Quantifying Supernovae-Driven Multiphase Galactic Outflows

Abstract: Galactic outflows are ubiquitously observed in star-forming disk galaxies and are critical for galaxy formation. Supernovae (SNe) play the key role in driving the outflows, but there is no consensus as to how much energy, mass and metal they can launch out of the disk. We perform 3D, high-resolution hydrodynamic simulations to study SNe-driven outflows from stratified media. Assuming SN rate scales with gas surface density $\Sigma_{\rm{gas}}$ as in the Kennicutt-Schmidt (KS) relation, we find the mass loading factor, $\eta_m$, defined as the mass outflow flux divided by the star formation surface density, decreases with increasing $\Sigma_{\rm{gas}}$ as $\eta_m \propto \Sigma^{-0.61}_{\rm{gas}}$. Approximately $\Sigma_{\rm{gas}}$ $\lesssim$ 50 $M_\odot/\rm{pc}^2$ marks when $\eta_m \gtrsim$1. About 10-50\% of the energy and 40-80\% of the metals produced by SNe end up in the outflows. The tenuous hot phase ($T>3\times 10^5$ K), which fills 60-80\% of the volume at mid-plane, carries the majority of the energy and metals in outflows. We discuss how various physical processes, including vertical distribution of SNe, photoelectric heating, external gravitational field and SN rate, affect the loading efficiencies. The relative scale height of gas and SNe is a very important factor in determining the loading efficiencies.