Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-mwx4w Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-04T21:38:12.152Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
Accepted manuscript

Hierarchical hub-filament structures and gas inflows on galaxy-cloud scales

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 June 2024

J. W. Zhou*
Affiliation:
Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie, Auf dem Hügel 69, 53121 Bonn, Germany
Timothy A. Davis
Affiliation:
Cardiff Hub for Astrophysics Research and Technology, School of Physics and Astronomy, Cardiff University, Queens Buildings, Cardiff CF24 3AA, UK
*
Author for correspondence: , Email: [email protected].

Abstract

We investigated the kinematics and dynamics of gas structures on galaxy-cloud scales in two spiral galaxies NGC5236 (M83) and NGC4321 (M100) using CO (2–1) line. We utilized the FILFINDER algorithm on integrated intensity maps for the identification of filaments in two galaxies. Clear fluctuations in velocity and density were observed along these filaments, enabling the fitting of velocity gradients around intensity peaks. The variations in velocity gradient across different scales suggest a gradual and consistent increase in velocity gradient from large to small scales, indicative of gravitational collapse, something also revealed by the correlation between velocity dispersion and column density of gas structures. Gas structures at different scales in the galaxy may be organized into hierarchical systems through gravitational coupling. All the features of gas kinematics on galaxy-cloud scale are very similar to that on cloud-clump and clump-core scales studied in previous works. Thus, the interstellar medium from galaxy to dense core scales presents multi-scale/hierarchical hub-filament structures. Like dense core as the hub in clump, clump as the hub in molecular cloud, now we verify that cloud or cloud complex can be the hub in spiral galaxies. Although the scaling relations and the measured velocity gradients support the gravitational collapse of gas structures on galaxy-cloud scales, the collapse is much slower than a pure free-fall gravitational collapse.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Astronomical Society of Australia

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)