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Renyue Cen

Publications and source records attributed to Renyue Cen.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

AGN jet evolution simulation with GADGET4-OSAKA

Active galactic nuclei (AGN) jets are powerful drivers of galaxy evolution, depositing energy and momentum into the circumgalactic and intracluster medium (CGM/ICM) and regulating gas cooling and star formation. We investigate the dynamics of jet evolution in the self-similar regime using the smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) code GADGET4-Osaka, systematically vary jet-launching schemes, artificial-viscosity prescriptions, mass resolution, and jet lifetimes and compare the results with grid-based simulation. Our analysis combines quantitative diagnostics of jet size and energetics with detailed morphological and thermodynamic characterizations from slice maps and phase diagrams. We find that jet lobe growth follows analytic self-similar scaling relations and converges with resolution, but is highly sensitive to the choice of artificial viscosity. While the overall jet size tracks self-similar predictions, the partitioning of thermal and kinetic energy departs significantly from the idealized picture, reflecting enhanced dissipation and mixing, which is consistent with the jet propagation in grid-based simulations. These results establish robust benchmarks for SPH-based jet modeling, provide insight into the physical and numerical factors shaping jet--medium interactions, and lay the groundwork for future studies of AGN feedback in realistic galactic and cluster environments.

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Recovering the infall mass for Milky Way satellite galaxy Sextans

Understanding the formation and evolution of the Milky Way (MW) requires detailed knowledge of its satellite galaxies. In this study, we focus on the Sextans dwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxy, a faint, dark matter (DM)-dominated satellite, to investigate the role of tidal and baryonic effects in shaping its observed properties. Using tailored $N$-body simulations, we explore possible orbits of Sextans in different MW models to reconstruct its progenitor's properties. Our simulations demonstrate the stars in Sextans are only mildly affected by galactic tides and the stellar kinematics provide robust constraints on its dynamical mass within the half-light radius, while the tidal mass loss of its DM component depends primarily on MW mass. The recovered infall mass of Sextans ranges from $1.22$ to $3.14\times10^9\rm\,M_\odot$ for MW masses from $0.8$ to $2\times10^{12}\rm\,M_\odot$. If the DM density remained as cuspy as NFW profile, the infall mass would be smaller by a factor of 2. Although with large ranges, the possible infall masses of Sextans recovered by our simulations are consistent with the stellar mass-halo mass relation in TNG50 and abundance matching results. We find some cases for the cuspy DM density profile where the infall mass is smaller than $10^9\rm\,M_\odot$, possibly indicating that star formation in Sextans is more efficient than in other satellites. The recovered DM halo structural parameters from our simulations provide valuable constraints for future studies on the DM content and formation history of Sextans.

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Formation of dust clumps in the torus of active galactic nuclei

The putative dusty torus is a key ingredient of the unification scheme of active galactic nuclei (AGN), but its origin remains a mystery. Here we put forward a new physical model to explain how a large number of small dusty gas clumps form and they collectively appear as a geometrically thick dynamic dusty torus. The circumnuclear hot gas flows towards the central black hole (BH) and forms a rotating disk on sub-pc scales. A fraction of inflowing hot gas condenses to form small cold clumps due to thermal instabilities, when the accretion rate is sufficiently high. These cold dusty gas clumps are irradiated by the central accretion disk and re-radiate as dust emission mostly in the infrared. We propose that the dusty torus in AGN consists of such cold clumps vertically supported by the radiation force against gravity. For clumps with suitable column density, the vertical component of the BH gravity is in quasi-static equilibrium with the infrared radiation force together with the vertical component of the disk radiation force. Our model is robust in the sense that for any reasonable range of parameters concerning clump vertical dynamical equilibrium a torus exists. We further show that the hot gas in the rotating flow condenses to cold clumps only if its accretion rate is higher than about one percent of the Eddington rate. The radiation force is unable to lift the cold gas clumps up away from the mid-plane when the luminosity of the disk surrounding the BH is lower than 0.1 percent of the Eddington luminosity. These two features of our model may provide a physical explanation for the lack of evidence of dusty tori in low-luminosity AGNs.

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Resolving the Origins and Pathways of Ionizing Radiation Escape with UV Integral Field Spectroscopy

The Epoch of Reionization marks the last major phase transition in the early Universe, during which the majority of neutral hydrogen once filling the intergalactic medium was ionized by the first galaxies. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is now identifying promising galaxy candidates capable of producing sufficient ionizing photons to drive this transformation. However, the fraction of these photons that escape into intergalactic space--the escape fraction--remains highly uncertain. Stellar feedback is thought to play a critical role in carving low-density channels that allow ionizing radiation to escape, but the dominant mechanisms, their operation, and their connection to observable signatures are not well understood. Local analogs of high-redshift galaxies offer a powerful alternative for studying these processes, since ionizing radiation is unobservable at high redshift due to intergalactic absorption. However, current UV space-based instrumentation lacks the spatial resolution and sensitivity required to fully address this problem. The core challenge lies in the multiscale nature of LyC escape: ionizing photons are generated on scales of 1--100 pc in super star clusters but must traverse the circumgalactic medium which can extend beyond 100 kpc. The proposed Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) will provide a platform for future UV instruments capable of resolving these scales. In this article, we present a science case for understanding how LyC photons escape from star-forming galaxies and define the observational requirements for future instruments aboard HWO, including a UV integral field spectrograph (IFS).

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Rapid formation of a very massive star >50000 $M_\odot$ and subsequently an IMBH from runaway collisions. Direct N-body and Monte Carlo simulations of dense star clusters

Context. We present simulations of a massive young star cluster using \textsc{Nbody6++GPU} and \textsc{MOCCA}. The cluster is initially more compact than previously published models, with one million stars, a total mass of $5.86 \times 10^5~\mathrm{M}_{\odot}$, and a half-mass radius of $0.1~\mathrm{pc}$. Aims. We analyse the formation and growth of a very massive star (VMS) through successive stellar collisions and investigate the subsequent formation of an intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH) in the core of a dense star cluster. Methods. We use both direct \textit{N}-body and Monte Carlo simulations, incorporating updated stellar evolution prescriptions (SSE/BSE) tailored to massive stars and VMSs. These include revised treatments of stellar radii, rejuvenation, and mass loss during collisions. While the prescriptions represent reasonable extrapolations into the VMS regime, the internal structure and thermal state of VMSs formed through stellar collisions remain uncertain, and future work may require further refinement. Results. We find that runaway stellar collisions in the cluster core produce a VMS exceeding $5 \times 10^4~\mathrm{M}_{\odot}$ within 5 Myr, which subsequently collapses into an IMBH. Conclusions. Our model suggests that dense stellar environments may enable the formation of very massive stars and massive black hole seeds through runaway stellar collisions. These results provide a potential pathway for early black hole growth in star clusters and offer theoretical context for interpreting recent JWST observations of young, compact clusters at high redshift.

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How Fast Could Supermassive Black Holes Grow At the Epoch of Reionization?

Utilizing cosmological hydrodynamic simulations we show that there is a brief super-Eddington accretion phase in typical halos at high redshift, impervious to AGN self-regulation. However, once having attained a black hole mass of $10^4-10^5\msun$, AGN feedback process can self-regulate to guide the SMBHs to grow at a significantly slower, sub-Eddington rate. By redshift $z\sim 10$ the black hole mass with an initial super-Eddington jump-start is caught up by that in the case with a steady Eddington limited case. Thus a continuous Eddington limit case represents the fastest possible route to maximally grow SMBHs. To account for the observed $z=7-10$ quasars with supermassive black holes of billions of solar masses, our analysis establishes firmer ground for the need of seed masses of $10^4-10^5\msun$ that are not grown via an earlier super-Eddington phase.

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The AGORA High-resolution Galaxy Simulations Comparison Project. VIII: Disk Formation and Evolution of Simulated Milky Way Mass Galaxy Progenitors at $1<z<5$

We investigate how differences in the stellar feedback produce disks with different morphologies in Milky Way-like progenitors over 1 $\leq z \leq 5$, using eight state-of-the-art cosmological hydrodynamics simulation codes in the \textit{AGORA} project. In three of the participating codes, a distinct, rotation-dominated inner core emerges with a formation timescale of $\lesssim 300$ Myr, largely driven by a major merger event, while two other codes exhibit similar signs of wet compaction -- gaseous shrinkage into a compact starburst phase -- at earlier epochs. The remaining three codes show only weak evidence of wet compaction. Consequently, we divide the simulated galaxies into two groups: those with strong compaction signatures and those with weaker ones. Galaxies in these two groups differ in size, stellar age gradients, and disk-to-total mass ratios. Specifically, codes with strong wet compaction build their outer disks in an inside-out fashion, leading to negative age gradients, whereas codes with weaker compaction feature flat or positive age gradients caused primarily by outward stellar migration. Although the stellar half-mass radii of these two groups diverge at $z \sim 3$, the inclusion of dust extinction brings their sizes and shapes in mock observations closer to each other and to observed galaxies. We attribute the observed morphological differences primarily to variations in the stellar feedback implementations -- such as delayed cooling timescales, and feedback strengths -- that regulate both the onset and duration of compaction. Overall, our results suggest that disk assembly at high redshifts is highly sensitive to the details of the stellar feedback prescriptions in simulations.

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Consistent Modeling of Non-equilibrium Dust Sublimation and the Interactions with Dust Evolution in the Inner Regions of Protoplanetary Disks

The inner regions of protoplanetary disks are host to the sublimation of dust grains, a process traditionally modeled using equilibrium thermodynamics. We demonstrate through ab-initio density functional theory (DFT) and kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) simulations that silicate dust sublimation is inherently a non-equilibrium kinetic process. The binding energies and vibrational frequencies governing desorption, calculated for MgSiO3 and other compositions, reveal that sublimation timescales far exceed local dynamical times, allowing grains to persist in a superheated state. This kinetic inhibition results in a broad, dynamic sublimation front whose location and morphology are strongly regulated by radial advection and dust coagulation. Our coupled simulations, integrating sublimation with advection and grain evolution, show that the front varies radially by a factor of four with accretion rate and exhibits a vertically stratified, bowl-shaped structure. These findings imply that the inner disk dust distribution, thermal structure, and subsequent planet formation are profoundly influenced by the kinematics and kinetics of dust grains, necessitating a departure from equilibrium prescriptions in disk models and interpretations of inner rim observations.

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Reduced Gas Accretion onto Galaxies due to Effects of External Giant Radio Lobes

Suppression effects of giant radio lobes from supermassive black holes on gas accretion onto galaxies in the surrounding regions are quantified using cosmological magneto-hydrodynamic simulations. With an appropriate amount of radio jet energy injected into the intergalactic medium following the formation peak of supermassive black holes at redshift two, we find that galaxies in the greater neighborhood of the jet-launching massive galaxies subsequently experience a significant reduction in the amount of accreted gas. The distribution of the resulting magnetic field in the intergalactic medium is highly inhomogeneous, due to the highly biased nature of the most massive supermassive black holes. In regions with magnetic field strength $B>10^{-2}μ$G, the baryon fraction is on average reduced by 17%, 14%, and 12%, respectively, for halos of mass in the range of $[10^{11}-10^{12})\msun$, $[10^{12}-10^{13})\msun$, and $[10^{13}-10^{14})\msun$. A proper inclusion of this new, external, global, preventive feedback mechanism from AGN in the next generation of cosmological simulation may be necessary.

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How Do Ionizing Photons Escape from Star-Forming Galaxies?

The Epoch of Reionization marks the last major phase transition in the early Universe, during which the majority of neutral hydrogen once filling the intergalactic medium was ionized by the first galaxies. The James Webb Space Telescope is now identifying promising galaxy candidates capable of producing sufficient ionizing photons to drive this transformation. However, the fraction of these photons that escape into intergalactic space--the escape fraction--remains highly uncertain. Stellar feedback is thought to play a critical role in carving low-density channels that allow ionizing radiation to escape, but the dominant mechanisms, their operation, and their connection to observable signatures are not well understood. Local analogs of high-redshift galaxies offer a powerful alternative for studying these processes, since ionizing radiation is unobservable at high redshift due to intergalactic absorption. However, current UV space-based instrumentation lacks the spatial resolution and sensitivity required to fully address this problem. The core challenge lies in the multiscale nature of LyC escape: ionizing photons are generated on scales of 1-100 pc in super star clusters but must traverse the circumgalactic medium which can extend beyond 100 kpc. A UV integral field unit (IFU) spectrograph capable of resolving galaxies across these scales is necessary--and uniquely achievable with the proposed Habitable Worlds Observatory. In this article, we outline the scientific motivation, observables, and observational capabilities needed to make progress on these fundamental questions.

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The AGORA High-Resolution Galaxy Simulations Comparison Project VII: Satellite quenching in zoom-in simulation of a Milky Way-mass halo

Context: Satellite galaxies experience multiple physical processes when interacting with their host halos, often leading to the quenching of star formation. In the Local Group (LG), satellite quenching has been shown to be highly efficient, affecting nearly all satellites except the most massive ones. While recent surveys are studying Milky Way (MW) analogs to assess how representative our LG is, the dominant physical mechanisms behind satellite quenching in MW-mass halos remain under debate. Aims: We analyze satellite quenching within the same MW-mass halo, simulated using various widely-used astrophysical codes, each using different hydrodynamic methods and implementing different supernovae feedback recipes. The goal is to determine whether quenched fractions, quenching timescales and the dominant quenching mechanisms are consistent across codes or if they show sensitivity to the specific hydrodynamic method and supernovae (SNe) feedback physics employed. Methods: We use a subset of high-resolution cosmological zoom-in simulations of a MW-mass halo from the multiple-code AGORA CosmoRun suite. Results: We find that the quenched fraction is consistent with the latest SAGA survey results within its 1$σ$ host-to-host scatter across all the models. Regarding quenching timescales, all the models reproduce the trend observed in the ELVES survey, LG observations, and previous simulations: the less massive the satellite, the shorter its quenching timescale. All our models converge on the dominant quenching mechanisms: strangulation halts cold gas accretion and ram pressure stripping is the predominant mechanism for gas removal, particularly effective in satellites with $M_* < 10^8\, M_\odot$. Nevertheless, the efficiency of the stripping mechanisms differs among the codes, showing a strong sensitivity to the different SNe feedback implementations and/or hydrodynamic methods employed.

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Evaluating Mass Outflow Rate Estimators in FIRE-2 Simulations: Towards a Self-Consistent Framework for Spectral Line Based Predictions

$\require{mediawiki-texvc}$Galactic outflows shape galaxy evolution, but their mass, energy, and momentum transfer remain uncertain. High-resolution spectroscopy can help, but systematic discrepancies hinder model interpretation. In this study, we evaluate the performance of semi-analytical line transfer (SALT) and empirical partial covering models (PCMs) to recover the properties of outflows in the FIRE-2 simulation suite from synthetic Si II lines (1190 $Å$, 1193 $Å$, 1260 $Å$, 1304 $Å$, 1527 $Å$). When applicable, we assess each model's ability to recover mass, energy, and momentum outflow rates, as well as radial density and velocity profiles, column densities, and flow geometries. We find that the PCM underestimates column densities by 1.3 dex on average in the range $15 < \log N\ [\text{cm}^{-2}] < 17$ with dispersion 1.3 dex. We attribute this bias to instrumental smoothing. Since the PCM underestimates column densities, it also underestimates flow rates, though its predictions are independent of radius, with a dispersion of 0.55 dex. We detect no bias in the SALT estimates of the column density with dispersion 1.3 dex. When the velocity and density field obey power laws, SALT can constrain the mass, momentum, and energy outflow rates to 0.36 (0.63), 0.56 (0.56), and 0.97 (0.80) dex at $0.15(0.30)R_{\text{vir}}$, respectively. However, certain profiles in FIRE-2 fall outside the SALT framework, where the model breaks down. We find that SALT effectively tracks the flow geometry, capturing the temporal evolution of the photon escape fraction that is out of phase with the star formation rate, fully consistent with hydrodynamic simulations. We advocate for integral field unit spectroscopy to better constrain flow properties.

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Two Channels of Metal-Rich Compact Stellar System Formation: Starbursts under High Ram Pressure versus Tidal Stripping

Most galaxies follow well-defined scaling relations of metallicity and stellar mass; however, some outliers at the low mass end of the observed galaxy population exhibit unusually high metallicity for their mass. Understanding how these objects get to be so metal-rich is vital for understanding the role of feedback in galaxy formation. Using the TNG50 simulation, we explore the origins of this phenomenon. We identify 227 metal-rich, compact stellar systems (CSSs) that deviate significantly from this scaling relation. These CSSs are satellites located in the vicinity of massive host galaxies, with stellar masses ranging from $10^{8} M_{\odot}$ to $10^{10}\ M_{\odot}$ (including six systems that are close analogs of the M31-M32 system). Contrary to the previously assumed scenario that such objects are predominantly products of tidal stripping, our results suggest a more prevalent role for ram pressure in their formation. Indeed, 76% (173) of these CSSs are formed through a burst of star formation occurring around the time of the first pericentric passage, typically at redshifts $z\lesssim1$, aided by strong ram pressure and tidal forces. The high ram pressure, resulting from the CSSs' rapid motion near the halo center, facilitates metal enrichment, producing high-metallicity CSSs by confining the metal-rich gas from bursty star formation, which leads to distinct stellar populations characterized by enhanced metallicity as well as high $α$-abundance. Only the remaining 24% (54) of metal-rich CSSs are generated through the tidal stripping of massive progenitors. Our results further indicate that M32 is more likely to have formed through intense star formation events rather than through gradual, tidal stripping, thereby providing crucial insights into the nature of low mass, compact galaxy formation.

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NIHAO-RiNG: A Comparison of Simulated Disc Galaxies from GASOLINE and GIZMO

We utilize the public GIZMO code to simulate twelve disc galaxies from the NIHAO suite simulated with the GASOLINE code, then compare the corresponding galaxies in the two simulations. We find that while both codes with the same initial conditions and large-scale environments can successfully produce similar disc galaxies, significant differences are still seen in many properties of the galaxies, particularly in the circumgalactic medium (CGM) environment they reside. Specifically, the thermal feedback recipe used in GASOLINE results in ubiquitous long-lasting collimated outflows, primarily driven by high-density hot interstellar medium (ISM) from the galaxy center, and inflows of gas not aligned with the outflow cools rapidly and flows towards the galactic center. In contrast, galaxies from GIZMO code do not exhibit large-scale outflows at low redshifts, but instead display quasi-virialized hot gaseous halos that arise from the strong interaction between inflow of gas and feedback driven outflow. Therefore, the origins of mass and angular momentum of the cold disc in the two simulations are quite different, even though the final morphologies of corresponding galaxies are similar at $z\sim0$. The differences in the distribution of CGM gas are mainly due to different feedback models implemented in the two codes, thus future observations of CGM provide valuable insight into the physics governing the baryon cycle in disc galaxies.

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Cosmological imprints in the filament with DisPerSE

In the regime of cosmology and large-scale structure formation, filaments are vital components of the cosmic web. This study employs statistical methods to examine the formation, evolution, and cosmological constraints of filaments identified by DisPerSe. We run large-sample of N-body simulations to study the filament length and its evolution. In general, the filament length distribution can be fitted by a power law with both the normalization and power index dependent on redshift and cosmological parameters. It is discovered that filament length distribution is influenced by various cosmological parameters, with $σ_8$ and $n_s$ exhibiting slightly stronger dependence than $Ω_m$. We also uncover a three-stage filament formation process from $z \sim 3$ to $z \sim 1$: rapid formation of both long and short filaments from $z \sim 3$ to $z \sim 2$, persistence of long filaments from $z \sim 2$ to $z \sim 1$, followed by fragmentation and increased prevalence of shorter filaments below $z \sim 1$. Finally, we employ initial power spectrum fluctuations to elucidate the cosmological dependence on the filament length function. These insights enhance our understanding of filament evolution and their cosmological relevance and also highlight the potential cosmological applications in observations.

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The Effect of Radiation and Supernovae Feedback on LyC Escape in Local Star-forming Galaxies

Feedback is widely recognized as an essential condition for Lyman continuum (LyC) escape in star-forming galaxies. However, the mechanisms by which galactic outflows clear neutral gas and dust remain unclear. In this paper, we model the Mg II 2796Å, 2804Å absorption + emission lines in 29 galaxies taken from the Low-z LyC Survey (LzLCS) to investigate the impact of (radiation + mechanical) feedback on LyC escape. Using constraints on Mg$^+$ and photoionization models, we map the outflows' neutral hydrogen content and predict $f_{esc}^{LyC}$ with a multiphase wind model. We measure mass, momentum, and energy loading factors for the neutral winds, which carry up to 10% of the momentum and 1% of the energy in SFR-based deposition rates. We use SED template fitting to determine the relative ages of stellar populations, allowing us to identify radiation feedback dominant systems. We then examine feedback related properties (stellar age, loading factors, etc.) under conditions that optimize feedback efficiency, specifically high star formation rate surface density and compact UV half-light radii. Our findings indicate that the strongest leakers are radiation feedback dominant, lack Mg II outflows, but have extended broad components in higher ionization lines like [O III] 5007Å, as observed by Amorín et al. (2024). In contrast, galaxies experiencing supernovae feedback typically exhibit weaker $f_{esc}^{LyC}$ and show evidence of outflows in both Mg II and higher ionization lines. We attribute these findings to rapid or "catastrophic" cooling in the radiation-dominant systems, which, given the low metallicities in our sample, are likely experiencing delayed supernovae.

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Global Preventive Feedback of Powerful Radio Jets on Galaxy Formation

Firmly anchored on observational data, giant radio lobes from massive galaxies hosting supermassive black holes can exert a major negative feedback effect, by endowing the intergalactic gas with significant magnetic pressure hence retarding or preventing gas accretion onto less massive halos in the vicinity. Since massive galaxies that are largely responsible for producing the giant radio lobes, this effect is expected to be stronger in more overdense large-scale environments, such as proto-clusters, than in underdense regions, such as voids. We show that by redshift $z=2$ halos with masses up to $(10^{11-12}, 10^{12-13})\msun$ are significantly hindered from accreting gas due to this effect for radio bubble volume filling fraction of $(1.0, 0.2)$, respectively. Since the vast majority of the stars in the universe at $z<2-3$ form precisely in those halos, this negative feedback process is likely one major culprit for causing the global downturn in star formation in the universe since. It also provides a natural explanation for the rather sudden flattening of the slope of the galaxy rest-frame UV luminosity function around $z\sim 2$. A cross-correlation between proto-clusters and Faraday rotation measures may test the predicted magnetic field. Inclusion of this external feedback process in the next generation of cosmological simulations may be imperative.

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Cloud Crushing and Dissipation of Uniformly-Driven Adiabatic Turbulence in Circumgalactic Media

The circumgalactic medium (CGM) is responsive to kinetic disruptions generated by nearby astrophysical events. In this work, we study the saturation and dissipation of turbulent hydrodynamics within the CGM through an extensive array of 252 numerical simulations with a large parameter space. These simulations are endowed with proper cooling mechanisms to consistently explore the parameter space spanned by the average gas density, metallicity, and turbulence driving strength. A dichotomy emerges in the dynamics dissipation behaviors. Disturbances that are hot and subsonic are characterized by weak compression and slow dissipation, resulting in density fluctuations typically $\lesssim 10^{-2}$. Conversely, warm supersonic turbulence, marked by significant compression shocks and subsequent rapid cooling, is associated with substantial clumping factors $\sim 10^0-10^1$. In the supersonic cases, the kinetic energy decay is divided into a rate-limiting phase of shock dissipation and a comparatively swift phase of thermal dissipation, predominantly occurring within the overdense regions. Upon turbulence driving turnoff, the strong density contrasts decay within a relatively brief timescale of $\sim 30 - 300~{\rm Myr}$, depending on the average gas density. Dense clouds are crushed on similar timescales of $ \sim 30 - 100 ~{\rm Myr} $, depending on turbulence driving strength but independent from average gas density. Results of this work also contribute a novel dataset of dissipation timescales that incorporates an understanding of kinematics and thermodynamics in addition to the traditional cooling rate tables, which may serve as a valuable asset for forthcoming simulations that aim to explore gas dynamics on galactic and cosmological scales.

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