The momentum budget of clustered supernova feedback in a 3D, magnetized medium

Eric S. Gentry*, Mark R. Krumholz, Piero Madau, Alessandro Lupi

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    70 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    While the evolution of superbubbles driven by clustered supernovae has been studied by numerous authors, the resulting radial momentum yield is uncertain by as much as an order of magnitude depending on the computational methods and assumed properties of the surrounding interstellar medium (ISM). In this work, we study the origin of these discrepancies, and seek to determine the correct momentum budget for a homogeneous ISM. We carry out 3D hydrodynamic and magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations of clustered supernova explosions, using a Lagrangian method and checking for convergence with respect to resolution. We find that the terminal momentum of a shell driven by clustered supernovae is dictated primarily by the mixing rate across the contact discontinuity between the hot and cold phases, and that this energy mixing rate is dominated by numerical diffusion even at the highest resolution we can complete, 0.03 M. Magnetic fields also reduce the mixing rate, so that MHD simulations produce higher momentum yields than HD ones at equal resolution. As a result, we obtain only a lower limit on the momentum yield from clustered supernovae. Combining this with our previous 1D results, which provide an upper limit because they allow almost no mixing across the contact discontinuity, we conclude that the momentum yield per supernova from clustered supernovae in a homogeneous ISM is bounded between 2 × 105 and 3 × 106 M km s−1. A converged value for the simple homogeneous ISM remains elusive.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)3647-3658
    Number of pages12
    JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
    Volume483
    Issue number3
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 1 Mar 2019

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'The momentum budget of clustered supernova feedback in a 3D, magnetized medium'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this