In New Astronomy Reviews, Volume 68, p. 1-33 (2015).
http://arxiv.org/abs/1508.06054

For a PDF version of the article, click here.

Abstract: I review the current state of numerical simulations of stellar feedback in the context of star formation at scales ranging from the formation of individual stars to models of galaxy formation including cosmic reionisation. I survey the wealth of algorithms developed recently to solve the radiative transfer problem and to simulate stellar winds, supernovae and protostellar jets. I discuss the results of these simulations with regard to star formation in molecular clouds, the interaction of different feedback mechanisms with each other and with magnetic fields, and in the wider context of galactic– and cosmological–scale simulations.

Keywords : Star formation; feedback; numerical simulations

Table of Contents

• INTRODUCTION AND SCOPE OF THIS REVIEW
• BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO STELLAR FEEDBACK PHYSICS
• Photoionisation
• Main-sequence line-driven winds
• Stellar evolution
• Supernovae
• Accretion heating
• Radiation pressure
• Jets
• BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO ASTROPHYSICAL FLUID DYNAMICS CODES
• Grid codes
• Particle codes
• Moving-mesh codes
• FEEDBACK ALGORITHMS
• Radiative transfer algorithms
• Winds
• Jets and outflows
• Supernovae
• Galactic-scale models
• WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED FROM INCLUDING FEEDBACK IN SIMULATIONS
• Fragmentation, the IMF, and star formation rates and efficiencies
• Gas expulsion and cloud destruction
• Driving turbulence
• Effects of different feedback mechanisms combined
• Combining feedback and magnetic fields
• Large–scale simulations
• SUMMARY AND OUTLOOK
• REFERENCES