The Cloud Factory I: Generating resolved filamentary molecular clouds from galactic-scale forces

Understand

We introduce a new suite of simulations, "The Cloud Factory", which self-consistently forms molecular cloud complexes at high enough resolution to resolve internal substructure (up to 0.25 Msol in mass) all while including galactic-scale forces.

• We use a version of the Arepo code modified to include a detailed treatment of the physics of the cold molecular ISM, and an analytical galactic gravitational potential for computational efficiency.
• The simulations have nested levels of resolution, with the lowest layer tied to tracer particles injected into individual cloud complexes.
• These tracer refinement regions are embedded in the larger simulation so continue to experience forces from outside the cloud.