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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
earth and planetary sciences
The CO-TO-H2 conversion factor and dust-to-gas ratio on kiloparsec scales in nearby galaxies
Astrophysical Journal, Volume 777, No. 1, Article 5, Year 2013
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Description
We present ∼kiloparsec spatial resolution maps of the CO-to-H 2 conversion factor (αCO) and dust-to-gas ratio (DGR) in 26 nearby, star-forming galaxies. We have simultaneously solved for αCO and the DGR by assuming that the DGR is approximately constant on kiloparsec scales. With this assumption, we can combine maps of dust mass surface density, CO-integrated intensity, and H I column density to solve for both αCO and the DGR with no assumptions about their value or dependence on metallicity or other parameters. Such a study has just become possible with the availability of high-resolution far-IR maps from the Herschel key program KINGFISH, 12CO J = (2-1) maps from the IRAM 30 m large program HERACLES, and H I 21 cm line maps from THINGS. We use a fixed ratio between the (2-1) and (1-0) lines to present our αCO results on the more typically used 12CO J = (1-0) scale and show using literature measurements that variations in the line ratio do not affect our results. In total, we derive 782 individual solutions for αCO and the DGR. On average, αCO = 3.1 M ̇ pc -2 (K km s-1)-1 for our sample with a standard deviation of 0.3 dex. Within galaxies, we observe a generally flat profile of αCO as a function of galactocentric radius. However, most galaxies exhibit a lower αCO value in the central kiloparsec - a factor of ∼2 below the galaxy mean, on average. In some cases, the central αCO value can be factors of 5-10 below the standard Milky Way (MW) value of αCO, MW = 4.4 M ⊙ pc-2 (K km s-1)-1. While for αCO we find only weak correlations with metallicity, the DGR is well-correlated with metallicity, with an approximately linear slope. Finally, we present several recommendations for choosing an appropriate αCO for studies of nearby galaxies. © 2013. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved..
Authors & Co-Authors
Sandstrom, Karin M.
Germany, Heidelberg
Max Planck Institute for Astronomy
Leroy, Adam K.
United States, Charlottesville
National Radio Astronomy Observatory
Walter, Fabian W.
Germany, Heidelberg
Max Planck Institute for Astronomy
Bolatto, Alberto D.
United States, College Park
University of Maryland, College Park
Croxall, Kevin V.
United States, Toledo
The University of Toledo
United States, Columbus
The Ohio State University
Draine, Bruce T.
United States, Princeton
Princeton University Observatory
Wilson, Christine D.
Canada, Hamilton
Mcmaster University
Calzetti, Daniela
United States, Amherst
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Kennicutt, Robert C.
United Kingdom, Cambridge
University of Cambridge
Aniano, Gonzalo
United States, Princeton
Princeton University Observatory
France, Paris
Cnrs Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
Usero, Antonio
Spain, Alcala de Henares
Observatorio Astronomico Nacional
Bigiel, Frank
Germany, Heidelberg
Universität Heidelberg
Brinks, Elias
United Kingdom, Hatfield
University of Hertfordshire
de Blök, Willem J.G.
Netherlands, Dwingeloo
Netherlands Foundation for Research in Astronomy
Crocker, Alison F.
United States, Toledo
The University of Toledo
United States, Amherst
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Dale, Daniel A.
United States, Laramie
University of Wyoming
Galametz, Maud
United Kingdom, Cambridge
University of Cambridge
Groves, Brent A.
Germany, Heidelberg
Max Planck Institute for Astronomy
Hunt, L. K.
Italy, Florence
Osservatorio Astrofisico Di Arcetri
Koda, Jin
United States, Stony Brook
Stony Brook University
Kreckel, Kathryn
Germany, Heidelberg
Max Planck Institute for Astronomy
Linz, Hendrik
Germany, Heidelberg
Max Planck Institute for Astronomy
Meidt, Sharon E.
Germany, Heidelberg
Max Planck Institute for Astronomy
Pellegrini, Eric W.
United States, Toledo
The University of Toledo
Rix, Hans Walter R.
Germany, Heidelberg
Max Planck Institute for Astronomy
Roussel, Hélène
France, Paris
Sorbonne Université
Schinnerer, Eva
Germany, Heidelberg
Max Planck Institute for Astronomy
Schruba, Andreas
United States, Pasadena
California Institute of Technology
Schuster, Karl Friedrich
France, Saint Martin D'heres
Iram Institut de Radioastronomie Millimétrique
Skibba, Ramin A.
United States, Tucson
The University of Arizona
United States, La Jolla
University of California, San Diego
Appleton, Philip N.
United States, Washington, D.c.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Armus, Lee
United States, Pasadena
California Institute of Technology
Brandl, Bernhard R.
Netherlands, Leiden
Universiteit Leiden
Gordon, Karl D.
United States, Baltimore
Space Telescope Science Institute
Hinz, Joannah L.
United States, Tucson
The University of Arizona
Montiel, Edward J.
United States, Tucson
The University of Arizona
United States, Baton Rouge
Louisiana State University
Sauvage, Marc
France, Gif-sur-yvette
Astrophysique, Instrumentation et Modélisation de Paris-saclay
Smith, John David T.
United States, Toledo
The University of Toledo
Vigroux, Laurent G.
France, Paris
Sorbonne Université
Statistics
Citations: 401
Authors: 39
Affiliations: 29
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1088/0004-637X/777/1/5
ISSN:
0004637X