Gravitational potential drives the concentration dependence of the stellar mass-halo mass relation

Fuente: arXiv
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Autores principales: Wang, Kai, Schaye, Joop, Benítez-Llambay, Alejandro, Chaikin, Evgenii, Frenk, Carlos S., Huško, Filip, McGibbon, Robert J., Ploeckinger, Sylvia, Richings, Alexander J., Schaller, Matthieu, Trayford, James W.
Formato: Preprint
Publicado: 2025
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author Wang, Kai
Schaye, Joop
Benítez-Llambay, Alejandro
Chaikin, Evgenii
Frenk, Carlos S.
Huško, Filip
McGibbon, Robert J.
Ploeckinger, Sylvia
Richings, Alexander J.
Schaller, Matthieu
Trayford, James W.
author_facet Wang, Kai
Schaye, Joop
Benítez-Llambay, Alejandro
Chaikin, Evgenii
Frenk, Carlos S.
Huško, Filip
McGibbon, Robert J.
Ploeckinger, Sylvia
Richings, Alexander J.
Schaller, Matthieu
Trayford, James W.
contents We investigate the origin of the scatter in the stellar mass-halo mass (SMHM) relation using the \colibre cosmological hydrodynamical simulations. At fixed halo mass, we find a clear positive correlation between stellar mass and halo concentration, particularly in low-mass haloes between $10^{11}$ and $10^{12}\,\rm M_\odot$, where all halo properties are computed from the corresponding dark-matter-only simulation. Two scenarios have been proposed to explain this trend: the earlier formation of higher-concentration haloes allows more time for star formation, or the deeper gravitational potential wells of higher-concentration haloes enhance baryon retention. To distinguish between them, we examine correlations between halo concentration, stellar mass, stellar age, and stellar metallicity. While, at fixed halo mass, halo concentration correlates with stellar age, stellar age itself shows only a weak correlation with stellar mass, indicating that early formation alone cannot account for the concentration-dependence in the scatter of the SMHM relation. In contrast, both stellar metallicity and halo concentration exhibit correlations with stellar mass. The connection between halo concentration and stellar metallicity persists even when simultaneously controlling for both halo mass and stellar mass. These results support the scenario in which the deeper gravitational potentials in higher-concentration haloes suppress feedback-driven outflows, thereby enhancing both baryon and metal retention.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2511_20165
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Gravitational potential drives the concentration dependence of the stellar mass-halo mass relation
Wang, Kai
Schaye, Joop
Benítez-Llambay, Alejandro
Chaikin, Evgenii
Frenk, Carlos S.
Huško, Filip
McGibbon, Robert J.
Ploeckinger, Sylvia
Richings, Alexander J.
Schaller, Matthieu
Trayford, James W.
Astrophysics of Galaxies
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
We investigate the origin of the scatter in the stellar mass-halo mass (SMHM) relation using the \colibre cosmological hydrodynamical simulations. At fixed halo mass, we find a clear positive correlation between stellar mass and halo concentration, particularly in low-mass haloes between $10^{11}$ and $10^{12}\,\rm M_\odot$, where all halo properties are computed from the corresponding dark-matter-only simulation. Two scenarios have been proposed to explain this trend: the earlier formation of higher-concentration haloes allows more time for star formation, or the deeper gravitational potential wells of higher-concentration haloes enhance baryon retention. To distinguish between them, we examine correlations between halo concentration, stellar mass, stellar age, and stellar metallicity. While, at fixed halo mass, halo concentration correlates with stellar age, stellar age itself shows only a weak correlation with stellar mass, indicating that early formation alone cannot account for the concentration-dependence in the scatter of the SMHM relation. In contrast, both stellar metallicity and halo concentration exhibit correlations with stellar mass. The connection between halo concentration and stellar metallicity persists even when simultaneously controlling for both halo mass and stellar mass. These results support the scenario in which the deeper gravitational potentials in higher-concentration haloes suppress feedback-driven outflows, thereby enhancing both baryon and metal retention.
title Gravitational potential drives the concentration dependence of the stellar mass-halo mass relation
topic Astrophysics of Galaxies
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.20165