Rotational Support of Giant Clumps in High-z Disc Galaxies

Understand

We address the internal support against total free-fall collapse of the giant clumps that form by violent gravitational instability in high-z disc galaxies.

• Guidance is provided by an analytic model, where the proto-clumps are cut from a rotating disc and collapse to equilibrium while preserving angular momentum.
• This model predicts prograde clump rotation.
• This is confirmed in hydro-AMR zoom-in simulations of galaxies in a cosmological context.