Supernova origin of galactic turbulence revealed by superbubbles

Supernova origin of galactic turbulence revealed by superbubbles | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Physical Sciences - Article Supernova origin of galactic turbulence revealed by superbubbles Di Li, Fanyi Meng, Chao-Wei Tsai, Jingwen Wu, Sihan Jiao, Mordecai-Mark Mac Low, and 9 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8432106/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Supernovae (SNe) are among the leading candidates for powering galactic-scale turbulence. SNe drive expanding shells of neutral atomic hydrogen (HI) known as superbubbles. Due to the lack of a sensitive, dynamically complete, galaxy-wide census, superbubbles have not been used to quantify the galactic-scale turbulent energy budget. Here we present a combined Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) and Jansky Very Large Array HI survey of the Andromeda galaxy (M31), the nearest giant spiral, with superior sensitivity and dynamical coverage. We identify 118 superbubbles across the entire disk of M31 with dynamical ages up to 40 Myr, consistent with the expected duration of SN activity in a star cluster and extending the age coverage well beyond previous surveys. Inferred from these superbubbles, the kinetic energy injection rates (10^49–10^51.5 erg kpc^-3 Myr^-1) from SNe closely match the turbulence dissipation rates derived independently from the same data, in both magnitude and spatial distribution. These results demonstrate that clustered SN feedback is sufficient to sustain galactic-scale turbulence, which shapes disk structure and influences galaxy evolution. Physical sciences/Astronomy and planetary science/Astronomy and astrophysics/Galaxies and clusters Physical sciences/Astronomy and planetary science/Astronomy and astrophysics/Interstellar medium Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8432106","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Physical Sciences - Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":578278590,"identity":"7dc49fde-9b4e-42ef-a9c5-e62aacde1822","order_by":0,"name":"Di 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