2023-05-03 Abstract
Title: Mapping dense molecular gas tracers across nearby galaxies
Speaker: Maria Jesus Jimenez Donaire (National Observatory of Spain)
Date: May 3 (Wed) at 13:00
Location: R521, General Building II
Abstract:
Spectroscopic tracers of dense gas offer the best way to study immediately star-forming gas. During this talk I will overview the main results from our large survey EMPIRE and related efforts providing maps of high density gas tracers (e.g., HCN, HCO+, HNC) and carbon isotopologues systematically across nearby galaxy disks. Our key goal is understanding how dense gas fractions and star formation efficiencies vary across and among galaxies. Our results show that the star formation efficiency in the dense gas varies systematically in all galactic disks, and provide support for a context-dependent role of density, where the dense gas fraction follows interstellar pressure but star formation only takes place in local over-density regions. I will discuss these findings in the context of Galactic work, as well as those processes that participate in our interpretation of the dense gas emission. Finally I will connect our results with new observing efforts at the IRAM 30m telescope to capture the emission from other challenging dense gas tracers such as N2H+.