arXiv subjects

Aaron A. Dutton

Publications and source records attributed to Aaron A. Dutton.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2017

SDSS-IV MaNGA: variation of the stellar initial mass function in spiral and early-type galaxies

We perform Jeans anisotropic modeling (JAM) on elliptical and spiral galaxies from the MaNGA DR13 sample. By comparing the stellar mass-to-light ratios estimated from stellar population synthesis (SPS) and from JAM, we find a similar systematic variation of the initial mass function (IMF) as in the earlier $\rm ATLAS^{3D}$ results. Early type galaxies (elliptical and lenticular) with lower velocity dispersions within one effective radius are consistent with a Chabrier-like IMF while galaxies with higher velocity dispersions are consistent with a more bottom heavy IMF such as the Salpeter IMF. Spiral galaxies have similar systematic IMF variations, but with slightly different slopes and larger scatters, due to the uncertainties caused by higher gas fractions and extinctions for these galaxies. Furthermore, we examine the effects of stellar mass-to-light ratio gradients on our JAM modeling, and find that the trends from our results becomes stronger after considering the gradients.

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arXiv2017

Dark-Matter Halo Profiles of a General Cusp/Core with Analytic Velocity and Potential

We present useful functions for the profiles of dark-matter (DM) haloes with a free inner slope, from cusps to cores, where the profiles of density, mass-velocity and potential are simple analytic expressions. Analytic velocity is obtained by expressing the mean density as a simple functional form, and deriving the local density by differentiation. The function involves four shape parameters, with only two or three free: a concentration parameter $c$, inner and outer asymptotic slopes $α$ and $\barγ$, and a middle shape parameter $β$. Analytic expressions for the potential and velocity dispersion exist for $\barγ=3$ and for $β$ a natural number. We match the models to the DM haloes in cosmological simulations, with and without baryons, ranging from steep cusps to flat cores. Excellent fits are obtained with three free parameters ($c$, $α$, $\barγ$) and $β=2$. For an analytic potential, similar fits are obtained for $\barγ=3$ and $β=2$ with only two free parameters ($c$, $α$); this is our favorite model. A linear combination of two such profiles, with an additional free concentration parameter, provides excellent fits also for $β=1$, where the expressions are simpler. The fit quality is comparable to non-analytic popular models. An analytic potential is useful for modeling the inner-halo evolution due to gas inflows and outflows, studying environmental effects on the outer halo, and generating halo potentials or initial conditions for simulations. The analytic velocity can quantify simulated and observed rotation curves without numerical integrations.

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arXiv2017

NIHAO XII: galactic uniformity in a ΛCDM universe

We use a sample of 83 high-resolution cosmological zoom-in simulations and a semi-analytic model (SAM) to study the stochasticity of galaxy formation in haloes ranging from dwarf to Milky Way masses. Our simulated galaxies reproduce the observed inefficiency of galaxy formation as expressed through the stellar, gas and baryonic Tully-Fisher relations. For HI velocities in the range (70 < V < 220 km/s), the scatter is just 0.08 to 0.14 dex, consistent with the observed intrinsic scatter at these scales. At low velocities (20 < V < 70 km/s), the simulated scatter is 0.2-0.25 dex, which could be tested with future observations. The scatter in the stellar mass versus dark halo velocity relation is constant for 30 < V < 180 km/s, and smaller (~0.17 dex) when using the maximum circular velocity of the dark matter only simulation, Vmax, compared to the virial velocity ($V_{200}$ or $V_{200}^{DMO}$). The scatter in stellar mass is correlated with halo concentration, and is minimized when using a circular velocity at a fixed fraction of the virial radius $\simeq 0.4 R_{200}$ or with $V_α=V_{200}^{DMO} (V_{max}^{DMO} / V_{200}^{DMO})^α$ with α~ 0.7, consistent with constraints from halo clustering. Using the SAM we show the correlation between halo formation time and concentration is essential in order to reproduce this result. This uniformity in galaxy formation efficiency we see in our hydrodynamical simulations and a semi-analytic model proves the simplicity and self-regulating nature of galaxy formation in a ΛCold Dark Matter universe.

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arXiv2017

NIHAO VII: Predictions for the galactic baryon budget in dwarf to Milky Way mass haloes

We use the NIHAO galaxy formation simulations to make predictions for the baryonic budget in present day galaxies ranging from dwarf to Milky Way masses. The sample is made of 88 independent high resolution cosmological zoom-in simulations. NIHAO galaxies reproduce key properties of observed galaxies, such as the stellar mass vs halo mass and cold gas vs stellar mass relations. Thus they make plausible predictions for the baryon budget. We present the mass fractions of stars, cold gas ($T<10^4$K), cool gas ($10^4 < T < 10^5$K), warm-hot gas ($10^5 < T < 5\times10^6$K), and hot gas (T$> 5\times10^6$K) inside the virial radius, $R_{200}$. Compared to the predicted baryon mass, using the dark halo mass and the universal baryon fraction, $f_{\rm b}\equiv Ω_{\rm b}/Ω_{\rm m}=0.15$, we find that all of our haloes are missing baryons. The missing mass has been relocated past 2 virial radii, and cool gas dominates the corona at low mass (M$_{200} < 3 \times 10^{11} M_\odot$) while the warm-hot gas dominates at high mass (M$_{200} > 3 \times 10^{11} M_\odot$). Haloes of mass $\sim 10^{10} M_\odot$ are missing $\sim 90\%$ of their baryons. More massive haloes ($\sim 10^{12} M_\odot$) retain a higher fraction of their baryons, with $\sim 30\%$ missing, consistent with recent observational estimates. Moreover, these more massive haloes reproduce the observed fraction of cold, warm-hot and hot gas. The fraction of cool gas we predict ($0.11\pm0.06$) is significantly lower than the observation from COS-HALOs (0.3-0.47), but agrees with the alternative analysis of Stern et al. 2016.

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arXiv2017

Quenching vs. Quiescence: forming realistic massive ellipticals with a simple starvation model

The decrease in star formation (SF) and the morphological change necessary to produce the $z=0$ elliptical galaxy population are commonly ascribed to a sudden quenching event, which is able to rid the central galaxy of its cold gas reservoir in a short time. Following this event, the galaxy is able to prevent further SF and stay quiescent via a maintenance mode. We test whether such a quenching event is truly necessary using a simple model of quiescence. In this model, hot gas (all gas above a temperature threshold) in a $\sim10^{12} M_{\odot}$ halo mass galaxy at redshift $z\sim3$ is prevented from cooling. The cool gas continues to form stars at a decreasing rate and the galaxy stellar mass, morphology, velocity dispersion and position on the color magnitude diagram (CMD) proceed to evolve. By $z=0$, the halo mass has grown to $10^{13} M_{\odot}$ and the galaxy has attained characteristics typical of an observed $z=0$ elliptical galaxy. Our model is run in the framework of a cosmological, smooth particle hydrodynamic code which includes SF, early stellar feedback, supernova feedback, metal cooling and metal diffusion. Additionally, we post-process our simulations with a radiative transfer code to create a mock CMD. In contrast to previous assumptions that a pure "fade away" model evolves too slowly to account for the sparsity of galaxies in the "green valley", we demonstrate crossing times of $<$1 Gyr. We conclude that no sudden quenching event is necessary to produce such rapid colour transitions.

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arXiv2016

NIHAO XI: Formation of Ultra-Diffuse Galaxies by outflows

We address the origin of Ultra-Diffuse Galaxies (UDGs), which have stellar masses typical of dwarf galaxies but effective radii of Milky Way-sized objects. Their formation mechanism, and whether they are failed $\rm L_{\star}$ galaxies or diffuse dwarfs, are challenging issues. Using zoom-in cosmological simulations from the NIHAO project, we show that UDG analogues form naturally in medium-mass haloes due to episodes of gas outflows associated with star formation. The simulated UDGs live in isolated haloes of masses $10^{10-11}\rm M_{\odot}$, have stellar masses of $10^{7-8.5}\rm M_{\odot}$, effective radii larger than 1 kpc and dark matter cores. They show a broad range of colors, an average Sérsic index of 0.83, a typical distribution of halo spin and concentration, and a non-negligible HI gas mass of $10^{7-9}\rm M_{\odot}$, which correlates with the extent of the galaxy. Gas availability is crucial to the internal processes that form UDGs: feedback driven gas outflows, and subsequent dark matter and stellar expansion, are the key to reproduce faint, yet unusually extended, galaxies. This scenario implies that UDGs represent a dwarf population of low surface brightness galaxies and should exist in the field. The largest isolated UDGs should contain more HI gas than less extended dwarfs of similar $\rm M_{\star}$.

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arXiv2016

NIHAO VIII: Circum-galactic medium and outflows - The puzzles of HI and OVI gas distributions

We study the hot and cold circum-galactic medium (CGM) of 86 galaxies of the cosmological, hydrodynamical simulation suite NIHAO. NIHAO allows a study of how the $z=0$ CGM varies across 5 orders of magnitude of stellar mass using OVI and HI as proxies for hot and cold gas. The cool HI covering fraction and column density profiles match observations well, particularly in the inner CGM. OVI shows increasing column densities with mass, a trend seemingly echoed in the observations. As in multiple previous simulations, the OVI column densities in simulations are lower than observed and optically thick HI does not extend as far out as in observations. We take a look at the collisional ionisation fraction of OVI as a function of halo mass. We make observable predictions of the bipolarity of outflows and their effect on the general shape of the CGM. Bipolar outflows can be seen out to around 40 kpc in intermediate and low mass halos ($M_{\mathrm{halo}}<10^{11}M_{\mathrm{sun}}$), but outside that radius, the CGM is too well mixed to detect an elongated shape. Larger halos have extended gas discs beyond the stellar disc that dominate the shape of the inner CGM. The simulated CGM is remarkably spherical even in low mass simulations. The chemical enrichment of both halo and disc gas follow expected increasing trends as a function of halo mass that are well fit with power laws. These relations can be used in non-hydrodynamic models, such as semi-analytic models.

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arXiv2016

A Dark-Matter Halo Profile allowing a Variable Cusp-Core with Analytic Velocity and Potential

We present a useful function for describing the profiles of dark-matter haloes with a varying asymptotic inner slope -α, ranging from a cusp to a core, where the profiles of density, mass-velocity and potential are simple analytic expressions for any α. The idea is to express the mean-density profile as a simple functional form, and obtain the local density by derivative. The model involves a concentration parameter c analogous to the NFW profile. More flexibility is provided by a sum of two such functions, with concentrations c_1 and c_2. An optional additional parameter is the asymptotic outer slope -γ, which allows more flexibility in the outskirts of haloes. For γdifferent than 3, there are analytic expressions for the profiles of density and mass-velocity but not for the potential. We match the proposed function, in different variants, to the dark-matter profiles of haloes in cosmological simulations, with and without baryons, spanning inner profiles that range from steep cusps to flat cores, and find excellent fits. The analytic potential profile is useful in modeling the evolution of the inner halo due to episodes of gas inflow and outflow. The analytic profile, especially with a free γ, is useful for a study of environmental effects in the outer halo. In general, these analytic profiles can serve for straightforwardly quantifying the shapes of simulated and observed rotation curves, without the need for numerical integrations.

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arXiv2016

A spiral galaxy's mass distribution uncovered through lensing and dynamics

We investigate the matter distribution of a spiral galaxy with a counter-rotating stellar core, SDSS J1331+3628 (J1331), independently with gravitational lensing and stellar dynamical modelling. By fitting a gravitational potential model to a quadruplet of lensing images around J1331's bulge, we tightly constrain the mass inside the Einstein radius R_ein = (0.91 +/- 0.02)'' (~= 1.83 +/- 0.04 kpc) to within 4%: M_ein = (7.8 +/- 0.3) x 10^10 M_Sun. We model observed long-slit major axis stellar kinematics in J1331's central regions by finding Multi-Gaussian Expansion (MGE) models for the stellar and dark matter distribution that solve the axisymmetric Jeans equations. The lens and dynamical model are independently derived, but in very good agreement with each other around ~R_ein. We find that J1331's center requires a steep total mass-to-light ratio gradient. A dynamical model including an NFW halo (with virial velocity v_200 ~= 240 +/- 40 km/s and concentration c_200 ~= 8 +/- 2) and moderate tangential velocity anisotropy (beta_z ~= -0.4 +/- 0.1) can reproduce the signatures of J1331's counter-rotating core and predict the stellar and gas rotation curve at larger radii. However, our models do not agree with the observed velocity dispersion at large radii. We speculate that the reason could be a non-trivial change in structure and kinematics due to a possible merger event in J1331's recent past.

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arXiv2016

NIHAO X: Reconciling the local galaxy velocity function with Cold Dark Matter via mock HI observations

We used 87 high resolution hydrodynamical cosmological simulations from the NIHAO suite to investigate the relation between the maximum circular velocity (Vmax) of a dark matter halo in a collisionless simulation and the velocity width of the HI gas in the same halo in the hydrodynamical simulation. These two quantities are normally used to compare theoretical and observational velocity functions and have led to a possible discrepancy between observations and predictions based on the Cold Dark Matter (CDM) model. We show that below 100 km/s, there is clear bias between HI based velocities and Vmax, that leads to an underestimation of the actual circular velocity of the halo. When this bias is taken into account the CDM model has no trouble in reproducing the observed velocity function and no lack of low velocity galaxies is actually present. Our simulations also reproduce the linewidth - stellar mass (Tully-Fisher) relation and HI sizes, indicating that the HI gas in our simulations is as extended as observed. The physical reason for the lower than expected linewidths is that, in contrast to high mass galaxies, low mass galaxies no longer have extended thin HI rotating disks, as is commonly assumed.

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arXiv2016

NIHAO project II: Halo shape, phase-space density and velocity distribution of dark matter in galaxy formation simulations

We use the NIHAO (Numerical Investigation of Hundred Astrophysical Objects) cosmological simulations to study the effects of galaxy formation on key properties of dark matter (DM) haloes. NIHAO consists of $\simeq 90$ high-resolution SPH simulations that include (metal-line) cooling, star formation, and feedback from massive stars and SuperNovae, and cover a wide stellar and halo mass range: $10^6 < M_* / M_{\odot} < 10^{11}$ ( $10^{9.5} < M_{\rm halo} / M_{\odot} < 10^{12.5}$). When compared to DM-only simulations, the NIHAO haloes have similar shapes at the virial radius, R_{\rm vir}, but are substantially rounder inside $\simeq 0.1R_{\rm vir}$. In NIHAO simulations $c/a$ increases with halo mass and integrated star formation efficiency, reaching $\sim 0.8$ at the Milky Way mass (compared to 0.5 in DM-only), providing a plausible solution to the long-standing conflict between observations and DM-only simulations. The radial profile of the phase-space $Q$ parameter ($ρ/σ^3$) is best fit with a single power law in DM-only simulations, but shows a flattening within $\simeq 0.1R_{\rm vir}$ for NIHAO for total masses $M>10^{11} M_{\odot}$. Finally, the global velocity distribution of DM is similar in both DM-only and NIHAO simulations, but in the solar neighborhood, NIHAO galaxies deviate substantially from Maxwellian. The distribution is more symmetric, roughly Gaussian, with a peak that shifts to higher velocities for Milky Way mass haloes. We provide the distribution parameters which can be used for predictions for direct DM detection experiments. Our results underline the ability of the galaxy formation processes to modify the properties of dark matter haloes.

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arXiv2016

NIHAO IX: the role of gas inflows and outflows in driving the contraction and expansion of cold dark matter haloes

We use ~100 cosmological galaxy formation zoom-in simulations using the smoothed particle hydrodynamics code {\sc gasoline} to study the effect of baryonic processes on the mass profiles of cold dark matter haloes. The haloes in our study range from dwarf (M_{200}~10^{10}Msun) to Milky Way (M_{200}~10^{12}Msun) masses. Our simulations exhibit a wide range of halo responses, primarily varying with mass, from expansion to contraction, with up to factor ~10 changes in the enclosed dark matter mass at one per cent of the virial radius. Confirming previous studies, the halo response is correlated with the integrated efficiency of star formation: e_SF=(M_{star}/M_{200})/(Ω_b/Ω_m). In addition we report a new correlation with the compactness of the stellar system: e_R=r_{1/2}/R_{200}. We provide an analytic formula depending on e_SF and e_R for the response of cold dark matter haloes to baryonic processes. An observationally testable prediction is that, at fixed mass, larger galaxies experience more halo expansion, while the smaller galaxies more halo contraction. This diversity of dark halo response is captured by a toy model consisting of cycles of adiabatic inflow (causing contraction) and impulsive gas outflow (causing expansion). For net outflow, or equal inflow and outflow fractions, f, the overall effect is expansion, with more expansion with larger f. For net inflow, contraction occurs for small f (large radii), while expansion occurs for large f (small radii), recovering the phenomenology seen in our simulations. These regularities in the galaxy formation process provide a step towards a fully predictive model for the structure of cold dark matter haloes.

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arXiv2016

Simulated ΛCDM analogues of the thin Plane of Satellites around the Andromeda galaxy are not kinematically coherent structures

A large fraction of the dwarf satellites orbiting the Andromeda galaxy are surprisingly aligned in a thin, extended and apparently kinematically coherent planar structure. Such a structure is not easily found in simulations based on the Cold Dark Matter model (ΛCDM). Using 21 high resolution cosmological simulations we analyse the kinematics of planes of satellites similar to the one around Andromeda. We find good agreement when co-rotation is characterized by the line-of-sight velocity. At the same time, when co-rotation is inferred by the angular momenta of the satellites, the planes are in agreement with the plane around our Galaxy. We find such planes to be common in our high concentration haloes. The number of co-rotating satellites obtained from the sign of the line-of-sight velocity shows large variations depending on the viewing angle and is consistent with that obtained from a sample with random velocities. We find that the clustering of angular momentum vectors of the satellites in the plane is a better measure of the kinematic coherence. Thus we conclude that the line-of- sight velocity is not well suited as a proxy for the kinematical coherence of the plane. Analysis of the kinematics of our planes shows a fraction of $\sim$30% chance aligned satellites. Tracking the satellites in the plane back in time reveals that these planes are a transient feature and not kinematically coherent as would appear at first sight. Thus we expect some of the satellites in the plane around Andromeda to have high velocities perpendicular to the plane.

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arXiv2015

NIHAO V: Too big doesn't fail -- reconciling the conflict between LCDM predictions and the circular velocities of nearby field galaxies

We compare the half-light circular velocities, V_{1/2}, of dwarf galaxies in the Local Group to the predicted circular velocity curves of galaxies in the NIHAO suite of LCDM simulations. We use a subset of 34 simulations in which the central galaxy has a stellar luminosity in the range 0.5 x 10^5 < L_V < 2 x 10^8 L_{sun}. The NIHAO galaxy simulations reproduce the relation between stellar mass and halo mass from abundance matching, as well as the observed half-light size vs luminosity relation. The corresponding dissipationless simulations over-predict the V_{1/2}, recovering the problem known as too big to fail (TBTF). By contrast, the NIHAO simulations have expanded dark matter haloes, and provide an excellent match to the distribution of V_{1/2} for galaxies with L_V > 2 x 10^6 L_{sun}. For lower luminosities our simulations predict very little halo response, and tend to over predict the observed circular velocities. In the context of LCDM, this could signal the increased stochasticity of star formation in haloes below M_{halo} \sim 10^{10} M_{sun}, or the role of environmental effects. Thus, haloes that are "too big to fail", do not fail LCDM, but haloes that are "too small to pass" (the galaxy formation threshold) provide a future test of LCDM.

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arXiv2015

NIHAO project I: Reproducing the inefficiency of galaxy formation across cosmic time with a large sample of cosmological hydrodynamical simulations

We introduce project NIHAO (Numerical Investigation of a Hundred Astrophysical Objects), a set of 100 cosmological zoom-in hydrodynamical simulations performed using the gasoline code, with an improved implementation of the SPH algorithm. The haloes in our study range from dwarf to Milky Way masses, and represent an unbiased sampling of merger histories, concentrations and spin parameters. The particle masses and force softenings are chosen to resolve the mass profile to below 1% of the virial radius at all masses, ensuring that galaxy half-light radii are well resolved. Using the same treatment of star formation and stellar feedback for every object, the simulated galaxies reproduce the observed inefficiency of galaxy formation across cosmic time as expressed through the stellar mass vs halo mass relation, and the star formation rate vs stellar mass relation. We thus conclude that stellar feedback is the chief piece of physics required to limit the efficiency of star formation in galaxies less massive than the Milky Way.

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arXiv2015

The response of dark matter haloes to elliptical galaxy formation: a new test for quenching scenarios

We use cosmological hydrodynamical zoom-in simulations with the SPH code gasoline of four haloes of mass M_{200} \sim 10^{13}\Msun to study the response of the dark matter to elliptical galaxy formation. Our simulations include metallicity dependent gas cooling, star formation, and feedback from massive stars and supernovae, but not active galactic nuclei (AGN). At z=2 the progenitor galaxies have stellar to halo mass ratios consistent with halo abundance matching, assuming a Salpeter initial mass function. However by z=0 the standard runs suffer from the well known overcooling problem, overpredicting the stellar masses by a factor of > 4. To mimic a suppressive halo quenching scenario, in our forced quenching (FQ) simulations, cooling and star formation are switched off at z=2. The resulting z=0 galaxies have stellar masses, sizes and circular velocities close to what is observed. Relative to the control simulations, the dark matter haloes in the FQ simulations have contracted, with central dark matter density slopes d\logρ/d\log r \sim -1.5, showing that dry merging alone is unable to fully reverse the contraction that occurs at z>2. Simulations in the literature with AGN feedback however, have found expansion or no net change in the dark matter halo. Thus the response of the dark matter halo to galaxy formation may provide a new test to distinguish between ejective and suppressive quenching mechanisms.

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arXiv2015

Evidence for Early Filamentary Accretion from the Andromeda Galaxy's Thin Plane of Satellites

Recently it has been shown that a large fraction of the dwarf satellite galaxies orbiting the Andromeda galaxy are surprisingly aligned in a thin, extended and kinematically coherent planar structure. The presence of such a structure seems to challenge the current Cold Dark Matter paradigm of structure formation, which predicts a more uniform distribution of satellites around central objects. We show that it is possible to obtain a thin, extended, rotating plane of satellites resembling the one in Andromeda in cosmological collisionless simulations based on the Cold Dark Matter model. Our new high resolution simulations show a correlation between the formation time of the dark matter halo and the thickness of the plane of satellites. Our simulations have a high incidence of satellite planes as thin, extended, and as rich as the one in Andromeda and with a very coherent kinematic structure when we select high concentration/early forming halos. By tracking the formation of the satellites in the plane we show that they have been mainly accreted onto the main object along thin dark matter filaments at high redshift. Our results show that the presence of a thin, extended, rotating plane of satellites is not a challenge for the Cold Dark Matter paradigm, but actually supports one of the predictions of this paradigm related to the presence of filaments of dark matter around galaxies at high redshift.

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arXiv2015

How to bend galaxy disc profiles: the role of halo spin

The radial density profiles of stellar galaxy discs can be well approximated as an exponential. Compared to this canonical form, however, the profiles in the majority of disc galaxies show downward or upward breaks at large radii. Currently, there is no coherent explanation in a galaxy formation context of the radial profile per se, along with the two types of profile breaks. Using a set of controlled hydrodynamic simulations of disc galaxy formation, we find a correlation between the host halo's initial angular momentum and the resulting radial profile of the stellar disc: galaxies that live in haloes with a low spin parameter λ <~ 0.03 show an up-bending break in their disc density profiles, while galaxies in haloes of higher angular momentum show a down-bending break. We find that the case of pure exponential profiles (λ ~ 0.035) coincides with the peak of the spin parameter distribution from cosmological simulations. Our simulations not only imply an explanation of the observed behaviours, but also suggest that the physical origin of this effect is related to the amount of radial redistribution of stellar mass, which is anti-correlated with λ.

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