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Giant molecular clouds (GMCs) are the sites of star formation in galaxies. Their lifecycle determines the galactic-scale star formation rate and efficiency, and so they form the communication channel between the galactic environment and the parsec-scale physics of star formation and stellar feedback. Here, I use high-resolution isolated galaxy simulations in the moving-mesh code Arepo, including a full suite of chemistry, star formation and stellar feedback physics, to investigate (1) the impact of the galactic environment on GMC properties, and (2) the impact of sub-cloud stellar feedback (supernovae and HII region pressure from young massive stars) on the GMC lifecycle. I find evidence that the rate of GMC formation increases with the galactic mid-plane pressure, while the sub-cloud star formation efficiency and rate of cloud destruction are determined primarily by stellar feedback. I also present results demonstrating that GMC kinematics can be used to accurately predict the molecular gas disc scale-height in galaxies. |
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