Characteristic scale of star formation – I. Clump formation efficiency on local scales

D. J. Eden; T. J.T. Moore; R. Plume; A. J. Rigby; J. S. Urquhart; K. A. Marsh; C. H. Peñaloza; P. C. Clark; M. W.L. Smith; K. Tahani; S. E. Ragan; M. A. Thompson; D. Johnstone; H. Parsons; R. Rani

doi:10.1093/mnras/staa3188

Characteristic scale of star formation – I. Clump formation efficiency on local scales

D. J. Eden^*
, T. J.T. Moore
, R. Plume
, A. J. Rigby
, J. S. Urquhart
, K. A. Marsh
, C. H. Peñaloza
, P. C. Clark
, M. W.L. Smith
, K. Tahani
, S. E. Ragan
, M. A. Thompson
, D. Johnstone
, H. Parsons
, R. Rani

^*Corresponding author for this work

School of Physics and Astronomy

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

We have used the ratio of column densities derived independently from the 850-μm continuum James Clerk Maxwell Telescope Plane Survey and the ¹³CO/C¹⁸O (J = 3 → 2) Heterodyne Inner Milky Way Plane Survey to produce maps of the dense-gas mass fraction (DGMF) in two slices of the Galactic plane centred at l= 30^◦ and 40^◦. The observed DGMF is a metric for the instantaneous clump formation efficiency (CFE) in the molecular gas. We split the two fields into velocity components corresponding to the spiral arms that cross them, and a two-dimensional power-spectrum analysis of the spiral-arm DGMF maps reveals a break in slope at the approximate size scale of molecular clouds. We interpret this as the characteristic scale of the amplitude of variations in the CFE and a constraint on the dominant mechanism regulating the CFE and, hence, the star formation efficiency in CO-traced clouds.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	191-210
Number of pages	20
Journal	Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Volume	500
Issue number	1
Early online date	16 Oct 2020
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/staa3188
Publication status	Published - Jan 2021

Keywords

ISM: individual objects: W43
ISM: kinematics and dynamics
Stars: formation
Submillimetre: ISM

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Eden_2021_MNRAS_Characteristics-scale
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Eden, D. J., Moore, T. J. T., Plume, R., Rigby, A. J., Urquhart, J. S., Marsh, K. A., Peñaloza, C. H., Clark, P. C., Smith, M. W. L., Tahani, K., Ragan, S. E., Thompson, M. A., Johnstone, D., Parsons, H., & Rani, R. (2021). Characteristic scale of star formation – I. Clump formation efficiency on local scales. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 500(1), 191-210. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/staa3188

@article{4ae16154e43f4daba6f5b2b2034ef6ca,

title = "Characteristic scale of star formation – I. Clump formation efficiency on local scales",

abstract = "We have used the ratio of column densities derived independently from the 850-μm continuum James Clerk Maxwell Telescope Plane Survey and the 13CO/C18O (J = 3 → 2) Heterodyne Inner Milky Way Plane Survey to produce maps of the dense-gas mass fraction (DGMF) in two slices of the Galactic plane centred at l= 30◦ and 40◦. The observed DGMF is a metric for the instantaneous clump formation efficiency (CFE) in the molecular gas. We split the two fields into velocity components corresponding to the spiral arms that cross them, and a two-dimensional power-spectrum analysis of the spiral-arm DGMF maps reveals a break in slope at the approximate size scale of molecular clouds. We interpret this as the characteristic scale of the amplitude of variations in the CFE and a constraint on the dominant mechanism regulating the CFE and, hence, the star formation efficiency in CO-traced clouds.",

keywords = "ISM: individual objects: W43, ISM: kinematics and dynamics, Stars: formation, Submillimetre: ISM",

author = "Eden, \{D. J.\} and Moore, \{T. J.T.\} and R. Plume and Rigby, \{A. J.\} and Urquhart, \{J. S.\} and Marsh, \{K. A.\} and Pe{\~n}aloza, \{C. H.\} and Clark, \{P. C.\} and Smith, \{M. W.L.\} and K. Tahani and Ragan, \{S. E.\} and Thompson, \{M. A.\} and D. Johnstone and H. Parsons and R. Rani",

note = "Funding: DJE is supported by an STFC postdoctoral grant (ST/R000484/1). ",

year = "2021",

month = jan,

doi = "10.1093/mnras/staa3188",

language = "English",

volume = "500",

pages = "191--210",

journal = "Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society",

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Eden, DJ, Moore, TJT, Plume, R, Rigby, AJ, Urquhart, JS, Marsh, KA, Peñaloza, CH, Clark, PC, Smith, MWL, Tahani, K, Ragan, SE, Thompson, MA, Johnstone, D, Parsons, H & Rani, R 2021, 'Characteristic scale of star formation – I. Clump formation efficiency on local scales', Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, vol. 500, no. 1, pp. 191-210. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/staa3188

TY - JOUR

T1 - Characteristic scale of star formation – I. Clump formation efficiency on local scales

AU - Eden, D. J.

AU - Moore, T. J.T.

AU - Plume, R.

AU - Rigby, A. J.

AU - Urquhart, J. S.

AU - Marsh, K. A.

AU - Peñaloza, C. H.

AU - Clark, P. C.

AU - Smith, M. W.L.

AU - Tahani, K.

AU - Ragan, S. E.

AU - Thompson, M. A.

AU - Johnstone, D.

AU - Parsons, H.

AU - Rani, R.

N1 - Funding: DJE is supported by an STFC postdoctoral grant (ST/R000484/1).

PY - 2021/1

Y1 - 2021/1

N2 - We have used the ratio of column densities derived independently from the 850-μm continuum James Clerk Maxwell Telescope Plane Survey and the 13CO/C18O (J = 3 → 2) Heterodyne Inner Milky Way Plane Survey to produce maps of the dense-gas mass fraction (DGMF) in two slices of the Galactic plane centred at l= 30◦ and 40◦. The observed DGMF is a metric for the instantaneous clump formation efficiency (CFE) in the molecular gas. We split the two fields into velocity components corresponding to the spiral arms that cross them, and a two-dimensional power-spectrum analysis of the spiral-arm DGMF maps reveals a break in slope at the approximate size scale of molecular clouds. We interpret this as the characteristic scale of the amplitude of variations in the CFE and a constraint on the dominant mechanism regulating the CFE and, hence, the star formation efficiency in CO-traced clouds.

AB - We have used the ratio of column densities derived independently from the 850-μm continuum James Clerk Maxwell Telescope Plane Survey and the 13CO/C18O (J = 3 → 2) Heterodyne Inner Milky Way Plane Survey to produce maps of the dense-gas mass fraction (DGMF) in two slices of the Galactic plane centred at l= 30◦ and 40◦. The observed DGMF is a metric for the instantaneous clump formation efficiency (CFE) in the molecular gas. We split the two fields into velocity components corresponding to the spiral arms that cross them, and a two-dimensional power-spectrum analysis of the spiral-arm DGMF maps reveals a break in slope at the approximate size scale of molecular clouds. We interpret this as the characteristic scale of the amplitude of variations in the CFE and a constraint on the dominant mechanism regulating the CFE and, hence, the star formation efficiency in CO-traced clouds.

KW - ISM: individual objects: W43

KW - ISM: kinematics and dynamics

KW - Stars: formation

KW - Submillimetre: ISM

U2 - 10.1093/mnras/staa3188

DO - 10.1093/mnras/staa3188

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85097469961

SN - 0035-8711

VL - 500

SP - 191

EP - 210

JO - Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

JF - Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

IS - 1

ER -

Characteristic scale of star formation – I. Clump formation efficiency on local scales

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Keywords

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