In astronomy, the Kennicutt–Schmidt law is an empirical relation between the surface gas density and star formation rate (SFR) in a given region. [1] The relation was first examined by Maarten Schmidt in a 1959 paper [2] where he proposed that the SFR surface density scales as some positive power of the local gas surface density. i.e.
In general, the SFR surface density is in units of solar masses per year per square parsec and the gas surface density in grams per square parsec . Using an analysis of gaseous helium and young stars in the solar neighborhood, the local density of white dwarfs and their luminosity function, and the local helium density, Schmidt suggested a value of (and very likely between 1 and 3). All of the data used were gathered from the Milky Way, and specifically the solar neighborhood.
In 1989, Robert Kennicutt found that the H intensities in a sample of 15 galaxies could be fit with the earlier Schmidt relations with a power law index of . [3] More recently, he examined the connection between surface gas density and SFR for a larger set of galaxies to estimate a value of . [4] [5]
In astronomy, the Kennicutt–Schmidt law is an empirical relation between the surface gas density and star formation rate (SFR) in a given region. [1] The relation was first examined by Maarten Schmidt in a 1959 paper [2] where he proposed that the SFR surface density scales as some positive power of the local gas surface density. i.e.
In general, the SFR surface density is in units of solar masses per year per square parsec and the gas surface density in grams per square parsec . Using an analysis of gaseous helium and young stars in the solar neighborhood, the local density of white dwarfs and their luminosity function, and the local helium density, Schmidt suggested a value of (and very likely between 1 and 3). All of the data used were gathered from the Milky Way, and specifically the solar neighborhood.
In 1989, Robert Kennicutt found that the H intensities in a sample of 15 galaxies could be fit with the earlier Schmidt relations with a power law index of . [3] More recently, he examined the connection between surface gas density and SFR for a larger set of galaxies to estimate a value of . [4] [5]