The effect of baryons on the positions and velocities of satellite galaxies in the MTNG simulation

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Contreras, Sergio, Angulo, Raul E., Bose, Sownak, Hadzhiyska, Boryana, Hernquist, Lars, Maion, Francisco, Pakmor, Ruediger, Springel, Volker
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2025
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author Contreras, Sergio
Angulo, Raul E.
Bose, Sownak
Hadzhiyska, Boryana
Hernquist, Lars
Maion, Francisco
Pakmor, Ruediger
Springel, Volker
author_facet Contreras, Sergio
Angulo, Raul E.
Bose, Sownak
Hadzhiyska, Boryana
Hernquist, Lars
Maion, Francisco
Pakmor, Ruediger
Springel, Volker
contents Mock galaxy catalogues are often constructed from dark-matter-only simulations based on the galaxy-halo connection. Although modern mocks can reproduce galaxy clustering to some extent, the absence of baryons affects the spatial and kinematic distributions of galaxies in ways that remain insufficiently quantified. We compare the positions and velocities of satellite galaxies in the MTNG hydrodynamic simulation with those in its dark-matter-only counterpart, assessing how baryonic effects influence galaxy clustering and contrasting them with the impact of galaxy selection, i.e. the dependence of clustering on sample definition. Using merger trees from both runs, we track satellite subhaloes until they become centrals, allowing us to match systems even when their z=0 positions differ. We then compute positional and velocity offsets as functions of halo mass and distance from the halo centre, and use these to construct a subhalo catalogue from the dark-matter-only simulation that reproduces the galaxy distribution in the hydrodynamic run. Satellites in the hydrodynamic simulation lie 3-4% closer to halo centres than in the dark-matter-only case, with an offset that is nearly constant with halo mass and increases toward smaller radii. Satellite velocities are also systematically higher in the dark-matter-only run. At scales of 0.1 Mpc/h, these spatial and kinematic differences produce 10-20% variations in clustering amplitude -- corresponding to 1-3$σ$ assuming DESI-like errors -- though the impact decreases at larger scales. These baryonic effects are relevant for cosmological and lensing analyses and should be accounted for when building high-fidelity mocks. However, they remain smaller than the differences introduced by galaxy selection, which thus represents the dominant source of uncertainty when constructing mocks based on observable quantities.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2512_04080
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle The effect of baryons on the positions and velocities of satellite galaxies in the MTNG simulation
Contreras, Sergio
Angulo, Raul E.
Bose, Sownak
Hadzhiyska, Boryana
Hernquist, Lars
Maion, Francisco
Pakmor, Ruediger
Springel, Volker
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
Astrophysics of Galaxies
Mock galaxy catalogues are often constructed from dark-matter-only simulations based on the galaxy-halo connection. Although modern mocks can reproduce galaxy clustering to some extent, the absence of baryons affects the spatial and kinematic distributions of galaxies in ways that remain insufficiently quantified. We compare the positions and velocities of satellite galaxies in the MTNG hydrodynamic simulation with those in its dark-matter-only counterpart, assessing how baryonic effects influence galaxy clustering and contrasting them with the impact of galaxy selection, i.e. the dependence of clustering on sample definition. Using merger trees from both runs, we track satellite subhaloes until they become centrals, allowing us to match systems even when their z=0 positions differ. We then compute positional and velocity offsets as functions of halo mass and distance from the halo centre, and use these to construct a subhalo catalogue from the dark-matter-only simulation that reproduces the galaxy distribution in the hydrodynamic run. Satellites in the hydrodynamic simulation lie 3-4% closer to halo centres than in the dark-matter-only case, with an offset that is nearly constant with halo mass and increases toward smaller radii. Satellite velocities are also systematically higher in the dark-matter-only run. At scales of 0.1 Mpc/h, these spatial and kinematic differences produce 10-20% variations in clustering amplitude -- corresponding to 1-3$σ$ assuming DESI-like errors -- though the impact decreases at larger scales. These baryonic effects are relevant for cosmological and lensing analyses and should be accounted for when building high-fidelity mocks. However, they remain smaller than the differences introduced by galaxy selection, which thus represents the dominant source of uncertainty when constructing mocks based on observable quantities.
title The effect of baryons on the positions and velocities of satellite galaxies in the MTNG simulation
topic Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
Astrophysics of Galaxies
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.04080