Project Details
Description
In this project, we will analyse a new suite of cosmological galaxy formation simulations of a Milky Way (MW) mass galaxy. The suite of 5 galaxies adopt a genetic modification approach (the same galaxy but with some changes in its formation history) that allows to better constrain the conditions in the disc formation scenario, i.e. to elucidate the undiscovered phenomenology that drives it.
The current literature divides the formation of MW-like galaxies into a phase of: Protogalaxy, where stars move more "chaotically" and the incoming gas is disordered; Spin-Up of a Thick Disk, where a thick disk emerges in the galaxy, i.e. stars rotate more coherently; and Settling-Down to a Thin Disk, the characteristic thin disk suddenly appears. But there are no clear, quantified descriptions of the sources that initiate rapid thin disc formation.
Among the approaches to be studied in this project, the following are highlighted: the role of gas and its accretion into the galaxy (eg. hot gas is incorporated into the galaxy, the hot-mode accretion, in a different way than cold gas), how angular momentum is transferred and its role in alignments (eg. collisions and mergers between galaxies fluctuate greatly according to their relative position), and the role of the galaxy's environment, the Circumgalactic Medium. All this at different cosmological times.
The current literature divides the formation of MW-like galaxies into a phase of: Protogalaxy, where stars move more "chaotically" and the incoming gas is disordered; Spin-Up of a Thick Disk, where a thick disk emerges in the galaxy, i.e. stars rotate more coherently; and Settling-Down to a Thin Disk, the characteristic thin disk suddenly appears. But there are no clear, quantified descriptions of the sources that initiate rapid thin disc formation.
Among the approaches to be studied in this project, the following are highlighted: the role of gas and its accretion into the galaxy (eg. hot gas is incorporated into the galaxy, the hot-mode accretion, in a different way than cold gas), how angular momentum is transferred and its role in alignments (eg. collisions and mergers between galaxies fluctuate greatly according to their relative position), and the role of the galaxy's environment, the Circumgalactic Medium. All this at different cosmological times.
| Short title | Galactic disc formation |
|---|---|
| Status | Not started |
UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This project contributes towards the following SDG(s):
