SIMBAD references

We present a semi-analytical model designed to be included in large-scale cosmological simulations to treat the evolution of galaxies. The goal of this paper is to test our model to make sure that it behaves in a realistic manner. We consider galaxies with current stellar masses between 10^6.54 and 10^11.65M_☉. Our model includes radiative cooling, gas inflow, star formation, chemical enrichment, and stellar and AGN feedback. The evolution of each stellar population that forms in our model is individually followed in time by using stellar models found in the literature. Our stellar feedback prescription is based on the production of galactic outflows, which are powered by the mechanical energy (Energy-driven) and the radiative pressure (Momentum-driven). We implemented the physics of bubbles blown by stars to treat the feedback generated by mechanical energy. By keeping track of the energy gained and lost inside bubbles, we can compute the fraction of the stellar mechanical energy that is used to launch an outflow. Our model predicts that E-driven outflows dominate the evolution of low-mass galaxies with current stellar masses below 10¹⁰M_☉, whereas intermediate-mass galaxies with current stellar masses up to 10^10.7M_☉ are dominated by M-driven outflows. AGN feedback dominates the evolution of the most massive galaxies. With these three sources of feedback, we are able to reproduce the current observed stellar-to-dark-halo mass relation, as well as the current average stellar metallicity of galaxies. Outflows are very efficient in expelling metals out of galaxies, especially with E-driven outflows, which is consistent with the observed trend that metals are ejected more efficiently in low-mass galaxies. At the end of our simulations, a significant fraction of the metals produced by stars is located in the halos of galaxies. Metals can escape efficiently into the intergalactic medium for galaxies with current stellar masses below 10⁸M_☉ and above 10^10.7M_☉. The results presented in this paper are preliminary, since we do not yet consider the full interactions between galaxies and the effect of different types of environment. Nevertheless, since we are able to reproduce characteristics that are consistent with observations, we believe that our model is ready to be implemented in large-scale cosmological simulations to study the interactions between galaxies and their surrounding.