The regulation of the cold neutral gas mass fraction by turbulent motions
Abstract
We present results from hydrodynamic simulations with forced turbulence at a scale of 50 pc and cooling functions adapted to describe the thermal conditions at four different Galactocentric distances: 8.5, 11, 15, and 18 kpc. These experiments are aimed to study the effects of varying the turbulent velocity vrms on the cold gas mass fraction. With realistic vrms we obtain average one-dimensional cold gas mass fractions which are comparable with the observed values. Our simulations can also lead to an approximately constant cold gas mass fraction for distances ≥11 kpc when considering subsonic perturbations for 15 and 18 kpc. We also find that the average one dimensional cold gas mass fraction and the volumetric cold gas mass fraction do not follow the same radial trends.
- Publication:
-
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
- Pub Date:
- October 2016
- DOI:
- 10.1093/mnras/stw1789
- Bibcode:
- 2016MNRAS.462.2033G
- Keywords:
-
- hydrodynamics;
- instabilities;
- turbulence;
- ISM: structure;
- Galaxy: disc;
- galaxies: ISM