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arXiv 1303.6286astro-ph.GAastro-ph.CO
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是什么控制着银河系中央500 pc的恒星形成?

What controls star formation in the central 500 pc of the Galaxy?

J. M. Diederik Kruijssen, Steven N. Longmore, Bruce G. Elmegreen, Norman Murray, John Bally, Leonardo Testi, Robert C. Kennicutt

摘要:

银河系中央分子带(CMZ,即中央500 pc)的恒星形成率(SFR)比其包含的大量致密气体的预期低10倍以上,这挑战了当前的恒星形成理论。在本文中,我们量化了哪些物理机制可能是负责任的。在大于盘尺度高度的尺度上,低SFR被认为是一致的,由于长期的不稳定性或可能的变化沿银河酒吧的气体流入的情节恒星形成。当包含气体和恒星时,CMZ是轻微的托姆尔稳定的,但当只考虑气体时,CMZ是高度的托姆尔稳定的,这表明自引力云的凝结率很低。在小尺度上,我们发现CMZ中的SFR可能是由于高湍流压力导致恒星形成的临界密度升高而引起的。排除了恒星形成的普遍密度阈值的存在。氢的HI-H $_2$相变、潮汐场、由于底部重的初始质量函数而可能产生的大质量恒星不足、磁场、宇宙射线或辐射压力反馈也不能单独解释低SFR。我们提出了一个自洽的恒星形成的CMZ,在几个不同的过程结合起来,以抑制恒星形成的影响周期。速率限制因素是气体向坍缩的缓慢演化-一旦恒星形成开始,它就以正常的速率进行。恒星形成抑制剂的普遍存在表明,降低中央SFR应该是其他星系的常见现象。我们讨论了银河系尺度恒星形成和超大质量黑洞生长的影响,并将我们的结果与其他极端环境中的恒星形成条件联系起来。

英文摘要:

The star formation rate (SFR) in the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ, i.e. the central 500 pc) of the Milky Way is lower by a factor of >10 than expected for the substantial amount of dense gas it contains, which challenges current star formation theories. In this paper, we quantify which physical mechanisms could be responsible. On scales larger than the disc scale height, the low SFR is found to be consistent with episodic star formation due to secular instabilities or possibly variations of the gas inflow along the Galactic bar. The CMZ is marginally Toomre-stable when including gas and stars, but highly Toomre-stable when only accounting for the gas, indicating a low condensation rate of self-gravitating clouds. On small scales, we find that the SFR in the CMZ may be caused by an elevated critical density for star formation due to the high turbulent pressure. The existence of a universal density threshold for star formation is ruled out. The HI-H$_2$ phase transition of hydrogen, the tidal field, a possible underproduction of massive stars due to a bottom-heavy initial mass function, magnetic fields, and cosmic ray or radiation pressure feedback also cannot individually explain the low SFR. We propose a self-consistent cycle of star formation in the CMZ, in which the effects of several different processes combine to inhibit star formation. The rate-limiting factor is the slow evolution of the gas towards collapse - once star formation is initiated it proceeds at a normal rate. The ubiquity of star formation inhibitors suggests that a lowered central SFR should be a common phenomenon in other galaxies. We discuss the implications for galactic-scale star formation and supermassive black hole growth, and relate our results to the star formation conditions in other extreme environments.

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