Molecular Hydrogen in Cosmological Simulations of Galaxies

Mathematics – Logic

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Scientific paper

The near-constant star formation efficiency observed in molecular clouds indicates that star formation in galaxies is regulated by the transition from atomic to molecular gas. Simulations enable us to follow this transition and its relationship to external processes, even in low-metallicity galaxies where H2 is difficult to observe. I have extended the SPH+N-body code, Gasoline, to calculate the non-equilibrium abundances of H2. These abundances are based on the local rates of formation and destruction, such as dust grain formation and dissociation from Lyman-Werner flux, as modulated by dust and self-shielding. The H2 in turn both acts as an additional source of cooling and is used when determining star formation (SF). With this code, I have integrated several high-resolution, cosmological simulations of low-mass galaxies to redshift zero, including a dwarf galaxy with both a realistic rotation curve and bulge-to-disk ratio. Here I present results from analyzing the relation between H2 and SF in these galaxies. In particular, I show that the inclusion of H2 in simulations of low mass galaxies, results in more extended star formation histories and stellar distributions. I further analyze the transformation of the Kennicutt-Schmidt law when it is determined at galaxy-wide to 100 pc scales. Finally, I relate the local abundance of H2 large-scale processes, including mergers, spiral structure, and gas in-fall. Ths research was supported by the National Science Foundation.

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