations |
| spellingShingle | Jiayi Sun Adam K. Leroy Eve C. Ostriker Sharon Meidt Erik Rosolowsky Eva Schinnerer Christine D. Wilson Dyas Utomo Francesco Belfiore Guillermo A. Blanc Eric Emsellem Christopher Faesi Brent Groves Annie Hughes Eric W. Koch Kathryn Kreckel Daizhong Liu Hsi-An Pan Jérôme Pety Miguel Querejeta Alessandro Razza Toshiki Saito Amy Sardone Antonio Usero Thomas G. Williams Frank Bigiel Alberto D. Bolatto Mélanie Chevance Daniel A. Dale Jindra Gensior Simon C. O. Glover Kathryn Grasha Jonathan D. Henshaw María J. Jiménez-Donaire Ralf S. Klessen J. M. Diederik Kruijssen Eric J. Murphy Lukas Neumann Yu-Hsuan Teng David A. Thilker Star Formation Laws and Efficiencies across 80 Nearby Galaxies The Astrophysical Journal Letters Interstellar medium Star formation Galaxy evolution Scaling relations |
| title | Star Formation Laws and Efficiencies across 80 Nearby Galaxies |
| title_full | Star Formation Laws and Efficiencies across 80 Nearby Galaxies |
| title_fullStr | Star Formation Laws and Efficiencies across 80 Nearby Galaxies |
| title_full_unstemmed | Star Formation Laws and Efficiencies across 80 Nearby Galaxies |
| title_short | Star Formation Laws and Efficiencies across 80 Nearby Galaxies |
| title_sort | star formation laws and efficiencies across 80 nearby galaxies |
| topic | Interstellar medium Star formation Galaxy evolution Scaling relations |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/acbd9c |
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