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    Variations in the Galactic star formation rate and density thresholds for star formation

    245582_245582.pdf (1.031Mb)
    Access Status
    Open access
    Authors
    Longmore, S.
    Bally, J.
    Testi, L.
    Purcell, C.
    Walsh, Andrew
    Bressert, E.
    Pestalozzi, M.
    Molinari, S.
    Ott, J.
    Cortese, L.
    Battersby, C.
    Murray, N.
    Lee, E.
    Kruijssen, J.
    Schisano, E.
    Elia, D.
    Date
    2013
    Type
    Journal Article
    
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Citation
    Longmore, S. and Bally, J. and Testi, L. and Purcell, C. and Walsh, A. and Bressert, E. and Pestalozzi, M. et al. 2013. Variations in the Galactic star formation rate and density thresholds for star formation. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 429 (2): pp. 987-1000.
    Source Title
    Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
    DOI
    10.1093/mnras/sts376
    ISSN
    0035-8711
    Remarks

    Copyright © 2012 The Authors. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society

    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/3753
    Collection
    • Curtin Research Publications
    Abstract

    The conversion of gas into stars is a fundamental process in astrophysics and cosmology. Stars are known to form from the gravitational collapse of dense clumps in interstellar molecular clouds, and it has been proposed that the resulting star formation rate is proportional to either the amount of mass above a threshold gas surface density, or the gas volume density. These star formation prescriptions appear to hold in nearby molecular clouds in our MilkyWay Galaxy’s disc as well as in distant galaxies where the star formation rates are often much larger. The inner 500 pc of our Galaxy, the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ), contains the largest concentration of dense, high-surface density molecular gas in the Milky Way, providing an environment where the validity of star formation prescriptions can be tested. Here, we show that by several measures, the current star formation rate in the CMZ is an order-of-magnitude lower than the rates predicted by the currently accepted prescriptions. In particular, the region 1? < l < 3. ? 5, |b| < 0. ? 5 contains ~107 M of dense (> several 103 cm-3) molecular gas – enough to form 1000 Orion-like clusters – but the present-day star formation rate within this gas is only equivalent to that in Orion. In addition to density, another property of molecular clouds must be included in the star formation prescription to predict the star formation rate in a given mass of molecular gas. We discuss which physical mechanisms might be responsible for suppressing star formation in the CMZ.

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