We use three-dimensional SPH/N-body simulations to study ram pressure stripping of gas from spiral galaxies orbiting in clusters. We find that the an

We present a detailed analysis of the dynamical properties of a simulated disk galaxy assembled hierarchically in the Lambda CDM cosmogony. At z=0, two distinct dynamical components are identified on the basis of the orbital parameters of stars in the galaxy: a slowly rotating, centrally concentrated spheroid and a disk-like component largely supported by rotation. These components are also recognized in the surface brightness profile of the galaxy, which can be very well approximated by the superposition of an R^{1/4} spheroid and an exponential disk. However, neither does the dynamically-identified spheroid follow de Vaucouleurs' law nor is the disk purely exponential, a resultwhich calls for caution when estimating the importance of the disk from traditional photometric decomposition techniques. The disk may be further decomposed into a thin, dynamically cold component with stars on nearly circularorbits and a hotter, thicker component with orbital parameters transitional between the thin disk and the spheroid. The spheroid is old, and has essentiallyno stars younger than the time elapsed since the last major accretion event ~8 Gyr ago. The majority of thin disk stars, form after the merging activity is over, although a significant fraction ~15% of thin-disk stars are old enough to predate the last major merger event. This unexpected population of old disk stars consists mainly of the tidal debris of satellites whose orbital plane was coincident with the disk and whose orbits were circularized by dynamical friction prior to full disruption. Our results highlight the role of satellite accretion events in shaping the disk and the spheroidal component and reveal some of the clues to the assembly process of a galaxy preserved in the detailed dynamics of old stellar populations.Comment: 15 pages, 14 figures, submitted to Ap

We analyze the properties of a disk galaxy simulated with unprecedented numerical resolution in the Lambda CDM cosmogony. The galaxy is assembled through a number of high-redshift mergers followed by a period of quiescent accretion after z~1 which lead to the formation of two distinct dynamical components: a spheroid and a disk. The surface brightness profile is very well approximated by the superposition of an R^{1/4} spheroid and an exponential disk. The surface brightness profile is remarkably similar to that of Sab galaxy UGC615, but the simulated galaxy rotates significantly faster and has a declining rotation curve dominated by the spheroid near the center. The decline in circular velocity is at odds with observation and results from the high concentration of the dark matter and baryonic components, as well as from the relatively high mass-to-light ratio of the stars in the simulation. The simulated galaxy lies ~ 1 mag off the I-band Tully-Fisher relation of late-type spirals, but seems to be in reasonable agreement with Tully-Fisher data on S0 galaxies. The angular momentum of the luminous component is an order of magnitude lower than that of late-type spirals of similar rotation speed. This reflects the dominance of the slowly-rotating, dense spheroidal component. The disk component, on the other hand, has properties rather similar to those of late-type spirals. This suggests that a different form of feedback than adopted in this simulation is required to inhibit the efficient collapse and cooling of gas at high redshift that leads to the formation of the spheroid. Reconciling the properties of disk galaxies with the early collapse and high merging rates characteristic of hierarchical scenarios such as Lambda CDM remains a challenging, yet so far elusive, proposition.Comment: 15 pages, 13 figures, submitted to Ap

We use numerical simulations to investigate the origin and structure of the luminous haloes that surround isolated galaxies. These stellar structures

We use N-body/gasdynamical cosmological simulations to examine the effect of the assembly of a central galaxy on the shape and mass profile of its su

We examine the properties of barred disc galaxies in a ΛCDM cosmological hydrodynamical simulation from the EAGLE project. Our study follows the formation of 269 discs identified at z = 0 in the stellar mass range 10.6 < log M_*/M_⊙ < 11. These discs show a wide range of bar strengths, from unbarred discs (≈60 per cent) to weak bars (≈20 per cent) and to strongly barred systems (≈20 per cent). Bars in these systems develop after redshift ≈1.3, on time-scales that depend sensitively on the strength of the pattern. Strong bars develop relatively quickly (in a few Gyr, or roughly ∼10 disc rotation periods) in systems that are disc dominated, gas poor, and have declining rotation curves. Weak bars develop more slowly in systems where the disc is less gravitationally important, and are still growing at z = 0. Unbarred galaxies are comparatively gas-rich discs whose rotation speeds do not exceed the maximum circular velocity of the haloes they inhabit. Bar lengths compare favourably with observations, ranging from 0.2 to 0.8 times the radius containing 90 per cent of the stars. Bars slow down remarkably quickly as they grow, causing the inner regions of the surrounding dark halo to expand. At z = 0 strong bars in simulated galaxies have corotation radii roughly 10 times the bar length. Such slow bars are inconsistent with the few cases where pattern speeds have been measured or inferred observationally, a discrepancy that, if confirmed, might prove a challenge for disc galaxy formation in ΛCDM.