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ISM properties in hydrodynamic galaxy simulations: Turbulence cascades, cloud formation, role of gravity and feedback
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics · Submitted 15 Jul 2010
abstract compiled · 2026-09-23 · no language-model review
The authors' main claim Disk properties and ISM turbulence appear to be mainly regulated by gravitational processes, both on large scales and inside dense clouds.
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We study the properties of ISM substructure and turbulence in hydrodynamic (AMR) galaxy simulations with resolutions up to 0.8 pc and 5x10^3 Msun. We analyse the power spectrum of the density distribution, and various components of the velocity field. We show that the disk thickness is about the average Jeans scale length, and is mainly regulated by gravitational instabilities. From this scale of energy injection, a turbulence cascade towards small-scale is observed, with almost isotropic small-scale motions. On scales larger than the disk thickness, density waves are observed, but there is also a full range of substructures with chaotic and strongly non-isotropic gas velocity dispersions. The power spectrum of vorticity in an LMC-sized model suggests that an inverse cascade of turbulence might be present, although energy input over a wide range of scales in the coupled gaseous+stellar fluid could also explain this quasi-2D regime on scales larger than the disk scale height. Similar regimes of gas turbulence are also found in massive high-redshift disks with high gas fractions. Disk properties and ISM turbulence appear to be mainly regulated by gravitational processes, both on large scales and inside dense clouds. Star formation feedback is however essential to maintain the ISM in a steady state by balancing a systematic gas dissipation into dense and small clumps. Our galaxy simulations employ a thermal model based on a barotropic Equation of State (EoS) aimed at modelling the equilibrium of gas between various heating and cooling processes. Denser gas is typically colder in this approach, which is shown to correctly reproduce the density structures of a star-forming, turbulent, unstable and cloudy ISM down to scales of a few parsecs.
background contribution method result interpretation main claim
| # | sentence | role | the authors' own work | states the main conclusion | strength |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| s0 | We study the properties of ISM substructure and turbulence in hydrodynamic (AMR) galaxy simulations with resolutions up to 0.8 pc and 5x10^3 Msun. | contribution 0.85 | 0.96 | 0.03 | asserted 0.89 |
| s1 | We analyse the power spectrum of the density distribution, and various components of the velocity field. | method 0.93 | 0.95 | 0.02 | asserted 0.77 |
| s2 | We show that the disk thickness is about the average Jeans scale length, and is mainly regulated by gravitational instabilities. | result 0.94 | 0.93 | 0.18 | asserted 1.00 |
| s3 | From this scale of energy injection, a turbulence cascade towards small-scale is observed, with almost isotropic small-scale motions. | result 0.99 | 0.94 | 0.08 | asserted 1.00 |
| s4 | On scales larger than the disk thickness, density waves are observed, but there is also a full range of substructures with chaotic and strongly non-isotropic gas velocity dispersions. | result 1.00 | 0.92 | 0.07 | asserted 1.00 |
| s5 | The power spectrum of vorticity in an LMC-sized model suggests that an inverse cascade of turbulence might be present, although energy input over a wide range of scales in the coupled gaseous+stellar fluid could also explain this quasi-2D regime on scales larger than the disk scale height. | interpretation 0.58 | 0.89 | 0.06 | hedged possibility 0.86 |
| s6 | Similar regimes of gas turbulence are also found in massive high-redshift disks with high gas fractions. | result 0.96 | 0.84 | 0.06 | asserted 1.00 |
| s7 | Disk properties and ISM turbulence appear to be mainly regulated by gravitational processes, both on large scales and inside dense clouds. | interpretation 0.61 | 0.88 | 0.61 | asserted 0.94 |
| s8 | Star formation feedback is however essential to maintain the ISM in a steady state by balancing a systematic gas dissipation into dense and small clumps. | result 0.70 | 0.82 | 0.14 | asserted 1.00 |
| s9 | Our galaxy simulations employ a thermal model based on a barotropic Equation of State (EoS) aimed at modelling the equilibrium of gas between various heating and cooling processes. | method 1.00 | 0.84 | 0.02 | asserted 1.00 |
| s10 | Denser gas is typically colder in this approach, which is shown to correctly reproduce the density structures of a star-forming, turbulent, unstable and cloudy ISM down to scales of a few parsecs. | method 0.69 | 0.88 | 0.05 | asserted 1.00 |
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Original abstract
We study the properties of ISM substructure and turbulence in hydrodynamic (AMR) galaxy simulations with resolutions up to 0.8 pc and 5x10^3 Msun. We analyse the power spectrum of the density distribution, and various components of the velocity field. We show that the disk thickness is about the average Jeans scale length, and is mainly regulated by gravitational instabilities. From this scale of energy injection, a turbulence cascade towards small-scale is observed, with almost isotropic small-scale motions. On scales larger than the disk thickness, density waves are observed, but there is also a full range of substructures with chaotic and strongly non-isotropic gas velocity dispersions. The power spectrum of vorticity in an LMC-sized model suggests that an inverse cascade of turbulence might be present, although energy input over a wide range of scales in the coupled gaseous+stellar fluid could also explain this quasi-2D regime on scales larger than the disk scale height. Similar regimes of gas turbulence are also found in massive high-redshift disks with high gas fractions. Disk properties and ISM turbulence appear to be mainly regulated by gravitational processes, both on large scales and inside dense clouds. Star formation feedback is however essential to maintain the ISM in a steady state by balancing a systematic gas dissipation into dense and small clumps. Our galaxy simulations employ a thermal model based on a barotropic Equation of State (EoS) aimed at modelling the equilibrium of gas between various heating and cooling processes. Denser gas is typically colder in this approach, which is shown to correctly reproduce the density structures of a star-forming, turbulent, unstable and cloudy ISM down to scales of a few parsecs.
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5 arXiv papers cite this in 5 sentences
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Here we use an EoS modeling the equilibrium of gas between the main heating (UV heating and stellar feedback) and cooling (atomic and dust cooling) processes [ref] .
The driving mechanism of starbursts in galaxy mergers · Simulation technique · 0.93
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