Bursty Star Formation in Dwarfs is Sensitive to Numerical Choices in Supernova Feedback Models

TL;DR

This study shows that the numerical choices in supernova feedback models significantly influence star formation burstiness, galaxy morphology, and dark matter profiles in dwarf galaxy simulations.

Contribution

It demonstrates how the directional distribution of supernova momentum affects star formation and galaxy properties, highlighting the importance of feedback modeling choices.

Findings

Varying supernova momentum direction alters burstiness and stellar mass by up to a factor of 3.

Perpendicular momentum direction results in less bursty star formation and more disky morphologies.

Dark matter profiles are retained as cuspy when feedback is less bursty and more disk-like.

Abstract

Simulations of galaxy formation are mostly unable to resolve the energy-conserving phase of individual supernova events, having to resort to subgrid models to distribute the energy and momentum resulting from stellar feedback. However, the properties of these simulated galaxies, including the morphology, stellar mass formed and the burstiness of the star formation history, are highly sensitive to numerical choices adopted in these subgrid models. Using the {\small SMUGGLE} stellar feedback model, we compute idealized simulations of a $M_{\rm vir} \sim 10^{10} \, \msun$ dwarf galaxy, a regime where most simulation codes predict significant burstiness in star formation, resulting in strong gas flows that lead to the formation of dark matter cores. We find that by varying only the directional distribution of momentum imparted from supernovae to the surrounding gas, while holding the total momentum per supernova constant, bursty star formation may be amplified or completely suppressed, and the total stellar mass formed can vary by as much as a factor of $\sim 3$. In particular, when momentum is primarily directed perpendicular to the gas disk, less bursty and lower overall star formation rates result, yielding less gas turbulence, more disky morphologies and a retention of cuspy dark matter density profiles. An improved understanding of the non-linear coupling of stellar feedback into inhomogeneous gaseous media is thus needed to make robust predictions for stellar morphologies and dark matter core formation in dwarfs independent of uncertain numerical choices in the baryonic treatment.