A Graphical Interpretation of Circumgalactic Precipitation

TL;DR

This paper offers a conceptual interpretation of the precipitation limit in the circumgalactic medium, emphasizing its dependence on galactic configuration and disturbances, and proposes tests for its validation.

Contribution

It provides a simplified, schematic explanation of the precipitation limit's origin, connecting it to global galactic structure and dynamical disturbances.

Findings

Precipitation limit depends on galactic configuration.

Disturbances influence CGM perturbations and precipitation.

Proposes observational and simulation tests for the hypothesis.

Abstract

Both observations and recent numerical simulations of the circumgalactic medium (CGM) support the hypothesis that a self-regulating feedback loop suspends the gas density of the ambient CGM close to the galaxy in a state with a ratio of cooling time to freefall time >10. This limiting ratio is thought to arise because circumgalactic gas becomes increasingly susceptible to multiphase condensation as the ratio declines. If the timescale ratio gets too small, then cold clouds precipitate out of the CGM, rain into the galaxy, and fuel energetic feedback that raises the ambient cooling time. The astrophysical origin of this so-called precipitation limit is not simple but is critical to understanding the CGM and its role in galaxy evolution. This paper therefore attempts to interpret its origin as simply as possible, relying mainly on conceptual reasoning and schematic diagrams. It illustrates how the precipitation limit can depend on both the global configuration of a galactic atmosphere and the degree to which dynamical disturbances drive CGM perturbations. It also frames some tests of the precipitation hypothesis that can be applied to both CGM observations and numerical simulations of galaxy evolution.