The paper investigates the relationship between the rate of formation of stars, the rotational dynamics, and interstellar gas density for two galaxies. The observed densities of CO and H I emission from the Milky Way Galaxy and M83 (NGC 5236) are used to compute the surface densities for Sigma (H2) and Sigma (H I). The interpretation of the results appears to require the existence of two modes of star formation with differing initial mass functions. The mode producing low-mass stars either does not behave as predicted by the density wave theory or its derivation from observations is significantly affected by inward radial flow of gas.
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Jr. Talbot R. J. (1980) studied this question.