Supernovae and the formation of galaxiesAttention is given to the cumulative effect of many SNs in a galaxy, especially a young galaxy, as well as the effect of the blast wave resulting from the combination of all individual SNs on the intergalactic medium (IGM). It is suggested that the IGM can be shock-heated by this process, so that in the late stages of an individual expanding galaxy's shock a shell may form whose mass is many times greater than that of the seed galaxy. If this shell fragments, due to gravitational instability, it will give rise to a new generation of galaxies. SN explosions may thereby provide a hydrodynamic amplifier of some significance in the process of galaxy formation.
Document ID
19830040640
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Authors
Ostriker, J. P. (Princeton University New Observatory, Princeton, NJ, United States)