Radiation Pressure Feedback in Galaxies
Abstract
We evaluate radiation pressure from starlight on dust as a feedback mechanism in star-forming galaxies by comparing the luminosity and flux of star-forming systems to the dust Eddington limit. The linear LFIR--L'HCN correlation provides evidence that galaxies may be regulated by radiation pressure feedback. We show that star-forming galaxies approach but do not dramatically exceed Eddington, but many systems are significantly below Eddington, perhaps due to the "intermittency" of star formation. Better constraints on the dust-to-gas ratio and the CO- and HCN-to-H2 conversion factors are needed to make a definitive assessment of radiation pressure as a feedback mechanism.
Cite
@article{arxiv.1101.3577,
title = {Radiation Pressure Feedback in Galaxies},
author = {Brett H. Andrews and Todd A. Thompson},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1101.3577},
year = {2015}
}
Comments
To appear in "Conditions and impact of star formation: New results with Herschel and beyond", Proceedings of the 5th Zermatt ISM symposium. 2 pages, 2 figures