您选择的条件: Sara L. Ellison
  • The ALMaQUEST Survey XV: The Dependence of the Molecular-to-Atomic Gas Ratios on Resolved Optical Diagnostics

    分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2024-03-30

    摘要: The atomic-to-molecular gas conversion is a critical step in the baryon cycle of galaxies, which sets the initial conditions for subsequent star formation and influences the multi-phase interstellar medium. We compiled a sample of 94 nearby galaxies with observations of multi-phase gas contents by utilizing public H I, CO, and optical IFU data from the MaNGA survey together with new FAST H I observations. In agreement with previous results, our sample shows that the global molecular-to-atomic gas ratio ($R_{\rm mol} \equiv$ log $M_{\rm H_2}/M_{\rm H\ I}$) is correlated with the global stellar mass surface density $\mu_*$ with a Kendall's $\tau$ coefficient of 0.25 and $p < 10^{-3}$, less tightly but still correlated with stellar mass and NUV$-$ r color, and not related to the specific star formation rate (sSFR). The cold gas distribution and kinematics inferred from the H I and CO global profile asymmetry and shape do not significantly rely on $R_{\rm mol}$. Thanks to the availability of kpc-scale observations of MaNGA, we decompose galaxies into H II, composite, and AGN-dominated regions by using the BPT diagrams. With increasing $R_{\rm mol}$, the fraction of H II regions within 1.5 effective radius decreases slightly; the density distribution in the spatially resolved BPT diagram also changes significantly, suggesting changes in metallicity and ionization states. Galaxies with high $R_{\rm mol}$ tend to have high oxygen abundance, both at one effective radius with a Kendall's $\tau$ coefficient of 0.37 ($p < 10^{-3}$) and their central regions. Among all parameters investigated here, the oxygen abundance at one effective radius has the strongest relation with global $R_{\rm mol}$, but the dependence of gas conversion on gas distribution and galaxy ionization states is weak.

  • LoTSS Jellyfish Galaxies IV: Enhanced Star Formation on the Leading Half of Cluster Galaxies and Gas Compression in IC3949

    分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19

    摘要: With MaNGA integral field spectroscopy, we present a resolved analysis of star formation for 29 jellyfish galaxies in nearby clusters, identified from radio continuum imaging taken by the Low Frequency Array. Simulations predict enhanced star formation on the "leading half" of galaxies undergoing ram pressure stripping, and in this work we report observational evidence for this elevated star formation. The dividing line (through the galaxy center) that maximizes this star formation enhancement is systematically tied to the observed direction of the ram pressure stripped tail, suggesting a physical connection between ram pressure and this star formation enhancement. We also present a case study on the distribution of molecular gas in one jellyfish galaxy from our sample, IC3949, using ALMA CO J=1-0, HCN J=1-0, and HCO$^+$ J=1-0 observations from the ALMaQUEST survey. The $\mathrm{H_2}$ depletion time (as traced by CO) in IC3949 ranges from $\sim\!1\,\mathrm{Gyr}$ in the outskirts of the molecular gas disk to $\sim\!11\,\mathrm{Gyr}$ near the galaxy center. IC3949 shows a clear region of enhanced star formation on the leading half of the galaxy where the average depletion time is $\sim\!2.7\,\mathrm{Gyr}$, in line with the median value for the galaxy on the whole. Dense gas tracers, HCN and HCO$^+$, are only detected at the galaxy center and on the leading half of IC3949. Our results favour a scenario in which ram pressure compresses the interstellar medium, promoting the formation of molecular gas that in turn fuels a localized increase of star formation.

  • ALMaQUEST -- VII: Star Formation Scaling Relations of Green Valley Galaxies

    分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19

    摘要: We utilize the ALMA-MaNGA QUEnch and STar formation (ALMaQUEST) survey to investigate the kpc-scale scaling relations, presented as the resolved star forming main sequence (rSFMS: $\Sigma_{\rm SFR}$ vs. $\Sigma_{*}$), the resolved Schmidt-Kennicutt relation (rSK: $\Sigma_{\rm SFR}$ vs. $\Sigma_{\rm H_{2}}$), and the resolved molecular gas main sequence (rMGMS: $\Sigma_{\rm H_{2}}$ vs. $\Sigma_{*}$), for 11478 star-forming and 1414 retired spaxels (oversampled by a factor of $\sim20$) located in 22 green valley (GV) and 12 main sequence (MS) galaxies. For a given galaxy type (MS or GV), the retired spaxels are found to be offset from the sequences formed by the star-forming spaxels on the rSFMS, rSK, and rMGMS planes, toward lower absolute values of sSFR, SFE, and $f_{\rm H_{2}}$ by $\sim$ 1.1, 0.6, and 0.5 dex. The scaling relations for GV galaxies are found to be distinct from that of the MS galaxies, even if the analyses are restricted to the star-forming spaxels only. It is found that for star-forming spaxels, sSFR, SFE, and $f_{\rm H_{2}}$ in GV galaxies are reduced by $\sim$0.36, 0.14, and 0.21 dex, respectively, compared to those in MS galaxies. Therefore, the suppressed sSFR/SFE/$f_{\rm H_{2}}$ in GV galaxies are associated with not only an increased proportion of retired regions in GV galaxies but also a depletion of these quantities in star-forming regions. Finally, the reduction of SFE and $f_{\rm H_{2}}$ in GV galaxies relative to MS galaxies is seen in both bulge and disk regions (albeit with larger uncertainties), suggesting that statistically, quenching in the GV population may persist from the inner to the outer regions.

  • The metallicity's fundamental dependence on both local and global galactic quantities

    分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19

    摘要: We study the scaling relations between gas-phase metallicity, stellar mass surface density ($\Sigma _*$), star formation rate surface density ($\Sigma _{SFR}$), and molecular gas surface density ($\Sigma_{H_2}$) in local star-forming galaxies on scales of a kpc. We employ optical integral field spectroscopy from the MaNGA survey, and ALMA data for a subset of MaNGA galaxies. We use Partial Correlation Coefficients and Random Forest regression to determine the relative importance of local and global galactic properties in setting the gas-phase metallicity. We find that the local metallicity depends primarily on $\Sigma _*$ (the resolved mass-metallicity relation, rMZR), and has a secondary anti-correlation with $\Sigma _{SFR}$ (i.e. a spatially-resolved version of the 'Fundamental Metallicity Relation', rFMR). We find that $\Sigma_{H_2}$ is less important than $\Sigma_{SFR}$ in determining the local metallicity. This result indicates that gas accretion, resulting in local metallicity dilution and local boosting of star formation, is unlikely to be the primary origin of the rFMR. The local metallicity depends also on the global properties of galaxies. We find a strong dependence on the total stellar mass ($M_*$) and a weaker (inverse) dependence on the total SFR. The global metallicity scaling relations, therefore, do not simply stem out of their resolved counterparts; global properties and processes, such as the global gravitational potential well, galaxy-scale winds and global redistribution/mixing of metals, likely contribute to the local metallicity, in addition to local production and retention.

  • PHANGS-JWST First Results: A Global and Moderately Resolved View of Mid-Infrared and CO Line Emission from Galaxies at the Start of the JWST Era

    分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19

    摘要: We explore the relationship between mid-infrared (mid-IR) and CO rotational line emission from massive star-forming galaxies, which is one of the tightest scalings in the local universe. We assemble a large set of unresolved and moderately ($\sim 1$ kpc) spatially resolved measurements of CO (1-0) and CO (2-1) intensity, $I_{\rm CO}$, and mid-IR intensity, $I_{\rm MIR}$, at 8, 12, 22, and 24$\mu$m. The $I_{\rm CO}$ vs. $I_{\rm MIR}$ relationship is reasonably described by a power law with slopes $0.7{-}1.2$ and normalization $I_{\rm CO} \sim 1$ K km s$^{-1}$ at $I_{\rm MIR} \sim 1$ MJy sr$^{-1}$. Both the slopes and intercepts vary systematically with choice of line and band. The comparison between the relations measured for CO~(1-0) and CO (2-1) allow us to infer that $R_{21} \propto I_{\rm MIR}^{0.2}$, in good agreement with other work. The $8\mu$m and $12\mu$m bands, with strong PAH features, show steeper CO vs. mid-IR slopes than the $22\mu$m and $24\mu$m, consistent with PAH emission arising not just from CO-bright gas but also from atomic or CO-dark gas. The CO-to-mid-IR ratio correlates with global galaxy stellar mass ($M_\star$) and anti-correlates with SFR/$M_\star$. At $\sim 1$ kpc resolution, the first four PHANGS-JWST targets show CO to mid-IR relationships that are quantitatively similar to our larger literature sample, including showing the steep CO-to-mid-IR slopes for the JWST PAH-tracing bands, although we caution that these initial data have a small sample size and span a limited range of intensities.