Giant clumps in the FIRE simulations: a case study of a massive high-redshift galaxy

TL;DR

This study uses FIRE simulations to analyze the lifecycle and impact of giant star-forming clumps in high-redshift galaxies, revealing their short lifetimes, limited migration, and significant role in star formation.

Contribution

It provides detailed insights into the properties, evolution, and star-forming contribution of giant clumps in high-redshift galaxies using realistic cosmological simulations.

Findings

Giant clumps have an average lifetime of ~20 Myr.

Clumps contribute up to 20% of star formation during the clumpy phase.

No evidence of inward migration of giant clumps was found.

Abstract

The morphology of massive star-forming galaxies at high redshift is often dominated by giant clumps of mass ~10^8-10^9 Msun and size ~100-1000 pc. Previous studies have proposed that giant clumps might have an important role in the evolution of their host galaxy, particularly in building the central bulge. However, this depends on whether clumps live long enough to migrate from their original location in the disc or whether they get disrupted by their own stellar feedback before reaching the centre of the galaxy. We use cosmological hydrodynamical simulations from the FIRE (Feedback in Realistic Environments) project that implement explicit treatments of stellar feedback and ISM physics to study the properties of these clumps. We follow the evolution of giant clumps in a massive (stellar mass ~10^10.8 Msun at z=1), discy, gas-rich galaxy from redshift z>2 to z=1. Even though the clumpy phase of this galaxy lasts over a gigayear, individual gas clumps are short-lived, with mean lifetime of massive clumps of ~20 Myr. During that time, they turn between 0.1% and 20% of their gas into stars before being disrupted, similar to local GMCs. Clumps with M>10^7 Msun account for ~20% of the total star formation in the galaxy during the clumpy phase, producing ~10^10 Msun of stars. We do not find evidence for net inward migration of clumps within the galaxy. The number of giant clumps and their mass decrease at lower redshifts, following the decrease in the overall gas fraction and star-formation rate.