In the realm of energy journalism, a recent study has shed light on the intricate interplay between star formation, interstellar medium (ISM) components, and dust properties in the barred galaxy NGC 3627. This research, led by S. Katsioli and colleagues from various institutions including the Institut de Radioastronomie Millimétrique (IRAM) and the Université Paris-Saclay, leverages new observations from the NIKA2 instrument as part of the IMEGIN Large Program.
The researchers aimed to dissect the contributions of dust and radio emissions in the millimeter-centimeter regime and explore the ISM properties within NGC 3627. By performing spectral energy distribution fitting at both global and spatial scales, they utilized the THEMIS dust model within the HerBIE code, applied to data ranging from 3.4 micrometers to 6 centimeters. This approach allowed them to decompose the emission into dust, free-free, and synchrotron components and examine their correlations with gas surface density and star formation activity.
One of the key findings was that approximately 10% of the radio emission at 2 millimeters peaks at 18% in the southern bar-end of the galaxy, which is also the site of the highest star formation activity. However, an isolated star-forming region beyond this bar-end was found to be the most efficient, as indicated by its elevated dust production efficiency and effective yield, predicted by a simplistic dust evolution model. The 160 micrometer emission showed the strongest correlation with molecular gas, while the 1.15 millimeter emission better traced the dust mass surface density.
The study also revealed that small grains, which make up about 13% of the dust mass (2 x 10^7 solar masses), are depleted in intense radiation fields, with a notable deficit in the southern tidal tail. The ISM properties and chemical evolution suggest that dynamical processes, such as bar-driven gas flows and tidal interactions, are crucial in shaping the galactic structure, influencing star formation efficiency, and dust distribution.
For the energy sector, understanding the interplay between star formation, ISM components, and dust properties can provide insights into the life cycle of galaxies and the processes that drive star formation. This knowledge can be applied to improve models of stellar evolution and the energy output of galaxies, which are essential for understanding the broader context of energy production in the universe. The research was published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.
This article is based on research available at arXiv.