We present an analysis of the global and spatially-resolved Kennicutt-Schmidt
star formation relation in the FIRE (Feedback In Realistic Environments) suite
of cosmological simulations, including halos with $z = 0$ masses ranging from
$10^10$ -- $10^13$ M$_ødot$. We show that the Kennicutt-Schmidt (KS)
relation emerges robustly due to the effects of feedback on local scales,
independent of the particular small-scale star formation prescriptions
employed. This is true for the KS relation measured using all of the gas and
using only the dense (molecular) gas. We demonstrate that the time-averaged KS
relation is relatively independent of redshift and spatial averaging scale, and
that the star formation rate surface density is weakly dependent on metallicity
($Z^1/4$). Finally, we show that on scales larger than individual
giant molecular clouds, the primary condition that determines whether star
formation occurs is whether a patch of the galactic disk is thermally
Toomre-unstable (not whether it is self-shielding): once a patch can no longer
be thermally stabilized against fragmentation, it collapses, becomes
self-shielding, cools, and forms stars.
Description
[1701.01788] What FIREs Up Star Formation: the Emergence of the Kennicutt-Schmidt Law from Feedback
%0 Generic
%1 orr2017fires
%A Orr, Matthew
%A Hayward, Chris
%A Hopkins, Philip
%A Chan, T. K.
%A Faucher-Giguère, Claude-André
%A Feldmann, Robert
%A Kereš, Dušan
%A Murray, Norman
%A Quataert, Eliot
%D 2017
%K KS formation law simulation star
%T What FIREs Up Star Formation: the Emergence of the Kennicutt-Schmidt Law
from Feedback
%U http://arxiv.org/abs/1701.01788
%X We present an analysis of the global and spatially-resolved Kennicutt-Schmidt
star formation relation in the FIRE (Feedback In Realistic Environments) suite
of cosmological simulations, including halos with $z = 0$ masses ranging from
$10^10$ -- $10^13$ M$_ødot$. We show that the Kennicutt-Schmidt (KS)
relation emerges robustly due to the effects of feedback on local scales,
independent of the particular small-scale star formation prescriptions
employed. This is true for the KS relation measured using all of the gas and
using only the dense (molecular) gas. We demonstrate that the time-averaged KS
relation is relatively independent of redshift and spatial averaging scale, and
that the star formation rate surface density is weakly dependent on metallicity
($Z^1/4$). Finally, we show that on scales larger than individual
giant molecular clouds, the primary condition that determines whether star
formation occurs is whether a patch of the galactic disk is thermally
Toomre-unstable (not whether it is self-shielding): once a patch can no longer
be thermally stabilized against fragmentation, it collapses, becomes
self-shielding, cools, and forms stars.
@misc{orr2017fires,
abstract = {We present an analysis of the global and spatially-resolved Kennicutt-Schmidt
star formation relation in the FIRE (Feedback In Realistic Environments) suite
of cosmological simulations, including halos with $z = 0$ masses ranging from
$10^{10}$ -- $10^{13}$ M$_{\odot}$. We show that the Kennicutt-Schmidt (KS)
relation emerges robustly due to the effects of feedback on local scales,
independent of the particular small-scale star formation prescriptions
employed. This is true for the KS relation measured using all of the gas and
using only the dense (molecular) gas. We demonstrate that the time-averaged KS
relation is relatively independent of redshift and spatial averaging scale, and
that the star formation rate surface density is weakly dependent on metallicity
($\propto Z^{1/4}$). Finally, we show that on scales larger than individual
giant molecular clouds, the primary condition that determines whether star
formation occurs is whether a patch of the galactic disk is thermally
Toomre-unstable (not whether it is self-shielding): once a patch can no longer
be thermally stabilized against fragmentation, it collapses, becomes
self-shielding, cools, and forms stars.},
added-at = {2017-01-10T10:02:29.000+0100},
author = {Orr, Matthew and Hayward, Chris and Hopkins, Philip and Chan, T. K. and Faucher-Giguère, Claude-André and Feldmann, Robert and Kereš, Dušan and Murray, Norman and Quataert, Eliot},
biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/209df7b1aa7e36cc7058d1fcd968eb116/miki},
description = {[1701.01788] What FIREs Up Star Formation: the Emergence of the Kennicutt-Schmidt Law from Feedback},
interhash = {cfa83a5d1126a7eb3e7fd093d5ce0972},
intrahash = {09df7b1aa7e36cc7058d1fcd968eb116},
keywords = {KS formation law simulation star},
note = {cite arxiv:1701.01788Comment: 15 pages, 10 figures, submitted to MNRAS},
timestamp = {2017-01-10T10:02:29.000+0100},
title = {What FIREs Up Star Formation: the Emergence of the Kennicutt-Schmidt Law
from Feedback},
url = {http://arxiv.org/abs/1701.01788},
year = 2017
}