26,954 research outputs found
Dark-Halo Cusp: Asymptotic Convergence
We propose a model for how the buildup of dark halos by merging satellites
produces a characteristic inner cusp, of a density profile \rho \prop r^-a with
a -> a_as > 1, as seen in cosmological N-body simulations of hierarchical
clustering scenarios. Dekel, Devor & Hetzroni (2003) argue that a flat core of
a<1 exerts tidal compression which prevents local deposit of satellite
material; the satellite sinks intact into the halo center thus causing a rapid
steepening to a>1. Using merger N-body simulations, we learn that this cusp is
stable under a sequence of mergers, and derive a practical tidal mass-transfer
recipe in regions where the local slope of the halo profile is a>1. According
to this recipe, the ratio of mean densities of halo and initial satellite
within the tidal radius equals a given function psi(a), which is significantly
smaller than unity (compared to being 1 according to crude resonance criteria)
and is a decreasing function of a. This decrease makes the tidal mass transfer
relatively more efficient at larger a, which means steepening when a is small
and flattening when a is large, thus causing converges to a stable solution.
Given this mass-transfer recipe, linear perturbation analysis, supported by toy
simulations, shows that a sequence of cosmological mergers with homologous
satellites slowly leads to a fixed-point cusp with an asymptotic slope a_as>1.
The slope depends only weakly on the fluctuation power spectrum, in agreement
with cosmological simulations. During a long interim period the profile has an
NFW-like shape, with a cusp of 1<a<a_as. Thus, a cusp is enforced if enough
compact satellite remnants make it intact into the inner halo. In order to
maintain a flat core, satellites must be disrupted outside the core, possibly
as a result of a modest puffing up due to baryonic feedback.Comment: 37 pages, Latex, aastex.cls, revised, ApJ, 588, in pres
Understanding nonlinear saturation in zonal-flow-dominated ion temperature gradient turbulence
We propose a quantitative model of ion temperature gradient driven turbulence
in toroidal magnetized plasmas. In this model, the turbulence is regulated by
zonal flows, i.e. mode saturation occurs by a zonal-flow-mediated energy
cascade ("shearing"), and zonal flow amplitude is controlled by nonlinear
decay. Our model is tested in detail against numerical simulations to confirm
that both its assumptions and predictions are satisfied. Key results include
(1) a sensitivity of the nonlinear zonal flow response to the energy content of
the linear instability, (2) a persistence of zonal-flow-regulated saturation at
high temperature gradients, (3) a physical explanation of the nonlinear
saturation process in terms of secondary and tertiary instabilities, and (4)
dependence of heat flux in terms of dimensionless parameters.Comment: Final journal version. Some clarifications and a new Fig.
Moduli Spaces and Formal Operads
Let overline{M}_{g,n} be the moduli space of stable algebraic curves of genus
g with n marked points. With the operations which relate the different moduli
spaces identifying marked points, the family (overline{M}_{g,n})_{g,n} is a
modular operad of projective smooth Deligne-Mumford stacks, overline{M}. In
this paper we prove that the modular operad of singular chains
C_*(overline{M};Q) is formal; so it is weakly equivalent to the modular operad
of its homology H_*(overline{M};Q). As a consequence, the "up to homotopy"
algebras of these two operads are the same. To obtain this result we prove a
formality theorem for operads analogous to Deligne-Griffiths-Morgan-Sullivan
formality theorem, the existence of minimal models of modular operads, and a
characterization of formality for operads which shows that formality is
independent of the ground field.Comment: 36 pages (v3: some typographical corrections
The "Building Blocks" of Stellar Halos
The stellar halos of galaxies encode their accretion histories. In
particular, the median metallicity of a halo is determined primarily by the
mass of the most massive accreted object. We use hydrodynamical cosmological
simulations from the APOSTLE project to study the connection between the
stellar mass, the metallicity distribution, and the stellar age distribution of
a halo and the identity of its most massive progenitor. We find that the
stellar populations in an accreted halo typically resemble the old stellar
populations in a present-day dwarf galaxy with a stellar mass
dex greater than that of the stellar halo. This suggest that had they not been
accreted, the primary progenitors of stellar halos would have evolved to
resemble typical nearby dwarf irregulars.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, published in the proceedings of "On the Origin
(and Evolution) of Baryonic Galaxy Halos", Puerto Ayora, Ecuador, March 13-17
2017, Eds. Duncan A. Forbes and Ericson D. Lope
Tidal Torques and the Orientation of Nearby Disk Galaxies
We use numerical simulations to investigate the orientation of the angular
momentum axis of disk galaxies relative to their surrounding large scale
structure. We find that this is closely related to the spatial configuration at
turnaround of the material destined to form the galaxy, which is often part of
a coherent two-dimensional slab criss-crossed by filaments. The rotation axis
is found to align very well with the intermediate principal axis of the inertia
momentum tensor at this time. This orientation is approximately preserved
during the ensuing collapse, so that the rotation axis of the resulting disk
ends up lying on the plane traced by the protogalactic material at turnaround.
This suggests a tendency for disks to align themselves so that their rotation
axis is perpendicular to the minor axis of the structure defined by surrounding
matter. One example of this trend is provided by our own Galaxy, where the
Galactic plane is almost at right angles with the supergalactic plane (SGP)
drawn by nearby galaxies; indeed, the SGP latitude of the North Galactic Pole
is just 6 degrees. We have searched for a similar signature in catalogs of
nearby disk galaxies, and find a significant excess of edge-on spirals (for
which the orientation of the disk rotation axis may be determined
unambiguously) highly inclined relative to the SGP. This result supports the
view that disk galaxies acquire their angular momentum as a consequence of
early tidal torques acting during the expansion phase of the protogalactic
material.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ
Is a Simple Collisionless Relic Dark Matter Particle Ruled Out?
The central densities of dark matter (DM) halos are much lower than predicted
in cold DM models of structure formation. Confirmation that they have cores
with a finite central density would allow us to rule out many popular types of
collisionless particle as candidates for DM. Any model that leads to cusped
halos (such as cold DM) is already facing serious difficulties on small scales
and hot DM models have been excluded. Here I show that fermionic warm DM is
inconsistent with the wide range of phase space densities in the DM halos of
well-observed nearby galaxies.Comment: 6 pages, 1 figure, LaTeX uses emulateapj.sty, revised version to
appear in ApJ Letters. Argument clarified and strengthened in response to
criticism, conclusions little change
Mass Estimates of X-Ray Clusters
We use cosmological gas dynamic simulations to investigate the accuracy of
galaxy cluster mass estimates based on X-ray observations. The experiments
follow the formation of clusters in different cosmological models and include
the effects of gravity, pressure gradients, and hydrodynamical shocks. A subset
of our ensemble also allows for feedback of mass and energy from galactic winds
into the intracluster medium. We find that mass estimates based on the
hydrostatic, isothermal beta-model are remarkably accurate when evaluated at
radii where the cluster mean density is between 500-2500 times the critical
density. Applied to 174 artificial ROSAT images constructed from the
simulations, the distribution of the estimated-to-true mass ratio is nearly
unbiased and has a standard deviation of 14-29%. The scatter can be
considerably reduced (to 8-15%) by using an alternative mass estimator that
exploits the tightness of the mass-temperature relation found in the
simulations. The improvement over beta-model estimates is due to the
elimination of the variance contributed by the gas outer slope parameter. We
discuss these findings and their implications for recent measurements of
cluster baryon fractions.Comment: TeX, 24p; 11 Postscript figs. Submitted to the Astrophysical Journa
- …