1. Molecular gas in galaxies: much more than just the fuel of star formation
- Author
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Francois Boulanger, Matt Lehnert, C. N. Herrera, Philippe Salomé, Pierre Guillard, Nicole P. H. Nesvadba, Edith Falgarone, Institut d'astrophysique spatiale (IAS), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National d’Études Spatiales [Paris] (CNES), Spitzer Science Center, California Institute of Technology (SSC), Galaxies, Etoiles, Physique, Instrumentation (GEPI), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de Paris, Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Physique des Galaxies et Cosmologie, Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de Paris, Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire d'Etude du Rayonnement et de la Matière en Astrophysique (LERMA), École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS-PSL), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de Paris, Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Cergy Pontoise (UCP), Université Paris-Seine-Université Paris-Seine-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Galaxies et cosmologie, Laboratoire d'Etude du Rayonnement et de la Matière en Astrophysique et Atmosphères = Laboratory for Studies of Radiation and Matter in Astrophysics and Atmospheres (LERMA), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de Paris, Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-CY Cergy Paris Université (CY)-École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS-PSL), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-CY Cergy Paris Université (CY), Dynamique des milieux interstellaires et plasmas stellaires, Wong, Tony, Ott, and Jürgen
- Subjects
Physics ,Space and Planetary Science ,Star formation ,Astronomy ,Astronomy and Astrophysics ,Astrophysics::Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics ,[PHYS.ASTR]Physics [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph] ,Astrophysics::Galaxy Astrophysics ,Galaxy - Abstract
It is well known that shocks can heat molecular gas, but we are only starting to understand what the consequences might be for galaxy evolution. Observations are now revealing a growing number of galaxies undergoing phases of strong injection of kinetic energy through galaxy interactions or feedback from powerful AGN, which have bright line emission from shock-heated molecular gas that is likely powered by the dissipation of turbulent energy. These observations demonstrate that turbulence – now recognized as an important mechanism regulating star formation – may also be key in regulating galaxy growth. We report on our on-going efforts to quantify the role of molecular gas for the dissipation of kinetic energy through observations on two very different examples, the Antennae galaxy merger and the radio galaxy 3C326 N, a site of strong mechanical AGN feedback. Both galaxies show signatures of strong dissipation of kinetic energy through shocks. We will illustrate how key parameters of these processes like bulk and turbulent velocities, gas masses, and dissipation timescales can be measured with multi-wavelength data, and how this furthers our understanding of how galaxy evolution and star formation in galaxies depend on each other.
- Published
- 2012
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