Low Star Formation Efficiency Research Articles

Central star formation in double-peak, gas-rich radio galaxies

The respective contributions of gas accretion, galaxy interactions, and mergers to the mass assembly of galaxies, as well as the evolution of their molecular gas and star-formation activity are still not fully understood. In a recent work, a large sample of double-peak (DP) emission-line galaxies have been identified from the SDSS. While the two peaks could represent two kinematic components, they may be linked to the large bulges that their host galaxies tend to have. Star-forming DP galaxies display a central star-formation enhancement and have been discussed as compatible with a sequence of recent minor mergers. In order to probe merger-induced star-formation mechanisms, we conducted observations of the molecular-gas content of 35 star-forming DP galaxies in the upper part of the main sequence (MS) of star formation (SF) with the IRAM 30 m telescope. Including similar galaxies 0.3 dex above the MS and with existing molecular-gas observations from the literature, we finally obtained a sample of 52 such galaxies. We succeeded in fitting the same kinematic parameters to the optical ionised- and molecular-gas emission lines for ten (19%) galaxies. We find a central star-formation enhancement resulting most likely from a galaxy merger or galaxy interaction, which is indicated by an excess of gas extinction found in the centre. This SF is traced by radio continuum emissions at 150 MHz, 1.4 GHz, and 3 GHz, all three of which are linearly correlated in log with the CO luminosity with the same slope. The 52 DP galaxies are found to have a significantly larger amount of molecular gas and longer depletion times, and hence a lower star-formation efficiency, than the expected values at their distance of the MS. The large bulges in these galaxies might be stabilising the gas, hence reducing the SF efficiency. This is consistent with a scenario of minor mergers increasing the mass of bulges and driving gas to the centre. We also excluded the inwards-directed gas migration and central star-formation enhancement as the origin of a bar morphology. Hence, these 52 DP galaxies could be the result of recent minor mergers that funnelled molecular gas towards their centre, triggering SF, but with moderate efficiency.

Solenoidal turbulent modes and star formation efficiency in Galactic plane molecular clouds

ABSTRACT It is speculated that the high star formation efficiency observed in spiral-arm molecular clouds is linked to the prevalence of compressive (curl-free) turbulent modes, while the shear-driven solenoidal (divergence-free) modes appear to be the main cause of the low star formation efficiency that characterizes clouds in the Central Molecular Zone. Similarly, analysis of the Orion B molecular cloud has confirmed that, although turbulent modes vary locally and at different scales within the cloud, the dominant solenoidal turbulence is compatible with its low star formation rate. This evidence points to intercloud and intracloud fluctuations of the solenoidal modes being an agent for the variability of star formation efficiency. We present a quantitative estimation of the relative fractions of momentum density in the solenoidal modes of turbulence in a large sample of plane molecular clouds in the 13CO/C18O (J = 3 → 2) Heterodyne Inner Milky Way Plane Survey (CHIMPS). We find a negative correlation between the solenoidal fraction and star formation efficiency. This feature is consistent with the hypothesis that solenoidal modes prevent or slow down the collapse of dense cores. In addition, the relative power in the solenoidal modes of turbulence (solenoidal fraction) appears to be higher in the Inner Galaxy declining with a shallow gradient with increasing Galactocentric distance. Outside the Inner Galaxy, the slowly, monotonically declining values suggest that the solenoidal fraction is unaffected by the spiral arms.

Extreme Variation in Star Formation Efficiency across a Compact, Starburst Disk Galaxy

Abstract We report on the internal distribution of star formation efficiency in IRAS 08339+6517 (hereafter IRAS08), using ∼200 pc resolution CO(2 − 1) observations from NOEMA. The molecular gas depletion time changes by 2 orders-of-magnitude from disk-like values in the outer parts to less than 108 yr inside the half-light radius. This translates to a star formation efficiency per freefall time that also changes by 2 orders-of-magnitude, reaching 50%–100%, different than local spiral galaxies and the typical assumption of constant, low star formation efficiencies. Our target is a compact, massive disk galaxy that has a star formation rate 10× above the z = 0 main sequence; Toomre Q ≈ 0.5−0.7 and high gas velocity dispersion (σ mol ≈ 25 km s−1). We find that IRAS08 is similar to other rotating, starburst galaxies from the literature in the resolved Σ SFR ∝ Σ mol N relation. By combining resolved literature studies we find that the distance from the main sequence is a strong indicator of the Kennicutt-Schmidt power-law slope, with slopes of N ≈ 1.6 for starbursts from 100 to 104 M ⊙ pc−2. Our target is consistent with a scenario in which violent disk instabilities drive rapid inflows of gas. It has low values of Toomre-Q, and also at all radii, the inflow timescale of the gas is less than the depletion time, which is consistent with the flat metallicity gradients in IRAS08. We consider these results in light of popular star formation theories; in general observations of IRAS08 find the most tension with theories in which star formation efficiency is a constant. Our results argue for the need of high-spatial-resolution CO observations for a larger number of similar targets.

ALMA Reveals a Large Overdensity and Strong Clustering of Galaxies in Quasar Environments at z ∼ 4

Abstract We present an Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) survey of CO(4–3) line emitting galaxies in 17 quasar fields at z ∼ 4 aimed at performing the first systematic search of dusty galaxies in high-z quasar environments. Our blind search of galaxies around the quasars results in five CO emitters with S/N ≥ 5.6 within a projected radius of R ≲ 1.5 h −1 cMpc and a velocity range of δv = ±1000 km s−1 around the quasar. In blank fields, we expect to detect only 0.28 CO emitters within the same volume, implying a total overdensity of 17.6 − 7.6 + 11.9 in our fields, and indicating that quasars trace massive structures in the early universe. We quantify this overdensity by measuring the small-scale clustering of CO emitters around quasars, resulting in a cross-correlation length of r 0 , QG = 8.37 − 2.04 + 2.42 h − 1 cMpc, assuming a fixed slope γ = 1.8. This contradicts the reported mild overdensities (x1.4) of Lyα emitters (LAEs) in the same fields at scales of R ≲ 7 h −1 cMpc, which are well described by a cross-correlation length 3.0 − 1.4 + 1.5 times lower than that measured for CO emitters. We discuss some possibilities to explain this discrepancy, including low star formation efficiency, and excess of dust in galaxies around quasars. Finally, we constrain, for the first time, the clustering of CO emitters at z ∼ 4, finding an autocorrelation length of r 0,CO = 3.14 ±1.71 h −1 cMpc (with γ = 1.8). Our work, together with the previous study of LAEs around quasars, traces simultaneously the clustering properties of both optical and dusty galaxy populations in quasars fields, stressing the importance of multiwavelength studies, and highlighting important questions about galaxy properties in high-z dense environments.

The baryon cycle of Seven Dwarfs with superbubble feedback

We present results from a high-resolution, cosmological, ΛCDM simulation of a group of field dwarf galaxies with the “superbubble” model for clustered SN feedback, accounting for thermal conduction and cold gas evaporation. We compared our results to a previous simulation which has the same initial condition and galaxy formation physics (other than SN feedback), but adopts a delayed-cooling model for supernova. The simulated luminous galaxies have blue colors, low star formation efficiencies and metallicities, and high cold gas content, reproducing the observed scaling relations of dwarf galaxies in the Local Volume. Bursty star formation histories and superbubble-driven outflows lead to the formation of kpc-size dark matter (DM) cores when stellar masses reaches M* > 106 M⊙, similar to previous findings. However, the superbubble model appears more effective in destroying DM cusps than the delayed-cooling model in the previous study, reflecting a higher coupling efficiency of SN energy with the ISM. On larger scale, superbubble-driven outflows have a more moderate impact: galaxies have higher gas content, more extended stellar discs, and a smaller metal-enriched region in the circumgalactic medium (CGM). The two halos with Mvir ∼ 109 M⊙, which formed ultra-faint dwarf galaxies with the delayed-cooling mode, remain dark due to the different impact of metal-enriched galactic winds from two nearby luminous galaxies, indicating that the formation of faint dwarfs is highly dependent on feedback and environmental effects. The column density distributions of H I, Si II, C IV and O VI as a function of the scaled impact parameter (b/Rvir) are in good agreement with recent observations of CGM around isolated dwarf galaxies. While H I is ubiquitous with a covering fraction of unity within the CGM, low and intermediate ions like Si II and C IV are less extended (typically confined within 0.2 − 0.3 Rvir), and non-detections are common. O VI is more extended with column density N(O VI) ≳ 1013.5 cm−2 within Rvir, but its mass is only 11% of the total CGM oxygen budget, as the diffuse CGM is highly ionised by the UV background. Superbubble feedback produces C IV and O VI column densities that are an order of magnitude higher than those in the previous study using delayed-cooling feedback. Thus, the CGM and DM cores are most sensitive probes of feedback mechanisms.

A relic from a past merger event in the Large Magellanic Cloud

According to the standard cosmological scenario, the large galaxies that we observe today have reached their current mass via mergers with smaller galaxy satellites1. This hierarchical process is expected to take place on smaller scales for the satellites themselves, which should build up from the accretion of smaller building blocks2. The best chance we have to test this prediction is by looking at the most massive satellite of the Milky Way: the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). Smaller galaxies have been revealed to orbit around the LMC3,4, but so far the only evidence for mutual interactions is related to the orbital interplay with the nearby Small Magellanic Cloud, which is the most massive LMC satellite. In this work, we report the likely discovery of a past merger event that the LMC experienced with a galaxy with a low star formation efficiency and likely a stellar mass similar to those of dwarf spheroidal galaxies. This former LMC satellite has now completely dissolved, depositing the old globular cluster NGC 2005 as part of its debris. This globular cluster, the only surviving witness of this ancient merger event, is recognizable through its peculiar chemical composition. This discovery is observational evidence that the process of hierarchical assembly has worked also in shaping our closest satellites. Globular cluster NGC 2005 in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) bears the elemental hallmarks of being an accreted object: a surviving fragment of a galaxy that fell into the LMC long enough ago to have erased any dynamical signature of accretion.

Bound mass of Dehnen models with a centrally peaked star formation efficiency

Context. Understanding the formation of bound star clusters with a low star formation efficiency (SFE) is important for improving our knowledge of the star-formation history of galaxies. In N-body models of star-cluster evolution after gas expulsion, the Plummer model with an outer power law density profile has been used in a broad range of studies. Aims. Here, we study the impact of the density profile slopes on the survivability of the low-SFE star clusters after instantaneous gas expulsion. We compare cases when a stellar cluster exhibits a Plummer profile to those with Dehnen profiles, including cuspy ones of different slopes at the time of formation. Methods. We determined the corresponding density profile of the residual gas for a given global SFE, assuming that our model clusters formed with a constant efficiency per free-fall time and, hence, with a shallower density profile for the gas than that of the stars. We performed direct N-body simulations of evolution of clusters initially in virial equilibrium within the gas potential following gas removal. Results. We find that the violent relaxation lasts no longer than 20 Myr, independently of the density profile power law slopes. Dehnen model clusters survive after violent relaxation with significantly lower SFEs when the global SFE measured within the Jacobi radius or within a half-mass radius. Dehnen γ = 0 model clusters show a similar final bound fraction with the Plummer model clusters if the global SFE is measured within ten scale radii. The final bound fraction increases with the γ values for a given global SFE. Conclusions. We conclude that Dehnen clusters better resist the consequences of the violent relaxation that follows the instantaneous gas expulsion, as compared to the Plummer clusters. Therefore, the shallower the outer density slope of the low-SFE clusters, the better their prospects for survival after gas expulsion. Among the Dehnen clusters, we find that the steeper the inner slope, the higher the bound mass fraction that is retained, following the violent relaxation for a given global SFE.

Jet-driven AGN feedback on molecular gas and low star-formation efficiency in a massive local spiral galaxy with a bright X-ray halo

It has long been suspected that powerful radio sources may lower the efficiency with which stars form from the molecular gas in their host galaxy, however so far, alternative mechanisms, in particular related to the stellar mass distribution in the massive bulges of their host galaxies, have not been ruled out. We present new, arcsecond-resolution Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) CO(1−0) interferometry, which probes the spatially resolved, cold molecular gas in the nearby (z = 0.08), massive (Mstellar = 4 × 1011 M⊙), isolated, late-type spiral galaxy 2MASSX J23453269−044925, which is outstanding for having two pairs of powerful, giant radio jets, and a bright X-ray halo of hot circumgalactic gas. The molecular gas is in a massive (Mgas = 2.0 × 1010 M⊙), 24 kpc wide, rapidly rotating ring, which is associated with the inner stellar disk. Broad (FWHM = 70−180 km s−1) emission lines with complex profiles associated with the radio source are seen over large regions in the ring, indicating gas velocities that are high enough to keep the otherwise marginally Toomre-stable gas from fragmenting into gravitationally bound, star-forming clouds. About 1−2% of the jet kinetic energy is required to power these motions. Resolved star-formation rate surface densities derived from Galaxy Evolution Explorer and Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer fall by factors of 30−70 short of expectations from the standard Kennicutt–Schmidt law of star-forming galaxies, and near gas-rich early-type galaxies with signatures of star formation that are lowered by jet feedback. We argue that radio Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN) feedback is the only plausible mechanism to explain the low star-formation rates in this galaxy. Previous authors have already noted that the X-ray halo of J2345−0449 implies a baryon fraction that is close to the cosmic average, which is very high for a galaxy. We contrast this finding with other, equally massive, and equally baryon-rich spiral galaxies without prominent radio sources. Most of the baryons in these galaxies are in stars, not in the halos. We also discuss the implications of our results for our general understanding of AGN feedback in massive galaxies.

Molecular gas and star formation within 12 strong galactic bars observed with IRAM-30 m

Context.While some galactic bars show recent massive star formation (SF) along them, some others do not. Whether bars with low level of SF are a consequence of low star formation efficiency, low gas inflow rate, or dynamical effects remains a matter of debate.Aims.In order to study the physical conditions that enable or prevent SF, we perform a multi-wavelength analysis of 12 strongly barred galaxies with total stellar masses log10(M⋆/M⊙)∈[10.2, 11], chosen to host different degrees of SF along the bar major axis without any prior condition on gas content. We observe the CO(1–0) and CO(2–1) emission within bars with the IRAM-30 m telescope (beam sizes of 1.7–3.9 kpc and 0.9–2.0 kpc, respectively; 7–8 pointings per galaxy on average).Methods.We estimated molecular gas masses (Mmol) from the CO(1–0) and CO(2–1) emissions. SF rates (SFRs) were calculated from GALEX near-ultraviolet (UV) and WISE 12 μm images within the beam-pointings, covering the full bar extent (SFRs were also derived from far-UV and 22 μm).Results.We detect molecular gas along the bars of all probed galaxies. Molecular gas and SFR surface densities span the ranges log10(Σmol/[M⊙pc−2]) ∈ [0.4,2.4] and log10(ΣSFR/[M⊙pc−1kpc−2]]) ∈ [−3.25, −0.75], respectively. The star formation efficiency (SFE; i.e., SFR/Mmol) in bars varies between galaxies by up to an order of magnitude (SFE ∈[0.1, 1.8] Gyr−1). On average, SFEs are roughly constant along bars. SFEs are not significantly different from the mean value in spiral galaxies reported in the literature (∼0.43 Gyr−1), regardless of whether we estimateMmolfrom CO(1–0) or CO(2–1). Interestingly, the higher the total stellar mass of the host galaxy, the lower the SFE within their bars. In particular, the two galaxies in our sample with the lowest SFE and ΣSFR(NGC 4548 and NGC 5850, SFE ≲ 0.25 Gyr−1, ΣSFR ≲ 10−2.25 M⊙yr−1kpc−2,M⋆ ≳ 1010.7 M⊙) are also those hosting massive bulges and signs of past interactions with nearby companions.Conclusions.We present a statistical analysis of the SFE in bars for a sample of 12 galaxies. The SFE in strong bars is not systematically inhibited (either in the central, middle, or end parts of the bar). Both environmental and internal quenching are likely responsible for the lowest SFEs reported in this work.

Degeneracies between baryons and dark matter: the challenge of constraining the nature of dark matter with JWST

ABSTRACT The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will revolutionize our understanding of early galaxy formation, and could potentially set stringent constraints on the nature of dark matter. We use a semi-empirical model of galaxy formation to investigate the extent to which uncertainties in the implementation of baryonic physics may be degenerate with the predictions of two different models of dark matter – cold dark matter (CDM) and a 7 keV sterile neutrino, which behaves as warm dark matter (WDM). Our models are calibrated to the observed UV luminosity function at z = 4 using two separate dust attenuation prescriptions, which manifest as high and low star formation efficiency in low-mass haloes. These efficiencies capture the net effect of processes that regulate star formation. We find that while at fixed star formation efficiency, ε, there are marked differences in the abundance of faint galaxies in the two dark matter models at high-z; these differences are mimicked easily by varying ε in the same dark matter model. We find that a high ε WDM and a low ε CDM model – which provide equally good fits to the z = 4 UV luminosity function – exhibit nearly identical evolution in the cosmic stellar mass and star formation rate densities. We show that differences in the star formation rate at fixed stellar mass are larger for variations in ε in a given dark matter model than they are between dark matter models; however, the scatter in star formation rates is larger between the two models than they are when varying ε. Our results suggest that JWST will likely be more informative in constraining baryonic processes operating in high-z galaxies than it will be in constraining the nature of dark matter.

Simulations of the star-forming molecular gas in an interacting M51-like galaxy: cloud population statistics

ABSTRACT To investigate how molecular clouds react to different environmental conditions at a galactic scale, we present a catalogue of giant molecular clouds (GMCs) resolved down to masses of ∼10 M⊙ from a simulation of the entire disc of an interacting M51-like galaxy and a comparable isolated galaxy. Our model includes time-dependent gas chemistry, sink particles for star formation, and supernova feedback, meaning we are not reliant on star formation recipes based on threshold densities and can follow the physics of the cold molecular phase. We extract GMCs from the simulations and analyse their properties. In the disc of our simulated galaxies, spiral arms seem to act merely as snowplows, gathering gas, and clouds without dramatically affecting their properties. In the centre of the galaxy, on the other hand, environmental conditions lead to larger, more massive clouds. While the galaxy interaction has little effect on cloud masses and sizes, it does promote the formation of counter-rotating clouds. We find that the identified clouds seem to be largely gravitationally unbound at first glance, but a closer analysis of the hierarchical structure of the molecular interstellar medium shows that there is a large range of virial parameters with a smooth transition from unbound to mostly bound for the densest structures. The common observation that clouds appear to be virialized entities may therefore be due to CO bright emission highlighting a specific level in this hierarchical binding sequence. The small fraction of gravitationally bound structures found suggests that low galactic star formation efficiencies may be set by the process of cloud formation and initial collapse.

An HST Survey of Protostellar Outflow Cavities: Does Feedback Clear Envelopes?

Abstract We study protostellar envelope and outflow evolution using Hubble Space Telescope NICMOS or WFC3 images of 304 protostars in the Orion molecular clouds. These near-IR images resolve structures in the envelopes delineated by the scattered light of the central protostars with 80 au resolution, and they complement the 1.2 μm to 870 μm spectral energy distributions (SEDs) obtained with the Herschel Orion Protostar Survey program. Based on their 1.60 μm morphologies, we classify the protostars into five categories: nondetections, point sources without nebulosity, bipolar cavity sources, unipolar cavity sources, and irregulars. We find point sources without associated nebulosity are the most numerous, and show through monochromatic Monte Carlo radiative transfer modeling that this morphology occurs when protostars are observed at low inclinations or have low envelope densities. We also find that the morphology is correlated with the SED-determined evolutionary class, with Class 0 protostars more likely to be nondetections, Class I protostars to show cavities, and flat-spectrum protostars to be point sources. Using an edge detection algorithm to trace the projected edges of the cavities, we fit power laws to the resulting cavity shapes, thereby measuring the cavity half-opening angles and power-law exponents. We find no evidence for the growth of outflow cavities as protostars evolve through the Class I protostar phase, in contradiction with previous studies of smaller samples. We conclude that the decline of mass infall with time cannot be explained by the progressive clearing of envelopes by growing outflow cavities. Furthermore, the low star formation efficiency inferred for molecular cores cannot be explained by envelope clearing alone.

A Cuspy Dark Matter Halo

Abstract The cusp–core problem is one of the main challenges of the cold dark matter paradigm on small scales; the density of a dark matter halo is predicted to rise rapidly toward the center as ρ(r) ∝ r α with α between −1 and −1.5, while such a cuspy profile has not been clearly observed. We have carried out the spatially resolved mapping of gas dynamics toward a nearby ultradiffuse galaxy (UDG), AGC 242019. The derived rotation curve of dark matter is well fitted by the cuspy profile as described by the Navarro–Frenk–White model, while the cored profiles including both the pseudo-isothermal and Burkert models are excluded. The halo has α = −(0.90 ± 0.08) at the innermost radius of 0.67 kpc, M halo = (3.5 ± 1.2) × 1010 M ⊙, and a small concentration of 2.0 ± 0.36. The UDG AGC 242019 challenges alternatives of cold dark matter by constraining the particle mass of fuzzy dark matter to be <0.11 × 10−22 or >3.3 × 10−22 eV, the cross section of self-interacting dark matter to be <1.63 cm2 g−1, and the particle mass of warm dark matter to be >0.23 keV, all of which are in tension with other constraints. The modified Newtonian dynamics is also inconsistent with a shallow radial acceleration relationship of AGC 242019. For the feedback scenario that transforms a cusp to a core, AGC 242019 disagrees with the stellar-to-halo mass ratio dependent model but agrees with the star formation threshold dependent model. As a UDG, AGC 242019 is in a dwarf-sized halo with weak stellar feedback, late formation time, normal baryonic spin, and low star formation efficiency (SFR/gas).

Low star formation efficiency due to turbulent adiabatic compression in the Taffy bridge

The Taffy system (UGC 12914/15) consists of two massive spiral galaxies that had a head-on collision about 20 Myr ago. It represents an ideal laboratory for studying the reaction of the interstellar medium (ISM) to a high-speed (∼1000 km s−1) gas-gas collision. New sensitive, high-resolution (2.7″ or ∼800 pc) CO(1−0) observations of the Taffy system with the IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer (PdBI) are presented. The total CO luminosity of the Taffy system detected with the PdBI is LCO, tot = 4.8 × 109 K km s−1 pc2, 60% of the CO luminosity found with the IRAM 30 m telescope. About 25% of the total interferometric CO luminosity stems from the bridge region. Assuming a Galactic N(H2)/ICO conversion factor for the galactic disks and a third of this value for the bridge gas, about 10% of the molecular gas mass is located in the bridge region. The giant H II region close to UGC 12915 is located at the northern edge of the high-surface-brightness giant molecular cloud association (GMA), which has the highest velocity dispersion among the bridge GMAs. The bridge GMAs are clearly not virialized because of their high velocity dispersion. Three dynamical models are presented and while no single model reproduces all of the observed features, they are all present in at least one of the models. Most of the bridge gas detected in CO does not form stars. We suggest that turbulent adiabatic compression is responsible for the exceptionally high velocity dispersion of the molecular ISM and the suppression of star formation in the Taffy bridge. In this scenario the turbulent velocity dispersion of the largest eddies and turbulent substructures or clouds increase such that giant molecular clouds are no longer in global virial equilibrium. The increase in the virial parameter leads to a decrease in the star formation efficiency. The suppression of star formation caused by turbulent adiabatic compression was implemented in the dynamical simulations and decreased the star formation rate in the bridge region by ∼90%. Most of the low-surface-density, CO-emitting gas will disperse without forming stars but some of the high-density gas will probably collapse and form dense star clusters, such as the luminous H II region close to UGC 12915. We suggest that globular clusters and super star clusters formed and still form through the gravitational collapse of gas previously compressed by turbulent adiabatic compression during galaxy interactions.

Observational insights on the origin of giant low surface brightness galaxies

ABSTRACT Giant low surface brightness galaxies (gLSBGs) with dynamically cold stellar discs reaching the radius of 130 kpc challenge currently considered galaxy formation mechanisms. We analyse new deep long-slit optical spectroscopic observations, archival optical images, and published Hi and optical spectroscopic data for a sample of seven gLSBGs, for which we performed mass modelling and estimated the parameters of dark matter haloes assuming the Burkert dark matter density profile. Our sample is not homogeneous by morphology, parameters of stellar populations, and total mass, however, six of seven galaxies sit on the high-mass extension of the baryonic Tully–Fisher relation. In UGC 1382, we detected a global counterrotation of the stellar high surface brightness (HSB) disc with respect to the extended LSB disc. In UGC 1922 with signatures of a possible merger, the gas counterrotation is seen in the inner disc. Six galaxies host active galactic nuclei, three of which have the estimated black hole masses substantially below those expected for their (pseudo-)bulge properties suggesting poor merger histories. Overall, the morphology, internal dynamics, and low star formation efficiency in the outer discs indicate that the three formation scenarios shape gLSBGs: (i) a two-stage formation when an HSB galaxy is formed first and then grows an LSB disc by accreting gas from an external supply; (ii) an unusual shallow and extended dark matter halo; (iii) a major merger with fine-tuned orbital parameters and morphologies of the merging galaxies.

Fiery Cores: Bursty and Smooth Star Formation Distributions across Galaxy Centers in Cosmological Zoom-in Simulations

Abstract We present an analysis of the R ≲ 1.5 kpc core regions of seven simulated Milky Way-mass galaxies, from the FIRE-2 (Feedback in Realistic Environments) cosmological zoom-in simulation suite, for a finely sampled period (Δt = 2.2 Myr) of 22 Myr at z ≈ 0, and compare them with star formation rate (SFR) and gas surface density observations of the Milky Way’s Central Molecular Zone (CMZ). Despite not being tuned to reproduce the detailed structure of the CMZ, we find that four of these galaxies are consistent with CMZ observations at some point during this 22 Myr period. The galaxies presented here are not homogeneous in their central structures, roughly dividing into two morphological classes; (a) several of the galaxies have very asymmetric gas and SFR distributions, with intense (compact) starbursts occurring over a period of roughly 10 Myr, and structures on highly eccentric orbits through the CMZ, whereas (b) others have smoother gas and SFR distributions, with only slowly varying SFRs over the period analyzed. In class (a) centers, the orbital motion of gas and star-forming complexes across small apertures (R ≲ 150 pc, analogously ∣l∣ < 1° in the CMZ observations) contributes as much to tracers of star formation/dense gas appearing in those apertures, as the internal evolution of those structures does. These asymmetric/bursty galactic centers can simultaneously match CMZ gas and SFR observations, demonstrating that time-varying star formation can explain the CMZ’s low star formation efficiency.

Density, Alternative Determinant of Star Formation Efficiency of the Milky Way GMCs: Core Reason for Low Star Formation Efficiency

The overall efficiency with which Milky Way Giant Molecular Clouds (GMCs) is forming stars was determined by deriving an equation using density of cloud (i.e. stellar density/ total cloud density), which is the core parameter that determines star formation other than the mass of cloud, and comparing with mass (i.e. stellar mass/ total gas mass) as was propounded by previous researchers, to ascertain the reasons the observed star formation efficiency of Milky Way Giant Molecular Clouds (ϵ_GMC) is low. This will aid understanding the physical factors behind the formation of stars from interstellar gas and develop a predictive theory of star formation and evolution of galaxies. A total of 191 star formation complexes-giant molecular cloud (SFC-GMC) complexes was used in estimating the following cloud parameters: density as 93.8218 solar mass/parsec squared, average stellar density as 2.67872 solar mass/parsec squared, average luminosity as 9.87E24 solar luminosity, average effective temperature as 498,647 solar temperature, average stellar radius as 51.4522 parsec and average cloud radius as 325507 parsec as well as the total mass in stars M_⋆ harbored by the individual clouds (20,831 solar mass), which was inferred from Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy probe (WMAP) free-free. Finally, the overall efficiency with which Milky Way Giant Molecular Clouds is forming star gave 0.0289573 which is less than the previous estimate as 0.030849, showing that not all the masses of the cloud were present at the end of the star formation, and this reduction in mass are caused by magnetic field, supersonic turbulence, self-regulation and unbound states of its internal structure, which are the reasons the observed star formation efficiencies are low.

The ALMaQUEST Survey – V. The non-universality of kpc-scale star formation relations and the factors that drive them

ABSTRACT Using a sample of ∼15 000 kpc-scale star-forming spaxels in 28 galaxies drawn from the ALMA-MaNGA QUEnching and STar formation (ALMaQUEST) survey, we investigate the galaxy-to-galaxy variation of the ‘resolved’ Schmidt–Kennicutt relation (rSK; $\Sigma _{\rm H_2}$–ΣSFR), the ‘resolved’ star-forming main sequence (rSFMS; Σ⋆–ΣSFR), and the ‘resolved’ molecular gas main sequence (rMGMS; Σ⋆–$\Sigma _{\rm H_2}$). The rSK relation, rSFMS, and rMGMS all show significant galaxy-to-galaxy variation in both shape and normalization, indicating that none of these relations is universal between galaxies. The rSFMS shows the largest galaxy-to-galaxy variation and the rMGMS the least. By defining an ‘offset’ from the average relations, we compute a ΔrSK, ΔrSFMS, ΔrMGMS for each galaxy, to investigate correlations with global properties. We find the following correlations with at least 2σ significance: The rSK is lower (i.e. lower star formation efficiency) in galaxies with higher M⋆, larger Sersic index, and lower specific SFR (sSFR); the rSFMS is lower (i.e. lower sSFR) in galaxies with higher M⋆ and larger Sersic index; and the rMGMS is lower (i.e. lower gas fraction) in galaxies with lower sSFR. In the ensemble of all 15 000 data points, the rSK relation and rMGMS show equally tight scatters and strong correlation coefficients, compared with a larger scatter and weaker correlation in the rSFMS. Moreover, whilst there is no correlation between ΔrSK and ΔrMGMS in the sample, the offset of a galaxy’s rSFMS does correlate with both of the other two offsets. Our results therefore indicate that the rSK and rMGMS are independent relations, whereas the rSFMS is a result of their combination.

HCN J = 4–3, HNC J = 1–0, H13CN J = 1–0, and HC3N J = 10–9 Maps of Galactic Center Region. II. Physical Properties of Dense-gas Clumps and Probability of Star Formation

Abstract We report a statistical analysis exploring the origin of the overall low star formation efficiency (SFE) of the Galactic central molecular zone (CMZ) and the SFE diversity among the CMZ clouds using a wide-field HCN J = 4–3 map, whose optically thin critical density ( ) is the highest among the tracers ever used in CMZ surveys. Logistic regression is performed to empirically formulate star formation probability of 195 HCN clumps, 13 of which contain star formation signatures. The explanatory parameters in the best-fit model are reduced into the virial parameter without significant contribution from other parameters, whereas the performance of the model without is no better than that using randomly generated data. The threshold is 6, which translates into a volume density ( ) of with the – correlation. The scarcity of the low- clumps, whose fraction to all HCN clumps is 0.1, can be considered as one of the immediate causes of the suppressed SFE. No correlation between the clump size or mass and star formation probability is found, implying that HCN J = 4–3 does not immediately trace the mass of star-forming gas above a threshold density. Meanwhile, star-forming and non-star-forming clouds are degenerate in the physical parameters of the CS = 1–0 clouds, highlighting the efficacy of the HCN = 4–3 line to probe star-forming regions in the CMZ. The timescale of the high- to low- transition is , which is consistent with the tidal compression and X1/X2 orbit transition models but possibly does not fit the cloud–cloud collision picture.

Spatially resolved star formation and fuelling in galaxy interactions

ABSTRACT 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 multiphase structure of the ISM. We focus on the galaxy-pair stages of interaction. We find that close encounters substantially augment cool (H i) 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 per cent for the secondary, 71 per cent for the primary) – while central SFR suppression is efficiency-driven (91 per cent for the secondary, 97 per cent 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 multiwavelength campaigns aimed to capture their internal ISM structure.