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Title:
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A LAW FOR STAR FORMATION IN GALAXIES. |
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Author:
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Escala, Andrés
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Abstract:
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We study the galactic-scale triggering of star formation.We find that the largestmass scale not stabilized by rotation,
a well-defined quantity in a rotating system and with clear dynamical meaning, strongly correlates with the star
formation rate in a wide range of galaxies. We find that this relation can be understood in terms of self-regulation
toward marginal Toomre stability and the amount of turbulence allowed to sustain the system in this self-regulated
quasi-stationary state. We test such an interpretation by computing the predicted star formation rates for a galactic
interstellar medium characterized by a lognormal probability distribution function and find good agreement with
the observed relation. |
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URI:
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http://www.captura.uchile.cl/handle/2250/16975
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Date:
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2011-07-01 |
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dc.identifier.citation:
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The Astrophysical Journal, 735:56 (5pp), 2011 July 1. |