Formulation of gas-star balance in galaxies

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25800114
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Astronomy
• Research Institution: Kogakuin University (2014-2015); National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (2013)
• Principal Investigator: Komugi Shinya 工学院大学, 公私立大学の部局等, 准教授 (90548934)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 星形成 / 電波観測

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Star formation in galaxies proceed in and around discrete molecular clouds. It has not been known what physical parameters are responsible for triggering and driving star formation. This study aims at parameterizing physical quantities related to star formation, and finding the "equations" which rule the procession of star formation, via a multi-variable analysis. We obtained multi-wavelength datasets for ~100 molecular clouds in nearby galaxies, each with information on the star formation rate, stellar mass, dust density, low-density molecular gas mass, high-density molecular gas mass, and the age of the molecular clouds. Using these six parameters and applying a principal component analysis, we reduce the 6 quantities into two sets of relations each with six variables. These comprise two fundamental "planes", which express the bounding relations that molecular clouds must fulfill.

Free Research Field

銀河天文学