Resolving the thermal component of stellar feedback with the "anchor-and-refine" scheme in galactic simulations
Abstract
(abridged) Stellar feedback regulates galactic baryon cycles, but galaxy-scale simulations often cannot resolve supernova cooling radii. Momentum-based subgrid models can consequently underresolve the hot gas around young stars. We develop an "anchor-and-refine" feedback scheme that anchors a host cell near each star particle, preventing its displacement and preserving a thermal-feedback reservoir. When the cooling radius is resolved, all supernova energy is injected into the host cell as thermal energy; otherwise, the host cell is refined and terminal momentum is deposited into surrounding gas cells. Idealized tests agree with high-resolution simulations, yielding consistent superbubble properties and preserving hot interiors without artificial cooling. In an isolated Milky Way-mass galaxy, the scheme captures finer X-ray-emitting structures and a sharply defined, X-ray-bright central mid-plane. It also produces a smoother star formation history than pure hybrid feedback. Hot gas dominates outflow mass loading, with the mass-loading factor plateauing at approximately 0.2 at heights z>1 kpc. Phase decomposition indicates that hot gas sustains a steady, energy-driven wind, whereas cooler outflows decline with height because of radiative cooling and gravitational fallback. These results highlight the role of thermal feedback in driving galactic winds. By preserving hot superbubble interiors and the partition of thermal and kinetic energy, anchor-and-refine improves the treatment of hot gas, star formation, and feedback at limited resolution, supporting future applications to galaxy-scale and cosmological zoom-in simulations.
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BibTeX
@misc{li2026resolving,
title = {{Resolving the thermal component of stellar feedback with the "anchor-and-refine" scheme in galactic simulations}},
author = {Chengzhe Li and Hui Li and Wei Cui and Federico Marinacci and Laura Sales and Mark Vogelsberger and Paul Torrey},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2610.37767},
eprint = {2610.37767},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.37767},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Resolving the thermal component of stellar feedback with the "anchor-and-refine" scheme in galactic simulations
AU - Chengzhe Li
AU - Hui Li
AU - Wei Cui
AU - Federico Marinacci
AU - Laura Sales
AU - Mark Vogelsberger
AU - Paul Torrey
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/27
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2610.37767
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.37767
AB - (abridged) Stellar feedback regulates galactic baryon cycles, but galaxy-scale simulations often cannot resolve supernova cooling radii. Momentum-based subgrid models can consequently underresolve the hot gas around young stars. We develop an "anchor-and-refine" feedback scheme that anchors a host cell near each star particle, preventing its displacement and preserving a thermal-feedback reservoir. When the cooling radius is resolved, all supernova energy is injected into the host cell as thermal energy; otherwise, the host cell is refined and terminal momentum is deposited into surrounding gas cells. Idealized tests agree with high-resolution simulations, yielding consistent superbubble properties and preserving hot interiors without artificial cooling. In an isolated Milky Way-mass galaxy, the scheme captures finer X-ray-emitting structures and a sharply defined, X-ray-bright central mid-plane. It also produces a smoother star formation history than pure hybrid feedback. Hot gas dominates outflow mass loading, with the mass-loading factor plateauing at approximately 0.2 at heights z>1 kpc. Phase decomposition indicates that hot gas sustains a steady, energy-driven wind, whereas cooler outflows decline with height because of radiative cooling and gravitational fallback. These results highlight the role of thermal feedback in driving galactic winds. By preserving hot superbubble interiors and the partition of thermal and kinetic energy, anchor-and-refine improves the treatment of hot gas, star formation, and feedback at limited resolution, supporting future applications to galaxy-scale and cosmological zoom-in simulations.
ER -