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The JCMT nearby galaxies legacy survey - VIII. CO data and the LCO(3-2)-LFIR correlation in the SINGS sample

Wilson, C.D.; Warren, B.E.; Israel, F.P.; Serjeant, S.; Attewell, D.; Bendo, G.J.; Butner, H.M.; Chanial, P.; Clements, D.L.; Golding, J.; Heesen, V.; Irwin, J.; Leech, J.; Matthews, H.E.; Mühle, S.; Mortier, A.M.J.; Petitpas, G.; Sánchez-Gallego, J.R.; Sinukoff, E.; Shorten, K.; Tan, B.K.; Tilanus, R.P.J.; Usero, A.; Vaccari, M.; Wiegert, T.; Zhu, M.; Alexander, D.M.; Alexander, P.; Azimlu, M.; Barmby, P.; Brar, R.; Bridge, C.; Brinks, E.; Brooks, S.; Coppin, K.; Côté, S.; Côté, P.; Courteau, S.; Davies, J.; Eales, S.; Fich, M.; Hudson, M.; Hughes, D.H.; Ivison, R.J.; Knapen, J.H.; Page, M.; Parkin, T.J.; Rigopoulou, D.; Rosolowsky, E.; Seaquist, E.R.; Spekkens, K.; Tanvir, N.; van der Hulst, J.M.; van der Werf, P.; Vlahakis, C.; Webb, T.M.; Weferling, B.; White, G.J.

The JCMT nearby galaxies legacy survey - VIII. CO data and the LCO(3-2)-LFIR correlation in the SINGS sample Thumbnail


Authors

C.D. Wilson

B.E. Warren

F.P. Israel

S. Serjeant

D. Attewell

G.J. Bendo

H.M. Butner

P. Chanial

D.L. Clements

J. Golding

V. Heesen

J. Irwin

J. Leech

H.E. Matthews

S. Mühle

A.M.J. Mortier

G. Petitpas

J.R. Sánchez-Gallego

E. Sinukoff

K. Shorten

B.K. Tan

R.P.J. Tilanus

A. Usero

M. Vaccari

T. Wiegert

M. Zhu

M. Azimlu

P. Barmby

R. Brar

C. Bridge

E. Brinks

S. Brooks

K. Coppin

S. Côté

P. Côté

S. Courteau

J. Davies

S. Eales

M. Fich

M. Hudson

D.H. Hughes

R.J. Ivison

J.H. Knapen

M. Page

T.J. Parkin

D. Rigopoulou

E. Rosolowsky

E.R. Seaquist

K. Spekkens

N. Tanvir

J.M. van der Hulst

P. van der Werf

C. Vlahakis

T.M. Webb

B. Weferling

G.J. White



Abstract

The James Clerk Maxwell Telescope Nearby Galaxies Legacy Survey (NGLS) comprises an H I-selected sample of 155 galaxies spanning all morphological types with distances less than 25 Mpc. We describe the scientific goals of the survey, the sample selection and the observing strategy. We also present an atlas and analysis of the CO J=3 - 2 maps for the 47 galaxies in the NGLS which are also part of the Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxies Survey. We find a wide range of molecular gas mass fractions in the galaxies in this sample and explore the correlation of the far-infrared luminosity, which traces star formation, with the CO luminosity, which traces the molecular gas mass. By comparing the NGLS data with merging galaxies at low and high redshift, which have also been observed in the CO J=3 - 2 line, we show that the correlation of far-infrared and CO luminosity shows a significant trend with luminosity. This trend is consistent with a molecular gas depletion time which is more than an order of magnitude faster in the merger galaxies than in nearby normal galaxies. We also find a strong correlation of the LFIR/LCO(3-2) ratio with the atomic-to-molecular gas mass ratio. This correlation suggests that some of the far-infrared emission originates from dust associated with atomic gas and that its contribution is particularly important in galaxies where most of the gas is in the atomic phase.

Citation

Wilson, C., Warren, B., Israel, F., Serjeant, S., Attewell, D., Bendo, G., …White, G. (2012). The JCMT nearby galaxies legacy survey - VIII. CO data and the LCO(3-2)-LFIR correlation in the SINGS sample. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 424(4), 3050-3080. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2966.2012.21453.x

Journal Article Type Article
Publication Date Aug 21, 2012
Deposit Date Apr 8, 2013
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Print ISSN 0035-8711
Electronic ISSN 1365-2966
Publisher Royal Astronomical Society
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 424
Issue 4
Pages 3050-3080
DOI https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2966.2012.21453.x
Keywords Stars: formation, ISM: molecules, Galaxies: ISM, Galaxies: kinematics and dynamics, Galaxies: spiral.

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Copyright Statement
This article has been accepted for publication in Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society © 2012 RAS Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Royal Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.





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