Pre-supernova feedback mechanisms drive the destruction of molecular clouds in nearby star-forming disc galaxies

It is a major open question which physical processes stop gas accretion on to giant molecular clouds (GMCs) and limit the efficiency at which gas is converted into stars. While feedback from supernova explosions has been the popular feedback mechanism included in simulations of galaxy formation and evolution, ‘early’ feedback mechanisms such as stellar winds, photoionization, and radiation pressur...