Photon-dominated regions (PDRs) are powerful molecular line emitters in
external galaxies. They are expected in galaxies with high rates of massive
star formation due to either starburst (SB) events or starburst coupled with
active galactic nuclei (AGN) events. We have explored the PDR chemistry for a
range of physical conditions representing a variety of galaxy types. Our main
result is a demonstration of the sensitivity of the chemistry to changes in the
physical conditions. We adopt crude estimates of relevant physical parameters
for several galaxy types and use our models to predict suitable molecular
tracers of those conditions. The set of recommended molecular tracers differs
from that which we recommended for use in galaxies with embedded massive stars.
Thus, molecular observations can in principle be used to distinguish between
excitation by starburst and by SB+AGN in distant galaxies. Our recommendations
are intended to be useful in preparing Herschel and ALMA proposals to identify
sources of excitation in galaxies.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figures, Accepted in Ap
