Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
May 2011
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011iaus..280e..73m&link_type=abstract
The Molecular Universe, Proceedings of the 280th Symposium of the International Astronomical Union held in Toledo, Spain, May 30
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Scientific paper
Local universe dwarf galaxies provide a rich variety of conditions to study star formation and is feedback on the interstellar medium in conditions that may be representative of early universe environments. We approach the study of galaxy evolution by investigating the physical properties of dwarf galaxies of widely varying metallicity values, over wide ranges of size scales and from the multi-wavelength point of view with the goal of understanding how metallicity impacts the evolution of the gas and dust and thus the star formation properties in galaxies. We are carrying out a Herschel Dwarf Galaxy survey to determine the gas and dust properties in a wide range of low metallicity environments. The nature of the molecular clouds, photodissociation regions and ionised phases of dwarf galaxies is very different from those of their more metal rich counterparts. For example, while molecular gas is considered to be an essential ingredient for star formation, detecting CO, the standard tool to probe the molecular hydrogen reservoir in galaxies, has always been a challenge in low metallicity dwarf galaxies. Surveys of CO in dwarf galaxies have shown that CO is an unreliable tracer of molecular gas in dwarf galaxies. Initial FIR fine structure surveys of the 158 mu [CII] line dwarf galaxies show a remarkably high [CII]/CO ratio compared to the dustier starburst galaxies, suggesting a very clumpy environment and the presence of a substantial reservoir of "hidden" molecular gas which is not traced by CO, but which is residing in the photodissociated envelopes. The 88 mu [OIII] line is the brightest FIR line in dwarf galaxies, not the [CII] line, which is normally the case for dustier galaxies. All of the FIR fine structure lines together can make up 2% of the L(FIR) in dwarf galaxies. We are studying the dust-to-gas mass ratio as a function of metallicity and the consequences this has on the chemical evolution of galaxies.
Cormier Daniel
Lebouteiller Vianney
Madden Suzanne C.
PACS GT Consortia
Spire Sag 2
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