Observed dust surface density across cosmic times

ABSTRACT Our ability to interpret observations of galaxies and trace their stellar, gas, dust content over cosmic time critically relies on our understanding how the abundance properties vary with environment. Here, we compute surface density across times put novel constraints simulations build-up dust. We provide observational estimates consistently measured through depletion methods a wide range environments, going from Milky Way up z = 5.5 galaxies. These conservative measurements complementary extinction-based observations. In addition, introduce distribution function – in analogy cold gas column functions. fit power law form log f(ΣDust) −1.92 × ΣDust − 3.65, which proves slightly steeper than that for neutral metal absorbers. This observed relation, can be computed by predicting resolved mass functions 2D projection, provides new modern models.