Clustered star formation as a natural explanation for the Hα cut-off in disk galaxies

Jan Pflamm-Altenburg () and Pavel Kroupa
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Jan Pflamm-Altenburg: Argelander-Institut für Astronomie, Universität Bonn
Pavel Kroupa: Argelander-Institut für Astronomie, Universität Bonn

Nature, 2008, vol. 455, issue 7213, 641-643

Abstract: Galactic star formation: Two lines of evidence The strength of the H α emission line, which is related to the presence of short-lived massive stars, is commonly used as a measure of the rate of star formation in a galaxy. The strong cutoff in H α radiation at a certain distance from the centre of the galaxy has been seen as an indication that there is little star formation in the outer regions of disc galaxies, but this is contradicted by recent observations in the ultraviolet. Jan Pflamm-Altenburg and Pavel Kroupa now show how this discrepancy can be resolved by developing a local formulation of the concept of clustered star formation. They conclude that the conversion of a locally observed H α luminosity into a local star formation rate is nonlinear, and that there is a continuous trend of gradually diminishing star-formation activity with increasing galactic radius.

Date: 2008
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DOI: 10.1038/nature07266

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