Galaxies with Gasoline: Recent progress in Galaxy Formation

James Wadsley

February 10, 2011

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Abstract: Galaxy formation simulations are making a big contribution to our understanding of galaxies but have also given a few false leads due to numerical effects. I will present galaxy formation insights gained with our Gasoline code, including how gas is accumulated and lost and how this affects observable galaxy properties. In particular, stellar feedback is able to create realistic dwarf galaxies with small bulges and cored dark matter profiles. Stellar feedback can be more effective than previously realized but is probably insufficient to create realistic large galaxies where AGN are emerging as an important source of feedback and gas outflows.