Speaker
Description
Mass and angular momentum regulate most of their formation and evolution of galaxies, including their morphological, kinematic, and star-forming properties.
In this talk, I will present our recent results characterising the angular momentum of the molecular gas in nearby disc galaxies. Exploiting data from the PHANGS-ALMA survey, we have performed the first statistical study of the molecular gas specific angular momentum–mass ($j_{\rm H_2}-M_{\rm H_2}$) relation, finding for the very first time a well defined scaling law of the form $j_{\rm H_2}\propto M_{\rm H_2}^{0.53}$. The $j_{\rm H_2}-M_{\rm H_2}$ relation closely mirrors that of the stellar component (the Fall relation, $j_{\ast}$–$M_{\ast}$), highlighting the strong dynamical link between molecular gas and stars.
We contrast our findings against theoretical models, and we find that our observations cannot be fully explained by simple disc stability models; but instead the relation is better reproduced by more complex physics as implemented in the Shark semi-analytical model. Our findings establish the $j_{\rm H_2}-M_{\rm H_2}$ relation as a new benchmark for galaxy evolution models and a key reference for upcoming high-redshift studies of cold gas dynamics.
| Talk category | NOVA Network 1 |
|---|---|
| Preference for a talk or poster | Talk |
