arXiv subjects

Paul Torrey

Publications and source records attributed to Paul Torrey.

213 records · Page 12Linked to original sources

arXiv2014

Introducing the Illustris Project: Simulating the coevolution of dark and visible matter in the Universe

We introduce the Illustris Project, a series of large-scale hydrodynamical simulations of galaxy formation. The highest resolution simulation, Illustris-1, covers a volume of $(106.5\,{\rm Mpc})^3$, has a dark mass resolution of ${6.26 \times 10^{6}\,{\rm M}_\odot}$, and an initial baryonic matter mass resolution of ${1.26 \times 10^{6}\,{\rm M}_\odot}$. At $z=0$ gravitational forces are softened on scales of $710\,{\rm pc}$, and the smallest hydrodynamical gas cells have an extent of $48\,{\rm pc}$. We follow the dynamical evolution of $2\times 1820^3$ resolution elements and in addition passively evolve $1820^3$ Monte Carlo tracer particles reaching a total particle count of more than $18$ billion. The galaxy formation model includes: primordial and metal-line cooling with self-shielding corrections, stellar evolution, stellar feedback, gas recycling, chemical enrichment, supermassive black hole growth, and feedback from active galactic nuclei. At $z=0$ our simulation volume contains about $40,000$ well-resolved galaxies covering a diverse range of morphologies and colours including early-type, late-type and irregular galaxies. The simulation reproduces reasonably well the cosmic star formation rate density, the galaxy luminosity function, and baryon conversion efficiency at $z=0$. It also qualitatively captures the impact of galaxy environment on the red fractions of galaxies. The internal velocity structure of selected well-resolved disk galaxies obeys the stellar and baryonic Tully-Fisher relation together with flat circular velocity curves. In the well-resolved regime the simulation reproduces the observed mix of early-type and late-type galaxies. Our model predicts a halo mass dependent impact of baryonic effects on the halo mass function and the masses of haloes caused by feedback from supernova and active galactic nuclei.

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arXiv2014

Damped Lyman-alpha absorbers as a probe of stellar feedback

We examine the abundance, clustering and metallicity of Damped Lyman-alpha Absorbers (DLAs) in a suite of hydrodynamic cosmological simulations using the moving mesh code AREPO. We incorporate models of supernova and AGN feedback, as well as molecular hydrogen formation. We compare our simulations to the column density distribution function at $z=3$, the total DLA abundance at $z=2-4$, the measured DLA bias at $z=2.3$ and the DLA metallicity distribution at $z=2-4$. Our preferred models produce populations of DLAs in good agreement with most of these observations. The exception is the DLA abundance at $z < 3$, which we show requires stronger feedback in $10^{11-12} \, h^{-1} M_\odot$ mass halos. While the DLA population probes a wide range of halo masses, we find the cross-section is dominated by halos of mass $10^{10} - 10^{11} \, h^{-1} M_\odot$ and virial velocities $50 - 100 \;\mathrm{km/s}$. The simulated DLA population has a linear theory bias of $1.7$, whereas the observations require $2.17 \pm 0.2$. We show that non-linear growth increases the bias in our simulations to $2.3$ at $k=1\; \mathrm{Mpc/}h$, the smallest scale observed. The scale-dependence of the bias is, however, very different in the simulations compared against the observations. We show that, of the observations we consider, the DLA abundance and column density function provide the strongest constraints on the feedback model.

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arXiv2014

Halo Mass and Assembly History Exposed in the Faint Outskirts: the Stellar and Dark Matter Haloes of Illustris Galaxies

We use the Illustris Simulations to gain insight into the build-up of the outer, low-surface brightness regions which surround galaxies. We characterize the stellar haloes by means of the logarithmic slope of the spherically-averaged stellar density profiles, alphaSTARS at z=0, and we relate these slopes to the properties of the underlying Dark-Matter (DM) haloes, their central galaxies, and their assembly histories. We analyze a sample of ~5,000 galaxies resolved with more than 5x10^4 particles each, and spanning a variety of morphologies and halo masses (3x10^11 < Mvir < 10^14 Msun). We find a strong trend between stellar halo slope and total halo mass, where more massive objects have shallower stellar haloes than the less massive ones (-5.5 \pm 0.5 < alphaSTARS <-3.5 \pm 0.2 in the studied mass range). At fixed halo mass, we show that disk-like, blue, young, and more massive galaxies are surrounded by significantly steeper stellar haloes than elliptical, red, older, and less massive galaxies. Overall, the stellar density profiles fall off much more steeply than the underlying DM, and no clear trend holds between stellar slope and DM halo concentration. However, DM haloes which formed more recently, or which accreted larger fractions of stellar mass from infalling satellites, exhibit shallower stellar haloes than their older analogs with similar masses, by up to Delta(alphaSTARS) ~ 0.5-0.7. Our findings, combined with the most recent measurements of the strikingly different stellar power-law indexes for M31 and the Milky Way, appear to favour a massive M31, and a Milky Way characterized by a much quieter accretion history over the past 10 Gyrs than its companion.

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arXiv2014

Introducing the Illustris Project: the evolution of galaxy populations across cosmic time

We present an overview of galaxy evolution across cosmic time in the Illustris Simulation. Illustris is an N-body/hydrodynamical simulation that evolves 2*1820^3 resolution elements in a (106.5Mpc)^3 box from cosmological initial conditions down to z=0 using the AREPO moving-mesh code. The simulation uses a state-of-the-art set of physical models for galaxy formation that was tuned to reproduce the z=0 stellar mass function and the history of the cosmic star-formation rate density. We find that Illustris successfully reproduces a plethora of observations of galaxy populations at various redshifts, for which no tuning was performed, and provide predictions for future observations. In particular, we discuss (a) the buildup of galactic mass, showing stellar mass functions and the relations between stellar mass and halo mass from z=7 to z=0, (b) galaxy number density profiles around massive central galaxies out to z=4, (c) the gas and total baryon content of both galaxies and their halos for different redshifts, and as a function of mass and radius, and (d) the evolution of galaxy specific star-formation rates up to z=8. In addition, we (i) present a qualitative analysis of galaxy morphologies from z=5 to z=0, for the stellar as well as the gaseous components, and their appearance in HST mock observations, (ii) follow galaxies selected at z=2 to their z=0 descendants, and quantify their growth and merger histories, and (iii) track massive z=0 galaxies to high redshift and study their joint evolution in star-formation activity and compactness. We conclude with a discussion of several disagreements with observations, and lay out possible directions for future research.

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arXiv2014

Galaxy mergers on a moving mesh: a comparison with smoothed-particle hydrodynamics

Galaxy mergers have been investigated for decades using smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH), but recent work highlighting inaccuracies inherent in the traditional SPH technique calls into question the reliability of previous studies. We explore this issue by comparing a suite of Gadget-3 SPH simulations of idealised (i.e., non-cosmological) isolated discs and galaxy mergers with otherwise identical calculations performed using the moving-mesh code Arepo. When black hole (BH) accretion and active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback are not included, the star formation histories (SFHs) obtained from the two codes agree well. When BHs are included, the code- and resolution-dependent variations in the SFHs are more significant, but the agreement is still good, and the stellar mass formed over the course of a simulation is robust to variations in the numerical method. During a merger, the gas morphology and phase structure are initially similar prior to the starburst phase. However, once a hot gaseous halo has formed from shock heating and AGN feedback (when included), the agreement is less good. In particular, during the post-starburst phase, the SPH simulations feature more prominent hot gaseous haloes and spurious clumps, whereas with Arepo, gas clumps and filaments are less apparent and the hot halo gas can cool more efficiently. We discuss the origin of these differences and explain why the SPH technique yields trustworthy results for some applications (such as the idealised isolated disc and galaxy merger simulations presented here) but not others (e.g., gas flows onto galaxies in cosmological hydrodynamical simulations).

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arXiv2014

Properties of galaxies reproduced by a hydrodynamic simulation

Previous simulations of the growth of cosmic structures have broadly reproduced the 'cosmic web' of galaxies that we see in the Universe, but failed to create a mixed population of elliptical and spiral galaxies due to numerical inaccuracies and incomplete physical models. Moreover, because of computational constraints, they were unable to track the small scale evolution of gas and stars to the present epoch within a representative portion of the Universe. Here we report a simulation that starts 12 million years after the Big Bang, and traces 13 billion years of cosmic evolution with 12 billion resolution elements in a volume of $(106.5\,{\rm Mpc})^3$. It yields a reasonable population of ellipticals and spirals, reproduces the distribution of galaxies in clusters and statistics of hydrogen on large scales, and at the same time the metal and hydrogen content of galaxies on small scales.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2013

A model for cosmological simulations of galaxy formation physics

We present a new comprehensive model of the physics of galaxy formation designed for large-scale hydrodynamical simulations of structure formation using the moving mesh code AREPO. Our model includes primordial and metal line cooling with self-shielding corrections, stellar evolution and feedback processes, gas recycling, chemical enrichment, a novel subgrid model for the metal loading of outflows, black hole (BH) seeding, BH growth and merging procedures, quasar- and radio-mode feedback, and a prescription for radiative electro-magnetic (EM) feedback from active galactic nuclei (AGN). The metal mass loading of outflows can be adjusted independently of the wind mass loading. This is required to simultaneously reproduce the stellar mass content of low mass haloes and their gas oxygen abundances. Radiative EM AGN feedback is implemented assuming an average spectral energy distribution and a luminosity-dependent scaling of obscuration effects. This form of feedback suppresses star formation more efficiently than continuous thermal quasar-mode feedback alone, but is less efficient than mechanical radio-mode feedback in regulating star formation in massive haloes. We contrast simulation predictions for different variants of our galaxy formation model with key observations. Our best match model reproduces, among other things, the cosmic star formation history, the stellar mass function, the stellar mass - halo mass relation, g-, r-, i-, z-band SDSS galaxy luminosity functions, and the Tully-Fisher relation. We can achieve this success only if we invoke very strong forms of stellar and AGN feedback such that star formation is adequately reduced in both low and high mass systems. In particular, the strength of radio-mode feedback needs to be increased significantly compared to previous studies to suppress efficient cooling in massive, metal-enriched haloes.

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arXiv2013

Empirical Constraints for the Magnitude and Composition of Galactic Winds

Galactic winds are a key physical mechanism for understanding galaxy formation and evolution, yet empirical and theoretical constraints for the character of winds are limited and discrepant. Recent empirical models find that local star-forming galaxies have a deficit of oxygen that scales with galaxy stellar mass. The oxygen deficit provides unique empirical constraints on the magnitude of mass loss, composition of outflowing material and metal reaccretion onto galaxies. We formulate the oxygen deficit constraints so they may be easily implemented into theoretical models of galaxy evolution. We parameterize an effective metal loading factor which combines the uncertainties of metal outflows and metal reaccretion into a single function of galaxy virial velocity. We determine the effective metal loading factor by forward-fitting the oxygen deficit. The effective metal loading factor we derive has important implications for the implementation of mass loss in models of galaxy evolution.

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arXiv2013

The Dynamics of Galaxy Pairs in a Cosmological Setting

We use the Millennium Simulation, and an abundance-matching framework, to investigate the dynamical behaviour of galaxy pairs embedded in a cosmological context. Our main galaxy-pair sample, selected to have separations under 250 kpc/h, consists of over 1.3 million pairs at redshift z = 0, with stellar masses greater than 10^9 Msun, probing mass ratios down to 1:1000. We use dark matter halo membership and energy to classify our galaxy pairs. In terms of halo membership, central-satellite pairs tend to be in isolation (in relation to external more massive galaxies), are energetically- bound to each other, and are also weakly-bound to a neighbouring massive galaxy. Satellite-satellite pairs, instead, inhabit regions in close proximity to a more massive galaxy, are energetically-unbound, and are often bound to that neighbour. We find that 60% of our paired galaxies are bound to both their companion and to a third external object. Moreover, only 9% of our pairs resemble the kind of systems described by idealised binary merger simulations in complete isolation. In sum, we demonstrate the importance of properly connecting galaxy pairs to the rest of the Universe.

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arXiv2013

The Slow Flow Model of Dust Efflux in Local Star-Forming Galaxies

We develop a dust efflux model of radiation pressure acting on dust grains which successfully reproduces the relation between stellar mass, dust opacity and star formation rate observed in local star-forming galaxies. The dust content of local star-forming galaxies is set by the competition between the physical processes of dust production and dust loss in our model. The dust loss rate is proportional to the dust opacity and star formation rate. Observations of the relation between stellar mass and star formation rate at several epochs imply that the majority of local star-forming galaxies are best characterized as having continuous star formation histories. Dust loss is a consequence of sustained interaction of dust with the radiation field generated by continuous star formation. Dust efflux driven by radiation pressure rather than dust destruction offers a more consistent physical interpretation of the dust loss mechanism. By comparing our model results with the observed relation between stellar mass, dust extinction and star formation rate in local star-forming galaxies we are able to constrain the timescale and magnitude of dust loss. The timescale of dust loss is long and therefore dust is effluxed in a "Slow Flow". Dust loss is modest in low mass galaxies but massive galaxies may lose up to 70~80% of their dust over their lifetime. Our Slow Flow model shows that mass loss driven by dust opacity and star formation may be an important physical process for understanding normal star-forming galaxy evolution.

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arXiv2013

Galaxy pairs in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey - VI. The orbital extent of enhanced star formation in interacting galaxies

We use pair and environmental classifications of ~ 211,000 star-forming galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, along with a suite of merger simulations, to investigate the enhancement of star formation as a function of separation in galaxy pairs. Using a new technique for distinguishing between the influence of nearby neighbours and larger scale environment, we find a clear enhancement in star formation out to projected separations of ~ 150 kpc, beyond which there is no net enhancement. We find the strongest enhancements at the smallest separations (especially < 20 kpc), consistent with earlier work. Similar trends are seen in the simulations, which indicate that the strongest enhancements are produced in highly disturbed systems approaching final coalescence, whereas the more modest enhancements seen at wider separations are the result of starburst activity triggered at first pericentre passage, which persists as the galaxies move to larger separations. The absence of any net enhancement beyond 150 kpc provides reassurance that the detected enhancements are due to galaxy-galaxy interactions, rather than larger scale environmental effects or potential pair selection biases. A rough census indicates that 66 per cent of the enhanced star formation in our pair sample occurs at separations > 30 kpc. We conclude that significant interaction-induced star formation is not restricted to merger remnants or galaxies with close companions; instead, a larger population of wider separation pairs exhibit enhanced star formation due to recent close encounters.

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arXiv2013

A physical model for cosmological simulations of galaxy formation: multi-epoch validation

We present a multi-epoch analysis of the galaxy populations formed within the cosmological hydrodynamical simulations presented in Vogelsberger et al. (2013). These simulations explore the performance of a recently implemented feedback model which includes primordial and metal line radiative cooling with self-shielding corrections; stellar evolution with associated mass loss and chemical enrichment; feedback by stellar winds; black hole seeding, growth and merging; and AGN quasar- and radio-mode heating with a phenomenological prescription for AGN electro-magnetic feedback. We illustrate the impact of the model parameter choices on the resulting simulated galaxy population properties at high and intermediate redshifts. We demonstrate that our scheme is capable of producing galaxy populations that broadly reproduce the observed galaxy stellar mass function extending from redshift z=0 to z=3. We also characterise the evolving galactic B-band luminosity function, stellar mass to halo mass ratio, star formation main sequence, Tully-Fisher relation, and gas-phase mass-metallicity relation and confront them against recent observational estimates. This detailed comparison allows us to validate elements of our feedback model, while also identifying areas of tension that will be addressed in future work.

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arXiv2012

Moving Mesh Cosmology: Properties of Gas Disks

We compare the structural properties of galaxies formed in cosmological simulations using the smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) code GADGET with those using the moving-mesh code AREPO. Both codes employ identical gravity solvers and the same sub-resolution physics but use very different methods to track the hydrodynamic evolution of gas. This permits us to isolate the effects of the hydro solver on the formation and evolution of galactic gas disks in GADGET and AREPO haloes with comparable numerical resolution. In a matching sample of GADGET and AREPO haloes we fit simulated gas disks with exponential profiles. We find that the cold gas disks formed using the moving mesh approach have systematically larger disk scale lengths and higher specific angular momenta than their GADGET counterparts across a wide range in halo masses. For low mass galaxies differences between the properties of the simulated galaxy disks are caused by an insufficient number of resolution elements which lead to the artificial angular momentum transfer in our SPH calculation. We however find that galactic disks formed in massive halos, resolved with 10^6 particles/cells, are still systematically smaller in the GADGET run by a factor of ~2. The reasons for this are: 1) The excessive heating of haloes close to the cooling radius due to spurious dissipation of the subsonic turbulence in GADGET; and 2) The efficient delivery of low angular momentum gaseous blobs to the bottom of the potential well. While this large population of gaseous blobs in GADGET originates from the filaments which are pressure confined and fragment due to the SPH surface tension while infalling into hot halo atmospheres, it is essentially absent in the moving mesh calculation, clearly indicating numerical rather than physical origin of the blob material.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2012

Galaxy Pairs in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey - V. Tracing changes in star formation rate and metallicity out to separations of 80 kpc

We present a sample of 1899 galaxies with a close companion taken from the SDSS DR7. The galaxy pairs are selected to have velocity differences < 300 km/s, projected separations (rp) < 80 kpc/h, mass ratios between 0.1 and 10, and robust measurements of star formation rates and gas-phase metallicities. We match the galaxies in total stellar mass, redshift, and local density to a set of 10 control galaxies per pair galaxy. For each pair galaxy we can therefore calculate the statistical change in star formation rate (SFR) and metallicity associated with the interaction process. Relative to the control sample, we find that galaxies in pairs show typical SFR enhancements that are, on average, 60% higher than the control sample at rp < 30 kpc/h. In addition, the pairs demonstrate more modest SFR enhancements of ~30% out to at least 80 kpc/h (the widest separations in our sample). Galaxies in both major and minor mergers show significant SFR enhancements at all rp, although the strongest starbursts (with SFR enhancements of a factor of ~10) appear to be found only in the major mergers. For the first time, we are also able to trace the metallicity changes in galaxy pairs as a function of projected separation. The metallicity is generally diluted in galaxy pairs by ~0.02 dex, with an average metallicity decrement of -0.03 dex at the smallest separations. The SFR and metallicity trends with projected separation are interpreted through a comparison with theoretical models. These simulations indicate that the peak in SFR enhancements at small separations is due to systems near the end of the merger process. The extended plateau in SFR enhancements out to at least 80 kpc/h is dominated by galaxies that have made a pericentric passage and are now experiencing triggered star formation on their trajectory towards apogalacticon, or on a subsequent close approach. (Abridged)

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arXiv2011

The Metallicity Evolution of Interacting Galaxies

Nuclear inflows of metal-poor interstellar gas triggered by galaxy interactions can account for the systematically lower central oxygen abundances observed in local interacting galaxies. Here, we investigate the metallicity evolution of a large set of simulations of colliding galaxies. Our models include cooling, star formation, feedback, and a new stochastic method for tracking the mass recycled back to the interstellar medium from stellar winds and supernovae. We study the influence of merger-induced inflows, enrichment, gas consumption, and galactic winds in determining the nuclear metallicity. The central metallicity is primarily a competition between the inflow of low-metallicity gas and enrichment from star formation. An average depression in the nuclear metallicity of ~0.07 is found for gas-poor disk-disk interactions. Gas-rich disk-disk interactions, on the other hand, typically have an enhancement in the central metallicity that is positively correlated with the gas content. The simulations fare reasonably well when compared to the observed mass-metallicity and separation-metallicity relationships, but further study is warranted.

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