WISDOM Project -- XXI. Giant molecular clouds in the central region of the barred spiral galaxy NGC 613: a steep size -- linewidth relation

TL;DR

This study uses high-resolution ALMA observations to analyze giant molecular clouds in NGC 613's nuclear ring, revealing a steep size-linewidth relation and insights into cloud dynamics influenced by galactic structures.

Contribution

It presents the first detailed analysis of GMCs in NGC 613's nuclear region, highlighting a steeper size-linewidth relation than in the Milky Way and discussing potential physical mechanisms.

Findings

GMCs in NGC 613 have larger masses and linewidths than Milky Way clouds.

The size-linewidth relation is steeper ($eta=0.77$) than in the Milky Way.

GMCs are marginally gravitationally bound with a virial parameter around 1.7.

Abstract

NGC~613 is a nearby barred spiral galaxy with a nuclear ring. Exploiting high spatial resolution ($\approx20$ pc) Atacama Large Millimeter/sub-millimeter Array $^{12}$CO(1-0) observations, we study the giant molecular clouds (GMCs) in the nuclear ring and its vicinity, identifying $158$ spatially- and spectrally-resolved GMCs. The GMC sizes ($R_{\mathrm{c}}$) are comparable to those of the clouds in the Milky Way (MW) disc, but their gas masses, observed linewidths ($\sigma_{\mathrm{obs,los}}$) and gas mass surface densities are larger. The GMC size -- linewidth relation ($\sigma_{\mathrm{obs,los}}\propto R_{\mathrm{c}}^{0.77}$) is steeper than that of the clouds of the MW disc and centre, and the GMCs are on average only marginally gravitationally bound (with a mean virial parameter $\langle\alpha_{\mathrm{obs,vir}}\rangle\approx1.7$). We discuss the possible origins of the steep size -- linewidth relation and enhanced observed linewidths of the clouds and suggest that a combination of mechanisms such as stellar feedback, gas accretion and cloud-cloud collisions, as well as the gas inflows driven by the large-scale bar, may play a role.