Hidden pockets of turbulent gas fuel stars in far-off galaxies
30 August 2017
The Cosmic Eyelash, a remote starburst galaxy, hosts a hidden reservoir of star fuel
ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/E. Falgarone et al.
By Rebecca Boyle
Gargantuan gas reservoirs have been spotted around multiple distant galaxies, where they can provide fuel for new stars — contrary to accepted theory. A powerful radio telescope in the Chilean desert unmasked the gas, which sheds new light on how galaxies can extend their star-forming eras.
The violent births and deaths of stars cause a wind within galaxies, which can eject gas from the galaxy and make it harder for new stars to form. In recent years, scientists have argued that these winds are not powerful enough to push gas beyond a galaxy’s gravitational grasp — but the outflow of gas is thought to play a role in why some galaxies stop making new stars.
Now, Edith Falgarone at the Paris Observatory and colleagues say the winds are doing the opposite. “By driving turbulence in the reservoirs, these galactic winds extend the starburst phase instead of quenching it,” she says.
Falgarone and her colleagues used the Atacama Large Millimeter/Sub-millimeter Array to measure a molecule called CH+, also known as methylidynium. The molecule serves as a tracer for the galactic gas, much like dropping ink into a body of water would illuminate its currents. By tracking CH+, Falgarone noticed previously unseen reservoirs of cold gas, which are rocked by turbulence from the galactic winds.
More:
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2145887-hidden-pockets-of-turbulent-gas-fuel-stars-in-far-off-galaxies/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=news&campaign_id=RSS%7CNSNS-news
