SEDIGISM-ATLASGAL: dense gas fraction and star formation efficiency across the Galactic disc
Date Issued
2021
Author(s)
Urquhart, J. S.
•
Figura, C.
•
Cross, J. R.
•
Wells, M. R. A.
•
Moore, T. J. T.
•
Eden, D. J.
•
Ragan, S. E.
•
Pettitt, A. R.
•
Duarte-Cabral, A.
•
Colombo, D.
•
Schuller, F.
•
Csengeri, T.
•
Mattern, M.
•
Beuther, H.
•
Menten, K. M.
•
Wyrowski, F.
•
Anderson, L. D.
•
Barnes, P. J.
•
•
Billington, S. J.
•
Bronfman, L.
•
•
Kainulainen, J.
•
Kauffmann, J.
•
Lee, M. -Y.
•
•
Medina, S. -N. X.
•
Montenegro-Montes, F. M.
•
Riener, M.
•
Rigby, A. J.
•
Sánchez-Monge, A.
•
Schilke, P.
•
•
•
Wienen, M.
Abstract
By combining two surveys covering a large fraction of the molecular material in the Galactic disc, we investigate the role spiral arms play in the star formation process. We have matched clumps identified by APEX Telescope Large Area Survey of the Galaxy (ATLASGAL) with their parental giant molecular clouds (GMCs) as identified by SEDIGISM, and use these GMC masses, the bolometric luminosities, and integrated clump masses obtained in a concurrent paper to estimate the dense gas fractions (DGFgmc = ∑Mclump/Mgmc) and the instantaneous star formation efficiencies (i.e. SFEgmc = ∑Lclump/Mgmc). We find that the molecular material associated with ATLASGAL clumps is concentrated in the spiral arms (∼60 per cent found within ±10 $\rm {km\,s}^{-1}$ of an arm). We have searched for variations in the values of these physical parameters with respect to their proximity to the spiral arms, but find no evidence for any enhancement that might be attributable to the spiral arms. The combined results from a number of similar studies based on different surveys indicate that, while spiral-arm location plays a role in cloud formation and H I to H2 conversion, the subsequent star formation processes appear to depend more on local environment effects. This leads us to conclude that the enhanced star formation activity seen towards the spiral arms is the result of source crowding rather than the consequence of any physical process.
Volume
500
Issue
3
Start page
3050
Issn Identifier
0035-8711
Ads BibCode
2021MNRAS.500.3050U
Rights
open.access
File(s)![Thumbnail Image]()
![Thumbnail Image]()
Loading...
Name
2012.01464v1.pdf
Size
2.22 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
01f9068daf3dbbd65a1c77a3ee5a8fa4
Loading...
Name
staa2512.pdf
Description
Pdf editoriale
Size
1.87 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
95eebf60e9cf4c157710af3c4bab279a