Cosmological galaxy evolution with superbubble feedback – II. The limits of supernovae

We explore when supernovae can (and cannot) regulate the star formation and bulge growth in galaxies based on a sample of 18 simulated galaxies. The simulations are the first to model feedback superbubbles including evaporation and conduction. These processes determine the mass loadings and wind speeds of galactic outflows. We show that for galaxies with virial masses >1012 M⊙, supernovae alone cannot prevent excessive star formation. This …