Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Star Formation Laws and Thresholds from Interstellar Medium Structure and Turbulence

Renaud, Florent LU ; Kraljic, Katarina and Bournaud, Frédéric (2012) In Astrophysical Journal Letters 760(1). p.16-16
Abstract
We present an analytical model of the relation between the surface density of gas and star formation rate in galaxies and clouds, as a function of the presence of supersonic turbulence and the associated structure of the interstellar medium (ISM). The model predicts a power-law relation of index 3/2, flattened under the effects of stellar feedback at high densities or in very turbulent media, and a break at low surface densities when ISM turbulence becomes too weak to induce strong compression. This model explains the diversity of star formation laws and thresholds observed in nearby spirals and their resolved regions, the Small Magellanic Cloud, high-redshift disks and starbursting mergers, as well as Galactic molecular clouds. While... (More)
We present an analytical model of the relation between the surface density of gas and star formation rate in galaxies and clouds, as a function of the presence of supersonic turbulence and the associated structure of the interstellar medium (ISM). The model predicts a power-law relation of index 3/2, flattened under the effects of stellar feedback at high densities or in very turbulent media, and a break at low surface densities when ISM turbulence becomes too weak to induce strong compression. This model explains the diversity of star formation laws and thresholds observed in nearby spirals and their resolved regions, the Small Magellanic Cloud, high-redshift disks and starbursting mergers, as well as Galactic molecular clouds. While other models have proposed interstellar dust content and molecule formation to be key ingredients to the observed variations of the star formation efficiency, we demonstrate instead that these variations can be explained by ISM turbulence and structure in various types of galaxies. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; and
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
galaxies: ISM, hydrodynamics, methods: analytical, stars: formation, Astrophysics - Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics, Astrophysics - Galaxy Astrophysics
in
Astrophysical Journal Letters
volume
760
issue
1
pages
16 - 16
publisher
IOP Publishing
external identifiers
  • scopus:84868334881
ISSN
2041-8213
DOI
10.1088/2041-8205/760/1/L16
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
0b999c2e-98c2-47e7-ad7a-cd8535daabc8
date added to LUP
2019-05-21 15:25:59
date last changed
2022-06-21 14:33:41
@article{0b999c2e-98c2-47e7-ad7a-cd8535daabc8,
  abstract     = {{We present an analytical model of the relation between the surface density of gas and star formation rate in galaxies and clouds, as a function of the presence of supersonic turbulence and the associated structure of the interstellar medium (ISM). The model predicts a power-law relation of index 3/2, flattened under the effects of stellar feedback at high densities or in very turbulent media, and a break at low surface densities when ISM turbulence becomes too weak to induce strong compression. This model explains the diversity of star formation laws and thresholds observed in nearby spirals and their resolved regions, the Small Magellanic Cloud, high-redshift disks and starbursting mergers, as well as Galactic molecular clouds. While other models have proposed interstellar dust content and molecule formation to be key ingredients to the observed variations of the star formation efficiency, we demonstrate instead that these variations can be explained by ISM turbulence and structure in various types of galaxies.}},
  author       = {{Renaud, Florent and Kraljic, Katarina and Bournaud, Frédéric}},
  issn         = {{2041-8213}},
  keywords     = {{galaxies: ISM, hydrodynamics, methods: analytical, stars: formation, Astrophysics - Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics, Astrophysics - Galaxy Astrophysics}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{11}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{16--16}},
  publisher    = {{IOP Publishing}},
  series       = {{Astrophysical Journal Letters}},
  title        = {{Star Formation Laws and Thresholds from Interstellar Medium Structure and Turbulence}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/760/1/L16}},
  doi          = {{10.1088/2041-8205/760/1/L16}},
  volume       = {{760}},
  year         = {{2012}},
}