Rajsekhar Mohapatra (Princeton University) - Modeling The Hidden Architects of Galaxy Formation: Turbulence, Cooling, and Stellar Feedback

Galaxy formation depends not only on large‑scale cosmological flows but also on small‑scale processes that shape the thermodynamic and multiphase structure of galactic gas. I will present insights from simulations that explicitly resolve these small‑scale processes.

In massive elliptical galaxies, I demonstrate that resolving individual Type Ia supernovae, rather than treating them as smooth heating, is crucial for determining whether gas cools to feed black holes or escapes in outflows. In the circumgalactic medium, I show that resolving cold gas embedded in multiphase turbulence is key to understanding whether cold clouds survive or are destroyed.

These processes occur far below the resolution of cosmological simulations, making idealized simulations indispensable for connecting microphysics to galaxy evolution.