The Role of Pressure in Giant Molecular Cloud Formation

Abstract

We examine the hypothesis that hydrostatic pressure alone determines the ratio of atomic to molecular gas averaged over a particular radius in disk galaxies. The hypothesis implies that the transition radius, the location where the ratio is unity, should always occur at the same value of stellar surface density in all galaxies. We examine data for 28 galaxies and find that the stellar surface density at the transition radius is indeed constant to within 40% at a value of 120 M☉ pc-2. If the hypothesis can be confirmed at all radii within a large range of galaxy types and metallicities, combining it with the observed relation between the star formation rate and H2 surface density may enable us to derive a physically motivated star formation prescription with wide applicability.