Evidence for Hierarchical Turbulent Scaling in Nearby Star-Forming Galaxies
astro-ph.GA, astro-ph.HE, gr-qc
Submitted: 2026-10-12
Updated: 2026-10-12
Comments: v1:5pp + appendices
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
The gist: We find recurring signatures of intermittency in molecular-gas velocities from cloud to galactic scales.
Abstract
We find recurring signatures of intermittency in molecular-gas velocities from cloud to galactic scales. In 31 selected galaxies from PHANGS-ALMA, velocity-centroid exponents through sixth order show nonlinear order dependence and nearly linear relations between consecutive exponents across galaxies. Positive estimated offsets from single-exponent scaling occur in all 52 galaxies with a valid power law fit and 99 of 100 clouds. A generalized She-Leveque hierarchy accommodates these signatures, supporting a hierarchical description of turbulent scaling in molecular gas across these environments.
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