Origin of Molecular Clouds in Early Type Galaxies

Wednesday, February 13, 2019 11:30 am - 11:30 am EST (GMT -05:00)

Astronomy Lunch Series

Brian McNamara
Brian McNamara

Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Waterloo

The Atacama Large Millimeter Array has changed our view of molecular clouds in central cluster galaxies. Unlike spriral galaxies where molecular gas lies in a disk moving in ordered motion about the center of the galaxy, molecular clouds in cluster centrals likely form in the updrafts of rising radio bubbles. Less is known about molecular gas in normal giant ellipticals. However, trends between the thermodynamic properties of the hot atmospheres in normal elliptcals and cluster centrals suggests much of the molecular gas in ellipticals condensed from their hot atmospheres.