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What is a GMC? Are observers and simulators discussing the same star-forming clouds?

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

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 September 2016

Hsi-An Pan ,
Yusuke Fujimoto  and
Elizabeth J. Tasker
Hsi-An Pan
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Hokkaido University, Kita 8, Nishi 5, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0808, Japan email: [email protected]
Yusuke Fujimoto
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Hokkaido University, Kita 8, Nishi 5, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0808, Japan email: [email protected]
Elizabeth J. Tasker
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Hokkaido University, Kita 8, Nishi 5, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0808, Japan email: [email protected]
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Abstract

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Observations and simulations have now reached the point where the giant molecular cloud (GMCs) populations can be studied over a whole galaxy. This is immensely helpful for understanding star formation. Yet, are these two groups really comparing the same objects? While simulators work in 6D (x, y, z, vx, vy, vz) position-position-position (PPP) space, observers see 2 + 1D (RA, Dec, vlos) projected properties along the line of sight, identifying clouds in position-position-velocity (PPV) space. In this research we generated PPP and PPV data for a high-resolution simulated galaxy and compared the identified clouds in both data sets. The results show that 70% of the clouds have a single counterpart in each data structure. Cloud boundaries of these clouds are indeed the same. Scatter of the derived cloud properties (radius and velocity dispersion) between PPP and PPV are typically within a factor of two. However, this small scatter can make it difficult to determine if a cloud is truly gravitationally bound.

Keywords

methods: numericaltechniques: image processingISM: cloudsISM: structuregalaxies: ISM
Type
Poster Papers
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 11 , Symposium S315: From Interstellar Clouds to Star-Forming Galaxies: Universal Processes? , August 2015 , E63
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2016 

References

Fujimoto, Y., Tasker, E. J., Wakayama, M., & Habe, A. 2014, MNRAS, 439, 936 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pan, H.-A., Fujimoto, Y., Tasker, E. J. et al. 2015, MNRAS, 453, 3082 Google Scholar
Rosolowsky, E., & Leroy, A. 2006, PASP, 118, 590 Google Scholar