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SEQUENCE:0
UID:UW-Physics-Event-5068
DTSTART:20190305T213000Z
DTEND:20190305T230000Z
DTSTAMP:20260307T181040Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190305T172646Z
LOCATION:4421 Sterling Hall\, Coffee and cookies 3:30 PM\, Talk begins
  3:45 PM
SUMMARY:Understanding the Relationship between Dense Gas and Star Form
 ation in Galaxy Nuclei\, Astronomy Colloquium\, Betsy Mills\, Brandeis
  University
DESCRIPTION:Star formation in environments from local molecular clouds
  to distant galaxies is characterized by a simple\, linear relationshi
 p between the amount of gas compared to the amount of recently formed 
 stars. However\, star formation in the center of our Galaxy does not f
 ollow these universal scaling relations\, suggesting that the star for
 mation process has a more complex dependence on environment. In the Ga
 lactic center\, scaling relations predict there should be a larger amo
 unt of star formation given the amount of dense gas that is present. M
 y recent work has put new constraints on both these quantities\, indic
 ating that neither overestimates of gas density nor underestimates of 
 star formation can completely account for this discrepancy. Instead\, 
 it is most likely that (1) in this environment there is a higher gas d
 ensity threshold required for the onset of star formation and (2) the 
 center of our galaxy is currently in a quiescent or low state in betwe
 en cycles of starburst activity. This poses a challenge for using the 
 Galactic center to better characterize deviations from star formation 
 ‘laws’ in extreme environments\, as the Galactic center is far fro
 m experiencing a global starburst. I describe two ways my recent work 
 is addressing this challenge: firstly\, by characterizing properties o
 f dense gas and star formation in nearby starbursting nuclei at high s
 patial resolutions now available with ALMA. Secondly\, I describe my r
 ecent studies of the Sgr B2 "mini-starburst”: an individual cloud in
  the galactic center that may be more characteristic of the global mod
 e of star formation observed in nuclear starbursts. Finally\, I end wi
 th a cautionary note on remaining challenges for correctly interpretin
 g observations of dense gas tracers in more distant extreme and unreso
 lved systems.  
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URL:https://www.physics.wisc.edu/events/?id=5068
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