NIHAO IV: Core creation and destruction in dark matter density profiles across cosmic time

We use the NIHAO simulations to investigate the effects of baryonic physics on the time evolution of Dark Matter central density profiles. The sample is made of $\approx 70$ independent high resolution hydrodynamical simulations of galaxy formation and covers a wide mass range: 1e10< Mhalo <1e12, i.e., from dwarfs to L* . We confirm previous results on the dependence of the inner dark matter density slope, $\alpha$, on the ratio between stellar-to-halo mass. We show that this relation holds approximately at all redshifts (with an intrinsic scatter of ~0.18 in $\alpha$). This implies that in practically all haloes the shape of their inner density profile changes quite substantially over cosmic time, as they grow in stellar and total mass. Thus, depending on their final stellar-to-halo mass ratio, haloes can either form and keep a substantial density core (size~1 kpc), or form and then destroy the core and re-contract the halo, going back to a cuspy profile, which is even steeper than CDM predictions for massive galaxies (~1e12 Msun). We show that results from the NIHAO suite are in good agreement with recent observational measurements of $\alpha$ in dwarf galaxies. Overall our results suggest that the notion of a universal density profile for dark matter haloes is no longer valid in the presence of galaxy formation.Comment: 11 pages, 13 figures. Corrected typo in table 2 (middle row) with respect to the version published in MNRA

Cosmic CARNage I: on the calibration of galaxy formation models

We present a comparison of nine galaxy formation models, eight semi-analytical, and one halo occupation distribution model, run on the same underlying cold dark matter simulation (cosmological box of comoving width 125h−1 Mpc, with a dark-matter particle mass of 1.24 × 109h−1M) and the same merger trees. While their free parameters have been calibrated to the same observational data sets using two approaches, they nevertheless retain some ‘memory’ of any previous calibration that served as the starting point (especially for the manually tuned models). For the first calibration, models reproduce the observed z = 0 galaxy stellar mass function (SMF) within 3σ. The second calibration extended the observational data to include the z = 2 SMF alongside the z ∼ 0 star formation rate function, cold gas mass, and the black hole–bulge mass relation. Encapsulating the observed evolution of the SMF from z = 2 to 0 is found to be very hard within the context of the physics currently included in the models. We finally use our calibrated models to study the evolution of the stellar-to-halo mass (SHM) ratio. For all models, we find that the peak value of the SHM relation decreases with redshift. However, the trends seen for the evolution of the peak position as well as the mean scatter in the SHM relation are rather weak and strongly model dependent. Both the calibration data sets and model results are publicly available.Instituto de Astrofísica de La PlataFacultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísica

Cosmic CARNage I: on the calibration of galaxy formation models

We present a comparison of nine galaxy formation models, eight semi-analytical, and one halo occupation distribution model, run on the same underlying cold dark matter simulation (cosmological box of comoving width 125h−1 Mpc, with a dark-matter particle mass of 1.24 × 109h−1M) and the same merger trees. While their free parameters have been calibrated to the same observational data sets using two approaches, they nevertheless retain some ‘memory’ of any previous calibration that served as the starting point (especially for the manually tuned models). For the first calibration, models reproduce the observed z = 0 galaxy stellar mass function (SMF) within 3σ. The second calibration extended the observational data to include the z = 2 SMF alongside the z ∼ 0 star formation rate function, cold gas mass, and the black hole–bulge mass relation. Encapsulating the observed evolution of the SMF from z = 2 to 0 is found to be very hard within the context of the physics currently included in the models. We finally use our calibrated models to study the evolution of the stellar-to-halo mass (SHM) ratio. For all models, we find that the peak value of the SHM relation decreases with redshift. However, the trends seen for the evolution of the peak position as well as the mean scatter in the SHM relation are rather weak and strongly model dependent. Both the calibration data sets and model results are publicly available.Instituto de Astrofísica de La PlataFacultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísica

Cosmic CARNage I: on the calibration of galaxy formation models

We present a comparison of nine galaxy formation models, eight semi-analytical, and one halo occupation distribution model, run on the same underlying cold dark matter simulation (cosmological box of comoving width 125h−1 Mpc, with a dark-matter particle mass of 1.24 × 109h−1M) and the same merger trees. While their free parameters have been calibrated to the same observational data sets using two approaches, they nevertheless retain some ‘memory’ of any previous calibration that served as the starting point (especially for the manually tuned models). For the first calibration, models reproduce the observed z = 0 galaxy stellar mass function (SMF) within 3σ. The second calibration extended the observational data to include the z = 2 SMF alongside the z ∼ 0 star formation rate function, cold gas mass, and the black hole–bulge mass relation. Encapsulating the observed evolution of the SMF from z = 2 to 0 is found to be very hard within the context of the physics currently included in the models. We finally use our calibrated models to study the evolution of the stellar-to-halo mass (SHM) ratio. For all models, we find that the peak value of the SHM relation decreases with redshift. However, the trends seen for the evolution of the peak position as well as the mean scatter in the SHM relation are rather weak and strongly model dependent. Both the calibration data sets and model results are publicly available.Instituto de Astrofísica de La PlataFacultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísica

Cosmic CARNage I: on the calibration of galaxy formation models

We present a comparison of nine galaxy formation models, eight semi-analytical, and one halo occupation distribution model, run on the same underlying cold dark matter simulation (cosmological box of comoving width 125h−1 Mpc, with a dark-matter particle mass of 1.24 × 109h−1M) and the same merger trees. While their free parameters have been calibrated to the same observational data sets using two approaches, they nevertheless retain some ‘memory’ of any previous calibration that served as the starting point (especially for the manually tuned models). For the first calibration, models reproduce the observed z = 0 galaxy stellar mass function (SMF) within 3σ. The second calibration extended the observational data to include the z = 2 SMF alongside the z ∼ 0 star formation rate function, cold gas mass, and the black hole–bulge mass relation. Encapsulating the observed evolution of the SMF from z = 2 to 0 is found to be very hard within the context of the physics currently included in the models. We finally use our calibrated models to study the evolution of the stellar-to-halo mass (SHM) ratio. For all models, we find that the peak value of the SHM relation decreases with redshift. However, the trends seen for the evolution of the peak position as well as the mean scatter in the SHM relation are rather weak and strongly model dependent. Both the calibration data sets and model results are publicly available

Formation and evolution of the galaxies in cosmology : semi-analytic models and hydrodynamical simulations

Une galaxie est un système complexe au sens où, autant des phénomènes se produisant à l'échelle du milieu interstellaire, comme des explosions de supernovæ ou l'activité d'un trou noir supermassif, que des interactions entre galaxies au sein de groupes ou d'amas, comme l'effeuillage par effet de marée ou par effet de bélier, influencent et conditionnent l'évolution de la galaxie dans son ensemble. Comme les processus œuvrant dans de tels systèmes font intervenir une gamme d'échelle de temps et de distance considérable, allant de l'étoile individuelle aux amas de galaxies tout entier, leur modélisation constitue un immense défi qui ne peut être relevé ni par une approche purement analytique ni par l'entremise de techniques exclusivement numériques.Cette thèse, à l'interface entre modèles semi-analytique et analyse de simulations numériques, se concentre sur l'étude de l'effeuillage des étoiles des galaxies satellites par effet de marée et sur les rétro-actions induites par les supernovæ.Ce manuscrit présente, d'une part, un modèle d'occupation des halos permettant de contraindre la masse d'étoiles perdue par les galaxies satellites depuis leur entrée dans leur groupe ou leur amas ainsi qu'un modèle d'effeuillage impulsif prédisant la masse stellaire arrachée aux satellites. Ce dernier est confronté, par le truchement du modèle d'occupation des halos, aux observations des fonctions de masses des groupes et des amas.Il expose, d'autre part, l'étude des rétro-actions des supernovæ implémenté dans les simulations numériques du projet NIHAO, conduite en séparant en différentes composantes le gaz des simulations et en comptabilisant les échanges entre ces dernières, laquelle a permis de mettre en évidence trois processus distincts par le biais desquels les supernovæ réduisent ou suppriment la formation stellaire.Enfin, il détaille les améliorations techniques et scientifiques apportées au modèle semi-analytique GalICS.A galaxy is a complex system since as many phenomena take place at the scale of the interstellar medium, such as supernovae explosions or the activity of supermassive black holes, as interactions between galaxies within groups or clusters, such as tidal or ram pressure stripping, affect and condition the evolution of the galaxy itself as a whole. Because the processes acting in such systems involve a considerable range of times and distances, going from individual stars to entire clusters of galaxies, they modelling constitutes an immense challenge that cannot be met neither by a purely analytical approach nor by solely numerical technics.This thesis, being at the interface between semi-analytical models and the analysis of numerical simulations, focuses on the study of star stripping in satellite galaxies by tidal effects and on the supernovae induced feedback.This manuscript presents, on one hand, an halo occupation model that allows to constrain the stellar mass lost by satellite galaxies since they entered their group or their cluster, and a model of impulsive stripping that predicts the stellar mass ripped out of satellites. The latter is compared, through the halo occupation model, to the observed mass functions of groups and clusters.It exposes, on the other hand, the study of the supernovae feedback implemented in the numerical simulations of the NIHAO project, performed separating the simulated gas into different components and counting the exchanges that take place between them. This allowed for the highlighting of three distinct processes through which supernovae reduce or suppress their star formation

On stellar mass loss from galaxies in groups and clusters

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The effect of cosmic rays on the observational properties of the CGM

International audienceThe circumgalactic medium (CGM) contains information on the cumulative effect of galactic outflows over time, generally thought to be caused by feedback from star formation and active galactic nuclei. Observations of such outflows via absorption in CGM gas of quasar sightlines show a significant amount of cold (⁠|${\lesssim}10^4\,{\rm K}$|⁠) gas, which cosmological simulations struggle to reproduce. Here, we use the adaptive mesh refinement hydrodynamical code Ramses to investigate the effect of cosmic rays (CR) on the cold gas content of the CGM using three zoom realizations of a z = 1 star-forming galaxy with supernova mechanical feedback: one with no CR feedback (referred to as no-CR), one with a medium CR diffusion coefficient |$\kappa = 10^{28} \, \rm {cm^{2}\, s^{-1}}$| (CR−κ_med), and one with a high rate of diffusion of |$\kappa = 3\times 10^{29} \, \rm {cm^{2}\,\, s^{-1}}$| (CR−κ_high). We find that, for CR−κ_med, the effects of CRs are largely confined to the galaxy itself as CRs do not extend far into the CGM. However, for CR−κ_high, the CGM temperature is lowered and the amount of outflowing gas is boosted. Our CR simulations fall short of the observed Mg ii covering fraction, a tracer of gas at temperatures |${\lesssim}10^4\,{\rm K}$|⁠, but the CR−κ_high simulation is more in agreement with covering fractions of C iv and O vi, which trace higher temperature gas

NIHAO – IV: core creation and destruction in dark matter density profiles across cosmic time

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