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Giant Molecular Cloud Populations in Nearby Galaxies

Part of: IAU Issue 315 - From Interstellar Clouds...

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 September 2016

Annie Hughes ,
Sharon Meidt ,
Dario Colombo ,
Andreas Schruba ,
Eva Schinnerer ,
Adam Leroy ,
Tony Wong  and
the PAWS, MAGMA, CANON and M31-CARMA survey teams
Annie Hughes
Affiliation:
Institute for Research in Astrophysics & Planetology, CNRS email: Annie.Hughes@irap.omp.eu
Sharon Meidt
Affiliation:
Max Planck Institute for Astronomy
Dario Colombo
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, University of Alberta
Andreas Schruba
Affiliation:
Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics
Eva Schinnerer
Affiliation:
Max Planck Institute for Astronomy
Adam Leroy
Affiliation:
Department of Astronomy, The Ohio State University
Tony Wong
Affiliation:
Astronomy Department, University of Illinois
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Abstract

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We present new results from a comparative analysis of the resolved giant molecular cloud (GMC) populations in six nearby galaxies. We show that the GMCs in denser environments–M51, the centre of NGC6946–have greater CO surface brightness and higher velocity dispersions relative to their size than GMCs in less dense environments. We find systematic differences in the GMC mass distribution among galaxies, such that more of the molecular gas in the low-mass galaxies (M33, the Large Magellanic Cloud) and the outer disk of M31 is located in low mass clouds. Using the number density of GMCs in the interarm regions of M51, we argue that GMC destruction in this region is regulated by shear, and that cloud lifetimes there are finite and short, ~20 to 30 Myr. Our results indicate the importance of galactic environment on the evolution of GMCs, and on a galaxy's global pattern of star formation.

Keywords

ISM: cloudsgalaxies: ISM(galaxies:) Magellanic Clouds(galaxies:) Local Group
Type
Contributed Papers
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 11 , Symposium S315: From Interstellar Clouds to Star-Forming Galaxies: Universal Processes? , August 2015 , pp. 30 - 37
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2016 

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