Science Highlights

Open the larger image

Star formation quenching refers to the process by which galaxies cease forming stars, transitioning from actively star-forming to passive states. Many mechanisms have been proposed to explain star formation quenching. These mechanisms can be broadly categorized based on their impact on molecular gas, the fuel for star formation, either through the removal or consumption of cold molecular gas or by reducing the efficiency of gas in forming stars. Understanding the dominant impact is crucial for constraining the underlying quenching mechanisms. In this work, diverse configurations of the dominant drivers of star formation quenching are observed both among and within galaxies. In some cases, the low star formation rate is primarily driven by a reduced gas content, while in others, it is entirely due to a decreased star formation efficiency of molecular gas across the entire disk. Moreover, many galaxies exhibit multiple drivers operating at different galactic radii. These findings highlight the complexity and diversity of processes that regulate star formation in nearby galaxies. Reference: https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024ApJ...964..120P/abstract

Hsi-An Pan et al. (2024), ApJ, 964, 120