SOFIA/FIFI-LS Full-disk [C II] Mapping and CO-dark Molecular Gas across the Nearby Spiral Galaxy NGC 6946

We present SOFIA/FIFI-LS observations of the [C II] 158 μm cooling line across the nearby spiral galaxy NGC 6946. We combine these with UV, IR, CO, and H I data to compare [C II] emission to dust properties, star formation rate (SFR), H₂, and H I at 560 pc scales via stacking by environment (spiral arms, interarm, and center), radial profiles, and individual, beam-sized measurements. We attribute 73% of the [C II] luminosity to arms, and 19% and 8% to the center and interarm region, respectively. [C II]/TIR, [C II]/CO, and [C II]/PAH radial profiles are largely constant, but rise at large radii (* 8 kpc) and drop in the center (“[C II] deficit”). This increase at large radii and the observed decline with the 70 μm/100 μm dust color are likely driven by radiation field hardness. We find a near proportional [C II]–SFR scaling relation for beam-sized regions, though the exact scaling depends on methodology. [C II] also becomes increasingly luminous relative to CO at low SFR (interarm or large radii), likely indicating more efficient photodissociation of CO and emphasizing the importance of [C II] as an H₂ and SFR tracer in such regimes. Finally, based on the observed [C II] and CO radial profiles and different models, we find α_CO to increase with radius, in line with the observed metallicity gradient. The low α_CO (galaxy average * 2 M_e pc⁻² (K km s⁻¹)⁻¹) and low [C II]/CO ratios (∼400 on average) imply little CO-dark gas across NGC 6946, in contrast to estimates in the Milky Way.