A subgrid model for chemical enrichment in cosmological simulations

TL;DR

This paper introduces a comprehensive subgrid model for chemical enrichment in cosmological galaxy formation simulations, tracking multiple elements and processes, and demonstrates its effectiveness in reproducing observed stellar abundance patterns.

Contribution

The work presents an updated, detailed chemical enrichment model including various nucleosynthetic sources and element mixing, integrated into cosmological simulations for the first time.

Findings

Model reproduces Milky Way stellar abundance trends.

Diffusion slightly affects metallicity-mass relation slope.

Simulations match observed alpha-element enhancement in galaxies.

Abstract

We present the modules for stellar nucleosynthesis, stellar mass loss, and turbulent diffusion of the new COLIBRE subgrid model for cosmological hydrodynamical simulations of galaxy formation. COLIBRE models the thermal evolution of the multi-phase interstellar medium, dust grains, star formation, and stellar and AGN feedback. This work focuses on the model for chemical enrichment. We track the evolution of 12 chemical elements produced by a broad range of nucleosynthetic channels, including core-collapse supernovae and stellar winds, Type Ia supernovae, and asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars. Enrichment from $s$- and $r$-process elements is modelled via contributions from AGB stars, neutron star mergers, common envelope supernovae, and collapsars. We present an updated compilation of stellar yields taken from the literature, which we release alongside this work. Small-scale element mixing is implemented through a turbulent diffusion process. While diffusion has only a minimal impact on basic integrated galaxy properties, it does reduce the slope of the gas-phase metallicity-mass relation compared with simulations that do not include it. The distribution of element ratios of individual stellar particles is sensitive to diffusion, but only at low metallicities ($Z \lesssim 10^{-1}\,\rm{Z}_\odot$). The model is tested using redshift $z=0$ results from a set of cosmological simulations, mostly of (25 Mpc)$^3$ volumes, demonstrating generally good agreement with Milky Way stellar abundance trends from the APOGEE survey. The model also reproduces the alpha-element enhancement relations observed in galaxies from SDSS, ATLAS-3D, and the Local Group.