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Star formation and chemical evolution in SPH simulations: a statistical approach

In Smoothed Particles Hydrodynamics (SPH) codes with a large number of particles, star formation as well as gas and metal restitution from dying stars can be treated statistically. This approach allows to include detailed chemical evolution and gas re-ejection with minor computational effort. Here we report on a new statistical algorithm for star formation and chemical evolution, especially conceived for SPH simulations with large numbers of particles, and for parallel SPH codes. For the sake of illustration, we present also two astrophysical simulations obtained with this algorithm, implemented into the Tree-SPH code by Lia & Carraro (2000). In the first one, we follow the formation of an individual disc-like galaxy, predict the final structure and metallicity evolution, and test resolution effects. In the second one we simulate the formation and evolution of a cluster of galaxies, to demonstrate the capabilities of the algorithm in investigating the chemo-dynamical evolution of galaxies and of the intergalactic medium in a cosmological context.