Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Whether star formation across different spatial scales and galactic environments follows universal laws remains poorly understood. We investigate cloud-scale star formation in 30 dwarf and disk galaxies. Molecular clouds are identified using a dendrogram algorithm, and their molecular gas masses ($M_{\rm H_2}$) and star formation rates (SFRs) are derived from integrated CO and mid-infrared emission, respectively. We find a consistent $M_{\rm H_2}$--SFR relation across all galaxies, with little sensitivity to galactic environment. Extending the analysis to Milky Way cloud substructures down to sub-parsec scales and 311 diverse nearby galaxies, we find that this relation persists across ten orders of magnitude in molecular gas mass and SFR. A theoretical model in which star formation occurs within dense clumps embedded in molecular clouds reproduces this observed relation. The weak environmental dependence of star formation at the clump scale provides a possible explanation for the nearly universal $M_{\rm H_2}$--SFR relation across galaxies. This framework establishes an observationally grounded connection between star formation in the Milky Way and external galaxies.
Source: arXiv (Cornell University)
Institutions: Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy, Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, Heidelberg University, Institute for Space Astrophysics and Planetology, National Institute for Astrophysics, Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, Korea University of Science and Technology, University of Helsinki, University of Bonn, Charles University, The University of Tokyo, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université Côte d'Azur, Lagrange Laboratory, Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur, Nanjing University, Arcetri Astrophysical Observatory, University of Florence, Cardiff University
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funders: National Science Foundation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, California Institute of Technology, National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, National Science and Technology Council, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, National Institutes of Natural Sciences
OpenAlex ID: W7222627730