(Kennicutt-Schmidt relation, Schmidt law, star formation law)
(relation between gas density and star formation rate)
The Kennicutt-Schmidt law (Kennicutt-Schmidt relation,
Schmidt law or star formation law)
is an empirical relation
between a star-forming region's star formation rate (SFR) and its gas density,
stating the SFR is proportional to a power of
its gas density.
It is typically stated in terms of the surface density (Σ) of each:
ΣSFR ∝ (Σgas)n
n is a constant, currently estimated to be 1.4 if the SFR
is in solar masses per year per square parsec and gas density
is grams per square parsec.