scholarly journals NIHAO – XXV. Convergence in the cusp-core transformation of cold dark matter haloes at high star formation thresholds

2020 ◽  
Vol 499 (2) ◽  
pp. 2648-2661
Author(s):  
Aaron A Dutton ◽  
Tobias Buck ◽  
Andrea V Macciò ◽  
Keri L Dixon ◽  
Marvin Blank ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dark Matter ◽  
Star Formation ◽  
Galaxy Formation ◽  
Cold Dark Matter ◽  
Dwarf Galaxies ◽  
Dwarf Galaxy ◽  
Good Description ◽  
Good Match ◽  
Virial Mass ◽  
Density Threshold

ABSTRACT We use cosmological hydrodynamical galaxy formation simulations from the NIHAO project to investigate the response of cold dark matter (CDM) haloes to baryonic processes. Previous work has shown that the halo response is primarily a function of the ratio between galaxy stellar mass and total virial mass, and the density threshold above which gas is eligible to form stars, n[cm−3]. At low n all simulations in the literature agree that dwarf galaxy haloes are cuspy, but at high n ≳ 100 there is no consensus. We trace halo contraction in dwarf galaxies with n ≳ 100 reported in some previous simulations to insufficient spatial resolution. Provided the adopted star formation threshold is appropriate for the resolution of the simulation, we show that the halo response is remarkably stable for n ≳ 5, up to the highest star formation threshold that we test, n = 500. This free parameter can be calibrated using the observed clustering of young stars. Simulations with low thresholds n ≤ 1 predict clustering that is too weak, while simulations with high star formation thresholds n ≳ 5, are consistent with the observed clustering. Finally, we test the CDM predictions against the circular velocities of nearby dwarf galaxies. Low thresholds predict velocities that are too high, while simulations with n ∼ 10 provide a good match to the observations. We thus conclude that the CDM model provides a good description of the structure of galaxies on kpc scales provided the effects of baryons are properly captured.

scholarly journals Galaxy Formation: Confrontation with Observations

1987 ◽  
Vol 124 ◽  
pp. 391-413
Author(s):  
Joseph Silk
Keyword(s):  
Dark Matter ◽  
Star Formation ◽  
Galaxy Formation ◽  
Cold Dark Matter ◽  
Dwarf Galaxies ◽  
Density Fluctuations ◽  
Inflationary Cosmology ◽  
Lyman Alpha ◽  
Gaussian Density

The implications for galaxy formation of inflationary cosmology are reviewed. In particular, I explore some implications of the hypothesis that galaxies form from adiabatic, gaussian density fluctuations in a cold dark matter–dominated universe. Topics discussed include protogalaxies and the epoch of galaxy formation, Lyman alpha clouds, dark halos and dwarf galaxies. Finally I describe how environmental biasing may arise as a consequence of tidally induced star formation in protoclusters.

The Future of Dwarf Galaxy Research: What Simulations will Predict?

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (S344) ◽  
pp. 17-26
Author(s):  
Laura V. Sales
Keyword(s):  
Dark Matter ◽  
Galaxy Formation ◽  
Cold Dark Matter ◽  
Dwarf Galaxies ◽  
Dwarf Galaxy ◽  
Matter Content ◽  
Dark Matter Halos ◽  
Matter Distribution ◽  
The Future ◽  
Dark Matter Distribution

AbstractWe present a summary of the predictions from numerical simulations to our understanding of dwarf galaxies. It centers the discussion around the Λ Cold Dark Matter scenario (ΛCDM) but discusses also implications for alternative dark matter models. Four key predictions are identified: the abundance of dwarf galaxies, their dark matter content, their relation with environment and the existence of dwarf satellites orbiting dwarf field galaxies. We discuss tensions with observations and identify the most exciting predictions expected from simulations in the future, including i) the existence of “dark galaxies” (dark matter halos without stars), ii) the ability to resolve the structure (size, morphology, dark matter distribution) in dwarfs and iii) the number of ultra-faint satellites around dwarf galaxies. All of these predictions shall inform future observations, not only the faintest galaxies to be discovered within the Local Volume but also distant dwarfs driving galaxy formation in the early universe.

scholarly journals Associations of dwarf galaxies in a ΛCDM Universe

2020 ◽  
Vol 499 (4) ◽  
pp. 5932-5940
Author(s):  
C Yamila Yaryura ◽  
Mario G Abadi ◽  
Stefan Gottlöber ◽  
Noam I Libeskind ◽  
Sofía A Cora ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dark Matter ◽  
Galaxy Formation ◽  
Cold Dark Matter ◽  
Velocity Dispersion ◽  
Dwarf Galaxies ◽  
Dwarf Galaxy ◽  
Local Volume ◽  
Λcdm Model ◽  
First Time ◽  
Maximum Threshold

ABSTRACT Associations of dwarf galaxies are loose systems composed exclusively of dwarf galaxies. These systems were identified in the Local Volume for the first time more than 30 yr ago. We study these systems in the cosmological framework of the Λ cold dark matter (ΛCDM) model. We consider the Small MultiDark Planck simulation and populate its dark matter haloes by applying the semi-analytic model of galaxy formation SAG. We identify galaxy systems using a friends-of-friends algorithm with a linking length equal to $b=0.4 \, {\rm Mpc}\, h^{-1}$ to reproduce the size of dwarf galaxy associations detected in the Local Volume. Our samples of dwarf systems are built up removing those systems that have one or more galaxies with stellar mass larger than a maximum threshold Mmax. We analyse three different samples defined by ${\rm log}_{10}(M_{\rm max}[{\rm M}_{\odot }\, h^{-1}]) = 8.5, 9.0$, and 9.5. On average, our systems have typical sizes of $\sim 0.2\, {\rm Mpc}\, h^{-1}$, velocity dispersion of $\sim 30 {\rm km\, s^{-1}}$, and estimated total mass of $\sim 10^{11} {\rm M}_{\odot }\, h^{-1}$. Such large typical sizes suggest that individual members of a given dwarf association reside in different dark matter haloes and are generally not substructures of any other halo. Indeed, in more than 90 per cent of our dwarf systems their individual members inhabit different dark matter haloes, while only in the remaining 10 per cent members do reside in the same halo. Our results indicate that the ΛCDM model can naturally reproduce the existence and properties of dwarf galaxies’ associations without much difficulty.

scholarly journals Local group star formation in warm and self-interacting dark matter cosmologies

2020 ◽  
Vol 498 (1) ◽  
pp. 702-717 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark R Lovell ◽  
Wojciech Hellwing ◽  
Aaron Ludlow ◽  
Jesús Zavala ◽  
Andrew Robertson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dark Matter ◽  
Star Formation ◽  
Galaxy Formation ◽  
Cold Dark Matter ◽  
Local Group ◽  
Initial Density ◽  
Dark Matter Mass ◽  
Stellar Ages ◽  
Hydrodynamical Simulations ◽  
Star Formation Histories

ABSTRACT The nature of the dark matter can affect the collapse time of dark matter haloes, and can therefore be imprinted in observables such as the stellar population ages and star formation histories of dwarf galaxies. In this paper, we use high-resolution hydrodynamical simulations of Local Group-analogue (LG) volumes in cold dark matter (CDM), sterile neutrino warm dark matter (WDM) and self-interacting dark matter (SIDM) models with the eagle galaxy formation code to study how galaxy formation times change with dark matter model. We are able to identify the same haloes in different simulations, since they share the same initial density field phases. We find that the stellar mass of galaxies depends systematically on resolution, and can differ by as much as a factor of 2 in haloes of a given dark matter mass. The evolution of the stellar populations in SIDM is largely identical to that of CDM, but in WDM early star formation is instead suppressed. The time at which LG haloes can begin to form stars through atomic cooling is delayed by ∼200 Myr in WDM models compared to CDM. It will be necessary to measure stellar ages of old populations to a precision of better than 100 Myr, and to address degeneracies with the redshift of reionization – and potentially other baryonic processes – in order to use these observables to distinguish between dark matter models.

scholarly journals ETHOS – an effective theory of structure formation: formation of the first haloes and their stars

2019 ◽  
Vol 485 (4) ◽  
pp. 5474-5489 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark R Lovell ◽  
Jesús Zavala ◽  
Mark Vogelsberger
Keyword(s):  
Dark Matter ◽  
Power Spectrum ◽  
Galaxy Formation ◽  
Cold Dark Matter ◽  
Dwarf Galaxy ◽  
Mass Scale ◽  
Effective Theory ◽  
Matter Power Spectrum ◽  
Hydrodynamical Simulations ◽  
Stellar Masses

Abstract A cut-off in the linear matter power spectrum at dwarf galaxy scales has been shown to affect the abundance, formation mechanism and age of dwarf haloes, and their galaxies at high and low redshifts. We use hydrodynamical simulations of galaxy formation within the ETHOS framework in a benchmark model that has such a cut-off and that has been shown to be an alternative to the cold dark matter (CDM) model that alleviates its dwarf-scale challenges. We show how galaxies in this model form differently to CDM, on a halo-by-halo basis, at redshifts z ≥ 6. We show that when CDM haloes with masses around the ETHOS half-mode mass scale are resimulated with the ETHOS matter power spectrum, they form with 50 per cent less mass than their CDM counterparts due to their later formation times, yet they retain more of their gas reservoir due to the different behaviour of gas and dark matter during the monolithic collapse of the first haloes in models with a galactic-scale cut-off. As a result, galaxies in ETHOS haloes near the cut-off scale grow rapidly between z = 10 and 6 and by z = 6 end up having very similar stellar masses, higher gas fractions and higher star formation rates relative to their CDM counterparts. We highlight these differences by making predictions for how the number of galaxies with old stellar populations is suppressed in ETHOS for both z = 6 galaxies and for gas-poor Local Group fossil galaxies. Interestingly, we find an age gradient in ETHOS between galaxies that form in high- and low-density environments.

scholarly journals Dark Matter Substructure and Dwarf Galactic Satellites

2010 ◽  
Vol 2010 ◽  
pp. 1-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrey Kravtsov
Keyword(s):  
Dark Matter ◽  
Galaxy Formation ◽  
Luminosity Function ◽  
Cold Dark Matter ◽  
Dynamical Friction ◽  
Density Profiles ◽  
Tidal Forces ◽  
Central Regions ◽  
Galactic Satellites ◽  
Virial Mass

A decade ago cosmological simulations of increasingly higher resolution were used to demonstrate that virialized regions of Cold Dark Matter (CDM) halos are filled with a multitude of dense, gravitationally bound clumps. These dark mattersubhalosare central regions of halos that survived strong gravitational tidal forces and dynamical friction during the hierarchical sequence of merging and accretion via which the CDM halos form. Comparisons with observations revealed that there is a glaring discrepancy between abundance of subhalos and luminous satellites of the Milky Way and Andromeda as a function of their circular velocity or bound mass within a fixed aperture. This large discrepancy, which became known as the “substructure” or the “missing satellites” problem, begs for an explanation. In this paper, the author reviews the progress made during the last several years both in quantifying the problem and in exploring possible scenarios in which it could be accommodated and explained in the context of galaxy formation in the framework of the CDM paradigm of structure formation. In particular, he shows that the observed luminosity function, radial distribution, and the remarkable similarity of the inner density profiles of luminous satellites can be understood within hierarchical CDM framework using a simple model in which efficiency of star formation monotonically decreases with decreasing virial mass satellites had before their accretionwithout any actual sharp galaxy formation threshold.

scholarly journals Superclustering: Theory Versus Observations

1988 ◽  
Vol 130 ◽  
pp. 245-254
Author(s):  
Jaan Einasto ◽  
Maret Einasto ◽  
Enn Saar ◽  
Bernard J. T. Jones ◽  
Vicent J. Martinez
Keyword(s):  
Dark Matter ◽  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Fractal Dimension ◽  
Galaxy Formation ◽  
Multifractal Analysis ◽  
Cold Dark Matter ◽  
Dwarf Galaxies ◽  
Local Supercluster ◽  
Theory Versus

The spatial distribution of galaxies is compared with model distributions. It is demonstrated that giant and dwarf galaxies in the Local Supercluster occupy statistically identical regions. Various tests suggest that galaxy formation is biased since all unbiased model distributions are in conflict with observed distribution of galaxies. Multifractal analysis shows that a cold dark matter dominated universe with biased galaxy formation has a fairly constant fractal dimension over a broad range of scales. This contrasts with the observed distribution which does not show simple fractal features.

scholarly journals Dwarf Galaxies as Cosmological Probes

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (S344) ◽  
pp. 455-463
Author(s):  
Julio F. Navarro
Keyword(s):  
Dark Matter ◽  
Galaxy Formation ◽  
Cold Dark Matter ◽  
Dwarf Galaxies ◽  
Dark Matter Halos ◽  
Too Big To Fail ◽  
Sharp Minimum ◽  
Luminous Galaxies ◽  
Small Scales ◽  
Low Mass

AbstractThe Lambda Cold Dark Matter (LCDM) paradigm makes specific predictions for the abundance, structure, substructure and clustering of dark matter halos, the sites of galaxy formation. These predictions can be directly tested, in the low-mass halo regime, by dark matter-dominated dwarf galaxies. A number of potential challenges to LCDM have been identified when confronting the expected properties of dwarfs with observation. I review our understanding of a few of these issues, including the “missing satellites” and the “too-big-to-fail” problems, and argue that neither poses an insurmountable challenge to LCDM. Solving these problems requires that most dwarf galaxies inhabit halos of similar mass, and that there is a relatively sharp minimum halo mass threshold to form luminous galaxies. These predictions are eminently falsifiable. In particular, LCDM predicts a large number of “dark” low-mass halos, some of which should have retained enough primordial gas to be detectable in deep 21 cm or Hα surveys. Detecting this predicted population of “mini-halos” would be a major discovery and a resounding success for LCDM on small scales.

scholarly journals Galaxies on Sub-Galactic Scales

2012 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 383-394 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helmut Jerjen
Keyword(s):  
Dark Matter ◽  
Galaxy Formation ◽  
Cold Dark Matter ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Dwarf Galaxy ◽  
Near Field ◽  
Sloan Digital Sky Survey ◽  
Matter Theory ◽  
Satellite Galaxies ◽  
Star Formation Histories

AbstractThe Sloan Digital Sky Survey has been immensely successful in detecting new Milky Way satellite galaxies over the past seven years. It was instrumental in finding examples of the least luminous galaxies we know in the Universe, uncovering apparent inconsistencies between cold dark matter theory and dwarf galaxy properties, providing first evidence for a possible lower mass limit for dark matter halos in visible galaxies, and reopening the discussion about the building block scenario for the Milky Way halo. Nonetheless, these results are still drawn only from a relatively small number of galaxies distributed over an area covering about 29% of the sky, which leaves us currently with more questions than answers. The study of these extreme stellar systems is a multi-parameter problem: ages, metallicities, star formation histories, dark matter contents, population fractions and spatial distributions must be determined. Progress in the field is discussed and attention drawn to some of the limitations that currently hamper our ability to fully understand the phenomenon of the ‘ultra-faint dwarf galaxy’. In this context, the Stromlo Milky Way Satellite Survey represents a new initiative to systematically search and scrutinize optically elusive Milky Way satellite galaxies in the Southern hemisphere. In doing so, the program aims at investigating some of the challenging questions in stellar evolution, galaxy formation and near-field cosmology.

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