Amanda Heiderman

THE STAR FORMATION RATE AND GAS SURFACE DENSITY RELATION IN THE MILKY WAY: IMPLICATIONS FOR EXTRAGALACTIC STUDIES

We investigate the relation between star formation rate (SFR) and gas surface densities in Galactic star-forming regions using a sample of young stellar objects (YSOs) and massive dense clumps. Our YSO sample consists of objects located in 20 large molecular clouds from the Spitzer cores to disks (c2d) and Goulds Belt (GB) surveys. These data allow us to probe the regime of low-mass star formation, essentially invisible to tracers of high-mass star formation used to establish extragalactic SFR-gas relations. We estimate the gas surface density (Σgas) from extinction (AV ) maps and YSO SFR surface densities (ΣSFR) from the number of YSOs, assuming a mean mass and lifetime. We also divide the clouds into evenly spaced contour levels of AV , counting only Class I and Flat spectral energy distribution YSOs, which have not yet migrated from their birthplace. For a sample of massive star-forming clumps, we derive SFRs from the total infrared luminosity and use HCN gas maps to estimate gas surface densities. We find that c2d and GB clouds lie above the extragalactic SFR-gas relations (e.g., Kennicutt-Schmidt law) by factors of up to 17. Cloud regions with high Σgas lie above extragalactic relations up to a factor of 54 and overlap with high-mass star-forming regions. We use 12CO and 13CO gas maps of the Perseus and Ophiuchus clouds from the COMPLETE survey to estimate gas surface densities and compare to measurements from AV maps. We find that 13CO, with the standard conversions to total gas, underestimates the AV -based mass by factors of ~4-5. 12CO may underestimate the total gas mass at Σgas 200 M ☉ pc–2 by 30%; however, this small difference in mass estimates does not explain the large discrepancy between Galactic and extragalactic relations. We find evidence for a threshold of star formation (Σth) at 129 ± 14 M ☉ pc–2. At Σgas>Σth, the Galactic SFR-gas relation is linear. A possible reason for the difference between Galactic and extragalactic relations is that much of Σgas is below Σth in extragalactic studies, which detect all the CO-emitting gas. If the Kennicutt-Schmidt relation (ΣSFR Σ1.4 gas) and a linear relation between dense gas and star formation are assumed, the fraction of dense star-forming gas (f dense) increases as ~Σ0.4 gas. When Σgas reaches ~300 Σth, the fraction of dense gas is ~1, creating a maximal starburst.

Star Formation Relations in Nearby Molecular Clouds

We test some ideas for star formation relations against data on local molecular clouds. On a cloud by cloud basis, the relation between the surface density of star formation rate and surface density of gas divided by a free-fall time, calculated from the mean cloud density, shows no significant correlation. If a crossing time is substituted for the free-fall time, there is even less correlation. Within a cloud, the star formation rate volume and surface densities increase rapidly with the corresponding gas densities, faster than predicted by models using the free-fall time defined from the local density. A model in which the star formation rate depends linearly on the mass of gas above a visual extinction of 8 mag describes the data on these clouds, with very low dispersion. The data on regions of very massive star formation, with improved star formation rates based on free-free emission from ionized gas, also agree with this linear relation.

GALAXY EVOLUTION IN A COMPLEX ENVIRONMENT: A MULTI-WAVELENGTH STUDY OF HCG 7*

The environment where galaxies are found heavily influences their evolution. Close groupings, like the ones in the cores of galaxy clusters or compact groups, evolve in ways far more dramatic than their isolated counterparts. We have conducted a multi-wavelength study of Hickson Compact Group 7 (HCG?7), consisting of four giant galaxies: three spirals and one lenticular. We use Hubble Space Telescope (HST) imaging to identify and characterize the young and old star cluster populations. We find young massive clusters (YMCs) mostly in the three spirals, while the lenticular features a large, unimodal population of globular clusters (GCs) but no detectable clusters with ages less than a few Gyr. The spatial and approximate age distributions of the ~300 YMCs and ~150 GCs thus hint at a regular star formation history in the group over a Hubble time. While at first glance the HST data show the galaxies as undisturbed, our deep ground-based, wide-field imaging that extends the HST coverage reveals faint signatures of stellar material in the intragroup medium (IGM). We do not, however, detect the IGM in H I or Chandra X-ray observations, signatures that would be expected to arise from major mergers. Despite this fact, we find that the H I gas content of the individual galaxies and the group as a whole are a third of the expected abundance. The appearance of quiescence is challenged by spectroscopy that reveals an intense ionization continuum in one galaxy nucleus, and post-burst characteristics in another. Our spectroscopic survey of dwarf galaxy members yields a single dwarf elliptical galaxy in an apparent stellar tidal feature. Based on all this information, we suggest an evolutionary scenario for HCG?7, whereby the galaxies convert most of their available gas into stars without the influence of major mergers and ultimately result in a dry merger. As the conditions governing compact groups are reminiscent of galaxies at intermediate redshift, we propose that HCGs are appropriate for studying galaxy evolution at z ~ 1-2.

Barred galaxies in the Abell 901/2 supercluster with STAGES

We present a study of bar and host disk evolution in a dense cluster environment, based on a sample of similar to 800 bright (M-V <= -18) galaxies in the Abell 901/2 supercluster at z similar to 0.165. We use Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) F606W imaging from the STAGES survey, and data from Spitzer, XMM-Newton, and COMBO-17. We identify and characterize bars through ellipse-fitting, and other morphological features through visual classification. We find the following results. (1) To define the optical fraction of barred disk galaxies, we explore three commonly used methods for selecting disk galaxies. We find 625, 485, and 353 disk galaxies, respectively, via visual classification, a single component Sersic cut (n <= 2.5), and a blue-cloud cut. In cluster environments, the latter two methods suffer from serious limitations, and miss 31% and 51%, respectively, of visually identified disks, particularly the many red, bulge-dominated disk galaxies in clusters. (2) For moderately inclined disks, the three methods of disk selection, however, yield a similar global optical bar fraction (f(bar-opt)) of 34%(+10%)(-3%) (115/340), 31%(+10%)(-3%) (58/189), and 30%(+10%)(-3%) (72/241), respectively. (3) We explore f(bar-opt) as a function of host galaxy properties and find that it rises in brighter galaxies and those which appear to have no significant bulge component. Within a given absolute magnitude bin, f(bar-opt) is higher in visually selected disk galaxies that have no bulge as opposed to those with bulges. Conversely, for a given visual morphological class, f(bar-opt) rises at higher luminosities. Both results are similar to trends found in the field. (4) For bright early-types, as well as faint late-type systems with no evident bulge, the optical bar fraction in the Abell 901/2 clusters is comparable within a factor of 1.1-1.4 to that of field galaxies at lower redshifts (z < 0.04). (5) Between the core and the virial radius of the cluster (R similar to 0.25-1.2 Mpc) at intermediate environmental densities (log(Sigma(10)) similar to 1.7-2.3), the optical bar fraction does not appear to depend strongly on the local environment density tracers (kappa, Sigma(10), and intracluster medium (ICM) density), and varies at most by a factor of similar to 1.3. Inside the cluster core, we are limited by number statistics, projection effects, and different trends from different indicators, but overall f(bar-opt) does not show evidence for a variation larger than a factor of 1.5. We discuss the implications of our results for the evolution of bars and disks in dense environments.

The VIRUS-P Exploration of Nearby Galaxies (VENGA): the X-CO gradient in NGC 628

We measure the radial profile of the ^(12)CO(1-0) to H_2 conversion factor (X_(CO)) in NGC 628. The Hα emission from the VENGA integral field spectroscopy is used to map the star formation rate (SFR) surface density (Σ_(SFR)). We estimate the molecular gas surface density (Σ_(H2)) from Σ_(SFR) by inverting the molecular star formation law (SFL), and compare it to the CO intensity to measure X_(CO). We study the impact of systematic uncertainties by changing the slope of the SFL, using different SFR tracers (Hα versus far-UV plus 24 μm), and CO maps from different telescopes (single-dish and interferometers). The observed X_(CO) profile is robust against these systematics, drops by a factor of two from R ~ 7 kpc to the center of the galaxy, and is well fit by a gradient Δlog(X_(CO)) = 0.06 ± 0.02 dex kpc^(–1). We study how changes in X_(CO) follow changes in metallicity, gas density, and ionization parameter. Theoretical models show that the gradient in X_(CO) can be explained by a combination of decreasing metallicity, and decreasing Σ_(H2) with radius. Photoelectric heating from the local UV radiation field appears to contribute to the decrease of X_(CO) in higher density regions. Our results show that galactic environment plays an important role at setting the physical conditions in star-forming regions, in particular the chemistry of carbon in molecular complexes, and the radiative transfer of CO emission. We caution against adopting a single X_(CO) value when large changes in gas surface density or metallicity are present.

The Gould Belt 'MISFITS' Survey: The Real Solar Neighborhood Protostars

We present an HCO+ survey of Class 0+I and Flat SED young stellar objects (YSOs) found in the Gould Belt clouds by surveys with Spitzer. Our goal is to provide a uniform Stage 0+I source indicator for these embedded protostar candidates. We made single point HCO+ measurements toward the source positions at the CSO and APEX of 546 YSOs (89% of the Class 0+I + Flat SED sample). Using the criteria from van Kempen et al., we classify sources as Stage 0+I or bona fide protostars and find that 84% of detected sources meet the criteria. We recommend a timescale for the evolution of Stage 0+I (embedded protostars) of 0.54 Myr. We find significant correlations of HCO+ integrated intensity with ? and Tbol but not with Lbol. The detection fraction increases smoothly as a function of ? and Lbol, while decreasing smoothly with Tbol. Using the Stage 0+I sources tightens the relation between protostars and high extinction regions of the cloud; 89% of Stage I sources lie in regions with AV > 8 mag. Class 0+I and Flat SED YSOs that are not detected in HCO+ have, on average, a factor of ?2 higher Tbol and a factor of ?5 lower Lbol than YSOs with HCO+ detections. We find less YSO contamination, defined as the number of undetected YSOs divided by the total number surveyed, for sources with Tbol ? 600 K and Lbol ? 1 L?. The contamination percentage is >90% at AV < 4 mag and decreases as AV increases.

Interacting Galaxies in the A901/902 Supercluster with Stages

We present a study of galaxy mergers and the influence of environment in the Abell 901/902 supercluster at z ∼ 0.165, based on 893 bright (RVega 24) intermediate-mass (M∗ 10 9 M� ) galaxies. We use HST ACS F606W data from the Space Telescope A901/902 Galaxy Evolution Survey, COMBO-17, Spitzer 24 μm, and XMM-Newton X-ray data. Our analysis utilizes both a physically driven visual classification system and quantitative CAS parameters to identify systems which show evidence of a recent or ongoing merger of mass ratio >1/10 (i.e., major and minor mergers). Our results are (1) after visual classification and minimizing the contamination from false projection pairs, we find that the merger fraction fmerge is 0.023 ± 0.007. The estimated fractions of likely major mergers, likely minor mergers, and ambiguous cases are 0.01 ± 0.004, 0.006 ± 0.003, and 0.007 ± 0.003, respectively. (2) All the mergers lie outside the cluster core of radius R< 0.25 Mpc: the lack of mergers in the core is likely due to the large galaxy velocity dispersion in the core. The mergers, instead, populate the region (0.25 Mpc <R 2 Mpc) between the core and the cluster outskirt. In this region, the estimated frequency of mergers is similar to those seen at typical group overdensities in N-body simulations of accreting groups in the A901/902 clusters. This suggests the ongoing growth of the clusters via accretion of group and field galaxies. (3) We compare our observed merger fraction with those reported in other clusters and groups out to z ∼ 0.4. Existing data points on the merger fraction for L L ∗ galaxies in clusters allow for a wide spectrum of scenarios, ranging from no evolution to evolution by a factor of ∼5 over z ∼ 0.17–0.4. (4) In A901/902, the fraction of interacting galaxies, which lie on the blue cloud is 80% ± 18% (16/20) versus 34% ± 7% or (294/866) for non-interacting galaxies, implying that interacting galaxies are preferentially blue. (5) The average star formation rate (SFR), based on UV or a combination of UV+IR data, is enhanced by a factor of ∼1.5–2 in mergers compared to non-interacting galaxies. However, mergers in the A901/902 clusters contribute only a small fraction (between 10% and 15%) of the total SFR density, while the rest of the SFR density comes from non-interacting galaxies.

Relating basic properties of bright early-type dwarf galaxies to their location in Abell 901/902

We present a study of the population of bright early-type dwarf galaxies in the multiple-cluster system Abell 901/902. We use data from the STAGES survey and COMBO-17 to investigate the relation between the color and structural properties of the dwarfs and their location in the cluster. The definition of the dwarf sample is based on the central surface brightness and includes galaxies in the luminosity range -16 >= M(B) greater than or similar to -19 mag. Using a fit to the color magnitude relation of the dwarfs, our sample is divided into a red and blue subsample. We find a color-density relation in the projected radial distribution of the dwarf sample: at the same luminosity dwarfs with redder colors are located closer to the cluster centers than their bluer counterparts. Furthermore, the redder dwarfs are on average more compact and rounder than the bluer dwarfs. These findings are consistent with theoretical expectations assuming that bright early-type dwarfs are the remnants of transformed late-type disk galaxies involving processes such as ram pressure stripping and galaxy harassment. This indicates that a considerable fraction of dwarf elliptical galaxies in clusters are the results of transformation processes related to interactions with their host cluster.

The VIRUS-P Investigation of the eXtreme Environments of Starbursts (VIXENS): Survey and First Results

Amanda Heiderman∗,1, Neal J. Evans II1, Karl Gebhardt1, Guillermo Blanc2, Timothy A. Davis3, Casey Papovich4, Daisuke Iono5 and Min Yun6 1University of Texas at Austin Department of Astronomy 1 University Station, C1400 Austin, Texas 78712-0259 2Observatories of the Carnegie Institution 813 Santa Barbara Street Pasadena, California 91101 3ESO Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2 D-85748 Garching bei München 4Texas A&M University Department of Physics and Astronomy College Station, TX 77843-4242 5Nobeyama Radio Observatory, NAOJ Minamimaki, Minamisaku, Nagano, 384-1305, Japan 6Department of Astronomy University of Massachusetts Graduate Research Tower B 619E 710 North Pleasant Street Amherst, MA 01003-9305 E-mail: alh@astro.as.utexas.edu