Related papers: Determining orbits for the Milky Way's dwarfs
The nature of Milky Way dwarf spheroidals (MW dSphs) has been questioned, in particular whether they are dominated by dark matter (DM). Here we investigate an alternative scenario, for which tidal shocks are exerted by the MW to DM-free…
We have developed a method for estimating the properties of the progenitor dwarf galaxy from the tidal stream of stars that were ripped from it as it fell into the Milky Way. In particular, we show that the mass and radial profile of a…
We show that dissipationless LCDM simulations predict that the majority of the most massive subhaloes of the Milky Way are too dense to host any of its bright satellites (L_V > 10^5 L_sun). These dark subhaloes have circular velocities at…
A simple model for the Milky Way halo is presented. It has a flat rotation curve in the inner regions, but the density falls off sharply beyond an outer edge. This truncated, flat rotation curve (TF) model possesses a rich family of simple…
We present first results from a spectroscopic survey of 2000 F/G stars 0.5--5kpc from the Galactic plane, obtained with the 2dF facility on the AAT. These data show the mean rotation velocity of the thick disk about the Galactic center a…
We estimate the Milky Way (MW) halo properties using satellite kinematic data including the latest measurements from Gaia DR2. With a simulation-based 6D phase-space distribution function (DF) of satellite kinematics, we can infer halo…
Bars in galaxies may form not only through instability, but also as a result of an interaction with another galaxy. In particular, they may appear in disky dwarf galaxies interacting with Milky Way-like galaxies. Here we report the results…
Motivated by a recently found interesting property of the dark halo surface density within a radius, $r_{\rm max}$, giving the maximum circular velocity, $V_{\rm max}$, we investigate it for dark halos of the Milky Way's and Andromeda's…
We construct time-evolving gravitational potential models for a Milky Way-mass galaxy from the FIRE-2 suite of cosmological-baryonic simulations using basis function expansions. These models capture the angular variation with spherical…
On small scales there have been a number of claims of discrepancies between the standard Cold Dark Matter (CDM) model and observations. The 'missing satellites problem' infamously describes the overabundance of subhalos from CDM simulations…
As galaxies form hierarchically, larger satellites may accrete alongside smaller companions in group infall events. This coordinated accretion is likely to have left signatures in the Milky Way's stellar halo at the present day. Our goal is…
We use the second Gaia data release to investigate the kinematics of 17 ultra-faint dwarf galaxies (UFDs) and 154 globular clusters (GCs) in the Milky Way, focusing on the differences between static and evolving models of the Galactic…
The evolution of a satellite galaxy of a Milky Way like galaxy has been studied using N-Body simulations. The initial satellites, containing one million particles, have been simulated by a Plummer sphere, while the potential of the host…
If the favored hierarchical cosmological model is correct, then the Milky Way system should have accreted ~100-200 luminous satellite galaxies in the past \~12 Gyr. We model this process using a hybrid semi-analytic plus N-body approach…
We study the abundance of satellites akin to the brightest, classical dwarf spheroidals around galaxies similar in magnitude and isolation to the Milky Way and M31 in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. From a combination of photometric and…
We search for signs of rotation in the subsystems of the Milky Way and M31 that are defined by their satellite galaxies, their globular cluster populations, and their BHB stars. A set of simple distribution functions are introduced to…
Recent measurements of the Milky Way rotation curve found a sharp decline at around $15$-$20$ kpc from the center of the Galaxy, suggesting that the Galactic dark matter halo is much less massive than predicted by other dynamical tracers.…
Bars in galaxies may develop through a global instability or due to an interaction with another system. We study bar formation in disky dwarf galaxies orbiting a Milky Way-like galaxy. We employ $N$-body simulations to study the impact of…
The spatial distribution of the satellite populations of the Milky Way and Andromeda are puzzling in that they are nearly perpendicular to the disks of their central galaxies. To understand the origin of such configurations we study the…
As galaxy simulations increase in resolution more attention is being paid towards the evolution of dwarf galaxies and how the simulations compare to observations. Despite this increasing resolution we are however, far away from resolving…