arXiv subjects

Alice Damiano

Publications and source records attributed to Alice Damiano.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Dianoga simulations of galaxy clusters and groups: Properties of the baryonic components

We introduce the Dianoga set of cosmological simulations of galaxy clusters and groups, specifically aimed at studying the impact of the implementation of AGN feedback and star formation. Using the OpenGadget3 code, we carry out simulations of 28 regions centred on massive galaxy clusters, and of a cosmological box. This generates a sample of 293 halos with M_{200}> 1.5 x 10^{13} M_{\odot}. Parameters of AGN feedback in the reference implementation were minimally calibrated exclusively to match the local relation between SMBH masses and stellar masses of host galaxies. Simulations are compared to observed galaxy stellar mass function (GSMF), stellar mass fraction in clusters and groups, BCG masses, scaling relations between ICM/IGM properties and profiles of their thermodynamical properties. In the appendix, we show how results vary as we modify the reference feedback model in six alternative configurations. Our reference model predicts a GSMF in general agreement with observations, albeit overestimated in the high end. BCG stellar masses and mass fractions are higher than observed in massive clusters, while being closer to observations for groups. Predicted properties of the ICM/IGM are in general agreement with observations, with the core regions of simulated clusters having entropy and temperature profiles that are slightly less "cool-cored" than observed. A comparison with other implementations of AGN feedback highlights that models including thermal evaporation of the sub-resolution interstellar medium succeed to bring BCG masses and stellar mass fractions closer to observation, and to increase the cool-coreness of simulated clusters. Our results demonstrate that the details of the interface between AGN energy injection and the sub-resolution interstellar medium model are at least as critical as the total feedback efficiency itself.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2026

Rates of tidal disruption events from constrained cosmological simulations of the local Universe: population properties and implications for transient surveys

(abridged) Motivated by upcoming surveys like LSST, we estimate tidal disruption event (TDE) rates using the constrained cosmological Simulation of the LOcal Web (SLOW) to test the limitations of traditional 2D analytical extrapolations within a fully 3D framework. We aim to provide reliable TDE budgets extracted from the simulated zoom-in volumes of the digital counterparts of the Coma, Hercules, Shapley, Virgo, and Perseus supercluster environments, and the Fornax galaxy cluster. From the zoom-in boundary volumes of the six environments, reaching radial extents of $55-92\,$Mpc, we extracted black hole demographics (including spin) and their host galaxy properties to establish a filter scheme that strictly preserves dynamically stable "main-sequence" black holes. We further classified host galaxies as cuspy or cored based on the slope of their 3D stellar density profile measured within $1\,$kpc as a proxy for unresolved nuclear structure and applied the relativistic Kesden efficiency correction to the filtered sample. We find an average volumetric and per black hole TDE rate of $\approx 600\,$Gpc$^{-3}\,$yr$^{-1}$ and $\approx 4.5\times 10^{-5}\,$yr$^{-1}$ across all six environments, respectively. Although our absolute TDE rates match early literature estimates, the underlying spatial distribution fundamentally differs. Central core rates are heavily reduced by dynamical depletion and direct capture constraints, meaning the total TDE budget is overwhelmingly dominated by cuspy satellite galaxies in the extended cluster halos. TDE yields are driven by black hole demographics and spatial concentration rather than total cluster mass. Actively assembling superclusters (e.g., Hercules) reduce per-black-hole TDE efficiencies via merger-driven black hole mass growth, whereas low-mass environments (e.g., Fornax) are highly efficient due to unmerged, low-mass black holes.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2025

Dynamical friction and massive black hole orbits: analytical predictions and numerical solutions

We investigate the orbital decay of a massive BH embedded in a dark matter halo and a stellar bulge, using both analytical and numerical simulations with the aim of developing and validating a reliable dynamical friction (DF) correction across simulation resolutions. We develop a Python-based library to solve the equations of motion of the BH and provide an analytical framework for the numerical results. Then, we carry out simulations at different resolutions and for different softening choices using the Tree-PM code OpenGADGET3, where we implement an improved DF correction based on a kernel-weighted local density estimation. Our results demonstrate that the DF correction significantly accelerates BH sinking and ensures convergence with increasing resolution, closely matching analytical predictions. We find that in low-resolution regimes - particularly when the BH mass is smaller than that of the background particles - our DF model still effectively controls BH dynamics. Contrary to expectations, the inclusion of a stellar bulge can delay sinking due to numerical heating, an effect partially mitigated by the DF correction. We conclude that our refined DF implementation provides a robust framework for modeling BH dynamics both in controlled simulation setups of galaxies and in large-scale cosmological simulations. This will be crucial for future simulation campaigns, to enable more accurate predictions of AGN accretion and feedback, and to estimate gravitational-wave event rates.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

Dynamical friction and evolution of black holes in cosmological simulations: a new implementation in OpenGadget3

We implement a sub-resolution prescription for the unresolved dynamical friction onto black holes (BHs) in the OpenGadget3 code. We carry out cosmological simulations of a volume of 16 cMpc3 and zoom-ins of a galaxy group and of a galaxy cluster. The advantages of our new technique are assessed in comparison to commonly adopted methods to hamper spurious BH displacements, i.e. repositioning onto a local minimum of the gravitational potential and ad-hoc boosting of the BH particle dynamical mass. The newly-introduced dynamical friction correction provides centering of BHs on host halos which is at least comparable with the other techniques. It predicts half as many merger events with respect to the repositioning prescription, with the advantage of being less prone to leave sub-structures without any central BH. Simulations featuring our dynamical friction prescription produce a smaller (by up to 50% with respect to repositioning) population of wandering BHs and final BH masses in good agreement with observations. As for individual BH-BH interactions, our dynamical friction model captures the gradual inspiraling of orbits before the merger occurs. By contrast, the repositioning scheme, in its most classical renditions considered, describes extremely fast mergers, while the dynamical mass misrepresents the BHs' dynamics, introducing numerical scattering between the orbiting BHs. Given its performances in describing the centering of BHs within host galaxies and the orbiting of BH pair before their merging, our dynamical friction correction opens interesting applications for an accurate description of the evolution of BH demography within cosmological simulations of galaxy formation at different cosmic epochs and within different environments.

astro-ph.CO↗