Supernova Feedback in an Inhomogeneous Interstellar Medium

Understand

Supernova (SN) feedback is one of the key processes shaping the interstellar medium (ISM) of galaxies.

• SNe contribute to (and in some cases may dominate) driving turbulence in the ISM and accelerating galactic winds.
• Modern cosmological simulations have sufficient resolution to capture the main structures in the ISM of galaxies, but are typically still not capable of explicitly resolving all of the small-scale stellar feedback processes, including the expansion of supernova remnants (SNRs).
• We perform a series of controlled three-dimensional hydrodynamic (adaptive mesh refinement) simulations of single SNRs expanding in an inhomogeneous density field with statistics motivated by those of the turbulent ISM.