Star Formation Thresholds in Galactic Disks

We report the first results of a detailed study of the star formation law in a sample of 32 nearby spiral galaxies with well-measured rotation curves, HI and H2 (as traced by CO) surface density profiles, and new Hα CCD photometry. In this paper we present an atlas of Hα images and radial surface brightness profiles and describe a surface-density threshold in the star formation law. Prominent breaks in the Hα surface-brightness profiles are identified in nearly all of the actively star-forming disks, confirming previous claims of star formation thresholds based on lower quality data. We measure the ratio of the gas density to the critical density for local gravitational stability at the threshold radii. The outer threshold radii observed in Sab–Sdm galaxies are in general agreement with those expected from the Toomre Q stability criterion, confirming earlier work, but with a significant variation that appears to be weakly correlated with galaxy type. Such a trend could plausibly reflect variations in the relative contribution of the stellar disk to the instability of the gas disk across this range of galaxy types. Among disks with sub-critical gas surface densities, and outside the threshold radius in star-forming disks, the number of isolated HII regions increases as the gas surface density approaches the critical density. At the thresholds, the gas surface densities span a wide range; and the atomic/molecular gas fraction is highest in the disks having the lowest total gas surface density. The simple Toomre condition fails to account for the active star formation in the inner disks of low-mass spirals such as NGC 2403 and M33. An alternative stability criterion based on the shear Data obtained in part at Kitt Peak National Observatory, operated by AURA under contract to the National Science Foundation.