Related papers: Connecting traces of galaxy evolution: the missing…
We study the impact of merging supermassive black holes (SMBHs) on the central regions of massive early-type galaxies (ETGs) using a series of merger simulations with varying mass ratios. The ETG models include realistic stellar and dark…
The binding energy liberated by the coalescence of supermassive black hole (SMBH) binaries during galaxy mergers is thought to be responsible for the low density cores often found in bright elliptical galaxies. We use high-resolution…
Given its velocity dispersion, the early-type galaxy NGC 1600 has an unusually massive ($M_\bullet = 1.7 \times 10^{10} M_\odot$) central supermassive black hole (SMBH), surrounded by a large core ($r_\mathrm{b} = 0.7$ kpc) with a…
Cosmological simulations predict that early-type galaxies (ETGs) are the results of extended mass accretion histories. The latter are characterized by different numbers of mergers, mergers mass ratios and gas fractions, and timing.…
The mass assembly of galaxies leaves various imprints on their surroundings, such as shells, streams and tidal tails. The frequency and properties of these fine structures depend on the mechanism driving the mass assembly: e.g. a monolithic…
Massive early-type galaxies (ETGs) are believed to form primarily through mergers of less massive progenitors, leaving behind numerous traces of violent formation histories, such as stellar streams and shells. A particularly striking…
We investigate how the properties of massive black hole binaries influence the observed properties of core galaxies. We compare the observed trend in stellar mass deficit as a function of total stellar mass in the core galaxy with predicted…
We carry out numerical simulations of dissipationless major mergers of elliptical galaxies using initial galaxy models that consist of a dark matter halo and a stellar bulge with properties consistent with the observed fundamental plane. By…
Shallow cores in bright, massive galaxies are commonly thought to be the result of scouring of stars by mergers of binary supermassive black holes. Past investigations have suggested correlations between the central black hole mass and the…
We investigate a hierarchical structure formation scenario in which galaxy stellar cores are created from the binding energy liberated by shrinking supermassive black hole (SMBH) binaries. The binary orbital decay heats the surrounding…
By using direct N-body numerical simulations, we model the dynamical co-evolution of two supermassive black holes (SMBHs) and the surrounding stars in merging galaxies. In order to investigate how different stellar components evolve during…
Very compact ($R_\mathrm{e}\lesssim1$ kpc) massive quiescent galaxies (red nuggets) are more abundant in the high-redshift Universe ($z\sim2$-$3$) than today. Their size evolution can be explained by collisionless dynamical processes in…
Elliptical galaxies formed in a major merger tend to become more nearly spherical with time, thanks to the gravitational effect of their central black hole (or black holes). Observational results indicate that elliptical galaxies with older…
Using 145 early- and late-type galaxies (ETGs and LTGs) with directly-measured super-massive black hole masses, $M_{BH}$, we build upon our previous discoveries that: (i) LTGs, most of which have been alleged to contain a pseudobulge,…
Stellar halos in early-type galaxies (ETGs) are shaped by their accretion and merger histories. We use a sample of 1114 ETGs in the TNG100 simulation with stellar masses $10^{10.3}\leq M_{*}/M_\odot\leq 10^{12}$, selected at z=0 within the…
Slow rotator galaxies are distinct amongst galaxy populations, with simulations suggesting that a mix of minor and major mergers are responsible for their formation. A promising path to resolve outstanding questions on the type of merger…
We analyse N-body galaxy merger experiments involving disc galaxies. Mergers of disc-bulge-halo models are compared to those of bulge-less, disc-halo models to quantify the effects of the central bulge on the merger dynamics and on the…
Galaxy centers are residing places for Super Massive Black Holes (SMBHs). Galaxy mergers bring SMBHs close together to form gravitationally bound binary systems which, if able to coalesce in less than a Hubble time, would be one of the most…
We use the SED-fitting code Prospector to reconstruct the nonparametric star formation history (SFH) of massive ($\log M_*>10.3$) star-forming galaxies (SFGs) and quiescent galaxies (QGs) at redshift $z_{\rm{obs}}\sim2$ to investigate the…
Early-type galaxies (ETGs) show a bimodal distribution in key structural properties like stellar specific angular momentum, kinematic morphology, and nuclear surface brightness profiles. Slow rotator ETGs, mostly found in the densest…