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Towards a resolved Kennicutt-Schmidt law at high redshift
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics · Submitted 3 Jan 2013
abstract compiled · 2026-09-23 · no language-model review
The authors' main claim The data generally indicates an average depletion time of 1.9 Gyr, but with significant variations from point to point within the galaxies.
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The abstract, sentence by sentence
Massive galaxies in the distant Universe form stars at much higher rates than today. Although direct resolution of the star forming regions of these galaxies is still a challenge, recent molecular gas observations at the IRAM Plateau de Bure interferometer enable us to study the star formation efficiency on subgalactic scales around redshift z = 1.2. We present a method for obtaining the gas and star formation rate (SFR) surface densities of ensembles of clumps composing galaxies at this redshift, even though the corresponding scales are not resolved. This method is based on identifying these structures in position-velocity diagrams corresponding to slices within the galaxies. We use unique IRAM observations of the CO(3-2) rotational line and DEEP2 spectra of four massive star forming distant galaxies - EGS13003805, EGS13004291, EGS12007881, and EGS13019128 in the AEGIS terminology - to determine the gas and SFR surface densities of the identifiable ensembles of clumps that constitute them. The integrated CO line luminosity is assumed to be directly proportional to the total gas mass, and the SFR is deduced from the [OII] line. We identify the ensembles of clumps with the angular resolution available in both CO and [OII] spectroscopy; i.e., 1-1.5". SFR and gas surface densities are averaged in areas of this size, which is also the thickness of the DEEP2 slits and of the extracted IRAM slices, and we derive a spatially resolved Kennicutt-Schmidt (KS) relation on a scale of ~8 kpc. The data generally indicates an average depletion time of 1.9 Gyr, but with significant variations from point to point within the galaxies.
background contribution method result interpretation main claim
| # | sentence | role | the authors' own work | states the main conclusion | strength |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| s0 | Massive galaxies in the distant Universe form stars at much higher rates than today. | background 1.00 | 0.09 | 0.07 | asserted 1.00 |
| s1 | Although direct resolution of the star forming regions of these galaxies is still a challenge, recent molecular gas observations at the IRAM Plateau de Bure interferometer enable us to study the star formation efficiency on subgalactic scales around redshift z = 1.2. | background 0.68 | 0.34 | 0.04 | asserted 0.92 |
| s2 | We present a method for obtaining the gas and star formation rate (SFR) surface densities of ensembles of clumps composing galaxies at this redshift, even though the corresponding scales are not resolved. | contribution 0.82 | 0.91 | 0.08 | asserted 0.98 |
| s3 | This method is based on identifying these structures in position-velocity diagrams corresponding to slices within the galaxies. | method 1.00 | 0.77 | 0.03 | asserted 1.00 |
| s4 | We use unique IRAM observations of the CO(3-2) rotational line and DEEP2 spectra of four massive star forming distant galaxies - EGS13003805, EGS13004291, EGS12007881, and EGS13019128 in the AEGIS terminology - to determine the gas and SFR surface densities of the identifiable ensembles of clumps that constitute them. | method 0.86 | 0.94 | 0.04 | asserted 1.00 |
| s5 | The integrated CO line luminosity is assumed to be directly proportional to the total gas mass, and the SFR is deduced from the [OII] line. | method 1.00 | 0.62 | 0.03 | asserted 0.99 |
| s6 | We identify the ensembles of clumps with the angular resolution available in both CO and [OII] spectroscopy; i.e., 1-1.5". | method 0.98 | 0.93 | 0.03 | asserted 1.00 |
| s7 | SFR and gas surface densities are averaged in areas of this size, which is also the thickness of the DEEP2 slits and of the extracted IRAM slices, and we derive a spatially resolved Kennicutt-Schmidt (KS) relation on a scale of ~8 kpc. | method 0.72 | 0.96 | 0.35 | asserted 1.00 |
| s8 | The data generally indicates an average depletion time of 1.9 Gyr, but with significant variations from point to point within the galaxies. | result 0.99 | 0.94 | 0.58 | hedged possibility 0.98 |
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The paper
Original abstract
Massive galaxies in the distant Universe form stars at much higher rates than today. Although direct resolution of the star forming regions of these galaxies is still a challenge, recent molecular gas observations at the IRAM Plateau de Bure interferometer enable us to study the star formation efficiency on subgalactic scales around redshift z = 1.2. We present a method for obtaining the gas and star formation rate (SFR) surface densities of ensembles of clumps composing galaxies at this redshift, even though the corresponding scales are not resolved. This method is based on identifying these structures in position-velocity diagrams corresponding to slices within the galaxies. We use unique IRAM observations of the CO(3-2) rotational line and DEEP2 spectra of four massive star forming distant galaxies - EGS13003805, EGS13004291, EGS12007881, and EGS13019128 in the AEGIS terminology - to determine the gas and SFR surface densities of the identifiable ensembles of clumps that constitute them. The integrated CO line luminosity is assumed to be directly proportional to the total gas mass, and the SFR is deduced from the [OII] line. We identify the ensembles of clumps with the angular resolution available in both CO and [OII] spectroscopy; i.e., 1-1.5". SFR and gas surface densities are averaged in areas of this size, which is also the thickness of the DEEP2 slits and of the extracted IRAM slices, and we derive a spatially resolved Kennicutt-Schmidt (KS) relation on a scale of ~8 kpc. The data generally indicates an average depletion time of 1.9 Gyr, but with significant variations from point to point within the galaxies.
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References
How the literature uses it
2 arXiv papers cite this in 2 sentences
What it cites · 5 sentences without a confident label
Uses the method or tool of 1 paper
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The data was reduced using a dedicated pipeline ( [ref] , [ref] ), and a velocity resolution of about $50 km s^-1$ ($R = λ/Δλ≈5000$) enables resolving the [OII] line ( [ref] ).
The DEEP2 Galaxy Redshift Survey: Design, Observations, Data Reduction, and Redshifts · The gas mass · 1.00
Compares with 1 paper
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As shown in Figure [ref], the depletion time ($t_depl=M_gas/SFR$) is equal to 1.9$±$0.3 Gyr, to be compared with results for samples of whole galaxies (2.1 Gyr at z = 0 in [ref] , 0.5-1.5 Gyr from z$∼$2 to z$∼$0 in [ref] , 1.05$±$0.74 Gyr in [ref] , $∼$0.7 Gyr at z=1-3 in [ref] ) and samples of subgalactic regions at low redshift (2.0$±$0.8 Gyr in [ref] and 2.35 Gyr in [ref] ).
PHIBSS: molecular gas content and scaling relations in z~1-3 normal star forming galaxies · A resolved Kennicutt-Schmidt law · 1.00
Cites as support 1 paper
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The average fraction of molecular gas relative to the total baryonic mass must therefore have been up to ten times higher at high redshift than in today's nearby galaxies, which is indeed corroborated by direct observations ( [ref] ).
PHIBSS: molecular gas content and scaling relations in z~1-3 normal star forming galaxies · Introduction · 0.96
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