Related papers: Thin, thick and dark discs in LCDM
In hierarchical structure formation models of disk galaxies, a dark matter disk forms as massive satellites are preferentially dragged into the disk-plane where they dissolve. Here, we quantify the importance of this dark disk for direct…
A wealth of recent studies have shown that the LMC is likely massive, with a halo mass $>10^{11} M_\odot$. One consequence of having such a nearby and massive neighbour is that the inner Milky Way is expected to be accelerated with respect…
We study the gravitational lensing effects of spiral galaxies by taking a model of the Milky Way and computing its lensing properties. The model is composed of a spherical Hernquist bulge, a Miyamoto-Nagai disc and an isothermal halo. As a…
Observations indicate that a continuous supply of gas is needed to maintain observed star formation rates in large, disky galaxies. To fuel star formation, gas must reach the inner regions of such galaxies. Despite its crucial importance…
The structure, extent, and mass of the Milky Way's (MW) dark matter (DM) halo are observationally challenging to determine due to our position within the Galaxy. To overcome this limitation, we study a combined sample of 127 MW analogs from…
How many low-mass stars, brown dwarfs and free-floating planets are in the Milky Way? And how are they distributed in our Galaxy? Recent studies of Milky Way interlopers in high-redshift observations have revealed a 150-300 pc thick disk of…
We study the evolution of Milky Way thick and thin discs in the light of the most recent observational data. In particular, we analyze abundance gradients of O, N, Fe and Mg along the thin disc as well as the [Mg/Fe] vs. [Fe/H] relations…
We study the possibility that the Milky Way's cool stellar disc includes mergers with ancient stars. Galaxies are understood to form in a hierarchical manner, where smaller (proto-)galaxies merge into larger ones. Stars in galaxies, like…
We study the distribution of orbital eccentricities of stars in thick disks generated by the heating of a pre-existing thin stellar disk through a minor merger (mass ratio 1:10), using N-body/SPH numerical simulations of interactions that…
We estimated the dynamical surface mass density (Sigma) at the solar Galactocentric distance between 2 and 4 kpc from the Galactic plane, as inferred from the observed kinematics of the thick disk. We find Sigma(z=2 kpc)=57.6+-5.8 Mo pc^-2,…
The Milky Way (MW) is surrounded by numerous satellite objects: dwarf galaxies, globular clusters and streams of disrupted systems. Together, these form a vast polar structure (VPOS), a thin plane spreading to Galactocentric distances as…
The formation of thick stellar disks in spiral galaxies is studied. Simulations of gas-rich young galaxies show formation of internal clumps by gravitational instabilities, clump coalescence into a bulge, and disk thickening by strong…
We analyse from an observational perspective the formation history and kinematics of a Milky Way-like galaxy from a high-resolution zoom-in cosmological simulation that we compare to those of our Galaxy as seen by Gaia DR2 to better…
High redshift disc galaxies are more gas rich, clumpier, and more turbulent than local Universe galaxies. This early era of galaxy formation imprints the distribution and kinematics of the stars that we observe today, but it is not yet well…
There is increasing evidence now from simulations and observations that the centre of dark matter halo in a Milky Way type galaxy could be off-centred by a few 100 pc w.r.t. the galactic disc. We study the effect of such an offset halo on…
We present a high resolution study of the impact of realistic satellite galaxies, extracted from cosmological simulations of Milky Way haloes including 6 Aquarius suites and Via Lactea \rom{2}, on the dynamics of the galactic disc. The…
By means of N-body/SPH simulations we investigate the morphological properties of thick disks formed through minor mergers. We show that the vertical surface density profile of the post-merger thick disk follows a sech function and has an…
We study the connection between galaxy morphology and host dark matter (DM) halo structure using cosmological simulations. Introducing a new kinematic decomposition scheme, we robustly separate thin and thick discs and measure halo…
We study the chemical properties of the stellar populations in eight simulations of the formation of Milky-Way mass galaxies in a LCDM Universe. Our simulations include metal-dependent cooling and an explicitly multiphase treatment of the…
Context. Gas within a galaxy is forced to establish pressure balance against gravitational forces. The shape of an unperturbed gaseous disk can be used to constrain dark matter models. Aims. We derive the 3-D HI volume density distribution…