Speaker
Description
Large volume cosmological simulations have difficulties in modelling the multi-phase nature of the interstellar medium. Warm and cold clouds cannot be spatially resolved, leading to numerical overcooling if left unaltered. To avoid numerical fragmentation and excessive star formation, large scale simulations usually employ an effective equation of state along with an empirical star formation prescription above a given density. While this stabilizes the interstellar medium gas and prevents runaway gravitational collapse, it notably also locks the interstellar medium into a single state, preventing important dynamical effects such as the launching of galactic winds. We present a multi-fluid method for the interstellar medium that can stabilize the interstellar gas while being able to launch hot, pressure-driven winds self-consistently from the star forming regions. We discuss the advantages of such a model relative to effective equation of state models and show the prospects in applying this model in future large-volume cosmological simulations.
