Public Data Release of the FIRE-2 Cosmological Zoom-in Simulations of Galaxy Formation

Wetzel, Andrew; Hayward, Christopher C.; Sanderson, Robyn E.; Ma, Xiangcheng; Anglés-Alcázar, Daniel; Feldmann, Robert; Chan, T. K.; El-Badry, Kareem; Wheeler, Coral; Garrison-Kimmel, Shea; Nikakhtar, Farnik; Panithanpaisal, Nondh; Arora, Arpit; Gurvich, Alexander B.; Samuel, Jenna; Sameie, Omid; Pandya, Viraj; Hafen, Zachary; Hummels, Cameron B.; Loebman, Sarah; Boylan-Kolchin, Michael; Bullock, James S.; Faucher-Giguère, Claude-André; Kereš, Dušan; Quataert, Eliot; Hopkins, Philip F.

doi:10.3847/1538-4365/acb99a

Cited by 53 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 136 publications

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“…The main target halo(s) in the zoom-in region are picked from the standard FIRE-2 suite as described in Hopkins et al (2014) and Wetzel et al (2023). This Letter focuses specifically on the Milky Way-like halo m12i, which has a total CDM mass of ∼10 12 M e , a stellar disk of mass 7.4 × 10 10 M e , and a quiet merger history below z < 1 for CDM (Hopkins et al 2018b).…”

Section: Simulationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Simulating Atomic Dark Matter in Milky Way Analogs

Roy,

Shen,

Lisanti

et al. 2023

ApJL

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Dark sector theories naturally lead to multicomponent scenarios for dark matter where a subcomponent can dissipate energy through self-interactions, allowing it to efficiently cool inside galaxies. We present the first cosmological hydrodynamical simulations of Milky Way analogs where the majority of dark matter is collisionless cold dark matter (CDM) but a subcomponent (6%) is strongly dissipative minimal atomic dark matter (ADM). The simulations, implemented in GIZMO and utilizing FIRE-2 galaxy formation physics to model the standard baryonic sector, demonstrate that the addition of even a small fraction of dissipative dark matter can significantly impact galactic evolution despite being consistent with current cosmological constraints. We show that ADM gas with roughly standard model–like masses and couplings can cool to form a rotating “dark disk” with angular momentum closely aligned with the visible stellar disk. The morphology of the disk depends sensitively on the parameters of the ADM model, which affect the cooling rates in the dark sector. The majority of the ADM gas gravitationally collapses into dark “clumps” (regions of black hole or mirror star formation), which form a prominent bulge and a rotating thick disk in the central galaxy. These clumps form early and quickly sink to the inner ∼kiloparsec of the galaxy, affecting the galaxy’s star formation history and present-day baryonic and CDM distributions.

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Section: Simulationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Simulating Atomic Dark Matter in Milky Way Analogs

Roy,

Shen,

Lisanti

et al. 2023

ApJL

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“…It is interesting to compare the pattern in Figure 1 with the Feedback In Realistic Environments (FIRE-2) simulation (Wetzel et al 2023). The FIRE project aims to develop cosmological galaxy formation simulations that resolve the multiphase interstellar medium while directly incorporating all major stellar feedback channels from stellar evolution models within a cosmological context.…”

Section: Fire-2 Simulationmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Inward-moving and Asymmetric Velocity Wave Detected in LAMOST-Gaia

Chen,

Zhao,

et al. 2024

ApJL

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The phase space, as coded by kinematic parameters and chemical abundances, is crucial for understanding the formation of the Galactic disk. Using red giant stars from the Galactic thin disk with [Fe/H] > − 0.8 and low-α ratios identified in LAMOST-Gaia, we detect numerous ridges and undulations in the R–V ϕ diagram coded by median V R . Strikingly, the slope of these features changes from −22 km s−1 kpc−1 to −8 km s−1 kpc−1 at R ∼ 11.5 kpc. Accordingly, the R g–V ϕ plane, also coded by median V R , reveals wave-like structures that propagate outwards in the inner disk but reverse direction and move inwards beyond R g = 11.5 kpc. The most prominent feature is the G1 group, distinguished by its wider spread and negative median V R at R g ∼ 15 kpc, contrasting with the narrower G0 group that exhibits positive median V R at R g < 11.5 kpc. Furthermore, the [C/N] versus [Fe/H] relationship for the G1 group mirrors the opposite trend compared to the G0 group. Since [C/N] serves as a proxy for age, this contrasting behavior suggests an inverse age–metallicity relation for the G1 group. Comparison with the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy reveals that the G1 group possesses distinct [Mg/Fe] and [Al/Fe] ratios, yet its [C/N] versus [Fe/H] pattern is similar to that of the Sgr dwarf galaxy. Based on these observations, we proposed that the inward-moving and asymmetric velocity wave G1 might be linked to the minor merge of the Sagittarius galaxy.

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“…The FIRE-2 simulations (Wetzel et al 2023) 12) shows the LMC positions and the direction of the major-axis vector of each galaxy, with the frame of reference being the principal axis frame, with the zaxis pointing normal to the disk, calculated at each snapshot (at the latest tracked snapshot).…”

Section: Data Availabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Orientations of Dark Matter Halos in FIRE-2 Milky Way–mass Galaxies

Baptista,

Sanderson,

Huber

et al. 2023

ApJ

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The shape and orientation of dark matter (DM) halos are sensitive to the microphysics of the DM particles, yet in many mass models, the symmetry axes of the Milky Way’s DM halo are often assumed to be aligned with the symmetry axes of the stellar disk. This is well motivated for the inner DM halo, but not for the outer halo. We use zoomed-in cosmological baryonic simulations from the Latte suite of FIRE-2 Milky Way–mass galaxies to explore the evolution of the DM halo’s orientation with radius and time, with or without a major merger with a Large Magellanic Cloud analog, and when varying the DM model. In three of the four cold DM halos we examine, the orientation of the halo minor axis diverges from the stellar disk vector by more than 20° beyond about 30 galactocentric kpc, reaching a maximum of 30°–90°, depending on the individual halo’s formation history. In identical simulations using a model of self-interacting DM with σ = 1 cm2 g−1, the halo remains aligned with the stellar disk out to ∼200–400 kpc. Interactions with massive satellites (M ≳ 4 × 1010 M ⊙ at pericenter; M ≳ 3.3 × 1010 M ⊙ at infall) affect the orientation of the halo significantly, aligning the halo’s major axis with the satellite galaxy from the disk to the virial radius. The relative orientation of the halo and disk beyond 30 kpc is a potential diagnostic of self-interacting DM, if the effects of massive satellites can be accounted for.

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Public Data Release of the FIRE-2 Cosmological Zoom-in Simulations of Galaxy Formation

Cited by 53 publications

References 136 publications

Simulating Atomic Dark Matter in Milky Way Analogs

Simulating Atomic Dark Matter in Milky Way Analogs

An Inward-moving and Asymmetric Velocity Wave Detected in LAMOST-Gaia

Orientations of Dark Matter Halos in FIRE-2 Milky Way–mass Galaxies

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