Filamentary Hierarchies and Superbubbles: Galactic Multiscale Magnetohydrodynamic Simulations of Giant Molecular Cloud to Star Cluster Formation

Abstract

There is now abundant observational evidence that star formation is a highly dynamical process that connects filament hierarchies and supernova feedback from galaxy-scale kiloparsec filaments and superbubbles to giant molecular clouds (GMCs) on 100 pc scales and star clusters (1 pc). Here we present galactic multiscale MHD simulations that track the formation of structure from galactic down to subparsec scales in a magnetized, Milky Way–like galaxy undergoing supernova-driven feedback processes. We do this by adopting a novel zoom-in technique that follows the evolution of typical 3 kpc subregions without cutting out the surrounding galactic environment, allowing us to reach 0.28 pc resolution in the individual zoom-in regions. We find a wide range of morphologies and hierarchical structures, including superbubbles, turbulence, and kiloparsec atomic gas filaments hosting multiple GMC condensations that are often associated with superbubble compression, down to smaller-scale filamentary GMCs and star cluster regions within them. Gas accretion and compression ultimately drive filaments over a critical, scale-dependent line mass leading to gravitational instabilities that produce GMCs and clusters. In quieter regions, galactic shear can produce filamentary GMCs within flattened, rotating disklike structures on 100 pc scales. Strikingly, our simulations demonstrate the formation of helical magnetic fields associated with the formation of these disklike structures.