Cosmological Zoom simulations

Abstract

Cosmological “zoom-in” simulations are a modern class of numerical simulations with many interesting uses. In zooms an area of interest, such as a galaxy, is resolved to a high degree, while it’s surroundings are left at a coarser resolution to relieve the computational burden. Here I review some recent studies using zoom simulations and discuss the benefits and potential of zoom simulations compared to regular numerical simulations as well as semianalytic models. I will focus on the advantages of the increased resolution in zooms, such as the ability to resolve giant molecular clouds and to better model high redshift galaxies.