900 research outputs found
Dark MaGICC: the effect of Dark Energy on galaxy formation. Cosmology does matter
We present the Dark MaGICC project, which aims to investigate the effect of
Dark Energy (DE) modeling on galaxy formation via hydrodynamical cosmological
simulations. Dark MaGICC includes four dynamical Dark Energy scenarios with
time varying equations of state, one with a self-interacting Ratra-Peebles
model. In each scenario we simulate three galaxies with high resolution using
smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH). The baryonic physics model is the same
used in the Making Galaxies in a Cosmological Context (MaGICC) project, and we
varied only the background cosmology. We find that the Dark Energy
parameterization has a surprisingly important impact on galaxy evolution and on
structural properties of galaxies at z=0, in striking contrast with predictions
from pure Nbody simulations. The different background evolutions can (depending
on the behavior of the DE equation of state) either enhance or quench star
formation with respect to a LCDM model, at a level similar to the variation of
the stellar feedback parameterization, with strong effects on the final galaxy
rotation curves. While overall stellar feedback is still the driving force in
shaping galaxies, we show that the effect of the Dark Energy parameterization
plays a larger role than previously thought, especially at lower redshifts. For
this reason, the influence of Dark Energy parametrization on galaxy formation
must be taken into account, especially in the era of precision cosmology.Comment: 11 pages, 13 figure
MaGICC-WDM: the effects of warm dark matter in hydrodynamical simulations of disc galaxy formation
We study the effect of warm dark matter (WDM) on hydrodynamic simulations of
galaxy formation as part of the Making Galaxies in a Cosmological Context
(MaGICC) project. We simulate three different galaxies using three WDM
candidates of 1, 2 and 5 keV and compare results with pure cold dark matter
simulations. WDM slightly reduces star formation and produces less centrally
concentrated stellar profiles. These effects are most evident for the 1 keV
candidate but almost disappear for keV. All simulations
form similar stellar discs independent of WDM particle mass. In particular, the
disc scale length does not change when WDM is considered. The reduced amount of
star formation in the case of 1 keV particles is due to the effects of WDM on
merging satellites which are on average less concentrated and less gas rich.
The altered satellites cause a reduced starburst during mergers because they
trigger weaker disc instabilities in the main galaxy. Nevertheless we show that
disc galaxy evolution is much more sensitive to stellar feedback than it is to
WDM candidate mass. Overall we find that WDM, especially when restricted to
current observational constraints ( keV), has a minor
impact on disc galaxy formation.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures, 2 tables; minor clarifications added in results
section, conclusions unchanged; accepted for publication in MNRA
MaGICC baryon cycle: the enrichment history of simulated disc galaxies
Using cosmological galaxy formation simulations from the MaGICC (Making Galaxies in a Cosmological Context) project, spanning stellar mass from ∼107 to 3 × 1010 M⊙, we trace the baryonic cycle of infalling gas from the virial radius through to its eventual participation in the star formation process. An emphasis is placed upon the temporal history of chemical enrichment during its passage through the corona and circumgalactic medium. We derive the distributions of time between gas crossing the virial radius and being accreted to the star-forming region (which allows for mixing within the corona), as well as the time between gas being accreted to the star-forming region and then ultimately forming stars (which allows for mixing within the disc). Significant numbers of stars are formed from gas that cycles back through the hot halo after first accreting to the star-forming region. Gas entering high-mass galaxies is pre-enriched in low-mass proto-galaxies prior to entering the virial radius of the central progenitor, with only small amounts of primordial gas accreted, even at high redshift (z ∼ 5). After entering the virial radius, significant further enrichment occurs prior to the accretion of the gas to the star-forming region, with gas that is feeding the star-forming region surpassing 0.1 Z⊙ by z = 0. Mixing with halo gas, itself enriched via galactic fountains, is thus crucial in determining the metallicity at which gas is accreted to the disc. The lowest mass simulated galaxy (Mvir ∼ 2 × 1010 M⊙, with M⋆ ∼ 107 M⊙), by contrast, accretes primordial gas through the virial radius and on to the disc, throughout its history. Much like the case for classical analytical solutions to the so-called ‘G-dwarf problem’, overproduction of low-metallicity stars is ameliorated by the interplay between the time of accretion on to the disc and the subsequent involvement in star formation – i.e. due to the inefficiency of star formation. Finally, gas outflow/metal removal rates from star-forming regions as a function of galactic mass are presented
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