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 $[150-200] km s^{-1}$ 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 ($Z = [0,10^{-4}]$) as possible progenitors. The model that better reproduces observations assumes that a $\sim 20\%$ fraction of low-metallicity black holes are in binary systems which produce BHXs. These sources are estimated to deposit $\sim 10^{52}$ erg of kinetic energy per event. With these parameters and in the simulated volume, we find that the energy injected by BHXs represents $\sim 30\%$ of the total energy released by SNII and BHX events at redshift $z\sim7$ and then decreases rapidly as baryons get chemically enriched. Haloes with virial masses smaller than $\sim 10^{10} \,M_{\odot}$ (or $T_{\rm vir} \lesssim 10^5$ K) are the most directly affected ones by BHX feedback. These haloes host galaxies with stellar masses in the range $10^7 - 10^8$ M$_\odot$. 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 $M_{gas}/M_{total}$ 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