The Molecular Baryon Cycle of M82

TL;DR

This study uses high-resolution CO observations of M82 to analyze the molecular baryon cycle, revealing inflow and outflow rates that impact the galaxy's star formation and gas depletion timescale.

Contribution

It provides detailed measurements of molecular gas inflow and outflow rates in M82, combining new high-resolution data with radiative transfer modeling to understand baryon cycling.

Findings

Molecular gas inflow rate of 3.5 M$_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$

Molecular gas outflow rate of 17 M$_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$

Gas depletion timescale of eight million years

Abstract

Baryons cycle into galaxies from the inter-galactic medium, are converted into stars, and a fraction of the baryons are ejected out of galaxies by stellar feedback. Here we present new high resolution (3.9"; 68 pc) CO(2-1) and CO(3-2) images that probe these three stages of the baryon cycle in the nearby starburst M 82. We combine these new observations with previous CO(1-0) and [Fe II] images to study the physical conditions within the molecular gas. Using a Bayesian analysis and the radiative transfer code RADEX, we model molecular Hydrogen temperatures and densities, as well as CO column densities. Besides the disc, we concentrate on two regions within the galaxy: an expanding super-bubble and the base of a molecular streamer. Shock diagnostics, kinematics, and optical extinction suggest that the streamer is an inflowing filament, with a molecular gas mass inflow rate of 3.5 M$_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$. We measure the molecular gas mass outflow rate of the expanding super-bubble to be 17 M$_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$, 5 times higher than the inferred inflow rate, and 1.3 times the star formation rate of the galaxy. The high mass outflow rate and large star formation rate will deplete the galaxy of molecular gas within eight million years, unless there are additional sources of molecular gas.