1,720,986 research outputs found
AREPO-RT: Radiation hydrodynamics on a moving mesh
Full text linkWe introduce AREPO-RT, a novel radiation hydrodynamic (RHD) solver for the unstructured moving-mesh code AREPO. Our method solves the moment-based radiative transfer equations using the M1 closure relation. We achieve second-order convergence by using a slopelimited linear spatial extrapolation and a first-order time prediction step to obtain the values of the primitive variables on both sides of the cell interface. A Harten–Lax–van Leer flux function, suitably modified for moving meshes, is then used to solve the Riemann problem at the interface. The implementation is fully conservative and compatible with the individual time-stepping scheme of AREPO. It incorporates atomic hydrogen (H) and helium (He) thermochemistry, which is used to couple the ultraviolet radiation field to the gas. Additionally, infrared (IR) radiation is coupled to the gas under the assumption of local thermodynamic equilibrium between the gas and the dust.We successfully apply our code to a large number of test problems, including applications such as the expansion of HII regions, radiation pressuredriven outflows, and the levitation of optically thick layer of gas by trapped IR radiation. The new implementation is suitable for studying various important astrophysical phenomena, such as the effect of radiative feedback in driving galactic scale outflows, radiation-driven dusty winds in high-redshift quasars, or simulating the reionization history of the Universe in a self-consistent manner
Bursty Star Formation in Dwarfs is Sensitive to Numerical Choices in Supernova Feedback Models
No full textSimulations 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 Mvir ∼ 1010 Me 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
A dynamo amplifying the magnetic field of a Milky-Way-like galaxy
Full text linkContext. The magnetic fields of spiral galaxies are so strong that they cannot qualify as primordial. Their typical values are over one billion times higher than any value predicted for the early Universe. Explaining this immense growth and incorporating it in galaxy evolution theories is one of the long-standing challenges in astrophysics.
Aims. So far, the most successful theory for the sustained growth of the galactic magnetic field is the alpha-omega dynamo. This theory predicts a characteristic dipolar or quadrupolar morphology for the galactic magnetic field, which has been observed in external galaxies. So far, however, there has been no direct demonstration of a mean-field dynamo operating in direct, multi-physics simulations of spiral galaxies. We carry out such a demonstration in this work.
Methods. We employed numerical models of isolated, star-forming spiral galaxies that include a magnetized gaseous disk, a dark matter halo, stars, and stellar feedback. Naturally, the resulting magnetic field has a complex morphology that includes a strong random component. Using a smoothing of the magnetic field on small scales, we were able to separate the mean from the turbulent component and analyze them individually.
Results. We find that a mean-field dynamo naturally occurs as a result of the dynamical evolution of the galaxy and amplifies the magnetic field by an order of magnitude over half a Gyr. Despite the highly dynamical nature of these models, the morphology of the mean component of the field is identical to analytical predictions.
Conclusions. This result underlines the importance of the mean-field dynamo in galactic evolution. Moreover, by demonstrating the natural growth of the magnetic field in a complex galactic environment, it brings us a step closer to understanding the cosmic origin of magnetic fields
Faraday rotation maps of disc galaxies
No full textFaraday rotation is one of the most widely used observables to infer the strength and configuration of the magnetic field in the ionized gas of the Milky Way and nearby spiral galaxies. Here, we compute synthetic Faraday rotation maps at z = 0 for a set of disc galaxies from the Auriga high-resolution cosmological simulations, for different observer positions within and outside the galaxy. We find that the strength of the Faraday rotation of our simulated galaxies for a hypothetic observer at the solar circle is broadly consistent with the Faraday rotation seen for the MilkyWay. The same holds for an observer outside the galaxy and the observed signal of the nearby spiral galaxy M51. However, we also find that the structure and angular power spectra of the synthetic all-sky Faraday rotation maps vary strongly with azimuthal position along the solar circle. We argue that this variation is a result of the structure of the magnetic field of the galaxy that is dominated by an azimuthal magnetic field ordered scales of several kpc, but has radial and vertical magnetic field components that are only ordered on scales of 1-2 kpc. Because the magnetic field strength decreases exponentially with height above the disc, the Faraday rotation for an observer at the solar circle is dominated by the local environment. This represents a severe obstacle for attempts to reconstruct the global magnetic field of the Milky Way from Faraday rotation maps alone without including additional observables
First results from the TNG50 simulation: the evolution of stellar and gaseous discs across cosmic time
Full text linkWe present a new cosmological, magnetohydrodynamical simulation for galaxy formation: TNG50, the third and final instalment of the Illustris TNG project. TNG50 evolves 2 x 2160(3) dark matter particles and gas cells in a volume 50 comoving Mpc across. It hence reaches a numerical resolution typical of zoom-in simulations, with a baryonic element mass of 8.5 x 10(4) M-circle dot and an average cell size of 70-140 pc in the star-forming regions of galaxies. Simultaneously, TNG50 samples similar to 700 (6500) galaxies with stellar masses above 10(10) (10(8)) M-circle dot at z = 1. Here we investigate the structural and kinematical evolution of star-forming galaxies across cosmic time (0 less than or similar to z less than or similar to 6). We quantify their sizes, disc heights, 3D shapes, and degree of rotational versus dispersion-supported motions as traced by rest-frame V-band light (i.e. roughly stellar mass) and by H alpha light (i.e. star-forming and dense gas). The unprecedented resolution of TNG50 enables us to model galaxies with sub-kpc half-light radii and with less than or similar to 300-pc disc heights. Coupled with the large-volume statistics, we characterize a diverse, redshift- and mass-dependent structural and kinematical morphological mix of galaxies all the way to early epochs. Our model predicts that for star-forming galaxies the fraction of disc-like morphologies, based on 3D stellar shapes, increases with both cosmic time and galaxy stellar mass. Gas kinematics reveal that the vast majority of 10(9-11.5) M-circle dot star-forming galaxies are rotationally supported discs for most cosmic epochs (V-rot/sigma > 2-3, z less than or similar to 5), being dynamically hotter at earlier epochs (z greater than or similar to 1.5). Despite large velocity dispersion at high redshift, cold and dense gas in galaxies predominantly arranges in disky or elongated shapes at all times and masses; these gaseous components exhibit rotationally dominated motions far exceeding the collisionless stellar bodies
The local high-velocity tail and the Galactic escape speed
Full text linkWe model the fastest moving (v_{tot}>300km s^{−1}) local (D ≲ 3 kpc) halo stars using cosmological simulations and six-dimensional Gaia data. Our approach is to use our knowledge of the assembly history and phase-space distribution of halo stars to constrain the form of the high-velocity tail of the stellar halo. Using simple analytical models and cosmological simulations, we find that the shape of the high-velocity tail is strongly dependent on the velocity anisotropy and number density profile of the halo stars – highly eccentric orbits and/or shallow density profiles have more extended high-velocity tails. The halo stars in the solar vicinity are known to have a strongly radial velocity anisotropy, and it has recently been shown the origin of these highly eccentric orbits is the early accretion of a massive (M_{star}∼10^{9}M⊙) dwarf satellite. We use this knowledge to construct a prior on the shape of the high-velocity tail. Moreover, we use the simulations to define an appropriate outer boundary of 2xr_{200}, beyond which stars can escape. After applying our methodology to the Gaia data, we find a local (r_{0} = 8.3 kpc) escape speed of v_{esc}(r_{0})=528 +24 −25 km s^{−1}. We use our measurement of the escape velocity to estimate the total Milky Way mass, and dark halo concentration: M_{200,tot}=1.00 +0.31 −0.24 ×10^{12}M⊙, c_{200}=10.9 +4.4 −3.3. Our estimated mass agrees with recent results in the literature that seem to be converging on a Milky Way mass of M_{200,tot}∼10^{12}M⊙
Gas accretion and galactic fountain flows in the Auriga cosmological simulations: angular momentum and metal redistribution
Full text linkUsing a set of 15 high-resolution magnetohydrodynamic cosmological simulations of Milky Way formation, we investigate the origin of the baryonic material found in stars at redshift zero. We find that roughly half of this material originates from subhalo/satellite systems and half is smoothly accreted from the intergalactic medium. About 90 per cent of all material has been ejected and re-accreted in galactic winds at least once. The vast majority of smoothly accreted gas enters into a galactic fountain that extends to a median galactocentric distance of similar to 20 kpc with a median recycling time-scale of similar to 500 Myr. We demonstrate that, in most cases, galactic fountains acquire angular momentum via mixing of low angular momentum, wind-recycled gas with high angular momentum gas in the circumgalactic medium (CGM). Prograde mergers boost this activity by helping to align the disc and CGM rotation axes, whereas retrograde mergers cause the fountain to lose angular momentum. Fountain flows that promote angular momentum growth are conducive to smooth evolution on tracks quasi-parallel to the disc sequence of the stellar mass-specific angular momentum plane, whereas retrograde minor mergers, major mergers, and bar-driven secular evolution move galaxies towards the bulge sequence. Finally, we demonstrate that fountain flows act to flatten and narrow the radial metallicity gradient and metallicity dispersion of disc stars, respectively. Thus, the evolution of galactic fountains depends strongly on the cosmological merger history and is crucial for the chemodynamical evolution of Milky-Way-sized disc galaxies
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
A reproduction of the Milky Way’s Faraday rotation measure map in galaxy simulations from global to local scales
Full text linkMagnetic fields are of critical importance for our understanding of the origin and long-term evolution of the Milky Way. This is due to their decisive role in the dynamical evolution of the interstellar medium and their influence on the star-formation process. Faraday rotation measures along many different sightlines across the Galaxy are a primary means to infer the magnetic field topology and strength from observations. However, the interpretation of the data has been hampered by the failure of previous attempts to explain the observations in theoretical models and to synthesize a realistic multiscale all-sky rotation measures map. We here utilize a cosmological magnetohydrodynamic simulation of the formation of the Milky Way, augment it with a new star-cluster population-synthesis model for a more realistic structure of the local interstellar medium, and perform detailed polarized radiative transfer calculations on the resulting model. This yields an accurate first-principles prediction of the Faraday sky as observed on Earth. The results reproduce the observations of the Galaxy not only on global scales but also on local scales of individual star-forming clouds. They also indicate that the Local Bubble containing our Sun dominates the rotation measures signal over large regions of the sky. Modern cosmological magnetohydrodynamic simulations of the Milky Way’s formation, combined with a plausible model for star formation, stellar feedback and the distribution of free electrons in the interstellar medium, explain the rotation measures observations remarkably well, and thus contribute to a better understanding of the origin of magnetic fields in our Galaxy
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