Desika Narayanan
Harvard

University of Florida Astronomy Colloquium - Apr. 30th, 2008

Molecular Star Formation Rate Indicators in Galaxies: A More "Fundamental" Kennicutt-Schmidt Law?

Observed correlations between the infrared luminosity (LIR) and molecular line luminosity in the Galaxy and galaxies from z=0-6 have suggested a more "fundamental" SFR "law" than the canonical Kennicutt-Schmidt relations such that the SFR is linearly related to the dense molecular gas mass. Utilizing a series of both hydrodynamic and radiative transfer simulations as well as submillimeter-wave observations, I demonstrate that the observed relations are not necessarily representative of a more direct tracer of the SFR, but rather simply reflective of the underlying Schmidt law. Using this physical model, I provide direct observational tests (for ALMA and the LMT) for directly observing the Schmidt law at high redshift (z >~ 2).