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Caltech

TAPIR Seminar

Friday, March 15, 2019
2:00pm to 3:00pm
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Cahill 370
When Supernovae-driven Outflows Meet with the Circumgalactic Medium
Miao Li, Flatiron Research Fellow, Galaxy Formation, CCA, Flatiron Institute,

Most metals do not reside in galaxies where they were born, posing the "missing metals" problem. Supernovae (SNe) launch multiphase galactic winds, which naturally drive the metals out. High-resolution simulations show that hot (T>~ 105 K) outflows carry the majority of the metals and energy. How the enriched hot outflows evolve on large scales is critical to understand the fate of the ejected metals. We implement SNe-driven outflows in galactic scale simulations, which adopt the loading efficiencies from small-box simulations. We investigate the evolution of the outflows -- whether they break into the intergalactic space, become part of the circumgalactic medium (CGM), or condense into cool phases. I will discuss how understanding these physical processes gives insight into a series of observables of the CGM: quasar absorption lines of highly ionized metals, X-ray emission and absorption, and high-velocity clouds of the Milky Way.

For more information, please contact JoAnn Boyd by phone at 4280 or by email at [email protected].