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Chi-Hong Lin

Publications and source records attributed to Chi-Hong Lin.

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SIRIUS: The relation between the diversity of dwarf galaxies and their formation histories

Low-mass dwarf galaxies ($M_{\rm vir} \lesssim 10^9\rm\ M_\odot$) are fundamental cosmological building blocks, yet the physical processes driving their structural diversity remain poorly understood. Recent numerical simulations have suggested a diversity in the stellar-to-halo mass ratio in this halo mass range, but either the number of samples obtained from the same simulation setup or the numerical resolution was limited. We performed high-resolution cosmological zoom-in simulations for eight galaxies with a dark matter halo mass of $\sim 10^9\rm\ M_{\odot}$ up to $t=1.2$ Gyr at which most gas in the galaxies has been expelled. Our samples have a scatter of an order of magnitude in the halo mass at the reionization epoch. The stellar-to-halo mass ratio expected at $z=0$ scatters nearly two orders of magnitude with $5\times10^{-5}$ to $2\times10^{-3}$. We also observed variation in the compactness of their stellar distributions. Some of our simulated galaxies exhibit a stellar half-mass radius of $\sim30$ pc, which is as small as that of ultra-compact dwarfs. The formation condition for such a compact stellar distribution is understood as an analog of the condition for the formation of dense, massive star clusters. We found that when the central gas surface density exceeds a critical threshold ($\Sigma_{\rm gas} \gtrsim 30\rm\ M_\odot \rm\ {pc}^{-2}$), the star formation becomes highly efficient and results in dense stellar systems. These results suggest that UCDs can form in situ even in isolated dark matter halos.

astro-ph.GA

Rapid Growth of Galactic Supermassive Black Holes through Accreting Giant Molecular Clouds during Major Mergers of their Host Galaxies

Understanding the formation of the supermassive black holes (SMBHs) present in the centers of galaxies is a crucial topic in modern astrophysics. Observations have detected the SMBHs with mass $M$ of $10^{9}\, \rm M_\odot$ in the high-redshift galaxies with $\rm z\sim7$. However, how SMBHs grew to such huge masses within the first billion years after the big bang remains elusive. One possible explanation is that SMBHs grow quickly through the frequent mergers of galaxies, which provides sustainable gas to maintain rapid growth. This study presents the hydrodynamics simulations of the SMBHs' growth with their host galaxies using the GIZMO code. In contrast to previous simulations, we have developed a giant molecular cloud (GMC) model by separating molecular-gas particles from the atomic-gas particles and then evolving them independently. During major mergers, we show that the more massive molecular gas particles cloud bear stronger dynamical friction. Consequently, GMCs are substantially accreted onto the galactic centers that grow SMBHs from $\sim 10^{7}$ $\rm M_\odot$ to $\sim 10^{9}\, \rm M_\odot$ within $300$ Myr, explaining the rapid growth of SMBHs, and this accretion also triggers a violent starburst at the galactic center. Furthermore, we examine the impact of minor mergers on the bulge of a Milky-Way-like galaxy and find that the size and mass of the bulge can increase from $0.92$ kpc to $1.9$ kpc and from $4.7\times 10^{10}\, \rm M_\odot$ to $7\times 10^{10}\, \rm M_\odot$.

astro-ph.GA