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THE IMPACT of STELLAR FEEDBACK on the STRUCTURE, SIZE, and MORPHOLOGY of GALAXIES in MILKY-WAY-SIZED DARK MATTER HALOS

Agertz, Oscar LU and Kravtsov, Andrey V. (2016) In Astrophysical Journal 824(2).
Abstract

We use cosmological zoom-in simulations of galaxy formation in a Milky-Way-sized halo started from identical initial conditions to investigate the evolution of galaxy sizes, baryon fractions, morphologies, and angular momenta in runs with different parameters of the star formation-feedback cycle. Our fiducial model with a high local star formation efficiency, which results in efficient feedback, produces a realistic late-type galaxy that matches the evolution of basic properties of late-type galaxies: stellar mass, disk size, morphology dominated by a kinematically cold disk, stellar and gas surface density profiles, and specific angular momentum. We argue that feedback's role in this success is twofold: (1) removal of low angular... (More)

We use cosmological zoom-in simulations of galaxy formation in a Milky-Way-sized halo started from identical initial conditions to investigate the evolution of galaxy sizes, baryon fractions, morphologies, and angular momenta in runs with different parameters of the star formation-feedback cycle. Our fiducial model with a high local star formation efficiency, which results in efficient feedback, produces a realistic late-type galaxy that matches the evolution of basic properties of late-type galaxies: stellar mass, disk size, morphology dominated by a kinematically cold disk, stellar and gas surface density profiles, and specific angular momentum. We argue that feedback's role in this success is twofold: (1) removal of low angular momentum gas, and (2) maintaining a low disk-to-halo mass fraction, which suppresses disk instabilities that lead to angular momentum redistribution and a central concentration of baryons. However, our model with a low local star formation efficiency, but large energy input per supernova, chosen to produce a galaxy with a similar star formation history as our fiducial model, leads to a highly irregular galaxy with no kinematically cold component, overly extended stellar distribution, and low angular momentum. This indicates that only when feedback is allowed to become vigorous via locally efficient star formation in dense cold gas do resulting galaxy sizes, gas/stellar surface density profiles, and stellar disk angular momenta agree with observed z = 0 galaxies.

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author
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organization
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type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Galaxies: evolution, galaxies: formation, galaxies: ISM, galaxies: star formation, galaxies: structure -methods: numerical
in
Astrophysical Journal
volume
824
issue
2
article number
79
publisher
American Astronomical Society
external identifiers
  • wos:000381912800015
  • scopus:84978300320
ISSN
0004-637X
DOI
10.3847/0004-637X/824/2/79
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
97cb45b6-2fb3-4b7b-b33d-4fb7150c0512
date added to LUP
2016-08-16 22:56:00
date last changed
2024-03-22 06:13:26
@article{97cb45b6-2fb3-4b7b-b33d-4fb7150c0512,
  abstract     = {{<p>We use cosmological zoom-in simulations of galaxy formation in a Milky-Way-sized halo started from identical initial conditions to investigate the evolution of galaxy sizes, baryon fractions, morphologies, and angular momenta in runs with different parameters of the star formation-feedback cycle. Our fiducial model with a high local star formation efficiency, which results in efficient feedback, produces a realistic late-type galaxy that matches the evolution of basic properties of late-type galaxies: stellar mass, disk size, morphology dominated by a kinematically cold disk, stellar and gas surface density profiles, and specific angular momentum. We argue that feedback's role in this success is twofold: (1) removal of low angular momentum gas, and (2) maintaining a low disk-to-halo mass fraction, which suppresses disk instabilities that lead to angular momentum redistribution and a central concentration of baryons. However, our model with a low local star formation efficiency, but large energy input per supernova, chosen to produce a galaxy with a similar star formation history as our fiducial model, leads to a highly irregular galaxy with no kinematically cold component, overly extended stellar distribution, and low angular momentum. This indicates that only when feedback is allowed to become vigorous via locally efficient star formation in dense cold gas do resulting galaxy sizes, gas/stellar surface density profiles, and stellar disk angular momenta agree with observed z = 0 galaxies.</p>}},
  author       = {{Agertz, Oscar and Kravtsov, Andrey V.}},
  issn         = {{0004-637X}},
  keywords     = {{Galaxies: evolution; galaxies: formation; galaxies: ISM; galaxies: star formation; galaxies: structure -methods: numerical}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{06}},
  number       = {{2}},
  publisher    = {{American Astronomical Society}},
  series       = {{Astrophysical Journal}},
  title        = {{THE IMPACT of STELLAR FEEDBACK on the STRUCTURE, SIZE, and MORPHOLOGY of GALAXIES in MILKY-WAY-SIZED DARK MATTER HALOS}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/0004-637X/824/2/79}},
  doi          = {{10.3847/0004-637X/824/2/79}},
  volume       = {{824}},
  year         = {{2016}},
}