Variations in the slope of the resolved star-forming main sequence: a tool for constraining the mass of star-forming regions

Hani, Maan H.; Hayward, Christopher C.; Orr, M.; Ellison, Sara L.; Torrey, Paul; Murray, Norman; Wetzel, Andrew; Faucher-Giguère, Claude André

doi:10.1093/mnrasl/slaa013

Cited by 14 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…We find that the scatter increases both as a function of radius and as patch is decreased for all simulations. These trends are, at least qualitatively, consistent with scale-dependent sampling effects (e.g., Torrey et al 2017;Hani et al 2020). In particular, fewer star-forming complexes are contained within each patch on average with increasing radius and decreasing patch size.…”

Section: Pressure-to-weight Ratio Vs R and Zsupporting

confidence: 72%

Pressure balance in the multiphase ISM of cosmologically simulated disc galaxies

Gurvich

Faucher-Giguère

Richings

et al. 2020

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

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Pressure balance plays a central role in models of the interstellar medium (ISM), but whether and how pressure balance is realized in a realistic multiphase ISM is not yet well understood. We address this question using a set of FIRE-2 cosmological zoom-in simulations of Milky Way-mass disk galaxies, in which a multiphase ISM is self-consistently shaped by gravity, cooling, and stellar feedback. We analyze how gravity determines the vertical pressure profile as well as how the total ISM pressure is partitioned between different phases and components (thermal, dispersion/turbulence, and bulk flows). We show that, on average and consistent with previous more idealized simulations, the total ISM pressure balances the weight of the overlying gas. Deviations from vertical pressure balance increase with increasing galactocentric radius and with decreasing averaging scale. The different phases are in rough total pressure equilibrium with one another, but with large deviations from thermal pressure equilibrium owing to kinetic support in the cold and warm phases, which dominate the total pressure near the midplane. Bulk flows (e.g., inflows and fountains) are important at a few disk scale heights, while thermal pressure from hot gas dominates at larger heights. Overall, the total midplane pressure is well-predicted by the weight of the disk gas, and we show that it also scales linearly with the star formation rate surface density (ΣSFR). These results support the notion that the Kennicutt-Schmidt relation arises because ΣSFR and the gas surface density (Σg) are connected via the ISM midplane pressure.

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Section: Pressure-to-weight Ratio Vs R and Zsupporting

confidence: 72%

Pressure balance in the multiphase ISM of cosmologically simulated disc galaxies

Gurvich

Faucher-Giguère

Richings

et al. 2020

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

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“…Ellison et al (2018a) report both downturns and upturns towards the smaller radii in their MaNGA-selected SFR profiles at low galactocentric radii for galaxies with SFR above and below their resolved (spaxel-by-spaxel) SFR-M relation (the 'rSFMS' -see e.g. Ellison et al 2018a;Hani et al 2020a). Wang et al (2019) find similar results with the same survey, but using the median SFR in stellar-mass bins (rather than the rSFMS) as reference.…”

Section: Global Sfr Enhancement Versus Radial Structurementioning

confidence: 59%

Spatially resolved star formation and fuelling in galaxy interactions

Moreno

Torrey

Ellison

et al. 2020

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

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We investigate the spatial structure and evolution of star formation and the interstellar medium (ISM) in interacting galaxies. We use an extensive suite of parsec-scale galaxy merger simulations (stellar mass ratio = 2.5:1), which employs the ’Feedback In Realistic Environments-2’ model (fire-2). This framework resolves star formation, feedback processes, and the multi-phase structure of the ISM. We focus on the galaxy-pair stages of interaction. We find that close encounters substantially augment cool (HI) and cold-dense (H2) gas budgets, elevating the formation of new stars as a result. This enhancement is centrally-concentrated for the secondary galaxy, and more radially extended for the primary. This behaviour is weakly dependent on orbital geometry. We also find that galaxies with elevated global star formation rate (SFR) experience intense nuclear SFR enhancement, driven by high levels of either star formation efficiency (SFE) or available cold-dense gas fuel. Galaxies with suppressed global SFR also contain a nuclear cold-dense gas reservoir, but low SFE levels diminish SFR in the central region. Concretely, in the majority of cases, SFR-enhancement in the central kiloparsec is fuel-driven (55% for the secondary, 71% for the primary) - whilst central SFR-suppression is efficiency-driven (91% for the secondary, 97% for the primary). Our numerical predictions underscore the need of substantially larger, and/or merger-dedicated, spatially-resolved galaxy surveys - capable of examining vast and diverse samples of interacting systems - coupled with multi-wavelength campaigns aimed to capture their internal ISM structure.

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“…This observational study does not separate galaxies in terms of their location to the global SFMS -nor relative to non-interacting controls (in the case of pairs). Ellison et al (2018a) report both downturns and upturns towards the smaller radii in their MaNGA-selected Σ SFR profiles at low galactocentric radii for galaxies with SFR above and below their resolved (spaxel-by-spaxel) SFR-M relation (the 'rSFMS' -see e.g., Ellison et al 2018a;Hani et al 2020a). Wang et al (2019) find similar results with the same survey, but using the median Σ SFR in stellar-mass bins (rather than the rSFMS) as reference.…”

Section: Global Sfr Enhancement Versus Radial Structurementioning

confidence: 60%

Spatially resolved star formation and fuelling in galaxy interactions

Moreno,

Torrey,

Ellison

et al. 2020

Preprint

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We investigate the spatial structure and evolution of star formation and the interstellar medium (ISM) in interacting galaxies. We use an extensive suite of parsec-scale galaxy merger simulations (stellar mass ratio = 2.5:1), which employs the "Feedback In Realistic Environments-2" model ( -2). This framework resolves star formation, feedback processes, and the multiphase structure of the ISM. We focus on the galaxy-pair stages of interaction. We find that close encounters substantially augment cool (HI) and cold-dense (H 2 ) gas budgets, elevating the formation of new stars as a result. This enhancement is centrally-concentrated for the secondary galaxy, and more radially extended for the primary. This behaviour is weakly dependent on orbital geometry. We also find that galaxies with elevated global star formation rate (SFR) experience intense nuclear SFR enhancement, driven by high levels of either star formation efficiency (SFE) or available cold-dense gas fuel. Galaxies with suppressed global SFR also contain a nuclear cold-dense gas reservoir, but low SFE levels diminish SFR in the central region. Concretely, in the majority of cases, SFR-enhancement in the central kiloparsec is fuel-driven (55% for the secondary, 71% for the primary) -whilst central SFR-suppression is efficiency-driven (91% for the secondary, 97% for the primary). Our numerical predictions underscore the need of substantially larger, and/or merger-dedicated, spatially-resolved galaxy surveys -capable of examining vast and diverse samples of interacting systems -coupled with multi-wavelength campaigns aimed to capture their internal ISM structure.

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Variations in the slope of the resolved star-forming main sequence: a tool for constraining the mass of star-forming regions

Cited by 14 publications

References 41 publications

Pressure balance in the multiphase ISM of cosmologically simulated disc galaxies

Pressure balance in the multiphase ISM of cosmologically simulated disc galaxies

Spatially resolved star formation and fuelling in galaxy interactions

Spatially resolved star formation and fuelling in galaxy interactions

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