Connecting Dense Gas Tracers of Star Formation in our Galaxy to High- z Star Formation

• DOI: 10.1086/499623
• Publication Date: 2005-12-13T20:33:42Z
• Authors: Jingwen Wu; Neal J. Evans II; Yu Gao; Philip M. Solomon; Yancy L. Shirley; Paul A. Vanden Bout
• Keywords: Astrophysics (astro-ph); 0103 physical sciences; FOS: Physical sciences; Astrophysics; 01 natural sciences

Observations have revealed prodigious amounts of star formation in starburst galaxies as traced by dust and molecular emission, even at large redshifts. Recent work shows that for both nearby spiral distant starbursts, the global rate, indicated infrared luminosity, has a tight almost linear correlation with amount dense gas luminosity HCN. Our surveys Galactic cores HCN 1-0 emission show this continues to much smaller scale, nearly same ratio found over 7-8 orders magnitude L_IR, lower cutoff around 10^{4.5} L_sun luminosity. The suggests we may understand terms known properties local star-forming regions. Both can be explained if basic unit is core, similar those studied our Galaxy.