ACP Seminar (Astronomy - Cosmology - Particle Physics)

Speaker: Elizabeth Tasker (Hokkaido University)
Title: How to kill a giant molecular cloud (GMC)
Date (JST): Thu, Jul 12, 2012, 13:30 - 15:00
Place: Seminar Room A
Abstract: What controls the life expectancy of a giant molecular cloud is a hotly debated subject. One view is that supernovae blow away the surrounding gas. Other opinions suggest this mechanism occurs too late, and earlier feedback is responsible for cloud destruction. This talk presents results from a high resolution (< 10pc) numerical simulation of a global Milky-way type galaxy which includes thermal feedback. We follow the evolution of the GMCs as they interact in the disc, form stars and undergo supernovae-type thermal energy injection. At the end, we postulate which of the events occurring in their lifetime dominates their evolution.