The dependence of dark matter profiles on the stellar-to-halo mass ratio: a prediction for cusps versus cores

By A. Cintio, C. Brook, A. Macciò, G. Stinson, A. Knebe, A. Dutton, James Wadsley. 2013

388 citations recorded by the source corpus.

We use a suite of 31 simulated galaxies drawn from the MaGICC project to investigate the effects of baryonic feedback on the density profiles of dark matter haloes. The sample covers a wide mass range: 9.4×109 <Mhalo/M� <7.8×1011, hosting galaxies with stellarmasses in the range 5.0×105 <M∗/M� < 8.3×1010, i.e. from dwarf to L∗. The galaxies are simulated with blastwave supernova feedback and, for some of them, an additional source of energy from massive stars is included. Within this feedback scheme we vary several parameters, such as the initial mass function, the density threshold for star formation, and energy from supernovae and massive stars. The main result is a clear dependence of the inner slope of the dark matter density profile, α in ρ ∝ rα, on the stellar-to-halo mass ratio, M∗/Mhalo. This relation is independent of the particular choice of parameters within our stellar feedback scheme, allowing a prediction for cusp versus core formation. When M∗/Mhalo is low, �0.01 per cent, energy from stellar feedback is insufficient to significantly alter the inner dark matter density, and the galaxy retains a cuspy profile. At higher stellar-to-halo mass ratios, feedback drives the expansion of the dark matter and generates cored profiles. The flattest profiles form where M∗/Mhalo ∼ 0.5 per cent. Above this ratio, stars formed in the central regions deepen the gravitational potential enough to oppose the supernova-driven expansion process, resulting in cuspier profiles. Combining the dependence of α on M∗/Mhalo with the empirical abundance matching relation between M∗ and Mhalo provides a prediction for how α varies as a function of stellar mass. Further, using the Tully–Fisher relation allows a prediction for the dependence of the dark matter inner slope on the observed rotation velocity of galaxies. The most cored galaxies are expected to have Vrot ∼ 50 km s−1, with α decreasing for more massive disc galaxies: spirals with Vrot ∼ 150 km s−1 have central slopes α ≤−0.8, approaching again the Navarro–Frenk–White profile. This novel prediction for the dependence of α on disc galaxy mass can be tested using observational data sets and can be applied to theoretical modelling of mass profiles and populations of disc galaxies.

Subfields: Astronomy and Astrophysics, Instrumentation

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/16d4c50f51ce2b7b8e8c8e9bd84e7c2cb32e0d86

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Citations in the corpus

Forged in FIRE: cusps, cores and baryons in low-mass dwarf galaxies (2015, background): “Though the results of Di Cintio et al. (2014) and Governato et al. (2012) agree reasonably well, a different set of high resolution simulations with a simpler implementation of stellar feedback have not produced cores in dwarf galaxy halos at any mass (Vogelsberger et al. 2014), even though a…”
A mass-dependent density profile for dark matter haloes including the influence of galaxy formation (2014, positive): “As with the central density slope γ in Di Cintio et al. (2014), we ﬁnd that the density proﬁle parameters depend on M (cid:2) / M halo .”
(Star)bursts of FIRE: observational signatures of bursty star formation in galaxies (2015, background): “…dark matter halos because SFR variability on timescales less than the local orbital period of dark matter particles can turn dark matter cusps into cores (Pontzen & Governato 2012, see also Garrison-Kimmel et al. 2013; Di Cintio et al. 2014; Oñorbe et al. 2015; Chan et al. 2015; Read et al. 2016).”
FIRE in the field: Simulating the threshold of galaxy formation (2016, background): “…velocity of 40 km s−1) at which stellar feedback switches from being efficient (at higher Mhalo) to inefficient (at lower Mhalo) at redistributing dark matter in galaxies’ centers (Governato et al. 2012; Di Cintio et al. 2014; Oñorbe et al. 2015; Tollet et al. 2016; Kormendy & Freeman 2016).”
Farthest Neighbor: The Distant Milky Way Satellite Eridanus II (2016, result): “…results have consistently pointed to shallower profiles (e.g., de Blok et al. 2001; Walker & Penarrubia 2011; Adams et al. 2014), and theoretical calculations have been developed to explain why cusps are not found (e.g., Governato et al. 2012; Pontzen & Governato 2012; Di Cintio et al. 2014).”
The impact of baryonic physics on the structure of dark matter haloes: the view from the FIRE cosmological simulations (2015, background): “We also find cuspier DM profiles at around 6 − 7 × 1011M than the one reported in Macciò et al. (2012b) and therefore weaker halo expansion and somewhat steeper dependence of slope on M∗/Mh than the relation presented in Di Cintio et al. (2014).”
Cold dark matter haloes in the Planck era: evolution of structural parameters for Einasto and NFW profiles (2014, background): “…that need to be overcome before an accurate prediction for the structure of CDM haloes is possible: 1) halo structure is sensitive to cosmological parameters (e.g., Macciò et al. 2008) and 2) the galaxy formation process can cause haloes to both contract or expand (e.g., Di Cintio et al. 2014).”
The hidden giant: discovery of an enormous Galactic dwarf satellite in Gaia DR2 (2018, background): “…would be sufficiently large to give each object a ‘normal’ half-light to halo radius ratio correspond to M200 values so large that the ratio of stellar mass to halo mass plummets, rendering the process of core formation energetically implausible (see Peñarrubia et al. 2012; Di Cintio et al. 2014).”
One Law to Rule Them All: The Radial Acceleration Relation of Galaxies (2016, background): “Supernova explosions, stellar winds, and active galactic nuclei can inject energy into the ISM and potentially drive gas outflows, redistributing both mass and angular momentum (Governato et al. 2010; Madau et al. 2014; Di Cintio et al. 2014).”
NIHAO project – I. Reproducing the inefficiency of galaxy formation across cosmic time with a large sample of cosmological hydrodynamical simulations (2015, background): “Only a handful of cosmological simulations have been able to reproduce the stellar vs halo mass relation over a wide range of halo masses from dwarfs to the Milky Way (Di Cintio et al. 2014; Hopkins et al. 2014; Schaye et al. 2015).”
BREATHING FIRE: HOW STELLAR FEEDBACK DRIVES RADIAL MIGRATION, RAPID SIZE FLUCTUATIONS, AND POPULATION GRADIENTS IN LOW-MASS GALAXIES (2015, background): “Recently, a number of studies (for example, Read & Gilmore 2005; Pontzen & Governato 2012; Governato et al. 2012; Di Cintio et al. 2014; Oñorbe et al. 2015; Chan et al. 2015) have shown that including stellar feedback in simulations can significantly alter dwarf galaxies’ density profiles,…”
Not so lumpy after all: modelling the depletion of dark matter subhaloes by Milky Way-like galaxies (2017, background): “…in this field (e.g. di Cintio et al. 2011; Governato et al. 2012; Pontzen & Governato 2012; Zolotov et al. 2012; Brooks & Zolotov 2014; Arraki et al. 2014; Sawala et al. 2015; Di Cintio et al. 2014; Oñorbe et al. 2015; Chan et al. 2015; Sawala et al. 2016b; Cui et al. 2016; Wetzel et al. 2016).”
NIHAO - XI. Formation of ultra-diffuse galaxies by outflows (2016, background): “…that feedback driven gas outflows are able to cause expansion not only of the central DM distribution in galaxies (e.g. Governato et al. 2010; Di Cintio et al. 2014a,b; Oñorbe et al. 2015; Tollet et al. 2016; Chan et al. 2015; Read et al. 2016), but also of the stellar one (e.g. Teyssier et…”
Is there a "too big to fail" problem in the field? (2014, background): “Nonetheless, the eff ct is still present at radii of 2− 3 kpc (e.g. Di Cintio et al. 2013, 2014), which means that it cannot be entirely ignored for most of the extreme dwarf galaxies in our sample.”