Bursty Star Formation in Dwarfs is Sensitive to Numerical Choices in Supernova Feedback Models
Simulations of galaxy formation are mostly unable to resolve the energy-conserving phase of individual supernova events, having to resort to subgrid models to distribute the energy and momentum resulting from stellar feedback. However, the properties of these simulated galaxies, including the morpho...
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IOP Publishing
2024-01-01
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| Series: | The Astrophysical Journal |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad7f57 |
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| author | Eric Zhang Laura V. Sales Federico Marinacci Paul Torrey Mark Vogelsberger Volker Springel Hui Li Rüdiger Pakmor Thales A. Gutcke |
| author_facet | Eric Zhang Laura V. Sales Federico Marinacci Paul Torrey Mark Vogelsberger Volker Springel Hui Li Rüdiger Pakmor Thales A. Gutcke |
| author_sort | Eric Zhang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Simulations of galaxy formation are mostly unable to resolve the energy-conserving phase of individual supernova events, having to resort to subgrid models to distribute the energy and momentum resulting from stellar feedback. However, the properties of these simulated galaxies, including the morphology, stellar mass formed, and the burstiness of the star formation history, are highly sensitive to the numerical choices adopted in these subgrid models. Using the SMUGGLE stellar feedback model, we carry out idealized simulations of an M _vir ∼ 10 ^10 M _⊙ dwarf galaxy, a regime where most simulation codes predict significant burstiness in star formation, resulting in strong gas flows that lead to the formation of dark matter cores. We find that by varying only the directional distribution of momentum imparted from supernovae to the surrounding gas, while holding the total momentum per supernova constant, bursty star formation may be amplified or completely suppressed, and the total stellar mass formed can vary by as much as a factor of ∼3. In particular, when momentum is primarily directed perpendicular to the gas disk, less bursty and lower overall star formation rates result, yielding less gas turbulence, more disky morphologies, and a retention of cuspy dark matter density profiles. An improved understanding of the nonlinear coupling of stellar feedback into inhomogeneous gaseous media is thus needed to make robust predictions for stellar morphologies and dark matter core formation in dwarfs independent of uncertain numerical choices in the baryonic treatment. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1538-4357 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
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| spelling | doaj-art-4fc31dcee50c4e2facac9f627ff1dd292025-08-20T02:12:30ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal1538-43572024-01-01975222910.3847/1538-4357/ad7f57Bursty Star Formation in Dwarfs is Sensitive to Numerical Choices in Supernova Feedback ModelsEric Zhang0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7611-8377Laura V. Sales1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3790-720XFederico Marinacci2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3816-7028Paul Torrey3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5653-0786Mark Vogelsberger4https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8593-7692Volker Springel5https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5976-4599Hui Li6https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1253-2763Rüdiger Pakmor7https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3308-2420Thales A. Gutcke8https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6179-7701Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California , Riverside, CA 92507, USADepartment of Physics and Astronomy, University of California , Riverside, CA 92507, USADepartment of Physics & Astronomy “Augusto Righi,” University of Bologna , Via Gobetti 93/2, 40129 Bologna, Italy; INAF, Astrophysics and Space Science Observatory Bologna , Via P. Gobetti 93/3, 40129 Bologna, ItalyDepartment of Astronomy, University of Virginia , 530 McCormick Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USADepartment of Physics, Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology , Cambridge, MA 02139, USAMax-Planck-Institut für Astrophysik , Karl-Schwarzschild-Straße 1, 85740 Garching bei München, GermanyDepartment of Astronomy, Tsinghua University , Haidian DS 100084, Beijing, People's Republic of ChinaMax-Planck-Institut für Astrophysik , Karl-Schwarzschild-Straße 1, 85740 Garching bei München, GermanyInstitute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii , 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822, USASimulations of galaxy formation are mostly unable to resolve the energy-conserving phase of individual supernova events, having to resort to subgrid models to distribute the energy and momentum resulting from stellar feedback. However, the properties of these simulated galaxies, including the morphology, stellar mass formed, and the burstiness of the star formation history, are highly sensitive to the numerical choices adopted in these subgrid models. Using the SMUGGLE stellar feedback model, we carry out idealized simulations of an M _vir ∼ 10 ^10 M _⊙ dwarf galaxy, a regime where most simulation codes predict significant burstiness in star formation, resulting in strong gas flows that lead to the formation of dark matter cores. We find that by varying only the directional distribution of momentum imparted from supernovae to the surrounding gas, while holding the total momentum per supernova constant, bursty star formation may be amplified or completely suppressed, and the total stellar mass formed can vary by as much as a factor of ∼3. In particular, when momentum is primarily directed perpendicular to the gas disk, less bursty and lower overall star formation rates result, yielding less gas turbulence, more disky morphologies, and a retention of cuspy dark matter density profiles. An improved understanding of the nonlinear coupling of stellar feedback into inhomogeneous gaseous media is thus needed to make robust predictions for stellar morphologies and dark matter core formation in dwarfs independent of uncertain numerical choices in the baryonic treatment.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad7f57Galaxy structureStarburst galaxiesDwarf galaxiesGalaxy evolutionStar formationGalaxy dark matter halos |
| spellingShingle | Eric Zhang Laura V. Sales Federico Marinacci Paul Torrey Mark Vogelsberger Volker Springel Hui Li Rüdiger Pakmor Thales A. Gutcke Bursty Star Formation in Dwarfs is Sensitive to Numerical Choices in Supernova Feedback Models The Astrophysical Journal Galaxy structure Starburst galaxies Dwarf galaxies Galaxy evolution Star formation Galaxy dark matter halos |
| title | Bursty Star Formation in Dwarfs is Sensitive to Numerical Choices in Supernova Feedback Models |
| title_full | Bursty Star Formation in Dwarfs is Sensitive to Numerical Choices in Supernova Feedback Models |
| title_fullStr | Bursty Star Formation in Dwarfs is Sensitive to Numerical Choices in Supernova Feedback Models |
| title_full_unstemmed | Bursty Star Formation in Dwarfs is Sensitive to Numerical Choices in Supernova Feedback Models |
| title_short | Bursty Star Formation in Dwarfs is Sensitive to Numerical Choices in Supernova Feedback Models |
| title_sort | bursty star formation in dwarfs is sensitive to numerical choices in supernova feedback models |
| topic | Galaxy structure Starburst galaxies Dwarf galaxies Galaxy evolution Star formation Galaxy dark matter halos |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad7f57 |
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