Open AccessAnalyzing Star Formation Feedback Mechanisms in Cosmological Simulations
Author(s) -
S. Trevor Fush,
Brian W. O’Shea,
Devin W. Silvia,
Britton D. Smith,
John H. Wise
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
research notes of the aas
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2515-5172
DOI - 10.3847/2515-5172/ac5821
Subject(s) - star formation , physics , galaxy , astrophysics , interstellar medium , kinetic energy , star (game theory) , thermal , galaxy formation and evolution , classical mechanics , thermodynamics
This study analyzes 18 simulated galaxies run using three prescriptions for stellar feedback, including thermal, kinetic, and interstellar medium pre-processing feedback mechanisms. Each simulation set models one of these mechanisms with 6 distinct galaxies, with varying M vir at z = 0. The morphological and thermodynamic quantities and distributions, as well as star formation histories, are compared to understand the impact of each stellar feedback mechanism. We find that the prescription for stellar feedback makes a significant impact on the behavior of galaxies, and observe systematic trends within each simulation and across mass ranges. Specifically, kinetic feedback results in no formation of a disk structure and delayed star formation, and pre-processing of the interstellar medium results in delayed star formation as compared to the thermal feedback mechanisms.