Enhancement of CO(3-2)/CO(1-0) ratios and star formation efficiencies in supergiant H II regions

Abstract

We present evidence that super giant H II regions (GHRs) and other disk regions of the nearby spiral galaxy, M33, occupy distinct locations in the correlation between molecular gas, , and the star formation rate surface density, ΣSFR. This result is based on wide-field and high-sensitivity CO(3-2) observations at 100 pc resolution. Star formation efficiencies (SFEs), defined as , in GHRs are found to be ∼1 dex higher than in other disk regions. The CO(3-2)/CO(1-0) integrated intensity ratio, R 3-2/1-0, is also higher than the average over the disk. Such high SFEs and R 3-2/1-0 can reach the values found in starburst galaxies, which suggests that GHRs may be the elements building up a larger-scale starburst region. Three possible contributions to high SFEs in GHRs are investigated: (1) the I CO-N(H2) conversion factor, (2) the dense gas fraction traced by R 3-2/1-0, and (3) the initial mass function (IMF). We conclude that these starburst-like properties in GHRs can be interpreted by a combination of both a top-heavy IMF and a high dense gas fraction, but not by changes in the I CO-N(H2) conversion factor. © 2014. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved..