"Constraining the evolution of GMCs and their star clusters in simulations"
Samantha Benincasa (OSU Physics)
The connection between GMCs and star formation is complex, involving both the detailed structure of dense gas and the influence of the larger galactic environment. Modelling the connection between GMCs, stellar clusters, and galaxy-wide properties within in a full galaxy disk setting has been difficult, owing to the large dynamic ranges involved. To start, I will discuss results from the Latte suite of FIRE-2 cosmological zoom-in simulations of Milky Way-type galaxies with unprecedented adaptive spatial resolution down to 1 pc, able to resolve cloud-wide properties within a larger galactic environment. By correlating young stellar clusters with their corresponding GMCs, we are able to connect the impact of star formation on the lifetime of the parent cloud. Generally, we find that clouds live no longer than 20 Myr and favour short lifetimes, on the order of 6 Myr. This suggests a large role for early stellar feedback and the galactic environment in shaping cloud lifetimes. Finally, I will discuss new results from the BESPOKE-THINGS project, a sample of simulated galaxies run using the code Gasoline. BESPOKE-THINGS aims to explore star formation and the ISM in high resolution galaxy disk simulations explicitly created to match targets in current observational surveys.
"Fifth forces in cosmology: implications for neutrinos"
Ivan Esteban (OSU Physics)
The quest for new fundamental interactions is usually divided into the energy frontier, where short-range forces show up; and the precision frontier, sensitive to weaker, long-range interactions. The latter could impact cosmology due to the large particle densities in the early Universe. In this talk, I will consistently explore the evolution of a species endowed with a simple Yukawa interaction, with a focus on the cosmological consequences. The general formalism will be applied to a long-range force among neutrinos. I will discuss observational constraints and implications from Cosmic Microwave Background and Baryon Acoustic Oscillation data, and investigate potential impact on Large-Scale Structure measurements.