The Fate of Cold Clouds in Galaxy Outflows

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Marcus Brüggen, Ph.D.
• Subject Area: Astrophysics and Astronomy
• Term: from 2017 to 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 343993325

In this proposal, we study the fate of cold gas in supersonic galactic winds. Galaxy outflows play a key role in the history of galaxy formation, driving multiphase material from deep within the densest regions of galaxies out into the rarified fringes of the circumgalactic medium. Even the presence of this cold and fast gas is surprising, as simple theoretical estimates predict that it should be disrupted by interactions with the hot wind well before it is accelerated to significant velocities. The key issue in this case is the ability for the hot wind to accelerate cold material, before it disrupts it.We identify three objectives of this proposal that are essential to answer the one central question of this proposal: Can anisotropic conduction in magnetised outflows prevent the disruption of cold clouds? 1. Develop a module for implicit anisotropic conduction in the AMR MHD code FLASH. 2. Perform parameter study of cold clouds in magnetised outflow and measure the lifetime of clouds. 3. Find analytic expressions for lifetimes and put the results of the simulations into the context of the cycle of matter in galaxies.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants