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Auteurs principaux: Fortune-Bashee, Xena L., Sun, Jiayi, Tan, Jonathan C.
Format: Preprint
Publié: 2024
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Accès en ligne:https://arxiv.org/abs/2409.07622
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author Fortune-Bashee, Xena L.
Sun, Jiayi
Tan, Jonathan C.
author_facet Fortune-Bashee, Xena L.
Sun, Jiayi
Tan, Jonathan C.
contents Determining the physical processes that control galactic-scale star formation rates is essential for an improved understanding of galaxy evolution. The role of orbital shear is currently unclear, with some models expecting reduced star formation rates (SFRs) and efficiencies (SFEs) with increasing shear, e.g., if shear stabilizes gas against gravitational collapse, while others predicting enhanced rates, e.g., if shear-driven collisions between giant molecular clouds (GMCs) trigger star formation. Expanding on the analysis of 16 galaxies by Suwannajak, Tan, \& Leroy (2014), we assess the shear dependence of SFE per orbital time ($ε_\mathrm{orb}$) in 49 galaxies selected from the PHANGS-ALMA survey. In particular, we test a prediction of the shear-driven GMC collision model that $ε_\mathrm{orb}\propto(1-0.7β)$, where $β\equiv{d}\:\mathrm{ln}\:v_\mathrm{circ}/d\:\mathrm{ln}\:r$, i.e., SFE per orbital time declines with decreasing shear. We fit the function $ε_\mathrm{orb}=ε_\mathrm{orb,\,0}(1-α_\mathrm{CC}β)$ finding $α_\mathrm{CC}\simeq0.76\pm0.16$; an alternative fit with $ε_\mathrm{orb}$ normalized by the median value in each galaxy yields $α_\mathrm{CC}^*=0.80\pm0.15$. These results are in good agreement with the prediction of the shear-driven GMC collision theory. We also examine the impact of a galactic bar on $ε_\mathrm{orb}$ finding a modest decrease in SFE in the presence of bar, which can be attributed to lower rates of shear in these regions. We discuss the implications of our results for the GMC life cycle and environmental dependence of star formation activity.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2409_07622
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle The Impact of Shear on Disk Galaxy Star Formation Rates
Fortune-Bashee, Xena L.
Sun, Jiayi
Tan, Jonathan C.
Astrophysics of Galaxies
Determining the physical processes that control galactic-scale star formation rates is essential for an improved understanding of galaxy evolution. The role of orbital shear is currently unclear, with some models expecting reduced star formation rates (SFRs) and efficiencies (SFEs) with increasing shear, e.g., if shear stabilizes gas against gravitational collapse, while others predicting enhanced rates, e.g., if shear-driven collisions between giant molecular clouds (GMCs) trigger star formation. Expanding on the analysis of 16 galaxies by Suwannajak, Tan, \& Leroy (2014), we assess the shear dependence of SFE per orbital time ($ε_\mathrm{orb}$) in 49 galaxies selected from the PHANGS-ALMA survey. In particular, we test a prediction of the shear-driven GMC collision model that $ε_\mathrm{orb}\propto(1-0.7β)$, where $β\equiv{d}\:\mathrm{ln}\:v_\mathrm{circ}/d\:\mathrm{ln}\:r$, i.e., SFE per orbital time declines with decreasing shear. We fit the function $ε_\mathrm{orb}=ε_\mathrm{orb,\,0}(1-α_\mathrm{CC}β)$ finding $α_\mathrm{CC}\simeq0.76\pm0.16$; an alternative fit with $ε_\mathrm{orb}$ normalized by the median value in each galaxy yields $α_\mathrm{CC}^*=0.80\pm0.15$. These results are in good agreement with the prediction of the shear-driven GMC collision theory. We also examine the impact of a galactic bar on $ε_\mathrm{orb}$ finding a modest decrease in SFE in the presence of bar, which can be attributed to lower rates of shear in these regions. We discuss the implications of our results for the GMC life cycle and environmental dependence of star formation activity.
title The Impact of Shear on Disk Galaxy Star Formation Rates
topic Astrophysics of Galaxies
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2409.07622