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Title: The PdBI arcsecond whirlpool survey (PAWS). I. A cloud-scale/multi-wavelength view of the interstellar medium in a grand-design spiral galaxy

Abstract

The Plateau de Bure Interferometer Arcsecond Whirlpool Survey has mapped the molecular gas in the central ∼9 kpc of M51 in its {sup 12}CO(1-0) line emission at a cloud-scale resolution of ∼40 pc using both IRAM telescopes. We utilize this data set to quantitatively characterize the relation of molecular gas (or CO emission) to other tracers of the interstellar medium, star formation, and stellar populations of varying ages. Using two-dimensional maps, a polar cross-correlation technique and pixel-by-pixel diagrams, we find: (1) that (as expected) the distribution of the molecular gas can be linked to different components of the gravitational potential; (2) evidence for a physical link between CO line emission and radio continuum that seems not to be caused by massive stars, but rather depends on the gas density; (3) a close spatial relation between polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) and molecular gas emission, but no predictive power of PAH emission for the molecular gas mass; (4) that the I – H color map is an excellent predictor of the distribution (and to a lesser degree, the brightness) of CO emission; and (5) that the impact of massive (UV-intense) young star-forming regions on the bulk of the molecular gas in centralmore » ∼9 kpc cannot be significant due to a complex spatial relation between molecular gas and star-forming regions that ranges from cospatial to spatially offset to absent. The last point, in particular, highlights the importance of galactic environment—and thus the underlying gravitational potential—for the distribution of molecular gas and star formation.« less

Authors:
; ; ;  [1]; ; ;  [2];  [3];  [4];  [5];  [6];  [7];  [8]
  1. MPI for Astronomy, Königstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg (Germany)
  2. Institut de Radioastronomie Millimétrique, 300 Rue de la Piscine, F-38406 Saint Martin d'Hères (France)
  3. Observatorio Astronómico Nacional-OAN, Observatorio de Madrid Alfonso XII 3, E-28014 Madrid (Spain)
  4. School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4QL (United Kingdom)
  5. National Radio Astronomy Observatory, 520 Edgemont Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903 (United States)
  6. Instituto Radioastronomía Milimétrica, Avenida Divina Pastora 7, Nucleo Central, E-18012 Granada (Spain)
  7. Department of Astronomy, The Ohio State University, 140 West 18th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210 (United States)
  8. Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
22348512
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Astrophysical Journal
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 779; Journal Issue: 1; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 0004-637X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
79 ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY; CARBON MONOXIDE; COLOR; CORRELATIONS; DENSITY; DISTRIBUTION; EMISSION; GALAXIES; INTERFEROMETERS; MAPS; MASS; POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS; RESOLUTION; STARS; TELESCOPES; TWO-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS; WAVELENGTHS

Citation Formats

Schinnerer, Eva, Meidt, Sharon E., Hughes, Annie, Colombo, Dario, Pety, Jérôme, Schuster, Karl F., Dumas, Gaëlle, García-Burillo, Santiago, Dobbs, Clare L., Leroy, Adam K., Kramer, Carsten, Thompson, Todd A., and Regan, Michael W. The PdBI arcsecond whirlpool survey (PAWS). I. A cloud-scale/multi-wavelength view of the interstellar medium in a grand-design spiral galaxy. United States: N. p., 2013. Web. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/779/1/42.
Schinnerer, Eva, Meidt, Sharon E., Hughes, Annie, Colombo, Dario, Pety, Jérôme, Schuster, Karl F., Dumas, Gaëlle, García-Burillo, Santiago, Dobbs, Clare L., Leroy, Adam K., Kramer, Carsten, Thompson, Todd A., & Regan, Michael W. The PdBI arcsecond whirlpool survey (PAWS). I. A cloud-scale/multi-wavelength view of the interstellar medium in a grand-design spiral galaxy. United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/779/1/42
Schinnerer, Eva, Meidt, Sharon E., Hughes, Annie, Colombo, Dario, Pety, Jérôme, Schuster, Karl F., Dumas, Gaëlle, García-Burillo, Santiago, Dobbs, Clare L., Leroy, Adam K., Kramer, Carsten, Thompson, Todd A., and Regan, Michael W. 2013. "The PdBI arcsecond whirlpool survey (PAWS). I. A cloud-scale/multi-wavelength view of the interstellar medium in a grand-design spiral galaxy". United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/779/1/42.
@article{osti_22348512,
title = {The PdBI arcsecond whirlpool survey (PAWS). I. A cloud-scale/multi-wavelength view of the interstellar medium in a grand-design spiral galaxy},
author = {Schinnerer, Eva and Meidt, Sharon E. and Hughes, Annie and Colombo, Dario and Pety, Jérôme and Schuster, Karl F. and Dumas, Gaëlle and García-Burillo, Santiago and Dobbs, Clare L. and Leroy, Adam K. and Kramer, Carsten and Thompson, Todd A. and Regan, Michael W.},
abstractNote = {The Plateau de Bure Interferometer Arcsecond Whirlpool Survey has mapped the molecular gas in the central ∼9 kpc of M51 in its {sup 12}CO(1-0) line emission at a cloud-scale resolution of ∼40 pc using both IRAM telescopes. We utilize this data set to quantitatively characterize the relation of molecular gas (or CO emission) to other tracers of the interstellar medium, star formation, and stellar populations of varying ages. Using two-dimensional maps, a polar cross-correlation technique and pixel-by-pixel diagrams, we find: (1) that (as expected) the distribution of the molecular gas can be linked to different components of the gravitational potential; (2) evidence for a physical link between CO line emission and radio continuum that seems not to be caused by massive stars, but rather depends on the gas density; (3) a close spatial relation between polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) and molecular gas emission, but no predictive power of PAH emission for the molecular gas mass; (4) that the I – H color map is an excellent predictor of the distribution (and to a lesser degree, the brightness) of CO emission; and (5) that the impact of massive (UV-intense) young star-forming regions on the bulk of the molecular gas in central ∼9 kpc cannot be significant due to a complex spatial relation between molecular gas and star-forming regions that ranges from cospatial to spatially offset to absent. The last point, in particular, highlights the importance of galactic environment—and thus the underlying gravitational potential—for the distribution of molecular gas and star formation.},
doi = {10.1088/0004-637X/779/1/42},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/22348512}, journal = {Astrophysical Journal},
issn = {0004-637X},
number = 1,
volume = 779,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Dec 10 00:00:00 EST 2013},
month = {Tue Dec 10 00:00:00 EST 2013}
}