Molecular scale height in spiral galaxies

Abstract

Having to have low thermal energy, the molecular gas in galaxies is expected to settle in a thin disc near the midplane. However, contradicting this understanding, recent studies have revealed considerably thick molecular discs in nearby spiral galaxies. To understand this apparent discrepancy, we theoretically model the molecular discs in a sample of eight nearby spiral galaxies and estimate their molecular scale heights (Half Width at Half Maxima (HWHM)). We assume that the baryonic discs are in vertical hydrostatic equilibrium under their mutual gravity in the external force field of the dark matter halo. We set up the joint Poisson's-Boltzman equation of hydrostatic equilibrium and numerically solve it to obtain the three-dimensional molecular gas distribution and determine the scale heights in our sample galaxies. We find that the scale heights follow a universal exponential law with a scale length of $0.46 \pm 0.01 \ r_{25}$. The molecular scale heights in our sample galaxies are found to vary between 50-200 pc depending on the galaxy and radius. Using the density solutions, we build dynamical models of the molecular discs and produce molecular column density maps. These model maps found to match to the observed ones reasonably well. We further incline the dynamical models to an inclination of 90$^o$ to estimate the expected observed thickness of the molecular discs. Interestingly it is found that at edge-on orientation, our sample galaxies under hydrostatic assumption can easily produce a few kpc thick observable molecular disc.