Connection between galaxy morphology and dark-matter halo structure I: a running threshold for thin discs and size predictors from the dark sector

Fuente: arXiv
Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Liang, Jinning, Jiang, Fangzhou, Mo, Houjun, Benson, Andrew, Dekel, Avishai, Tavron, Noa, Hopkins, Philip F., Ho, Luis C.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
Subjects:
Online Access:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866916921599852544
author Liang, Jinning
Jiang, Fangzhou
Mo, Houjun
Benson, Andrew
Dekel, Avishai
Tavron, Noa
Hopkins, Philip F.
Ho, Luis C.
author_facet Liang, Jinning
Jiang, Fangzhou
Mo, Houjun
Benson, Andrew
Dekel, Avishai
Tavron, Noa
Hopkins, Philip F.
Ho, Luis C.
contents We study the connection between galaxy morphology and host dark matter (DM) halo structure using cosmological simulations. Introducing a new kinematic decomposition scheme, we robustly separate thin and thick discs and measure halo properties, including cosmic web locations, internal structures, and assembly histories. In the TNG50 simulation, we find that the orbital-circularity threshold for disc differentiation varies systematically with galaxy mass and redshift. Similarly, the energy threshold between stellar halos and inner galaxies depends on mass and redshift, minimizing at sub-Galactic halo mass where the circularity threshold approaches its peak. Revisiting galaxy size predictors, we show that disc sizes in TNG50 correlate with three structural parameters beyond virial mass and redshift: 1) a positive correlation with halo spin $λ$ across redshifts -- stronger than previously reported for zoom-in simulations but still weaker than the simple $r_{1/2}/R_{\rm vir} \propto λ$ scaling; 2) an anti-correlation with DM concentration $c$; 3) larger discs in more actively accreting haloes. Disc mass fraction is higher in rounder haloes and in cosmic knots and filaments, implying that disc development needs both stable halo conditions and continuous material supply. Our methodology is public and adaptable to other simulations.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2403_14749
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Connection between galaxy morphology and dark-matter halo structure I: a running threshold for thin discs and size predictors from the dark sector
Liang, Jinning
Jiang, Fangzhou
Mo, Houjun
Benson, Andrew
Dekel, Avishai
Tavron, Noa
Hopkins, Philip F.
Ho, Luis C.
Astrophysics of Galaxies
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
We study the connection between galaxy morphology and host dark matter (DM) halo structure using cosmological simulations. Introducing a new kinematic decomposition scheme, we robustly separate thin and thick discs and measure halo properties, including cosmic web locations, internal structures, and assembly histories. In the TNG50 simulation, we find that the orbital-circularity threshold for disc differentiation varies systematically with galaxy mass and redshift. Similarly, the energy threshold between stellar halos and inner galaxies depends on mass and redshift, minimizing at sub-Galactic halo mass where the circularity threshold approaches its peak. Revisiting galaxy size predictors, we show that disc sizes in TNG50 correlate with three structural parameters beyond virial mass and redshift: 1) a positive correlation with halo spin $λ$ across redshifts -- stronger than previously reported for zoom-in simulations but still weaker than the simple $r_{1/2}/R_{\rm vir} \propto λ$ scaling; 2) an anti-correlation with DM concentration $c$; 3) larger discs in more actively accreting haloes. Disc mass fraction is higher in rounder haloes and in cosmic knots and filaments, implying that disc development needs both stable halo conditions and continuous material supply. Our methodology is public and adaptable to other simulations.
title Connection between galaxy morphology and dark-matter halo structure I: a running threshold for thin discs and size predictors from the dark sector
topic Astrophysics of Galaxies
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.14749