The Challenge of Modelling Galactic Disks

TL;DR

This paper reviews the challenges in modeling galactic disks, emphasizing the uncertainties in initial conditions, boundary effects, and micro-physical processes, and discusses the difficulties in creating predictive, realistic simulations.

Contribution

It provides a summary of key problems and uncertainties in numerical simulations of galactic disk formation and evolution.

Findings

Most ingredients for modeling are poorly understood

Constructing realistic models remains challenging

Numerical simulations face significant uncertainties

Abstract

Detailed models of galactic disk formation and evolution require knowledge about the initial conditions under which disk galaxies form, the boundary conditions that affect their secular evolution and the micro-physical processes that drive the multi-phase interstellar medium and regulate the star formation history. Unfortunately, up to now, most of these ingredients are still poorly understood. The challenge therefore is to, despite this caveat, construct realistic models of galactic disks with predictive power. This short review will summarize some problems related to numerical simulations of galactic disk formation and evolution.