Cosmic reflections I: the structural diversity of simulated and observed low-mass galaxy analogues
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| Názov: | Cosmic reflections I: the structural diversity of simulated and observed low-mass galaxy analogues |
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| Autori: | Martin, G, Watkins, AE, Dubois, Y, Devriendt, J, Kaviraj, S, Kim, D, Kraljic, K, Lazar, I, Pearce, FR, Peirani, S, Pichon, C, Slyz, A, Yi, SK |
| Prispievatelia: | POTHIER, Nathalie |
| Zdroj: | Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 541:1831-1850 |
| Publication Status: | Preprint |
| Informácie o vydavateľovi: | Oxford University Press (OUP), 2025. |
| Rok vydania: | 2025 |
| Predmety: | [SDU] Sciences of the Universe [physics], Astrophysics of Galaxies, Astrophysics of Galaxies (astro-ph.GA), FOS: Physical sciences, [PHYS.ASTR] Physics [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph] |
| Popis: | Dwarf galaxies serve as powerful laboratories for investigating the underlying physics of galaxy evolution including the impact of baryonic feedback processes and external environmental influences. We compare the visual and structural properties of dwarf galaxies in ultra-deep HSC–SSP imaging of the COSMOS field with those measured from realistic HSC-like synthetic observations of dwarfs generated by the Illustris TNG50 and NewHorizon simulations. Using Sérsic profile fitting and non-parametric morphological metrics (Gini, $M_{20}$, asymmetry, and concentration), we evaluate the diversity of structural properties in observed and simulated galaxies. Our analysis shows that NewHorizon and TNG50 galaxies lie at opposite extremes of observed structural trends: NewHorizon produces diffuse, extended galaxies with shallow Sérsic indices, while TNG50 yields compact, concentrated systems with steep indices. Both simulations reproduce observed structural trends more closely at higher stellar masses ($M_{\star } \sim 10^{9.5}~{\rm {\rm M}_{\odot }}$) but fail to capture the full diversity of COSMOS dwarfs at lower masses. Non-parametric metrics further show that NewHorizon galaxies exhibit more uneven, clumpy light distributions while TNG50 galaxies have smoother but excessively concentrated profiles. These structural differences reflect underlying differences in their physical prescriptions and are likely driven by differing approaches to ISM gas physics, supernova feedback and star formation in addition to differences in numerical resolution. Our findings highlight the unique power of low-mass galaxies to constrain differences in simulation physics, especially star formation and feedback prescriptions. Upcoming surveys from facilities like the Vera C. Rubin Observatory and Euclid will enable more rigorous comparisons with simulations, offering deeper insights into the physical processes shaping galaxy evolution. |
| Druh dokumentu: | Article |
| Popis súboru: | application/pdf |
| Jazyk: | English |
| ISSN: | 1365-2966 0035-8711 |
| DOI: | 10.1093/mnras/staf1092 |
| DOI: | 10.48550/arxiv.2505.04509 |
| Prístupová URL adresa: | http://arxiv.org/abs/2505.04509 https://hal.science/hal-05065764v1/document https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/staf1092 https://hal.science/hal-05065764v1 |
| Rights: | CC BY arXiv Non-Exclusive Distribution |
| Prístupové číslo: | edsair.doi.dedup.....fc392e723093f3a22054c52804070cc9 |
| Databáza: | OpenAIRE |
Nájsť tento článok vo Web of Science | Abstrakt: | Dwarf galaxies serve as powerful laboratories for investigating the underlying physics of galaxy evolution including the impact of baryonic feedback processes and external environmental influences. We compare the visual and structural properties of dwarf galaxies in ultra-deep HSC–SSP imaging of the COSMOS field with those measured from realistic HSC-like synthetic observations of dwarfs generated by the Illustris TNG50 and NewHorizon simulations. Using Sérsic profile fitting and non-parametric morphological metrics (Gini, $M_{20}$, asymmetry, and concentration), we evaluate the diversity of structural properties in observed and simulated galaxies. Our analysis shows that NewHorizon and TNG50 galaxies lie at opposite extremes of observed structural trends: NewHorizon produces diffuse, extended galaxies with shallow Sérsic indices, while TNG50 yields compact, concentrated systems with steep indices. Both simulations reproduce observed structural trends more closely at higher stellar masses ($M_{\star } \sim 10^{9.5}~{\rm {\rm M}_{\odot }}$) but fail to capture the full diversity of COSMOS dwarfs at lower masses. Non-parametric metrics further show that NewHorizon galaxies exhibit more uneven, clumpy light distributions while TNG50 galaxies have smoother but excessively concentrated profiles. These structural differences reflect underlying differences in their physical prescriptions and are likely driven by differing approaches to ISM gas physics, supernova feedback and star formation in addition to differences in numerical resolution. Our findings highlight the unique power of low-mass galaxies to constrain differences in simulation physics, especially star formation and feedback prescriptions. Upcoming surveys from facilities like the Vera C. Rubin Observatory and Euclid will enable more rigorous comparisons with simulations, offering deeper insights into the physical processes shaping galaxy evolution. |
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| ISSN: | 13652966 00358711 |
| DOI: | 10.1093/mnras/staf1092 |