Searcharxiv⌕ Search
Home/Archive/arXiv

arXiv · 2610.10698

A "universal" supernova efficiency to drive the HI turbulence in nearby star-forming galaxies

Lauri Sassali·Cecilia Bacchini·Aku Venhola·Giuliano Iorio·Antonino Marasco
View original source ↗Read source document ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

The origin of cold gas turbulence in galaxies has long been debated. Supernovae (SNe), the dominant form of stellar feedback, were thought insufficient to sustain it against dissipation, especially in galactic environments with low star formation rates (SFRs). We investigate the origin of the neutral atomic gas (HI) turbulence in dwarf irregular galaxies, a challenging regime of low masses and SFRs. We build on a recent study of spirals showing that disc flaring prolongs the dissipation timescale, reducing the energy needed to sustain turbulence and making SN feedback viable. We measure the SN efficiency, that is the fraction of SN energy required to sustain HI turbulence, in 14 dwarfs, and test whether a "universal" efficiency holds across a sample representative of the star-forming main sequence. From the observed HI distributions and kinematics, we derive the radial profiles of the HI kinetic energy per unit area and model them as the sum of thermal energy and turbulent energy from SNe, constrained by the observed SFR surface density. We consider pure cold and warm neutral medium (WNM) phases as limiting cases, as well as a mixed two-phase scenario, obtaining the SN efficiency and WNM fraction via hierarchical Bayesian inference. We find that the observed HI kinetic energy in dwarfs requires only $\lesssim 3\%$ of the SN energy, and that a "universal" efficiency of $\approx 2\%$ explains the HI turbulence across our main-sequence sample. Our findings suggest that the SN efficiency remains similar across galaxies with different properties, offering valuable constraint for feedback recipes in galaxy evolution models.

Explore related subjects

astro-ph.GA

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Lauri Sassali, Cecilia Bacchini, Aku Venhola, Giuliano Iorio, Antonino Marasco. 2026-10-07. A "universal" supernova efficiency to drive the HI turbulence in nearby star-forming galaxies. https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.10698

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

arXiv2026

On the relation between magnetic field strength and gas density in the interstellar medium. II. Density uncertainties and diffuse gas constraints

The relationship between magnetic field strength and gas density is essential to understand the interstellar medium and star formation. Zeeman measurements in dense atomic and molecular gas phases have traditionally been used to directly probe magnetic field strengths in the Milky Way. This allowed derivation of a relationship between magnetic field strength $B$ and gas number density $n$. We recently generalized this relation as a two-part power-law with non-zero slopes and a transition density given as $B/B_0 \propto (n/n_0)^{α_1}$ for $n \le n_0$ and $(n/n_0)^{α_2}$ for $n > n_0$. Here, we extend our previous hierarchical Bayesian framework by incorporating a large body of pulsar observations that probe the diffuse interstellar medium and explicitly modelling density uncertainties through a log-density intrinsic scatter $R_n$ applied to all densities. We also account for magnetic field geometry and measurement uncertainties through a magnetic hyperparameter to estimate $B$. This results in a stronger constraint on the diffuse gas part of the $B$--$n$ relation. Our results confirm a non-zero exponent in the diffuse gas and a broad transition density with our best model and data set yielding maximum a posteriori results of $α_1 = 0.20^{+0.01}_{-0.03}$, $α_2 = 0.65^{+0.06}_{-0.07}$, $n_0 = 3330^{+270}_{-3220}\,\text{cm}^{-3}$, and $B_0 = 10.11^{+0.71}_{-5.97}\,μ\text{G}$.

astro-ph.GA↗
arXiv2026

ID-MAGE II: The Star Forming Satellites of Low-Mass Hosts

We present results from our ongoing campaign to follow up the satellite candidates from the Identifying Dwarfs of MC Analog GalaxiEs (ID-MAGE) survey. Previously, we published a list of 355 unresolved satellite candidates identified around 36~nearby LMC- and SMC-mass hosts (D$=$4$-$10~Mpc). We present the velocities of 83 satellite candidates from new Green Bank Telescope HI observations, optical long-slit spectra, and the Dark Energy Survey Instrument Data Release 1. Based on their velocities, we identify six candidates as probable satellite galaxies ($6.5\times10^5\leq M_\star/M_\odot\leq1.5\times10^7$) and 77 as background galaxies. Our results underscore the ability of spectroscopic follow-up to effectively separate satellites from background galaxies. Using the refined sample, we update our previously derived estimates for the average satellite population per host and find 1.7$\pm$0.7 (1.0$\pm$0.3) satellites per LMC-mass (SMC-mass) host. Our current satellite sample includes 25 galaxies confirmed by distances or velocities. This set includes the complete satellite populations of three hosts (UGC~04422: zero satellites, UGC~08201: zero satellites, NGC~3432: four satellites), which we compare to simulations and known satellite systems from the literature. Our sample is nearly complete for the most massive satellites (M$_\star > 10^7~M_\odot$). We find these massive satellites have a quenched fraction of 10--25\%, placing them between the $<$5\% quenched fraction of isolated galaxies and the 40--70\% quenched fraction of MW-analog satellites with $10^7~M_\odot < $ M$_\star < 10^8~M_\odot$. This demonstrates the impact that low-mass galaxies have on the evolution of their satellites.

astro-ph.GA↗
arXiv2026

Infrared spectroscopy of gas-phase hydrogenated and methylated pyrenes: from laboratory spectra to the simulated 3.4 $μ$m emission band

Observations of the aromatic infrared emission band at 3.3 mic often reveal satellite emission features in the 3.4 - 3.6 mic range. While the 3.3 mic band is attributed to the CH stretching vibration of polycylic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), the satellite bands - particularly its prominent 3.4 mic component - is assigned to aliphatic CH stretching vibrations in hydrogenated and methylated PAH-like species. Our aim is to derive state-of-the-art infrared emission spectra for aliphatic-containing pyrene derivatives and compare them with astronomical observations. This will help refine our understanding of the contribution of these species to the 3.4 mic emission band. Mid-infrared spectra (1.4-25 mic of gas-phase dihydropyrene, tehtrahydropyrene, hexahydropyrene methylated pyrene, and pyrene were recorded at temperatures ranging from 373 to 673 K, depending on the species. The band profiles were analyzed using a multi-component fitting tool, and empirical anharmonicity laws were derived to quantify the evolution of the band positions and widths with temperature. The obtained spectral data was combined with the results of a Monte Carlo emission model to simulate the emission spectra following UV-photon absorption, up to the dissociation limit (<6 eV). The resulting synthetic spectra were compared with James Webb Space Telescope observations of the Orion Bar region (PDRs4All program). Based on these state-of-the-art simulated spectra, we show that 1,2,3,6,7,8-hexahydropyrene matches all the constrains to fit the red component of the 3.4 mic band observed at 3.403 mic. While 1-methylpyrene may also contribute to the underlying emission plateau, its lack of a strong infrared band complicates detection in observed spectra, unlike hexahydropyrene. All experimental spectra and their temperature-dependent analyses are available in the new cosmicPAH-IRDB database.

astro-ph.GA↗