Open AccessMaximum dust masses in galaxies
Author(s) -
Edmunds M. G.,
Eales S. A.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
monthly notices of the royal astronomical society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.058
H-Index - 383
eISSN - 1365-2966
pISSN - 0035-8711
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-8711.1998.01971.x
Subject(s) - physics , astrophysics , galaxy , redshift , astronomy , limit (mathematics) , mathematical analysis , mathematics
The large dust masses apparently present in some galaxies at high redshift prompt the question of just how much interstellar dust can be present per unit mass of a galaxy. Under very simple assumptions, we derive an upper limit to this mass — showing both what is possible for a galaxy of given total mass and various gas fractions, and what represents the ultimate upper limit for a given stellar or total mass, if we are free to choose the particular gas fraction. The results hold for a galaxy formed with arbitrary gas outflows, or arbitrary inflows of unenriched gas, and illustrate the difficulty of generating very high dust masses in galaxies.