Abstract
Millimeter and submillimeter-wave molecular line observations were used to probe the interstellar medium in the central few kpc of three nearby starburst galaxies: M82, IC 342, and M83. The molecular mediums associated with starburst activity in these galaxies appear to be composed of multiple components. The starbursts in M82 and M83 have similar characteristics. The starburst occurring in IC 342 is much more subdued, with many of the derived cloud properties similar to that observed in the central kiloparsec of the Milky Way. A correlation is observed between the cloud size and the star formation efficiency in each galaxy; the higher the efficiency, the smaller the cloud size. There also appears to be a correlation between star formation efficiency and gas surface density.
