arXiv subjects

Rhea-Silvia Remus

Publications and source records attributed to Rhea-Silvia Remus.

82 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv2017

The Co-Evolution of Total Density Profiles and Central Dark Matter Fractions in Simulated Early-Type Galaxies

We present evidence from cosmological hydrodynamical simulations for a co-evolution of the slope of the total (dark and stellar) mass density profile, gamma_tot, and the dark matter fraction within the half-mass radius, f_DM, in early-type galaxies. The relation can be described as gamma_tot = A f_DM + B for all systems at all redshifts. The trend is set by the decreasing importance of gas dissipation towards lower redshifts and for more massive systems. Early-type galaxies are smaller, more concentrated, have lower f_DM and steeper gamma_tot at high redshifts and at lower masses for a given redshift; f_DM and gamma_tot are good indicators for growth by "dry" merging. The values for A and B change distinctively for different feedback models, and this relation can be used as a test for such models. A similar correlation exists between gamma_tot and the stellar mass surface density Sigma_*. A model with weak stellar feedback and feedback from black holes is in best agreement with observations. All simulations, independent of the assumed feedback model, predict steeper gamma_tot and lower f_DM at higher redshifts. While the latter is in agreement with the observed trends, the former is in conflict with lensing observations, which indicate constant or decreasing gamma_tot. This discrepancy is shown to be artificial: the observed trends can be reproduced from the simulations using observational methodology to calculate the total density slopes.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2017

On the Kinematics, Stability and Lifetime of Kinematically Distinct Cores: A Case Study

We present a case study of a early-type galaxy (ETG) hosting a kinematically distinct core (KDC) formed in a binary high resolution 1:1 spiral galaxy merger simulation. The runtime of the simulation is pushed up to 10Gyr to follow the complete evolution of various physical properties. To investigate the origin of the KDC, the stellar component residing within the KDC is dissected, revealing that the rotational signal is purely generated by stars that belong to the KDC for at least 0.5Gyr and are newly formed during the merging process. Following the orientation of the total stellar angular momentum of the KDC, we show that it performs a motion comparable to the precession of a gyroscope in a gravitational potential. We draw the conclusion that the motion of the KDC is a superposition of an intrinsic rotation and a global precession that gets gradually damped over cosmic time. Finally, the stability of the KDC over the complete runtime of the simulation is investigated by tracing the evolution of the widely used $λ_{R}$ parameter and the misalignment angle distribution. We find that the KDC is stable for about 3Gyr after the merger and subsequently disperses completely on a timescale of ~1.5Gyr.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2017

Distribution and Evolution of Metals in the Magneticum simulations

Metals are ideal tracers of the baryonic cycle within halos. Their composition is a fossil record connecting the evolution of the various stellar components of galaxies to the interaction with the environment by in- and outflows. The Magneticum simulations allow to study halos across a large range of masses and environments, from massive galaxy clusters containing hundreds of galaxies down to isolated field galaxies. They include a detailed treatment of the chemo-energetic feedback from the stellar component and its evolution as well as feedback from the evolution of supermassive black holes. Following the detailed evolution of various metal species and their relative composition due to continuing enrichment of the IGM and ICM by SNIa, SNII and AGB winds of the evolving stellar population reveals the complex interplay of local star formation processes, mixing, global baryonic flows, secular galactic evolution and environmental processes. We present results from the Magneticum simulations on the chemical properties of simulated galaxies and galaxy clusters, carefully comparing them to observations. We show that the simulations already reach a very high level of realism within their complex descriptions of the chemo-energetic feedback, successfully reproducing a large number of observed properties and scaling relations. Our simulated galaxies clearly indicate that there are no strong secondary parameters (like star formation rates at fixed redshift) driving the scatter in these scaling relations. The remaining differences clearly point to detailed physical processes which have to be included into future simulations.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2017

The Morphology-Density-Relation: Impact on the Satellite Fraction

In the past years several authors studied the abundance of satellites around galaxies in order to better estimate the halo masses of host galaxies. To investigate this connection, we analyze galaxies with $M_\mathrm{star}\geq\,10^{10}\,M_{\odot}$ from the hydrodynamical cosmological simulation Magneticum. We find that the satellite fraction of centrals is independent of their morphology. With the exception of very massive galaxies at low redshift, our results do not support the assumption that the dark matter (DM) haloes of spheroidal galaxies are significantly more massive than those of disc galaxies at fixed $M_\mathrm{star}$. We show that the density-morphology-relation starts to build up at $z\sim2$ and is independent of the star-formation properties of central galaxies. We conclude that environmental quenching is more important for satellites than for centrals. Our simulations indicate that conformity is already in place at $z=2$, where formation redshift and current star-formation rate (SFR) of central and satellite galaxies correlate. Centrals with low SFRs have formed earlier (at fixed $M_\mathrm{star}$) while centrals with high SFR formed later, with typical formation redshifts well in agreement with observations. However, we confirm the recent observations that the apparent number of satellites of spheroidal galaxies is significantly larger than for disc galaxies. This difference completely originates from the inclusion of companion galaxies, i.e. galaxies that do not sit in the potential minimum of a DM halo. Thus, due to the density-morphological-relation the number of satellites is not a good tracer for the halo mass, unless samples are restricted to the central galaxies of DM haloes.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2016

A "Universal" Density Profile for the Outer Stellar Halos of Galaxies

The outer stellar halos of galaxies contain vital information about the formation history of galaxies, since the relaxation timescales in the outskirts are long enough to keep the memory, while the information about individual formation events in the central parts has long been lost due to mixing, star formation and relaxation. To unveil some of the information encoded in these faint outer halo regions, we study the stellar outskirts of galaxies selected from a fully hydrodynamical high resolution cosmological simulation, called Magneticum. We find that the density profiles of the outer stellar halos of galaxies over a broad mass range can be well described by an Einasto profile. For a fixed total mass range, the free parameters of the Einasto fits are closely correlated. Galaxies which had more (dry) merger events tend to have lesser curved outer stellar halos, however, we find no indication that the amount of curvature is correlated with galaxy morphology. The Einasto-like shape of the outer stellar halo densities can also explain the observed differences between the Milky Way and Andromeda outer stellar halos.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2016

Origin and properties of dual and offset active galactic nuclei in a cosmological simulation at z=2

In the last few years, it became possible to observationally resolve galaxies with two distinct nuclei in their centre. For separations smaller than 10kpc, dual and offset active galactic nuclei (AGN) are distinguished: in dual AGN, both nuclei are active, whereas in offset AGN only one nucleus is active. To study the origin of such AGN pairs, we employ a cosmological, hydrodynamic simulation with a large volume of (182Mpc)^3 from the set of Magneticum Pathfinder Simulations. The simulation self-consistently produces 35 resolved black hole (BH) pairs at redshift z=2, with a comoving distance smaller than 10kpc. 14 of them are offset AGN and nine are dual AGN, resulting in a fraction of (1.2 \pm 0.3)% AGN pairs with respect to the total number of AGN. In this paper, we discuss fundamental differences between the BH and galaxy properties of dual AGN, offset AGN and inactive BH pairs and investigate their different triggering mechanisms. We find that in dual AGN the BHs have similar masses and the corresponding BH from the less massive progenitor galaxy always accretes with a higher Eddington ratio. In contrast, in offset AGN the active BH is typically more massive than its non-active counterpart. Furthermore, dual AGN in general accrete more gas from the intergalactic medium than offset AGN and non-active BH pairs. This highlights that merger events, particularly minor mergers, do not necessarily lead to strong gas inflows and thus, do not always drive strong nuclear activity.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2015

A refined sub-grid model for black hole accretion and AGN feedback in large cosmological simulations

In large scale cosmological hydrodynamic simulations simplified sub-grid models for gas accretion onto black holes and AGN feedback are commonly used. Such models typically depend on various free parameters, which are not well constrained. We present a new advanced model containing a more detailed description of AGN feedback, where those parameters reflect the results of recent observations. The model takes the dependency of these parameters on the black hole properties into account and describes a continuous transition between the feedback processes acting in the so-called radio-mode and quasar-mode. In addition, we implement a more detailed description of the accretion of gas onto black holes by distinguishing between hot and cold gas accretion. Our new implementations prevent black holes from gaining too much mass, particularly at low redshifts so that our simulations are now very successful in reproducing the observed present-day black hole mass function. Our new model also suppresses star formation in massive galaxies slightly more efficiently than many state-of-the-art models. Therefore, the simulations that include our new implementations produce a more realistic population of quiescent and star-forming galaxies compared to recent observations, even if some discrepancies remain. In addition, the baryon conversion efficiencies in our simulation are - except for the high mass end - consistent with observations presented in literature over the mass range resolved by our simulations. Finally, we discuss the significant impact of the feedback model on the low-luminous end of the AGN luminosity function.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2013

The Mystery of the $σ$-Bump -- A new Signature for Major Mergers in Early-type Galaxies?

The stellar velocity dispersion as a function of the galactocentric radius of an early-type galaxy can generally be well approximated by a power law $σ\propto r^β$. However, some observed dispersion profiles show a deviation from this fit at intermediate radii, usually between one and three $R_{\mathrm{eff}}$, where the velocity dispersion remains constant with radius, showing a bump-like behavior, which we term the "$σ$-"bump. To understand the origin of this $σ$-bump, we study a set of simulated early-type galaxies formed in major mergers. We find the $σ$-bump in all of our simulated early-type galaxies, with the size and position of the bump slightly varying from galaxy to galaxy, leading to the assumption that the bump is a characteristic of the major merger formation scenario. The feature can be seen both in the intrinsic and projected stellar velocity dispersions. In contrast to shells that form during the merger event but evolve with time and finally disappear, the $σ$-bump stays nearly constant with radius and is a permanent feature that is preserved until the end of the simulation. The $σ$-bump is not seen in the dark matter and gas components and we therefore conclude that it is a purely stellar feature of merger remnants.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2013

The Dark Halo - Spheroid Conspiracy and the Origin of Elliptical Galaxies

Dynamical modeling and strong lensing data indicate that the total density profiles of early-type galaxies are close to isothermal, i.e., rho_tot ~ r^gamma with gamma approx -2. To understand the origin of this universal slope we study a set of simulated spheroids formed in isolated binary mergers as well as the formation within the cosmological framework. The total stellar plus dark matter density profiles can always be described by a power law with an index of gamma approx -2.1 with a tendency toward steeper slopes for more compact, lower-mass ellipticals. In the binary mergers the amount of gas involved in the merger determines the precise steepness of the slope. This agrees with results from the cosmological simulations where ellipticals with steeper slopes have a higher fraction of stars formed in situ. Each gas-poor merger event evolves the slope toward gamma ~ -2, once this slope is reached further merger events do not change it anymore. All our ellipticals have flat intrinsic combined stellar and dark matter velocity dispersion profiles. We conclude that flat velocity dispersion profiles and total density distributions with a slope of gamma ~ -2 for the combined system of stars and dark matter act as a natural attractor. The variety of complex formation histories as present in cosmological simulations, including major as well as minor merger events, is essential to generate the full range of observed density slopes seen for present-day elliptical galaxies.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2012

On the magnetic fields in voids

We study the possible magnetization of cosmic voids by void galaxies. Recently, observations revealed isolated starforming galaxies within the voids. Furthermore, a major fraction of a voids volume is expected to be filled with magnetic fields of a minimum strength of about $10^{-15}$ G on Mpc scales. We estimate the transport of magnetic energy by cosmic rays (CR) from the void galaxies into the voids. We assume that CRs and winds are able to leave small isolated void galaxies shortly after they assembled, and then propagate within the voids. For a typical void, we estimate the magnetic field strength and volume filling factor depending on its void galaxy population and possible contributions of strong active galactic nuclei (AGN) which border the voids. We argue that the lower limit on the void magnetic field can be recovered, if a small fraction of the magnetic energy contained in the void galaxies or void bordering AGNs is distributed within the voids.

astro-ph.CO↗