Three-dimensional computer simulations of star formation in dwarf galaxies

Gerola, Seiden, and Schulman have recently presented the results of a two-dimensional stochastic self-propagating star formation (SSPSF) model for dwarf galaxies in an effort to relate dwarf blue galaxies with their red counterparts. They found that in sufficiently small galaxies SSPSF allows a normally red galaxy to become blue due to short-lived bursts of star formation creating massive, blue stars. Following the burst, the galaxy returns to its quiescent red state until restimulated. They find that larger galaxies, with more sites for star formation, form stars more uniformly due to SSPSF, avoiding bursts. Our paper presents two fully three-dimensional SSPSF models which support and refine the previous work. We observe consecutive bursts of star formation in several models as well as the isolated bursts and random consecutive behavior seen in two dimensions. The consecutive bursts appear to be a robust activity, occurring under a variety of conditions