Molecular atlas of nearby galaxies through sensitive high-resolution multi-band molecular line surveys

Mathilde Bouvier; Erica Behrens; Laura Colzi; Ana Duarte-Cabral; Minou Greve; Jeff Mangum; Sébastien Muller; Miguel Querejeta; Víctor M. Rivilla; Francesco Salvestrini; Thomas G. Williams; Cecilia Bacchini; Viviana Casasola; Timothy A. Davis; Jakob den Brok; Cosima Eibensteiner; Daniel Espada; Sergio Martín; Frédérique Motte; Rosita Paladino; Miguel Pereira-Santaella; Ilaria Ruffa; Sabine Thater; Katarzyna M. Dutkowska

arXiv · 2610.21687

Molecular atlas of nearby galaxies through sensitive high-resolution multi-band molecular line surveys

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Abstract

Star formation and associated feedback processes play a key role in galaxy evolution. Astrochemistry is a powerful tool for characterising the physical conditions of dense star-forming gas and understanding the reciprocal relation between stellar feedback and the interstellar medium (ISM): from the way feedback influences the ISM to how the ISM conditions regulate the formation of new stars. The advent of large spectral surveys of a few individual galaxy centres have demonstrated the potential of molecular gas inventories to reveal the physical conditions of star-forming gas in great detail. A next-generation (sub)mm facility in the 2040s would extend this science to the local star-forming galaxy population, providing for the first time a comprehensive view of the physical and chemical conditions of the molecular ISM in the local universe.

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Mathilde Bouvier, Erica Behrens, Laura Colzi, Ana Duarte-Cabral, Minou Greve, Jeff Mangum, Sébastien Muller, Miguel Querejeta, Víctor M. Rivilla, Francesco Salvestrini, Thomas G. Williams, Cecilia Bacchini, Viviana Casasola, Timothy A. Davis, Jakob den Brok, Cosima Eibensteiner, Daniel Espada, Sergio Martín, Frédérique Motte, Rosita Paladino, Miguel Pereira-Santaella, Ilaria Ruffa, Sabine Thater, Katarzyna M. Dutkowska. 2026-10-15. Molecular atlas of nearby galaxies through sensitive high-resolution multi-band molecular line surveys. https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.21687

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