PHANGS-JWST First Results: Interstellar Medium Structure on the Turbulent Jeans Scale in Four Disk Galaxies Observed by JWST and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array

Sharon E. Meidt; Erik Rosolowsky; Jiayi Sun; Eric W. Koch; Ralf S. Klessen; Adam K. Leroy; Eva Schinnerer; Ashley T. Barnes; Simon C.O. Glover; Janice C. Lee; Arjen van der Wel; Elizabeth J. Watkins; Thomas G. Williams; F. Bigiel; Médéric Boquien; Guillermo A. Blanc; Yixian Cao; Mélanie Chevance; Daniel A. Dale; Oleg V. Egorov; Eric Emsellem; Kathryn Grasha; Jonathan D. Henshaw; J. M.Diederik Kruijssen; Kirsten L. Larson; Daizhong Liu; Eric J. Murphy; Jérôme Pety; Miguel Querejeta; Toshiki Saito; Karin M. Sandstrom; Rowan J. Smith; Mattia C. Sormani; David A. Thilker

doi:10.3847/2041-8213/acaaa8

PHANGS-JWST First Results: Interstellar Medium Structure on the Turbulent Jeans Scale in Four Disk Galaxies Observed by JWST and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array

Sharon E. Meidt^*, Erik Rosolowsky, Jiayi Sun, Eric W. Koch, Ralf S. Klessen, Adam K. Leroy, Eva Schinnerer, Ashley T. Barnes, Simon C.O. Glover, Janice C. Lee, Arjen van der Wel, Elizabeth J. Watkins, Thomas G. Williams, F. Bigiel, Médéric Boquien, Guillermo A. Blanc, Yixian Cao, Mélanie Chevance, Daniel A. Dale, Oleg V. EgorovEric Emsellem, Kathryn Grasha, Jonathan D. Henshaw, J. M.Diederik Kruijssen, Kirsten L. Larson, Daizhong Liu, Eric J. Murphy, Jérôme Pety, Miguel Querejeta, Toshiki Saito, Karin M. Sandstrom, Rowan J. Smith, Mattia C. Sormani, David A. Thilker

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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Abstract

JWST/Mid-Infrared Instrument imaging of the nearby galaxies IC 5332, NGC 628, NGC 1365, and NGC 7496 from PHANGS reveals a richness of gas structures that in each case form a quasi-regular network of interconnected filaments, shells, and voids. We examine whether this multiscale network of structure is consistent with the fragmentation of the gas disk through gravitational instability. We use FilFinder to detect the web of filamentary features in each galaxy and determine their characteristic radial and azimuthal spacings. These spacings are then compared to estimates of the most Toomre-unstable length (a few kiloparsecs), the turbulent Jeans length (a few hundred parsecs), and the disk scale height (tens of parsecs) reconstructed using PHANGS-Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array observations of the molecular gas as a dynamical tracer. Our analysis of the four galaxies targeted in this work indicates that Jeans-scale structure is pervasive. Future work will be essential for determining how the structure observed in gas disks impacts not only the rate and location of star formation but also how stellar feedback interacts positively or negatively with the surrounding multiphase gas reservoir.

Original language	English
Article number	L18
Journal	Astrophysical Journal Letters
Volume	944
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/acaaa8
Publication status	Published - 1 Feb 2023

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Meidt, S. E., Rosolowsky, E., Sun, J., Koch, E. W., Klessen, R. S., Leroy, A. K., Schinnerer, E., Barnes, A. T., Glover, S. C. O., Lee, J. C., van der Wel, A., Watkins, E. J., Williams, T. G., Bigiel, F., Boquien, M., Blanc, G. A., Cao, Y., Chevance, M., Dale, D. A., ... Thilker, D. A. (2023). PHANGS-JWST First Results: Interstellar Medium Structure on the Turbulent Jeans Scale in Four Disk Galaxies Observed by JWST and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array. Astrophysical Journal Letters, 944(2), Article L18. https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/acaaa8

@article{3f68b9cfff4a4338b4c79de6ae632163,

title = "PHANGS-JWST First Results: Interstellar Medium Structure on the Turbulent Jeans Scale in Four Disk Galaxies Observed by JWST and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array",

abstract = "JWST/Mid-Infrared Instrument imaging of the nearby galaxies IC 5332, NGC 628, NGC 1365, and NGC 7496 from PHANGS reveals a richness of gas structures that in each case form a quasi-regular network of interconnected filaments, shells, and voids. We examine whether this multiscale network of structure is consistent with the fragmentation of the gas disk through gravitational instability. We use FilFinder to detect the web of filamentary features in each galaxy and determine their characteristic radial and azimuthal spacings. These spacings are then compared to estimates of the most Toomre-unstable length (a few kiloparsecs), the turbulent Jeans length (a few hundred parsecs), and the disk scale height (tens of parsecs) reconstructed using PHANGS-Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array observations of the molecular gas as a dynamical tracer. Our analysis of the four galaxies targeted in this work indicates that Jeans-scale structure is pervasive. Future work will be essential for determining how the structure observed in gas disks impacts not only the rate and location of star formation but also how stellar feedback interacts positively or negatively with the surrounding multiphase gas reservoir.",

author = "Meidt, {Sharon E.} and Erik Rosolowsky and Jiayi Sun and Koch, {Eric W.} and Klessen, {Ralf S.} and Leroy, {Adam K.} and Eva Schinnerer and Barnes, {Ashley T.} and Glover, {Simon C.O.} and Lee, {Janice C.} and {van der Wel}, Arjen and Watkins, {Elizabeth J.} and Williams, {Thomas G.} and F. Bigiel and M{\'e}d{\'e}ric Boquien and Blanc, {Guillermo A.} and Yixian Cao and M{\'e}lanie Chevance and Dale, {Daniel A.} and Egorov, {Oleg V.} and Eric Emsellem and Kathryn Grasha and Henshaw, {Jonathan D.} and Kruijssen, {J. M.Diederik} and Larson, {Kirsten L.} and Daizhong Liu and Murphy, {Eric J.} and J{\'e}r{\^o}me Pety and Miguel Querejeta and Toshiki Saito and Sandstrom, {Karin M.} and Smith, {Rowan J.} and Sormani, {Mattia C.} and Thilker, {David A.}",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2023. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society.",

year = "2023",

month = feb,

day = "1",

doi = "10.3847/2041-8213/acaaa8",

language = "English",

volume = "944",

journal = "Astrophysical Journal Letters",

issn = "2041-8205",

publisher = "American Astronomical Society",

number = "2",

}

Meidt, SE, Rosolowsky, E, Sun, J, Koch, EW, Klessen, RS, Leroy, AK, Schinnerer, E, Barnes, AT, Glover, SCO, Lee, JC, van der Wel, A, Watkins, EJ, Williams, TG, Bigiel, F, Boquien, M, Blanc, GA, Cao, Y, Chevance, M, Dale, DA, Egorov, OV, Emsellem, E, Grasha, K, Henshaw, JD, Kruijssen, JMD, Larson, KL, Liu, D, Murphy, EJ, Pety, J, Querejeta, M, Saito, T, Sandstrom, KM, Smith, RJ, Sormani, MC & Thilker, DA 2023, 'PHANGS-JWST First Results: Interstellar Medium Structure on the Turbulent Jeans Scale in Four Disk Galaxies Observed by JWST and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array', Astrophysical Journal Letters, vol. 944, no. 2, L18. https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/acaaa8

PHANGS-JWST First Results: Interstellar Medium Structure on the Turbulent Jeans Scale in Four Disk Galaxies Observed by JWST and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array. / Meidt, Sharon E.; Rosolowsky, Erik; Sun, Jiayi et al.
In: Astrophysical Journal Letters, Vol. 944, No. 2, L18, 01.02.2023.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

TY - JOUR

T1 - PHANGS-JWST First Results

T2 - Interstellar Medium Structure on the Turbulent Jeans Scale in Four Disk Galaxies Observed by JWST and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array

AU - Meidt, Sharon E.

AU - Rosolowsky, Erik

AU - Sun, Jiayi

AU - Koch, Eric W.

AU - Klessen, Ralf S.

AU - Leroy, Adam K.

AU - Schinnerer, Eva

AU - Barnes, Ashley T.

AU - Glover, Simon C.O.

AU - Lee, Janice C.

AU - van der Wel, Arjen

AU - Watkins, Elizabeth J.

AU - Williams, Thomas G.

AU - Bigiel, F.

AU - Boquien, Médéric

AU - Blanc, Guillermo A.

AU - Cao, Yixian

AU - Chevance, Mélanie

AU - Dale, Daniel A.

AU - Egorov, Oleg V.

AU - Emsellem, Eric

AU - Grasha, Kathryn

AU - Henshaw, Jonathan D.

AU - Kruijssen, J. M.Diederik

AU - Larson, Kirsten L.

AU - Liu, Daizhong

AU - Murphy, Eric J.

AU - Pety, Jérôme

AU - Querejeta, Miguel

AU - Saito, Toshiki

AU - Sandstrom, Karin M.

AU - Smith, Rowan J.

AU - Sormani, Mattia C.

AU - Thilker, David A.

PY - 2023/2/1

Y1 - 2023/2/1

N2 - JWST/Mid-Infrared Instrument imaging of the nearby galaxies IC 5332, NGC 628, NGC 1365, and NGC 7496 from PHANGS reveals a richness of gas structures that in each case form a quasi-regular network of interconnected filaments, shells, and voids. We examine whether this multiscale network of structure is consistent with the fragmentation of the gas disk through gravitational instability. We use FilFinder to detect the web of filamentary features in each galaxy and determine their characteristic radial and azimuthal spacings. These spacings are then compared to estimates of the most Toomre-unstable length (a few kiloparsecs), the turbulent Jeans length (a few hundred parsecs), and the disk scale height (tens of parsecs) reconstructed using PHANGS-Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array observations of the molecular gas as a dynamical tracer. Our analysis of the four galaxies targeted in this work indicates that Jeans-scale structure is pervasive. Future work will be essential for determining how the structure observed in gas disks impacts not only the rate and location of star formation but also how stellar feedback interacts positively or negatively with the surrounding multiphase gas reservoir.

AB - JWST/Mid-Infrared Instrument imaging of the nearby galaxies IC 5332, NGC 628, NGC 1365, and NGC 7496 from PHANGS reveals a richness of gas structures that in each case form a quasi-regular network of interconnected filaments, shells, and voids. We examine whether this multiscale network of structure is consistent with the fragmentation of the gas disk through gravitational instability. We use FilFinder to detect the web of filamentary features in each galaxy and determine their characteristic radial and azimuthal spacings. These spacings are then compared to estimates of the most Toomre-unstable length (a few kiloparsecs), the turbulent Jeans length (a few hundred parsecs), and the disk scale height (tens of parsecs) reconstructed using PHANGS-Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array observations of the molecular gas as a dynamical tracer. Our analysis of the four galaxies targeted in this work indicates that Jeans-scale structure is pervasive. Future work will be essential for determining how the structure observed in gas disks impacts not only the rate and location of star formation but also how stellar feedback interacts positively or negatively with the surrounding multiphase gas reservoir.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85148701790&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.3847/2041-8213/acaaa8

DO - 10.3847/2041-8213/acaaa8

M3 - Article

SN - 2041-8205

VL - 944

JO - Astrophysical Journal Letters

JF - Astrophysical Journal Letters

IS - 2

M1 - L18

ER -

PHANGS-JWST First Results: Interstellar Medium Structure on the Turbulent Jeans Scale in Four Disk Galaxies Observed by JWST and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array

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