Abstract
The physics of the formation of Giant Molecular Clouds (GMC) is one of the major unsolved problems of the interstellar medium. A study of GMCs in external galaxies can address the fundamental questions of whether the molecular ISM in external galaxies is organized differently than in the Milky Way and whether GMCs play the same central role in massive star formation as in the Milky Way, and are then responsible for galaxy evolution. We report the results of our study of 436 giant molecular clouds in NGC5128 using dust extinction. The proposed technique allows us to probe the extinction up to 10m in this galaxy. The clump mass spectrum, derived by a clumpfind algorithm, is consistent with a power law with the index of 2.3.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1259 |
Journal | Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society |
Volume | 37 |
Publication status | Published - 1 Dec 2005 |
Austrian Fields of Science 2012
- 103004 Astrophysics