Related papers: Substructure and Tidal Debris in Local Galaxies: M…
Several deep observations such as those carried out at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) have revealed prominent Low Surface Brightness (LSB) fine structures that change the apparent morphology of galaxies. Previous photometry…
Different methodologies lead to order-of-magnitude variations in predicted galaxy merger rates. We examine and quantify the dominant uncertainties. Different halo merger rates and subhalo 'destruction' rates agree to within a factor ~2…
We use simulations of merging galaxies to explore the sensitivity of the morphology of tidal tails to variations of the halo mass distributions in the parent galaxies. Our goal is to constrain the mass of dark halos in well-known merging…
We study how structural properties of globular clusters and dwarf galaxies are linked to their orbits in the Milky Way halo. From the inner to the outer halo, orbital energy increases and stellar-systems gradually move out of internal…
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 characterize substructure in the simulated stellar halos of Cooper et al. (2010) which were formed by the disruption of satellite galaxies within the cosmological N-body simulations of galactic halos of the Aquarius Project. These…
Standard cosmology predicts that dwarfs were the first galaxies to be formed in the Universe and that many of them merge afterwards to form bigger galaxies such as the Milky Way. This process would have left behind traces such as tidal…
According to the now strongly supported concordance $\Lambda$CDM model, galaxies may be grossly described as a luminous component embedded in a dark matter halo. The density profile of these mass dominating haloes may be determined by N -…
We use a series of high-resolution N-body simulations of a `Milky-Way' halo, coupled to semi-analytic techniques, to study the formation of our own Galaxy and of its stellar halo. Our model Milky Way galaxy is a relatively young system…
Stellar halos around galaxies retain fundamental evidence of the processes which lead to their build up. Sophisticated models of galaxy formation in a cosmological context yield quantitative predictions about various observable…
Tidal dwarf galaxies form during the interaction, collision or merger of massive spiral galaxies. They can resemble "normal" dwarf galaxies in terms of mass, size, and become dwarf satellites orbiting around their massive progenitor. They…
We study the distribution of nearby thick disc and halo stars in subspaces defined by their characteristic orbital parameters. Our aim is to establish the origin of the structure reported in particular, in the $R_{\rm max}-z_{\rm max}$…
We use a simulation performed within the Constrained Local UniversE Simulation (CLUES) project to study a realistic Local Group-like object. We employ this group as a numerical laboratory for studying the evolution of the population of its…
The evolution of our Universe is strongly influenced by the attractive force of gravity. A key aspect of this evolution, therefore, is the merging of galaxies. Here, we explore the role of mergers in shaping the properties of massive…
While recent sky surveys have uncovered large numbers of ever fainter Milky Way satellites, their classification as star clusters, low-luminosity galaxies, or tidal overdensities remains often unclear. Likewise, their contributions to the…
The Milky Way's stellar halo, which extends to $>100$ kpc, encodes the evolutionary history of our Galaxy. However, most studies of the halo to date have been limited to within a few kpc of the Sun. Here, we characterize differences between…
Tidal debris around galaxies can yield important clues on their evolution. We have identified tidal debris in 11 early type galaxies (T \leq 0) from a sample of 65 early types drawn from the Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies…
High-resolution simulations of cosmological structure formation indicate that dark matter substructure in dense environments, like groups and clusters, may survive for a long time. These dark matter subhalos are the likely hosts of…
We examine the tidal disruption of satellite galaxies in a cosmological simulation of the formation of a disk galaxy in the $\Lambda$CDM scenario. We find that the disruption of satellite galaxies in orbits roughly coplanar with the disk…
We develop a comprehensive and flexible model for the connection between satellite galaxies and dark matter subhalos in dark matter-only zoom-in simulations of Milky Way (MW)--mass host halos. We systematically identify the physical and…