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Start Over Subject molecular physics Publisher CDS Capability Type Simple Cone Search
1. ALMA data for 5 luminous & ultraluminous IR gal.
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/882/5
Title:
ALMA data for 5 luminous & ultraluminous IR gal.
Short Name:
J/ApJ/882/5
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
A new analysis of high-resolution data from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array for five luminous or ultraluminous infrared galaxies gives a slope for the Kennicutt-Schmidt (KS) relation equal to 1.74_-0.07_^+0.09^ for gas surface densities {Sigma}_mol_>10^3^M_{sun}_/pc^2^ and an assumed constant CO-to-H2 conversion factor. The velocity dispersion of the CO line, {sigma}_v_, scales approximately as the inverse square root of {Sigma}_mol_, making the empirical gas scale height determined from H~0.5{sigma}^2^/({pi}G{Sigma}_mol_) nearly constant, 150-190pc, over 1.5 orders of magnitude in {Sigma}_mol_. This constancy of H implies that the average midplane density, which is presumably dominated by CO-emitting gas for these extreme star-forming galaxies, scales linearly with the gas surface density, which in turn implies that the gas dynamical rate (the inverse of the freefall time) varies with {Sigma}_mol_^1/2^, thereby explaining most of the super-linear slope in the KS relation. Consistent with these relations, we also find that the mean efficiency of star formation per freefall time is roughly constant, 5%-7%, and the gas depletion time decreases at high {Sigma}_mol_, reaching only ~16Myr at {Sigma}_mol_~10^4^M_{sun}_/pc^2^. The variation of {sigma}_v_ with {Sigma}_mol_ and the constancy of H are in tension with some feedback-driven models, which predict {sigma}_v_ to be more constant and H to be more variable. However, these results are consistent with simulations in which large-scale gravity drives turbulence through a feedback process that maintains an approximately constant Toomre Q instability parameter.
2. ALMA obs. of star-forming regions toward NGC6334I
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/883/129
Title:
ALMA obs. of star-forming regions toward NGC6334I
Short Name:
J/ApJ/883/129
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
The relative column densities of the structural isomers methyl formate, glycolaldehyde, and acetic acid are derived for a dozen positions toward the massive star-forming regions MM1 and MM2 in the NGC 6334I complex, which are separated by ~4000au. Relative column densities of these molecules are also gathered from the literature for 13 other star-forming regions. In this combined data set, a clear bimodal distribution is observed in the relative column densities of glycolaldehyde and methyl formate. No such distribution is evident with acetic acid. The two trends are comprised of star-forming regions with a variety of masses, suggesting that there must be some other common parameter that is heavily impacting the formation of glycolaldehyde. This is indicative of some demonstrable differentiation in these cores; studying the abundances of these isomers may provide a clue as to the integral chemical processes ongoing in a variety of protostellar environments.
3. Astrochemical study along M83 circumnuclear ring
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/884/100
Title:
Astrochemical study along M83 circumnuclear ring
Short Name:
J/ApJ/884/100
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
We report an astrochemical study on the evolution of interstellar molecular clouds and consequent star formation in the center of the barred spiral galaxy M83. We used the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) to image molecular species indicative of shocks (SiO and CH_3_OH), dense cores (N_2_H^+^), and photodissociation regions (CN and CCH), as well as a radio recombination line (H41{alpha}) tracing active star-forming regions. M83 has a circumnuclear gas ring that is joined at two intersections by gas streams from the leading- edge gas lanes on the bar. We found elevated abundances of the shock and dense-core tracers in one of the orbit-intersecting areas, and found peaks of CN and H41{alpha} downstream. In the other orbit-intersection area, we found a similar enhancement of the shock tracers, but less variation of other tracers, and no sign of active star formation in the stream. We propose that the observed chemical variation or lack of it is due to the presence or absence of collision-induced evolution of molecular clouds and induced star formation. This work presents the clearest case of the chemical evolution in the circumnuclear rings of barred galaxies thanks to the ALMA resolution and sensitivity.
4. ATLASGAL dense clumps Molecular parameters
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/MNRAS/484/4444
Title:
ATLASGAL dense clumps Molecular parameters
Short Name:
J/MNRAS/484/4444
Date:
10 Dec 2021 00:02:11
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
We have conducted a 3-mm molecular-line survey towards 570 high-mass star-forming clumps, using the Mopra telescope. The sample is selected from the 10000 clumps identified by the ATLASGAL (APEX Telescope Large Area Survey of the Galaxy) survey and includes all of the most important embedded evolutionary stages associated with massive star formation, classified into five distinct categories (quiescent, protostellar, young stellar objects, HII regions, and photon-dominated regions). The observations were performed in broad-band mode with frequency coverage of 85.2-93.4GHz and a velocity resolution of ~0.9km/s, detecting emission from 26 different transitions. We find significant evolutionary trends in the detection rates, integrated line intensities, and abundances of many of the transitions and also identify a couple of molecules that appear to be invariant to changes in the dust temperature and evolutionary stage [N_2_H^+^ (1-0) and HN^13^C (1-0)]. We use the K-ladders for CH_3_C_2_H (5-4) and CH_3_CH (5-4) to calculate the rotation temperatures and find around one-third of the quiescent clumps have rotation temperatures that suggest the presence of an internal heating source. These sources may constitute a population of very young protostellar objects that are still dark at 70um and suggest that the fraction of truly quiescent clumps may only be a few per cent. We also identify a number of line ratios that show a strong correlation with the evolutionary stage of the embedded objects and discuss their utility as diagnostic probes of evolution.
5. BAT AGN Spectroscopic Survey. XX. Molecular gas
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJS/252/29
Title:
BAT AGN Spectroscopic Survey. XX. Molecular gas
Short Name:
J/ApJS/252/29
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
We present the host-galaxy molecular gas properties of a sample of 213 nearby (0.01<z<0.05) hard-X-ray-selected active galactic nucleus (AGN) galaxies, drawn from the 70-month catalog of Swift's Burst Alert Telescope (BAT), with 200 new CO(2-1) line measurements obtained with the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope and the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment telescope. We find that AGN in massive galaxies (log(M_*_/M_{sun}_)>10.5) tend to have more molecular gas and higher gas fractions than inactive galaxies matched in stellar mass. When matched in star formation, we find AGN galaxies show no difference from inactive galaxies, with no evidence that AGN feedback affects the molecular gas. The higher molecular gas content is related to AGN galaxies hosting a population of gas-rich early types with an order of magnitude more molecular gas and a smaller fraction of quenched, passive galaxies (~5% versus 49%) compared to inactive galaxies. The likelihood of a given galaxy hosting an AGN (L_bol_>10^44^erg/s) increases by ~10-100 between a molecular gas mass of 10^8.7^M_{sun}_ and 10^10.2^M_{sun}_. AGN galaxies with a higher Eddington ratio (log(L/L_Edd_)>-1.3) tend to have higher molecular gas masses and gas fractions. The log(NH/cm^-2^)>23.4) of AGN galaxies with higher column densities are associated with lower depletion timescales and may prefer hosts with more gas centrally concentrated in the bulge that may be more prone to quenching than galaxy-wide molecular gas. The significant average link of host-galaxy molecular gas supply to supermassive black hole (SMBH) growth may naturally lead to the general correlations found between SMBHs and their host galaxies, such as the correlations between SMBH mass and bulge properties, and the redshift evolution of star formation and SMBH growth.
6. Cloud-scale molecular gas properties in 15 galaxies
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/860/172
Title:
Cloud-scale molecular gas properties in 15 galaxies
Short Name:
J/ApJ/860/172
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
We measure the velocity dispersion, {sigma}, and surface density, {Sigma}, of the molecular gas in nearby galaxies from CO spectral line cubes with spatial resolution 45-120pc, matched to the size of individual giant molecular clouds. Combining 11 galaxies from the PHANGS-ALMA survey with four targets from the literature, we characterize ~30000 independent sightlines where CO is detected at good significance. {Sigma} and {sigma} show a strong positive correlation, with the best-fit power-law slope close to the expected value for resolved, self-gravitating clouds. This indicates only a weak variation in the virial parameter {alpha}_vir_{propto}{sigma}^2^/{Sigma}, which is ~1.5-3.0 for most galaxies. We do, however, observe enormous variation in the internal turbulent pressure P_turb_{propto}{Sigma}{sigma}^2^, which spans ~5dex across our sample. We find {Sigma}, {sigma}, and P_turb_ to be systematically larger in more massive galaxies. The same quantities appear enhanced in the central kiloparsec of strongly barred galaxies relative to their disks. Based on sensitive maps of M31 and M33, the slope of the {sigma}-{Sigma} relation flattens at {Sigma}<~10M_{sun}_/pc^2^, leading to high {sigma} for a given {Sigma} and high apparent {alpha}_vir_. This echoes results found in the Milky Way and likely originates from a combination of lower beam-filling factors and a stronger influence of local environment on the dynamical state of molecular gas in the low-density regime.
7. CO molecular clumps in Henize 2-10 dwarf galaxy
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/867/165
Title:
CO molecular clumps in Henize 2-10 dwarf galaxy
Short Name:
J/ApJ/867/165
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
We present Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array CO(3-2) observations at 0.3" resolution of He 2-10, a starburst dwarf galaxy and possible high-z galaxy analog. The warm dense gas traced by CO(3-2) is found in clumpy filaments that are kinematically and spatially distinct. The filaments have no preferred orientation or direction; this may indicate that the galaxy is not evolving into a disk galaxy. Filaments appear to be feeding the active starburst; the velocity field in one filament suggests acceleration onto an embedded star cluster. The relative strengths of CO(3-2) and radio continuum vary strongly on decaparsec scales in the starburst. There is no CO(3-2) clump coincident with the nonthermal radio source that has been suggested to be an AGN, nor unusual kinematics. The kinematics of the molecular gas show significant activity that is apparently unrelated to the current starburst. The longest filament, east of the starburst, has a pronounced shear of FWHM ~40km/s across its ~50pc width over its entire ~0.5kpc length. The cause of the shear is not clear. This filament is close in projection to a "dynamically distinct" CO feature previously seen in CO(1-0). The most complex region and the most highly disturbed gas velocities are in a region 200pc south of the starburst. The CO(3-2) emission there reveals a molecular outflow, of line width FWZI~120-140km/s, requiring an energy >~10^53^erg/s. There is at present no candidate for the driving source of this outflow.
8. Dark molecular gas in the Galaxy II. Perseus arm
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/883/158
Title:
Dark molecular gas in the Galaxy II. Perseus arm
Short Name:
J/ApJ/883/158
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
We report the results from a new, highly sensitive ({Delta}T_mb_~3mK) survey for thermal OH emission at 1665 and 1667MHz over a dense, 9x9pix grid covering a 1{deg}x1{deg} patch of sky in the direction of l=105.00{deg}, b=+2.50{deg} toward the Perseus spiral arm of our Galaxy. We compare our Green Bank Telescope 1667MHz OH results with archival ^12^CO(1-0) observations from the Five College Radio Astronomy Observatory Outer Galaxy Survey within the velocity range of the Perseus Arm at these galactic coordinates. Out of the 81 statistically independent pointings in our survey area, 86% show detectable OH emission at 1667MHz, and 19% of them show detectable CO emission. We explore the possible physical conditions of the observed features using a set of diffuse molecular cloud models. In the context of these models, both OH and CO disappear at current sensitivity limits below an A_v_ of 0.2, but the CO emission does not appear until the volume density exceeds 100-200cm^-3^. These results demonstrate that a combination of low column density A_v_ and low volume density n_H_ can explain the lack of CO emission along sight lines exhibiting OH emission. The 18cm OH main lines, with their low critical density of n*~1cm^-3^, are collisionally excited over a large fraction of the quiescent galactic environment and, for observations of sufficient sensitivity, provide an optically thin radio tracer for diffuse H_2_.
9. EMPIRE: IRAM 30m dense gas survey
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/880/127
Title:
EMPIRE: IRAM 30m dense gas survey
Short Name:
J/ApJ/880/127
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
We present EMPIRE, an IRAM 30m large program that mapped {lambda}=3-4mm dense gas tracers at ~1-2kpc resolution across the whole star-forming disk of nine nearby massive spiral galaxies. We describe the EMPIRE observing and reduction strategies and show new whole-galaxy maps of HCN(1-0), HCO^+^(1-0), HNC(1-0), and CO(1-0). We explore how the HCN-to-CO and IR-to-HCN ratios, observational proxies for the dense gas fraction and dense gas star formation efficiency, depend on host galaxy and local environment. We find that the fraction of dense gas correlates with stellar surface density, gas surface density, molecular-to-atomic gas ratio, and dynamical equilibrium pressure. In EMPIRE, the star formation rate per unit dense gas is anticorrelated with these same environmental parameters. Thus, although dense gas appears abundant in the central regions of many spiral galaxies, this gas appears relatively inefficient at forming stars. These results qualitatively agree with previous work on nearby galaxies and the Milky Way's Central Molecular Zone. To first order, EMPIRE demonstrates that the conditions in a galaxy disk set the gas density distribution and that the dense gas traced by HCN shows an environment-dependent relation to star formation. However, our results also show significant (+/-0.2dex) galaxy-to-galaxy variations. We suggest that gas structure below the scale of our observations and dynamical effects likely also play an important role.
10. First detection of HCOOH in TW Hya disk with ALMA
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/862/L2
Title:
First detection of HCOOH in TW Hya disk with ALMA
Short Name:
J/ApJ/862/L2
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
The formation of asteroids, comets, and planets occurs in the interior of protoplanetary disks during the early phase of star formation. Consequently, the chemical composition of the disk might shape the properties of the emerging planetary system. In this context, it is crucial to understand whether and what organic molecules are synthesized in the disk. In this Letter, we report the first detection of formic acid (HCOOH) toward the TW Hydrae protoplanetary disk. The observations of the trans-HCOOH 6_(1,6)-5(1,5)_ transition were carried out at 129GHz with Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA). We measured a disk-averaged gas-phase t-HCOOH column density of ~(2-4)x10^12^cm^-2^, namely as large as that of methanol. HCOOH is the first organic molecule containing two oxygen atoms detected in a protoplanetary disk, a proof that organic chemistry is very active, albeit difficult to observe, in these objects. Specifically, this simplest acid stands as the basis for synthesis of more complex carboxylic acids used by life on Earth.

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