Molecular Star Formation Rate Indicators in Galaxies: A More "Fundamental" Kennicutt-Schmidt Law?
Desika Narayanan
Harvard Center for Astrophysics
April 14, 2008, 4PM, LPL 308
Observed correlations between the infrared luminosity (LIR) and molecular line luminosity in the Galaxy and galaxies from z=0-6 have suggested a more "fundamental" SFR "law" than the canonical Kennicutt-Schmidt relations such that the SFR is linearly related to the dense molecular gas mass. Utilizing a series of both hydrodynamic and radiative transfer simulations as well as submillimeter-wave observations, I demonstrate that the observed relations are not necessarily representative of a more direct tracer of the SFR, but rather simply reflective of the underlying Schmidt law. Using this physical model, I provide direct observational tests (for ALMA and the LMT) for directly observing the Schmidt law at high redshift (z >~ 2).
Back to TAP colloquia