Hierarchical hub-filament structures and gas inflows on galaxy-cloud scales

Fuente: arXiv
Gespeichert in:
Bibliographische Detailangaben
Hauptverfasser: Zhou, J. W., Davis, Timothy A.
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2024
Schlagworte:
Online-Zugang:
Tags: Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
_version_ 1866914822814171136
author Zhou, J. W.
Davis, Timothy A.
author_facet Zhou, J. W.
Davis, Timothy A.
contents We investigated the kinematics and dynamics of gas structures on galaxy-cloud scales in two spiral galaxies NGC5236 (M83) and NGC4321 (M100) using CO (2$-$1) line. We utilized the FILFINDER algorithm on integrated intensity maps for the identification of filaments in two galaxies. Clear fluctuations in velocity and density were observed along these filaments, enabling the fitting of velocity gradients around intensity peaks. The variations in velocity gradient across different scales suggest a gradual and consistent increase in velocity gradient from large to small scales, indicative of gravitational collapse, something also revealed by the correlation between velocity dispersion and column density of gas structures. Gas structures at different scales in the galaxy may be organized into hierarchical systems through gravitational coupling. All the features of gas kinematics on galaxy-cloud scale are very similar to that on cloud-clump and clump-core scales studied in previous works. Thus, the interstellar medium from galaxy to dense core scales presents multi-scale/hierarchical hub-filament structures. Like dense core as the hub in clump, clump as the hub in molecular cloud, now we verify that cloud or cloud complex can be the hub in spiral galaxies. Although the scaling relations and the measured velocity gradients support the gravitational collapse of gas structures on galaxy-cloud scales, the collapse is much slower than a pure free-fall gravitational collapse.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2404_15862
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Hierarchical hub-filament structures and gas inflows on galaxy-cloud scales
Zhou, J. W.
Davis, Timothy A.
Astrophysics of Galaxies
We investigated the kinematics and dynamics of gas structures on galaxy-cloud scales in two spiral galaxies NGC5236 (M83) and NGC4321 (M100) using CO (2$-$1) line. We utilized the FILFINDER algorithm on integrated intensity maps for the identification of filaments in two galaxies. Clear fluctuations in velocity and density were observed along these filaments, enabling the fitting of velocity gradients around intensity peaks. The variations in velocity gradient across different scales suggest a gradual and consistent increase in velocity gradient from large to small scales, indicative of gravitational collapse, something also revealed by the correlation between velocity dispersion and column density of gas structures. Gas structures at different scales in the galaxy may be organized into hierarchical systems through gravitational coupling. All the features of gas kinematics on galaxy-cloud scale are very similar to that on cloud-clump and clump-core scales studied in previous works. Thus, the interstellar medium from galaxy to dense core scales presents multi-scale/hierarchical hub-filament structures. Like dense core as the hub in clump, clump as the hub in molecular cloud, now we verify that cloud or cloud complex can be the hub in spiral galaxies. Although the scaling relations and the measured velocity gradients support the gravitational collapse of gas structures on galaxy-cloud scales, the collapse is much slower than a pure free-fall gravitational collapse.
title Hierarchical hub-filament structures and gas inflows on galaxy-cloud scales
topic Astrophysics of Galaxies
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2404.15862