Cold Gas Mass Research Articles

CO(J = 1–0) Mapping Survey of 64 Galaxies in the Fornax Cluster with the ALMA Morita Array

We conduct a 12C16O(J = 1−0) (hereafter CO) mapping survey of 64 galaxies in the Fornax cluster using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array Morita array in cycle 5. CO emission is detected from 23 out of the 64 galaxies. Our sample includes dwarf, spiral, and elliptical galaxies with stellar masses of M star ∼ 106.3−11.6 M ⊙. The achieved beam size and sensitivity are 15″ × 8″ and ∼12 mJy beam−1 at the velocity resolution of ∼10 km s−1, respectively. We study the cold gas (molecular and atomic gas) properties of 38 subsamples with M star > 109 M ⊙ combined with literature H i data. We find that (1) the low star formation (SF) activity in the Fornax galaxies is caused by the decrease in the cold gas mass fraction with respect to stellar mass (hereafter, gas fraction) rather than the decrease of the SF efficiency from the cold gas; (2) the atomic gas fraction is more heavily reduced than the molecular gas fraction of such galaxies with low SF activity. A comparison between the cold gas properties of the Fornax galaxies and their environmental properties suggests that the atomic gas is stripped tidally and by the ram pressure, which leads to the molecular gas depletion with an aid of the strangulation and consequently SF quenching. Preprocesses in the group environment would also play a role in reducing cold gas reservoirs in some Fornax galaxies.

Shattering and growth of cold clouds in galaxy clusters: the role of radiative cooling, magnetic fields, and thermal conduction

ABSTRACT In galaxy clusters, the hot intracluster medium (ICM) can develop a striking multiphase structure around the brightest cluster galaxy. Much work has been done on understanding the origin of this central nebula, but less work has studied its eventual fate after the originally filamentary structure is broken into individual cold clumps. In this paper, we perform a suite of 30 (magneto)hydrodynamical simulations of kpc-scale cold clouds with typical parameters as found by galaxy cluster simulations, to understand whether clouds are mixed back into the hot ICM or can persist. We investigate the effects of radiative cooling, small-scale heating, magnetic fields, and (anisotropic) thermal conduction on the long-term evolution of clouds. We find that filament fragments cool on time-scales shorter than the crushing time-scale, fall out of pressure equilibrium with the hot medium, and shatter, forming smaller clumplets. These act as nucleation sites for further condensation, and mixing via Kelvin–Helmholtz instability, causing cold gas mass to double within 75 Myr. Cloud growth depends on density, as well as on local heating processes, which determine whether clouds undergo ablation- or shattering-driven evolution. Magnetic fields slow down but do not prevent cloud growth, with the evolution of both cold and warm phase sensitive to the field topology. Counterintuitively, anisotropic thermal conduction increases the cold gas growth rate compared to non-conductive clouds, leading to larger amounts of warm phase as well. We conclude that dense clumps on scales of 500 pc or more cannot be ignored when studying the long-term cooling flow evolution of galaxy clusters.

Cold gas mass measurements for the era of large optical spectroscopic surveys

ABSTRACT Gas plays an important role in many processes in galaxy formation and evolution, but quantifying the importance of gas has been hindered by the challenge to measure gas masses for large samples of galaxies. Data sets of direct atomic and molecular gas measurements are sufficient to establish simple scaling relations, but often not large enough to quantify three-parameter relations, or second-order dependences. As an alternative approach, we derive here indirect cold gas measurements from optical emission lines using photoionization models for galaxies in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) main galaxy sample and the PHANGS-MUSE survey. We calibrate the gas surface density measurements using xCOLD GASS and PHANGS-ALMA molecular gas measurements to ensure that our measurements are reliable. We demonstrate the importance of taking into account the scale dependence of the relation between optical depth (τV) and gas surface density (Σgas) and provide a general prescription to estimate Σgas from τV, metallicity, and the dust-to-metal ratio, at any arbitrary physical resolution. To demonstrate that the indirect cold gas masses are accurate enough to quantify the role of gas in galaxy evolution, we study the mass–metallicity relation of SDSS galaxies and show that as a third parameter gas mass is better than star formation rate at reducing the scatter of the relation, as predicted by models and simulations.

Gas condensation in brightest group galaxies unveiled with MUSE

The origin of the cold gas in central galaxies in groups is still a matter of debate. We present Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) observations of 18 optically selected local (z ≤ 0.017) brightest group galaxies (BGGs) to study the kinematics and distribution of the optical emission-line gas. MUSE observations reveal a distribution of gas morphologies including ten complex networks of filaments extending up to ∼10 kpc to two compact (< 3 kpc) and five extended (> 5 kpc) disk-dominated structures. Some rotating disks show rings and elongated structures arising from the central disk. The kinematics of the stellar component is mainly rotation-dominated, which is very different from the disturbed kinematics and distribution found in the filamentary sources. The ionized gas is kinematically decoupled from the stellar component for most systems, suggesting an external origin for the gas. We also find that the Hα luminosity correlates with the cold molecular gas mass. By exploring the thermodynamical properties of the X-ray atmospheres, we find that the filamentary structures and compact disks are found in systems with small central entropy values, K, and tcool/teddy ratios. This suggests that, similar to brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) in cool core clusters, the ionized filaments and the cold gas associated to them are likely formed from hot halo gas condensations via thermal instabilities, which is consistent with the chaotic cold accretion simulations (as shown via the C ratio, Tat, and k plot). We note that the presence of gaseous rotating disks is more frequent than in BCGs. An explanation for the origin of the gas in those objects is a contribution to gas fueling by wet mergers or group satellites, as qualitatively hinted at by some sources of the present sample. Nonetheless, we discuss the possibility that some extended disks could also be a transition stage in an evolutionary sequence including filaments, extended disks, and compact disks, as described by hot gas condensation models of cooling flows.

Conditional colour–magnitude distribution of central galaxies in galaxy formation models

ABSTRACT We investigate the conditional colour–magnitude distribution (CCMD), namely the colour–magnitude distribution at fixed halo mass, of the central galaxies in semi-analytical galaxy formation model (SAM) and hydrodynamic simulations. We analyse the CCMD of central galaxies in each halo mass bin with the Gaussian mixture model and find that it can be decomposed into red and blue components nearly orthogonal to each other, a red component narrow in colour and extended in magnitude and a blue component narrow in magnitude and extended in colour. We focus on the SAM galaxies to explore the origin of the CCMD components by studying the relation between central galaxy colour and halo or galaxy properties. Central galaxy colour is correlated with halo assembly properties for low-mass haloes and independent of them for high-mass haloes. Galaxy properties such as central supermassive black hole mass, cold gas mass, and gas specific angular momentum can all impact central galaxy colour. These results are corroborated by an alternative machine learning analysis in which we attempt to predict central galaxy colour with halo and galaxy properties. We find that the prediction for colours of central galaxies can be significantly improved using both halo and galaxy properties as input compared to using halo properties alone. With the halo and galaxy properties considered here, we find that subtle discrepancies remain between predicted and original colour distribution for low-mass haloes and that no significant determining properties are identified in massive haloes, suggesting modulations by additional stochastic processes in galaxy formation.

Galaxy formation in the Santa Cruz semi-analytic model compared with IllustrisTNG – I. Galaxy scaling relations, dispersions, and residuals at z = 0

ABSTRACT We present the first results from applying the Santa Cruz semi-analytic model (SAM) for galaxy formation on merger trees extracted from a dark matter only version of the IllustrisTNG (TNG) simulations. We carry out a statistical comparison between the predictions of the Santa Cruz SAM and TNG for a subset of central galaxy properties at z = 0 with a focus on stellar mass, cold and hot gas mass, star formation rate (SFR), and black hole (BH) mass. We find fairly good agreement between the mean predictions of the two methods for stellar mass functions and the stellar mass versus halo mass (SMHM) relation, and qualitatively good agreement between the SFR or cold gas mass versus stellar mass relation and quenched fraction as a function of stellar mass There are greater differences between the predictions for hot (circumgalactic) gas mass and BH mass as a function of halo mass. Going beyond the mean relations, we also compare the dispersion in the predicted scaling relations, and the correlation in residuals on a halo-by-halo basis between halo mass and galaxy property scaling relations. Intriguingly, we find similar correlations between residuals in SMHM in the SAM and in TNG, suggesting that these relations may be shaped by similar physical processes. Other scaling relations do not show significant correlations in the residuals, indicating that the physics implementations in the SAM and TNG are significantly different.

Spin-driven jet feedback in idealized simulations of galaxy groups and clusters

ABSTRACT We implement a black hole spin evolution and jet feedback model into SWIFT, a smoothed particle hydrodynamics code. The jet power is determined self-consistently assuming that the black hole accretion rate is equal to the Bondi rate (i.e. the accretion efficiency is 100 per cent), and using a realistic, spin-dependent efficiency. The jets are launched along the spin axis of the black hole, resulting in natural reorientation and precession. We apply the model to idealized simulations of galaxy groups and clusters, finding that jet feedback successfully quenches gas cooling and star formation in all systems. Our group-size halo (M200 = 1013 M⊙) is quenched by a strong jet episode triggered by a cooling flow, and it is kept quenched by a low-power jet fed from hot halo accretion. In more massive systems (M200 ≳ 1014 M⊙), hot halo accretion is insufficient to quench the galaxies, or to keep them quenched after the first cooling episode. These galaxies experience multiple episodes of gas cooling, star formation, and jet feedback. In the most massive galaxy cluster that we simulate (M200 = 1015 M⊙), we find peak cold gas masses of 1010 M⊙ and peak star formation rates of a few times 100 $\mathrm{M}_\odot \,\, \mathrm{yr}^{-1}$. These values are achieved during strong cooling flows, which also trigger the strongest jets with peak powers of 1047$\mathrm{erg}\, \mathrm{s}^{-1}$. These jets subsequently shut off the cooling flows and any associated star formation. Jet-inflated bubbles draw out low-entropy gas that subsequently forms dense cooling filaments in their wakes, as seen in observations.

High resolution spectral imaging of CO(7–6), [CI](2–1), and continuum of three high-z lensed dusty star-forming galaxies using ALMA

High-redshift dusty star-forming galaxies with very high star formation rates (500−3000 M⊙ yr−1) are key to understanding the formation of the most extreme galaxies in the early Universe. Characterising the gas reservoir of these systems can reveal the driving factor behind the high star formation. Using molecular gas tracers such as, high-J CO lines, neutral carbon lines, and the dust continuum, we can estimate the gas density and radiation field intensity in their interstellar media. In this paper, we present high resolution (∼0.4″) observations of CO(7−6), [CI](2−1), and dust continuum of three lensed galaxies from the South pole telescope – sub-millimetre galaxies (SPT-SMG) sample at z ∼ 3 with the Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array. Our sources have high intrinsic star formation rates (> 850 M⊙ yr−1) and rather short depletion timescales (< 100 Myr). Based on the L[CI](2−1)/LCO(7 − 6) and L[CI](2−1)/LIR ratios, our galaxy sample has similar radiation field intensities and gas densities compared to other submillimetre galaxies. We performed visibility-based lens modelling on these objects to reconstruct the kinematics in the source plane. We find that the cold gas masses of the sources are compatible with simple dynamical mass estimates using ULIRG-like values of the CO-H2 conversion factor αCO, but not Milky Way-like values. We find diverse source kinematics in our sample: SPT0103−45 and SPT2147−50 are likely rotating disks, while SPT2357−51 is possibly a major merger. The analysis presented in the paper could be extended to a larger sample to determine better statistics of morphologies and interstellar medium properties of high-z dusty star-forming galaxies.

Cold Gas Reservoirs of Low- and High-mass Central Galaxies Differ in Response to Active Galactic Nucleus Feedback

The growth of supermassive black holes, especially the associated state of active galactic nuclei (AGNs), is generally believed to be the key step in regulating star formation in massive galaxies. As the fuel of star formation, the cold gas reservoir is a direct probe of the effect of AGN feedback on their host galaxies. However, in observations, no clear connection has been found between AGN activity and the cold gas mass. In this paper, we find observational signals of the significant depletion of the total neutral hydrogen gas reservoir in optically selected Type 2 AGN-host central galaxies of stellar mass 109–1010 M ⊙. The effect of AGN feedback on the cold gas reservoir is stronger for higher star formation rates and higher AGN luminosity. But it becomes much weaker above this mass range, consistent with previous findings focusing on massive galaxies. Our result suggests that low-mass and gas-rich AGN-host central galaxies would first form dense cores before AGN feedback is triggered, removing their neutral hydrogen gas. More massive central galaxies may undergo a significantly different formation scenario by gradually building up dense cores with less effective and recurrent AGN feedback.

CAHA/PPAK Integral-field Spectroscopic Observations of M81. I. Circumnuclear Ionized Gas

Abstract Galactic circumnuclear environments of nearby galaxies provide unique opportunities for our understanding of the coevolution between supermassive black holes and their host galaxies. Here, we present a detailed study of ionized gas in the central kiloparsec region of M81, which hosts the closest prototype low-luminosity active galactic nucleus, based on optical integral-field spectroscopic observations taken with the CAHA 3.5 m telescope. It is found that much of the circumnuclear ionized gas is concentrated within a bright core of ∼200 pc in extent and a surrounding spiral-like structure known as the nuclear spiral. The total mass of the ionized gas is estimated to be ∼2 × 105 M ⊙, which corresponds to a few percent of the cold gas mass in this region, as traced by co-spatial dust extinction features. Plausible signature of a biconical outflow along the disk plane is suggested by a pair of blueshifted/redshifted low-velocity features, symmetrically located at ∼120–250 pc from the nucleus. The spatially resolved line ratios of [N ii]/Hα and [O iii]/Hβ demonstrate that much of the circumnuclear region can be classified as a LINER. However, substantial spatial variations in the line intensities and line ratios strongly suggest that different ionization/excitation mechanisms, rather than just a central dominant source of photoionization, are simultaneously at work to produce the observed line signatures.

The Close AGN Reference Survey (CARS)

Context. Active galactic nuclei (AGN) are thought to be responsible for the suppression of star formation in massive ∼1010 M⊙ galaxies. While this process is a key feature in numerical simulations of galaxy formation, it has not been unambiguously confirmed in observational studies yet. Aims. The characterization of the star formation rate (SFR) in AGN host galaxies is challenging as AGN light contaminates most SFR tracers. Furthermore, the various SFR tracers are sensitive to different timescales of star formation from approximately a few to 100 Myr. We aim to obtain and compare SFR estimates from different tracers for AGN host galaxies in the Close AGN Reference Survey (CARS) to provide new observational insights into the recent SFR history of those systems. Methods. We constructed integrated panchromatic spectral energy distributions to measure the far infrared (FIR) luminosity as a tracer for the recent (< 100 Myr) SFR. In addition we used the integral-field unit observation of the CARS targets to employ the Hα luminosity decontaminated by AGN excitation as a proxy for the current (< 5 Myr) SFR. Results. We find that significant differences in specific SFR of the AGN host galaxies as compared with the larger galaxy population disappear once cold gas mass, in addition to stellar mass, is used to predict the SFR for a specific AGN host. Only a tentative trend with the inclination of the host galaxy remains, such that SFR appears slightly lower than expected when the galaxies of unobscured AGN appear more edge-on along our line-of-sight, particular for dust-insensitive FIR-based SFRs. We identify individual galaxies with a significant difference in their SFR which can be related to a recent enhancement or decline in their SFR history that might be related to various processes including interactions, gas consumption, outflows, and AGN feedback. Conclusions. AGN can be present in various stages of galaxy evolution which makes it difficult to relate the SFR solely to the impact of the AGN. Our study shows that stellar mass alone is an insufficient parameter to estimate the expected SFR of an AGN host galaxy compared to the underlying non-AGN galaxy population. We do not find any strong evidence for a global positive or negative AGN feedback in the CARS sample. However, there is tentative evidence that (1) the relative orientation of the AGN engine with respect to the host galaxies might alter the efficiency of AGN feedback and that (2) the recent SFH is an additional tool to identify rapid changes in galaxy growth driven by the AGN or other processes.

The column densities of molecular gas across cosmic time: bridging observations and simulations

ABSTRACT Observations of the cosmic evolution of different gas phases across time indicate a marked increase in the molecular gas mass density towards z ∼ 2–3. Such a transformation implies an accompanied change in the global distribution of molecular hydrogen column densities ($N_{\rm {H_2}}$). Using observations by PHANGS-ALMA/SDSS and simulations by GRIFFIN/IllustrisTNG we explore the evolution of this H2 column density distribution function [$f(N_{\rm {H}_2})$]. The H2 (and H i) column density maps for TNG50 and TNG100 are derived in post-processing and are made available through the IllustrisTNG online API. The shape and normalization of $f(N_{\rm {H}_2})$ of individual main-sequence star-forming galaxies are correlated with the star formation rate (SFR), stellar mass (M*), and H2 mass ($M_{\rm {H}_2}$) in both observations and simulations. TNG100, combined with H2 post-processing models, broadly reproduces observations, albeit with differences in slope and normalization. Also, an analytically modelled f(N), based on exponential gas discs, matches well with the simulations. The GRIFFIN simulation gives first indications that the slope of $f(N_{\rm {H}_2})$ might not majorly differ when including non-equilibrium chemistry in simulations. The $f(N_{\rm {H}_2})$ by TNG100 implies that higher molecular gas column densities are reached at z = 3 than at z = 0. Further, denser regions contribute more to the molecular mass density at z = 3. Finally, H2 starts dominating compared to H i only at column densities above log($N_{\rm {H}_2} / \rm {cm}^{-2}) \sim 21.8\!-\!22$ at both redshifts. These results imply that neutral atomic gas is an important contributor to the overall cold gas mass found in the ISM of galaxies including at densities typical for molecular clouds at z = 0 and 3.

HI and H2 gas evolution over cosmic times: ColdSIM

We present first results of cold cosmic gas evolution obtained through a set of state-of-the-art numerical simulations (ColdSIM). We model time-dependent atomic and molecular non-equilibrium chemistry coupled to hydrodynamics, star formation, feedback effects, various UV backgrounds as suggested by the recent literature, HI and H2 self-shielding, H2 dust grain catalysis, photoelectric heating and cosmic-ray heating. By means of such nonequilibriumcalculations we are finally able to reproduce the latest HI and H2 observational data. Consistently with available determinations, neutral-gas mass density parameter results around Ωneutral ∼ 10−3 and increases from lower to higher redshift (z). The molecular-gas mass density parameter shows peak values of ΩH2 ∼ 10−4, while expected H2 fractions can be as high as 50% of the cold gas mass at z ∼ 4-8, in line with the latest measurements from high-z galaxies. These values agree with observations up to z ∼ 7 and both HI and H2 trends are well reproduced by our non-equilibrium H2-based star formation modelling. Corresponding H2 depletion times remain below the Hubble time and comparable to the dynamical time at all epochs. This implies that non-equilibrium molecular cooling is efficient at driving cold-gas collapse in a variety of environments and since the first half Gyr. Our findings suggest that, besides HI, non-equilibrium H2 analyses are key probes for assessing cold gas and the role of UV background radiation.

Atomic and molecular gas from the epoch of reionisation down to redshift 2

Context. Cosmic gas makes up about 90% of the baryonic matter in the Universe and H2 molecule is the most tightly linked to star formation. Aims. In this work we study cold neutral gas, its H2 component at different epochs, and corresponding depletion times. Methods. We perform state-of-the-art hydrodynamic simulations that include time-dependent atomic and molecular non-equilibrium chemistry coupled to star formation, feedback effects, different UV backgrounds presented in the recent literature and a number of additional processes occurring during structure formation (COLDSIM). We predict gas evolution and contrast the mass density parameters and gas depletion timescales. We also investigate their relation to cosmic expansion in light of the latest infrared and (sub)millimetre observations in the redshift range 2 ≲ z ≲ 7. Results. By performing updated non-equilibrium chemistry calculations we are able to broadly reproduce the latest HI and H2 observations. We find neutral-gas mass density parameters Ωneutral ≃ 10−3 and increasing from lower to higher redshift, in agreement with available HI data. Because of the typically low metallicities during the epoch of reionisation, time-dependent H2 formation is mainly led by the H− channel in self-shielded gas, while H2 grain catalysis becomes important in locally enriched sites at any redshift. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation provides free electrons and facilitates H2 build-up while heating cold metal-poor environments. Resulting H2 fractions can be as high as ∼50% of the cold gas mass at z ∼ 4–8, in line with the latest measurements from high-redshift galaxies. The H2 mass density parameter increases with time until a plateau of ΩH2 ≃ 10−4 is reached. Quantitatively, we find agreement between the derived ΩH2 values and the observations up to z ∼ 7 and both HI and H2 trends are better reproduced by our non-equilibrium H2-based star formation modelling. The predicted gas depletion timescales decrease at lower z in the whole time interval considered, with H2 depletion times remaining below the Hubble time and comparable to the dynamical time at all z. This implies that non-equilibrium molecular cooling is efficient at driving cold-gas collapse in a broad variety of environments and has done so since very early cosmic epochs. While the evolution of chemical species is clearly affected by the details of the UV background and gas self shielding, the assumptions on the adopted initial mass function, different parameterizations of H2 dust grain catalysis, photoelectric heating, and cosmic-ray heating can affect the results in a non-trivial way. In the Appendix, we show detailed analyses of individual processes, as well as simple numerical parameterizations and fits to account for them. Conclusions. Our findings suggest that, in addition to HI, non-equilibrium H2 observations are pivotal probes for assessing cold-gas cosmic abundances and the role of UV background radiation at different epochs.

Halo merger tree comparison: impact on galaxy formation models

ABSTRACT We examine the effect of using different halo finders and merger tree building algorithms on galaxy properties predicted using the galform semi-analytical model run on a high resolution, large volume dark matter simulation. The halo finders/tree builders hbt, rockstar, subfind, and VELOCI raptor differ in their definitions of halo mass, on whether only spatial or phase-space information is used, and in how they distinguish satellite and main haloes; all of these features have some impact on the model galaxies, even after the trees are post-processed and homogenized by galform. The stellar mass function is insensitive to the halo and merger tree finder adopted. However, we find that the number of central and satellite galaxies in galform does depend slightly on the halo finder/tree builder. The number of galaxies without resolved subhaloes depends strongly on the tree builder, with VELOCIraptor, a phase-space finder, showing the largest population of such galaxies. The distributions of stellar masses, cold and hot gas masses, and star formation rates agree well between different halo finders/tree builders. However, because VELOCIraptor has more early progenitor haloes, with these trees galform produces slightly higher star formation rate densities at high redshift, smaller galaxy sizes, and larger stellar masses for the spheroid component. Since in all cases these differences are small we conclude that, when all of the trees are processed so that the main progenitor mass increases monotonically, the predicted galform galaxy populations are stable and consistent for these four halo finders/tree builders.

The role of the halo magnetic field on accretion through high-velocity clouds

ABSTRACT High-velocity clouds (HVCs) are believed to be an important source of gas accretion for star formation in the Milky Way. Earlier numerical studies have found that the Galactic magnetic field and radiative cooling strongly affects accretion. However, these effects have not previously been included together in the context of clouds falling through the Milky Way’s gravitational potential. We explore this by simulating an initially stationary cloud falling through the hot hydrostatic corona towards the disc. This represents an HVC that has condensed out of the corona. We include the magnetic field in the corona to examine its effect on accretion of the HVC and its associated cold gas. Remnants of the original cloud survive in all cases, although a strong magnetic field causes it to split into several fragments. We find that mixing of cold and hot gas leads to cooling of coronal gas and an overall growth with time in cold gas mass, despite the low metallicity of the cloud and corona. The role of the magnetic field is to (moderately to severely) suppress the mixing and subsequent cooling, which in turn leads to less accretion compared to when the field is absent. A stronger field leads to less suppression of condensation because it enhances Rayleigh–Taylor instability. However, magnetic tension in a stronger field substantially decelerates condensed cloudlets. These have velocities typically a factor 3–8 below the velocity of the main cloud remnants by the end of the simulation. Some of these cloudlets likely disperse before reaching the disc.

Influence of a double vortex chamber on temperature reduction in a counter-flow vortex tube

This article reports the effect of double vortex-chambers with multiple inlet snail entries of N = 1, 4 and 6 nozzles on the energy separation referred to cold gas exit temperature difference (ΔTc) in a counter-flow vortex tube type. The experimental work focused on ascertaining the effects of entry air pressure (Pi = 2, 3 and 4 bar), distance ratios between the two vortex-chamber to the vortex tube diameter (l/D = 0.875–1.125) and the cold gas mass ratio (μc) in a vortex tube. It was found that cold gas exit temperature difference (ΔTc) increased with increasing inlet air pressure (Pi) and number of inlet nozzles (N), and decreasing l/D. Among the studied conditions, the double vortex-chamber operated at the highest Pi of 4 bar, N = 6, the smallest l/D = 0.875 and μc = 0.38 gave the highest cold gas exit temperature difference (ΔTc) of 31.5 °C. In addition, the deep learning optimization technique was also developed to predict the temperatures for different combination of parameters used in this study. It was found that the optimal models provide maximum R2 value of 0.99317.

The formation and evolution of massive galaxies

The discovery of massive galaxies at high redshifts, especially the passive ones, poses a big challenge for the current standard galaxy formation models. Here we use the semi-analytic galaxy formation model developed by Henriques et al. to explore the formation and evolution of massive galaxies (MGs, stellar-mass M * > 1011 M ⊙). Different from previous works, we focus on the ones just formed (e.g. just reach ≃ 1011 M ⊙). We find that most of the MGs are formed around z = 0.6, with the earliest formation at z > 4. Interestingly, although most of the MGs in the local Universe are passive, we find that only 13% of the MGs are quenched at the formation time. Most of the quenched MGs at formation already host a very massive supermassive black hole (SMBH) which could power the very effective AGN feedback. For the star-forming MGs, the ones with more massive SMBH prefer to quench in shorter timescales; in particular, those with M SMBH > 107.5 M ⊙ have a quenching timescale of ∼ 0.5 Gyr and the characteristic M SMBH depends on the chosen stellar mass threshold in the definition of MGs as a result of their co-evolution. We also find that the “in-situ” star formation dominates the stellar mass growth of MGs until they are formed. Over the whole redshift range, we find the quiescent MGs prefer to stay in more massive dark matter halos, and have more massive SMBH and less cold gas masses. Our results provide a new angle on the whole life of the growth of MGs in the Universe.

Investigating Cold Dust Properties of 12 Nearby Dwarf Irregular Galaxies by Hierarchical Bayesian Spectral Energy Distribution Fitting

Abstract Combining infrared and submillimeter observations and applying a two-temperature modified blackbody (TMBB) model with a hierarchical Bayesian technique, we model the spectral energy distribution of 12 nearby dwarf irregular (dIrr) galaxies. We aim to probe potential submillimeter excess emission at 350, 500, and 850 μm and investigate the properties of cold dust parameters. Based on the TMBB model with cold dust emissivity index (β c) fixed to 2, one galaxy shows 500 μm excess emission and nine galaxies show excess at 850 μm (five of them still show 850 μm excess in the case of free β c). We find that the 850 μm excess emission is easily detected in the dIrr galaxies with low star formation activity. The 850 μm excess is more frequent and more prominent in dIrr galaxies with low molecular hydrogen gas mass fraction or low ratios between cold dust mass and gas mass. As galaxies evolve, the ratios between atomic hydrogen gas mass and stellar mass decrease and the 850 μm excess emission tends to decrease or even disappear. Our results suggest that the cold dust temperature may increase, as the dIrr galaxies have more intense star formation or richer metallicity. There is a weak anticorrelation between the cold dust-to-stellar mass ratio and the specific star formation rate for our galaxies.

Gas-phase Metallicity as a Diagnostic of the Drivers of Star Formation on Different Spatial Scales

Abstract We examine the correlations of star formation rate (SFR) and gas-phase metallicity Z. We first predict how the SFR, cold gas mass, and Z will change with variations in inflow rate or in star formation efficiency (SFE) in a simple gas-regulator framework. The changes SFR and are found to be negatively (positively) correlated when driving the gas regulator with time-varying inflow rate (SFE). We then study the correlation of sSFR (specific SFR) and (O/H) from observations, at both ∼100 pc and galactic scales, based on two two-dimensional spectroscopic surveys with different spatial resolutions, MAD and MaNGA. After taking out the overall mass and radial dependences, which may reflect changes in inflow gas metallicity and/or outflow mass loading, we find that sSFR and (O/H) on galactic scales are found to be negatively correlated, but sSFR and (O/H) are positively correlated on ∼100 pc scales within galaxies. If we assume that the variations across the population reflect temporal variations in individual objects, we conclude that variations in the SFR are primarily driven by time-varying inflow at galactic scales and driven by time-varying SFE at ∼100 pc scales. We build a theoretical framework to understand the correlation between SFR, gas mass, and metallicity, as well as their variability, which potentially uncovers the relevant physical processes of star formation at different scales.