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A. Ferrara (Osservatorio Astrofisico Arcetri)
Supernova and multi-supernova explosions regulate several structural properties of galaxies. In particular, they govern the metal enrichment and the energy budget of the ISM; they might induce partial (blowout) or total (blowaway) gas removal in an outflow; they also regulate the pressure of the ISM and consequently the shape of the galactic gaseous body. Also, they are thought to play a key role for the development and support of a multiphase structure of the ISM via their kinetic, thermal and radiative energy injection. The physics of such system is very rich and the interplay among the different processes and hydrodynamic instabilities at work in not fully understood. After a summary of the main results concerning the evolution of explosions in realistic multiphase media, I will briefly review the physics relevant to the study of a multiphase ISM and emphasize the role of the various feedback processes involving massive stars. I will finally put these concepts in a more global view, outlining the role of ISM in galaxy evolution and, particularly, the relationship with the level of galactic star formation.
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