Ionized Carbon in Galaxies: The [C ii] 158 μm Line as a Total Molecular Gas Mass Tracer Revisited
In this paper, we present a statistical study of the [C ii ] 158 μ m line and the CO(1−0) emission for a sample of ∼200 local and high- z (32 sources with z > 1) galaxies with very different physical conditions. We explore the correlation between the luminosities of [C ii ] and CO(1−0) lines and...
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2024-01-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad8c3e |
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| author | Yinghe Zhao Jiamin Liu Zhi-Yu Zhang Thomas G. Bisbas |
| author_facet | Yinghe Zhao Jiamin Liu Zhi-Yu Zhang Thomas G. Bisbas |
| author_sort | Yinghe Zhao |
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| description | In this paper, we present a statistical study of the [C ii ] 158 μ m line and the CO(1−0) emission for a sample of ∼200 local and high- z (32 sources with z > 1) galaxies with very different physical conditions. We explore the correlation between the luminosities of [C ii ] and CO(1−0) lines and obtain a strong linear relationship, confirming that [C ii ] is able to trace total molecular gas mass, with a small difference between (U)LIRGs and less-luminous galaxies. The tight and linear relation between [C ii ] and CO(1−0) is likely determined by the average value of the observed visual extinction A _V and the range of G _0 / n in galaxies. Further investigations into the dependence of L _[C _ii _] / L _CO(1−0) on different physical properties show that L _[C _ii _] / L _CO(1−0) (1) anticorrelates with Σ _IR , and the correlation becomes steeper when Σ _IR ≳ 10 ^11 L _⊙ kpc ^−2 ; (2) correlates positively with the distance from the main sequence Δ(MS) when Δ(MS) ≲ 0; and (3) tends to show a systematically smaller value in systems where the [C ii ] emission is dominated by ionized gas. Our results imply that caution needs to be taken when applying a constant [C ii ]-to- M _mol conversion factor to estimate the molecular gas content in extreme cases, such as galaxies having low-level star formation activity or high star formation rate surface density. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1538-4357 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
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| series | The Astrophysical Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-7a1fe6f1225e4ef789e78aa4b0d1a0ba2024-12-02T09:10:27ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal1538-43572024-01-0197714610.3847/1538-4357/ad8c3eIonized Carbon in Galaxies: The [C ii] 158 μm Line as a Total Molecular Gas Mass Tracer RevisitedYinghe Zhao0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9128-818XJiamin Liu1Zhi-Yu Zhang2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7299-2876Thomas G. Bisbas3https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2733-4580Yunnan Observatories , Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 652016, People's Republic of China ; zhaoyinghe@ynao.ac.cn; Key Laboratory of Radio Astronomy and Technology (Chinese Academy of Sciences) , A20 Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101, People’s Republic of ChinaYunnan Observatories , Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 652016, People's Republic of China ; zhaoyinghe@ynao.ac.cn; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100049, People's Republic of ChinaSchool of Astronomy and Space Science, Nanjing University , Nanjing 210093, People's Republic of China; Key Laboratory of Modern Astronomy and Astrophysics, Nanjing University , Ministry of Education, Nanjing 210093, People's Republic of ChinaResearch Center for Astronomical Computing , Zhejiang Lab, Hangzhou 311100, People's Republic of ChinaIn this paper, we present a statistical study of the [C ii ] 158 μ m line and the CO(1−0) emission for a sample of ∼200 local and high- z (32 sources with z > 1) galaxies with very different physical conditions. We explore the correlation between the luminosities of [C ii ] and CO(1−0) lines and obtain a strong linear relationship, confirming that [C ii ] is able to trace total molecular gas mass, with a small difference between (U)LIRGs and less-luminous galaxies. The tight and linear relation between [C ii ] and CO(1−0) is likely determined by the average value of the observed visual extinction A _V and the range of G _0 / n in galaxies. Further investigations into the dependence of L _[C _ii _] / L _CO(1−0) on different physical properties show that L _[C _ii _] / L _CO(1−0) (1) anticorrelates with Σ _IR , and the correlation becomes steeper when Σ _IR ≳ 10 ^11 L _⊙ kpc ^−2 ; (2) correlates positively with the distance from the main sequence Δ(MS) when Δ(MS) ≲ 0; and (3) tends to show a systematically smaller value in systems where the [C ii ] emission is dominated by ionized gas. Our results imply that caution needs to be taken when applying a constant [C ii ]-to- M _mol conversion factor to estimate the molecular gas content in extreme cases, such as galaxies having low-level star formation activity or high star formation rate surface density.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad8c3eUltraluminous infrared galaxiesStarburst galaxiesHigh-redshift galaxiesInterstellar mediumEarly-type galaxiesSubmillimeter astronomy |
| spellingShingle | Yinghe Zhao Jiamin Liu Zhi-Yu Zhang Thomas G. Bisbas Ionized Carbon in Galaxies: The [C ii] 158 μm Line as a Total Molecular Gas Mass Tracer Revisited The Astrophysical Journal Ultraluminous infrared galaxies Starburst galaxies High-redshift galaxies Interstellar medium Early-type galaxies Submillimeter astronomy |
| title | Ionized Carbon in Galaxies: The [C ii] 158 μm Line as a Total Molecular Gas Mass Tracer Revisited |
| title_full | Ionized Carbon in Galaxies: The [C ii] 158 μm Line as a Total Molecular Gas Mass Tracer Revisited |
| title_fullStr | Ionized Carbon in Galaxies: The [C ii] 158 μm Line as a Total Molecular Gas Mass Tracer Revisited |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ionized Carbon in Galaxies: The [C ii] 158 μm Line as a Total Molecular Gas Mass Tracer Revisited |
| title_short | Ionized Carbon in Galaxies: The [C ii] 158 μm Line as a Total Molecular Gas Mass Tracer Revisited |
| title_sort | ionized carbon in galaxies the c ii 158 μm line as a total molecular gas mass tracer revisited |
| topic | Ultraluminous infrared galaxies Starburst galaxies High-redshift galaxies Interstellar medium Early-type galaxies Submillimeter astronomy |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad8c3e |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT yinghezhao ionizedcarboningalaxiesthecii158mmlineasatotalmoleculargasmasstracerrevisited AT jiaminliu ionizedcarboningalaxiesthecii158mmlineasatotalmoleculargasmasstracerrevisited AT zhiyuzhang ionizedcarboningalaxiesthecii158mmlineasatotalmoleculargasmasstracerrevisited AT thomasgbisbas ionizedcarboningalaxiesthecii158mmlineasatotalmoleculargasmasstracerrevisited |