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We examine the role of the large-scale galactic-dynamical environment insetting the properties of giant molecular clouds in Milky Way-like galaxies. Weperform three high-resolution simulations of Milky Way-like discs with themoving-mesh hydrodynamics code Arepo, yielding a statistical sample of $\sim80,000$ giant molecular clouds and $\sim 55,000$ HI clouds. We account for theself-gravity of the gas, momentum and thermal energy injection from supernovaeand HII regions, mass injection from stellar winds, and the non-equilibriumchemistry of hydrogen, carbon and oxygen. By varying the external gravitationalpotential, we probe galactic-dynamical environments spanning an order ofmagnitude in the orbital angular velocity, gravitational stability, mid-planepressure and the gradient of the galactic rotation curve. The simulatedmolecular clouds are highly overdense ($\sim 100\times$) and over-pressured($\sim 25\times$) relative to the ambient interstellar medium. Theirgravo-turbulent and star-forming properties are decoupled from the dynamics ofthe galactic mid-plane, so that the kpc-scale star formation rate surfacedensity is related only to the number of molecular clouds per unit area of thegalactic mid-plane. Despite this, the clouds display clear,statistically-significant correlations of their rotational properties with therates of galactic shearing and gravitational free-fall. We find that galacticrotation and gravitational instability can influence their elongation, angularmomenta, and tangential velocity dispersions. The lower pressures and densitiesof the HI clouds allow for a greater range of significant dynamicalcorrelations, mirroring the rotational properties of the molecular clouds,while also displaying a coupling of their gravitational and turbulentproperties to the galactic-dynamical environment.

The role of galactic dynamics in shaping the physical properties of giant molecular clouds in Milky Way-like galaxies