skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: THE EFFECT OF ENVIRONMENT ON MILKY-WAY-MASS GALAXIES IN A CONSTRAINED SIMULATION OF THE LOCAL GROUP

Abstract

In this Letter, we present, for the first time, a study of star formation rate (SFR), gas fraction, and galaxy morphology of a constrained simulation of the Milky Way (MW) and Andromeda (M31) galaxies compared to other MW-mass galaxies. By combining with unconstrained simulations, we cover a sufficient volume to compare these galaxies’ environmental densities ranging from the field to that of the Local Group (LG). This is particularly relevant as it has been shown that, quite generally, galaxy properties depend intimately upon their environment, most prominently when galaxies in clusters are compared to those in the field. For galaxies in loose groups such as the LG, however, environmental effects have been less clear. We consider the galaxy’s environmental density in spheres of 1200 kpc (comoving) and find that while environment does not appear to directly affect morphology, there is a positive trend with SFRs. This enhancement in star formation occurs systematically for galaxies in higher density environments, regardless whether they are part of the LG or in filaments. Our simulations suggest that the richer environment at megaparsec scales may help replenish the star-forming gas, allowing higher specific SFRs in galaxies such as the MW.

Authors:
; ; ; ;  [1];  [2]
  1. Leibniz-Institut für Astrophysik Potsdam (AIP), An der Sternwarte 16, D-14482, Potsdam (Germany)
  2. Grupo de Astrofísica, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid E-28049 (Spain)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
22364254
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Astrophysical Journal Letters
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 800; Journal Issue: 1; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 2041-8205
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
79 ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY; COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS; COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION; COSMOLOGY; DENSITY; MASS; MILKY WAY; MORPHOLOGY; STAR EVOLUTION; STARS

Citation Formats

Creasey, Peter, Scannapieco, Cecilia, Nuza, Sebastián E., Gottlöber, Stefan, Steinmetz, Matthias, and Yepes, Gustavo. THE EFFECT OF ENVIRONMENT ON MILKY-WAY-MASS GALAXIES IN A CONSTRAINED SIMULATION OF THE LOCAL GROUP. United States: N. p., 2015. Web. doi:10.1088/2041-8205/800/1/L4.
Creasey, Peter, Scannapieco, Cecilia, Nuza, Sebastián E., Gottlöber, Stefan, Steinmetz, Matthias, & Yepes, Gustavo. THE EFFECT OF ENVIRONMENT ON MILKY-WAY-MASS GALAXIES IN A CONSTRAINED SIMULATION OF THE LOCAL GROUP. United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/800/1/L4
Creasey, Peter, Scannapieco, Cecilia, Nuza, Sebastián E., Gottlöber, Stefan, Steinmetz, Matthias, and Yepes, Gustavo. 2015. "THE EFFECT OF ENVIRONMENT ON MILKY-WAY-MASS GALAXIES IN A CONSTRAINED SIMULATION OF THE LOCAL GROUP". United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/800/1/L4.
@article{osti_22364254,
title = {THE EFFECT OF ENVIRONMENT ON MILKY-WAY-MASS GALAXIES IN A CONSTRAINED SIMULATION OF THE LOCAL GROUP},
author = {Creasey, Peter and Scannapieco, Cecilia and Nuza, Sebastián E. and Gottlöber, Stefan and Steinmetz, Matthias and Yepes, Gustavo},
abstractNote = {In this Letter, we present, for the first time, a study of star formation rate (SFR), gas fraction, and galaxy morphology of a constrained simulation of the Milky Way (MW) and Andromeda (M31) galaxies compared to other MW-mass galaxies. By combining with unconstrained simulations, we cover a sufficient volume to compare these galaxies’ environmental densities ranging from the field to that of the Local Group (LG). This is particularly relevant as it has been shown that, quite generally, galaxy properties depend intimately upon their environment, most prominently when galaxies in clusters are compared to those in the field. For galaxies in loose groups such as the LG, however, environmental effects have been less clear. We consider the galaxy’s environmental density in spheres of 1200 kpc (comoving) and find that while environment does not appear to directly affect morphology, there is a positive trend with SFRs. This enhancement in star formation occurs systematically for galaxies in higher density environments, regardless whether they are part of the LG or in filaments. Our simulations suggest that the richer environment at megaparsec scales may help replenish the star-forming gas, allowing higher specific SFRs in galaxies such as the MW.},
doi = {10.1088/2041-8205/800/1/L4},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/22364254}, journal = {Astrophysical Journal Letters},
issn = {2041-8205},
number = 1,
volume = 800,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Feb 10 00:00:00 EST 2015},
month = {Tue Feb 10 00:00:00 EST 2015}
}