Realistic modeling of star formation in cosmological simulations

Regents Of The University Of Michigan - Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor MI

Investigators

Abstract

One of the most important goals of modern astrophysics is the detailed understanding of the formation and growth of galaxies. This project will add a refinement to models of the birth of star clusters in galaxies and their influence on the growth of the galaxy. They will include these models in simulations of the the growth of galaxies in the universe over the age of the universe. The results of these models will be used to compare with future observations from telescopes on the ground and in space. This project will model the baryonic component of galaxies within LCDM cosmological simulations. The refinement to be made will treat stellar particles within the ART simulation as star clusters and add detailed properties of the evolution of the clusters and their influence on the local interstellar medium. With these refinements, zoom-in models of galaxies at redshifts of zero can have resolutions as small as 5 pc. From these simulations, they will produce simulated observational catalogs that can be compared with future observations from ALMA, JWST, and Gaia in order to constrain features of star formation and feedback within their models. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.