289 research outputs found
Dark Matter Halo Structure in CDM Hydrodynamical Simulations
We have carried out a comparative analysis of the properties of dark matter
halos in N-body and hydrodynamical simulations. We analyze their density
profiles, shapes and kinematical properties with the aim of assessing the
effects that hydrodynamical processes might produce on the evolution of the
dark matter component. The simulations performed allow us to reproduce dark
matter halos with high resolution, although the range of circular velocities is
limited. We find that for halos with circular velocities of at the virial radius, the presence of baryons affects the evolution of
the dark matter component in the central region modifying the density profiles,
shapes and velocity dispersions. We also analyze the rotation velocity curves
of disk-like structures and compare them with observational results.Comment: 28 pages, 15 figures (figures 3ab sent by request), 2 tables.
Accepted for publication MNRA
Stellar haloes in Milky-Way mass galaxies: From the inner to the outer haloes
We present a comprehensive study of the chemical properties of the stellar
haloes of Milky-Way mass galaxies, analysing the transition between the inner
to the outer haloes. We find the transition radius between the relative
dominance of the inner-halo and outer-halo stellar populations to be ~15-20 kpc
for most of our haloes, similar to that inferred for the Milky Way from recent
observations. While the number density of stars in the simulated inner-halo
populations decreases rapidly with distance, the outer-halo populations
contribute about 20-40 per cent in the fiducial solar neighborhood, in
particular at the lowest metallicities. We have determined [Fe/H] profiles for
our simulated haloes; they exhibit flat or mild gradients, in the range
[-0.002, -0.01 ] dex/kpc. The metallicity distribution functions exhibit
different features, reflecting the different assembly history of the individual
stellar haloes. We find that stellar haloes formed with larger contributions
from massive subgalactic systems have steeper metallicity gradients. Very
metal-poor stars are mainly contributed to the halo systems by lower-mass
satellites. There is a clear trend among the predicted metallicity distribution
functions that a higher fraction of low-metallicity stars are found with
increasing radius. These properties are consistent with the range of behaviours
observed for stellar haloes of nearby galaxies.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures. Accepted MNRAS. Revised version after referee's
comment
Clumpy Disc and Bulge Formation
We present a set of hydrodynamical/Nbody controlled simulations of isolated
gas rich galaxies that self-consistently include SN feedback and a detailed
chemical evolution model, both tested in cosmological simulations. The initial
conditions are motivated by the observed star forming galaxies at z ~ 2-3. We
find that the presence of a multiphase interstellar media in our models
promotes the growth of disc instability favouring the formation of clumps which
in general, are not easily disrupted on timescales compared to the migration
time. We show that stellar clumps migrate towards the central region and
contribute to form a classical-like bulge with a Sersic index, n > 2. Our
physically-motivated Supernova feedback has a mild influence on clump survival
and evolution, partially limiting the mass growth of clumps as the energy
released per Supernova event is increased, with the consequent flattening of
the bulge profile. This regulation does not prevent the building of a
classical-like bulge even for the most energetic feedback tested. Our Supernova
feedback model is able to establish a self-regulated star formation, producing
mass-loaded outflows and stellar age spreads comparable to observations. We
find that the bulge formation by clumps may coexit with other channels of bulge
assembly such as bar and mergers. Our results suggest that galactic bulges
could be interpreted as composite systems with structural components and
stellar populations storing archaeological information of the dynamical history
of their galaxy.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS - Aug. 20, 201
Stellar feedback from HMXBs in cosmological hydrodynamical simulations
We explored the role of X-ray binaries composed by a black hole and a massive
stellar companion (BHXs) as sources of kinetic feedback by using hydrodynamical
cosmological simulations. Following previous results, our BHX model selects low
metal-poor stars () as possible progenitors. The model that
better reproduces observations assumes that a fraction of
low-metallicity black holes are in binary systems which produce BHXs. These
sources are estimated to deposit erg of kinetic energy per
event. With these parameters and in the simulated volume, we find that the
energy injected by BHXs represents of the total energy released by
SNII and BHX events at redshift and then decreases rapidly as baryons
get chemically enriched. Haloes with virial masses smaller than (or K) are the most directly affected
ones by BHX feedback. These haloes host galaxies with stellar masses in the
range M. Our results show that BHX feedback is able to
keep the interstellar medium warm, without removing a significant gas fraction,
in agreement with previous analytical calculations. Consequently, the
stellar-to-dark matter mass ratio is better reproduced at high redshift. Our
model also predicts a stronger evolution of the number of galaxies as a
function of the stellar mass with redshift when BHX feedback is considered.
These findings support previous claims that the BHXs could be an effective
source of feedback in early stages of galaxy evolution.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
Analysis of Galaxy Formation with Hydrodynamics
We present a hydrodynamical code based on the Smooth Particle Hydrodynamics
technique implemented in an AP3M code aimed at solving the hydrodynamical and
gravitational equations in a cosmological frame. We analyze the ability of the
code to reproduce standard tests and perform numerical simulations to study the
formation of galaxies in a typical region of a CDM model. These numerical
simulations include gas and dark matter particles and take into account
physical processes such as shock waves, radiative cooling, and a simplified
model of star formation. Several observed properties of normal galaxies such as
ratios, the luminosity function and the Tully-Fisher
relation are analyzed within the limits imposed by numerical resolution.Comment: 21 pages, 2 postscript tables. Submitted MNRAS 04.03.9
- …