Low-mass galaxy formation in cosmological AMR simulations: the effects of varying the sub-grid physics parameters

TL;DR

This study uses cosmological AMR simulations to examine how varying sub-grid physics parameters influence the formation and properties of low-mass galaxies, revealing complex effects on galaxy structure and evolution.

Contribution

It systematically explores the impact of different sub-grid physics parameters on low-mass galaxy formation in cosmological simulations, highlighting their complex effects.

Findings

Lower threshold densities lead to larger galaxy sizes and less peaked rotation curves.

Modeling feedback with cooling shutdown results in flatter rotation curves and multi-phase gas disks.

Stronger local star formation conversion enhances feedback, driving outflows and bursty star formation histories.

Abstract

We present numerical simulations aimed at exploring the effects of varying the sub-grid physics parameters on the evolution and the properties of the galaxy formed in a low-mass dark matter halo (~7 times 10^10 Msun/h at redshift z=0). The simulations are run within a cosmological setting with a nominal resolution of 218 pc comoving and are stopped at z = 0.43. In all of our simulations, an extended old/intermediate-age stellar halo and a more compact younger stellar disk are formed. We found that a non negligible fraction of the halo stars are formed in situ in a spheroidal distribution. Changes in the sub-grid physics parameters affect significantly and in a complex way the evolution and properties of the galaxy: (i) Lower threshold densities nsf produce larger stellar effective radii Re, less peaked circular velocity curves V_c(R), and greater amounts of low-density and hot gas in the disk mid-plane; (ii) When stellar feedback is modeled by temporarily switching off radiative cooling in the star forming regions, Re increases (by a factor of ~ 2 in our particular model), the circular velocity curve becomes flatter, and a complex multi-phase gaseous disk structure develops; (iii) A more efficient local conversion of gas mass to stars, measured by a stellar particle mass distribution biased toward larger values, increases the strength of the feedback energy injection -driving outflows and inducing burstier SF histories; iv) If feedback is too strong, gas loss by galactic outflows -which are easier to produce in low-mass galaxies- interrupts SF, whose history becomes episodic. The simulations exhibit two important shortcomings: the baryon fractions are higher, and the specific SF rates are much smaller, than observationally inferred values for redshifts ~ 0.4-1.