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ABSTRACT We present predictions for the evolution of the galaxy dust-to-gas ratio (DGR) and dust-to-metal ratio (DTM) from z = 0 → 6, using a model for the production, growth, and destruction of dust grains implemented into the simba cosmological hydrodynamic galaxy formation simulation. In our model, dust forms in stellar ejecta, grows by the accretion of metals, and is destroyed by thermal sputtering and supernovae. Our simulation reproduces the observed dust mass function at z = 0, but modestly underpredicts the mass function by ∼×3 at z ∼ 1–2. The z = 0 DGR versus metallicity relationship shows a tight positive correlation for star-forming galaxies, while it is uncorrelated for quenched systems. There is little evolution in the DGR–metallicity relationship between z = 0 and 6. We use machine learning techniques to search for the galaxy physical properties that best correlate with the DGR and DTM. We find that the DGR is primarily correlated with the gas-phase metallicity, though correlations with the depletion time-scale, stellar mass, and gas fraction are non-negligible. We provide a crude fitting relationship for DGR and DTM versus the gas-phase metallicity, along with a public code package that estimates the DGR and DTM given a set of galaxy physical properties.
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The galactic dust-up: modelling dust evolution in FIRE
ABSTRACT Recent strides have been made developing dust evolution models for galaxy formation simulations but these approaches vary in their assumptions and degree of complexity. Here, we introduce and compare two separate dust evolution models (labelled ‘Elemental’ and ‘Species’), based on recent approaches, incorporated into the gizmo code and coupled with fire-2 stellar feedback and interstellar medium physics. Both models account for turbulent dust diffusion, stellar production of dust, dust growth via gas-dust accretion, and dust destruction from time-resolved supernovae, thermal sputtering in hot gas, and astration. The ‘Elemental’ model tracks the evolution of generalized dust species and utilizes a simple, ‘tunable’ dust growth routine, while the ‘Species’ model tracks the evolution of specific dust species with set chemical compositions and incorporates a physically motivated, two-phase dust growth routine. We test and compare these models in an idealized Milky Way-mass galaxy and find that while both produce reasonable galaxy-integrated dust-to-metals (D/Z) ratios and predict gas-dust accretion as the main dust growth mechanism, a chemically motivated model is needed to reproduce the observed scaling relation between individual element depletions and D/Z with column density and local gas density. We also find the inclusion of theoretical metallic iron and O-bearing dust species are needed in the case of specific dust species in order to match observations of O and Fe depletions, and the integration of a sub-resolution dense molecular gas/CO scheme is needed to both match observed C depletions and ensure carbonaceous dust is not overproduced in dense environments.
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- PAR ID:
- 10368501
- Publisher / Repository:
- Oxford University Press
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
- Volume:
- 514
- Issue:
- 3
- ISSN:
- 0035-8711
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- p. 4506-4534
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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