Annu. Rev. Astron. Astrophys. 1998. 36: 189-231 Copyright © 1998 by Annual Reviews. All rights reserved

Reprinted with kind permission from Annual Reviews, 4139 El Camino Way, Palo Alto, California, USA

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KEY WORDS: galaxy evolution, starbursts, spiral galaxies, star formation rates, stellar populations

Abstract. Observations of star formation rates (SFRs) in galaxies provide vital clues to the physical nature of the Hubble sequence and are key probes of the evolutionary histories of galaxies. The focus of this review is on the broad patterns in the star formation properties of galaxies along the Hubble sequence and their implications for understanding galaxy evolution and the physical processes that drive the evolution. Star formation in the disks and nuclear regions of galaxies are reviewed separately, then discussed within a common interpretive framework. The diagnostic methods used to measure SFRs are also reviewed, and a self-consistent set of SFR calibrations is presented as an aid to workers in the field.

Table of Contents

• INTRODUCTION
• DIAGNOSTIC METHODS
• Integrated Colors and Spectra, Synthesis Modeling
• Ultraviolet Continuum
• Recombination Lines
• Forbidden Lines
• Far-Infrared Continuum
• DISK STAR FORMATION
• Global Star Formation Rates Along the Hubble Sequence
• Dependence of Star Formation Rates on Gas Content
• Other Global Influences on Star Formation Rate
• CIRCUMNUCLEAR STAR FORMATION AND STARBURSTS
• Star Formation Rates and Physical Properties
• Dependence on Type and Environment
• INTERPRETATION AND IMPLICATIONS FOR GALAXY EVOLUTION
• Disk Evolution Along the Hubble Sequence
• Evolution of Circumnuclear Star Formation
• Physical Regulation of Star Formation Rate
• FUTURE PROSPECTS
• REFERENCES