TY - JOUR
T1 - Molecular gas and star formation in local early-type galaxies
AU - Bureau, M.
AU - Davis, T.A.
AU - Cappellari, M.
AU - Davies, R.L.
AU - Scott, N.
AU - Alatalo, K.
AU - Blitz, L.
AU - Crocker, A.F.
AU - Young, L.M.
AU - Combes, F.
AU - Bois, M.
AU - Emsellem, E.
AU - Lablanche, P.-Y.
AU - Bournaud, F.
AU - De Zeeuw, P.T.
AU - Krajnović, D.
AU - Kuntschner, H.
AU - Duc, P.-A.
AU - Khochfar, S.
AU - McDermid, R.M.
AU - Morganti, R.
AU - Oosterloo, T.
AU - Serra, P.
AU - Naab, T.
AU - Sarzi, M.
AU - Weijmans, A.
N1 - Tracing the Ancestry of Galaxies (on the land of our ancestors)
Proceedings IAU Symposium No. 277, 2010
C. Carignan, F. Combes & K.C. Freeman, eds.
PY - 2010/12/1
Y1 - 2010/12/1
N2 - The molecular gas content of local early-type galaxies is constrained and discussed in relation to their evolution. First, as part of the ATLAS survey, we present the first complete, large (260 objects), volume-limited single-dish survey of CO in normal local early-type galaxies. We find a surprisingly high detection rate of 22%, independent of luminosity and at best weakly dependent on environment. Second, the extent of the molecular gas is constrained with CO synthesis imaging, and a variety of morphologies is revealed. The kinematics of the molecular gas and stars are often misaligned, implying an external gas origin in over a third of the systems, although this behaviour is drastically diffferent between field and cluster environments. Third, many objects appear to be in the process of forming regular kpc-size decoupled disks, and a star formation sequence can be sketched by piecing together multi-wavelength information on the molecular gas, current star formation, and young stars. Last, early-type galaxies do not seem to systematically obey all our usual prejudices regarding star formation, following the standard Schmidt-Kennicutt law but not the far infrared-radio correlation. This may suggest a greater diversity in star formation processes than observed in disk galaxies. Using multiple molecular tracers, we are thus starting to probe the physical conditions of the cold gas in early-types.
AB - The molecular gas content of local early-type galaxies is constrained and discussed in relation to their evolution. First, as part of the ATLAS survey, we present the first complete, large (260 objects), volume-limited single-dish survey of CO in normal local early-type galaxies. We find a surprisingly high detection rate of 22%, independent of luminosity and at best weakly dependent on environment. Second, the extent of the molecular gas is constrained with CO synthesis imaging, and a variety of morphologies is revealed. The kinematics of the molecular gas and stars are often misaligned, implying an external gas origin in over a third of the systems, although this behaviour is drastically diffferent between field and cluster environments. Third, many objects appear to be in the process of forming regular kpc-size decoupled disks, and a star formation sequence can be sketched by piecing together multi-wavelength information on the molecular gas, current star formation, and young stars. Last, early-type galaxies do not seem to systematically obey all our usual prejudices regarding star formation, following the standard Schmidt-Kennicutt law but not the far infrared-radio correlation. This may suggest a greater diversity in star formation processes than observed in disk galaxies. Using multiple molecular tracers, we are thus starting to probe the physical conditions of the cold gas in early-types.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=83655191641&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1017/S1743921311022459
DO - 10.1017/S1743921311022459
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:83655191641
SN - 1743-9213
VL - 6
SP - 55
EP - 58
JO - Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union
JF - Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union
ER -