Supernova origin of galactic turbulence revealed by superbubbles

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.

27 pages, 14 figures (including supplementary material). Initial-submission version; no revisions arising from peer review are incorporated. The revised article was published in Nature Astronomy. Please consult and cite: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-026-02981-9

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