No Arabic abstract
The shallow faint-end slope of the galaxy mass function is usually reproduced in $Lambda$CDM galaxy formation models by assuming that the fraction of baryons that turns into stars drops steeply with decreasing halo mass and essentially vanishes in haloes with maximum circular velocities $V_{rm max}<20$-$30$ km/s. Dark matter-dominated dwarfs should therefore have characteristic velocities of about that value, unless they are small enough to probe only the rising part of the halo circular velocity curve (i.e., half-mass radii, $r_{1/2}ll 1$ kpc). Many dwarfs have properties in disagreement with this prediction: they are large enough to probe their halo $V_{rm max}$ but their characteristic velocities are well below $20$ km/s. These `cold faint giants (an extreme example is the recently discovered Crater 2 Milky Way satellite) can only be reconciled with our $Lambda$CDM models if they are the remnants of once massive objects heavily affected by tidal stripping. We examine this possibility using the APOSTLE cosmological hydrodynamical simulations of the Local Group. Assuming that low velocity dispersion satellites have been affected by stripping, we infer their progenitor masses, radii, and velocity dispersions, and find them in remarkable agreement with those of isolated dwarfs. Tidal stripping also explains the large scatter in the mass discrepancy-acceleration relation in the dwarf galaxy regime: tides remove preferentially dark matter from satellite galaxies, lowering their accelerations below the $a_{rm min}sim 10^{-11} m/s^2$ minimum expected for isolated dwarfs. In many cases, the resulting velocity dispersions are inconsistent with the predictions from Modified Newtonian Dynamics, a result that poses a possibly insurmountable challenge to that scenario.
The gas content of the complete compilation of Local Group dwarf galaxies (119 within 2 Mpc) is presented using HI survey data. Within the virial radius of the Milky Way (224 kpc here), 53 of 55 dwarf galaxies are devoid of gas to limits of M$_{rm HI}<10^4$ M$_odot$. Within the virial radius of M31 (266 kpc), 27 of 30 dwarf galaxies are devoid of gas (with limits typically $<10^5$ M$_odot$). Beyond the virial radii of the Milky Way and M31, the majority of the dwarf galaxies have detected HI gas and have HI masses higher than the limits. When the relationship between gas content and distance is investigated using a Local Group virial radius, more of the non-detected dwarf galaxies are within this radius (85$pm1$ of the 93 non-detected dwarf galaxies) than within the virial radii of the Milky Way and M31. Using the Gaia proper motion measurements available for 38 dwarf galaxies, the minimum gas density required to completely strip them of gas is calculated. Halo densities between $10^{-5}$ and $5 times 10^{-4}$ cm$^{-3}$ are typically required for instantaneous stripping at perigalacticon. When compared to halo density with radius expectations from simulations and observations, 80% of the dwarf galaxies with proper motions are consistent with being stripped by ram pressure at Milky Way pericenter. The results suggest a diffuse gaseous galactic halo medium is important in quenching dwarf galaxies, and that a Local Group medium also potentially plays a role.
We present a detailed study of the stellar and HI structure of the dwarf irregular galaxies SextansA and SextansB, members of the NGC3109 association. We use newly obtained deep (r~26.5) and wide field g,r photometry to extend the Surface Brightness (SB) profiles of the two galaxies down to mu_V~ 31.0 mag/arcsec^2. We find that both galaxies are significantly more extended than what previously traced with surface photometry, out to ~4 kpc from their centers along their major axis. Older stars are found to have more extended distribution with respect to younger populations. We obtain the first estimate of the mean metallicity for the old stars in SexB, from the color distribution of the Red Giant Branch, <[Fe/H]>=-1.6. The SB profiles show significant changes of slope and cannot be fitted with a single Sersic model. Both galaxies have HI discs as massive as their respective stellar components. In both cases the HI discs display solid-body rotation with maximum amplitude of ~50 km/s (albeit with significant uncertainty due to the poorly constrained inclination), implying a dynamical mass ~10^{9}~M_sun, a mass-to-light ratio M/L_V~25 and a dark-to-barionic mass ratio of ~10. The distribution of the stellar components is more extended than the gaseous disc in both galaxies. We find that the main, approximately round-shaped, stellar body of Sex~A is surrounded by an elongated low-SB stellar halo that can be interpreted as a tidal tail, similar to that found in another member of the same association (Antlia). We discuss these, as well as other evidences of tidal disturbance, in the framework of a past passage of the NGC3109 association close to the Milky Way, that has been hypothesized by several authors and is also supported by the recently discovered filamentary configuration of the association itself.
We study the Local Group (LG) dwarf galaxy population predicted by the apostle $Lambda$CDM cosmological hydrodynamics simulations. These indicate that: (i)~the total mass within $3$ Mpc of the Milky Way-Andromeda midpoint ($M_{rm 3Mpc}$) typically exceeds $sim 3$ times the sum of the virial masses ($M_{rm 200crit}$) of the two primaries and (ii)~the dwarf galaxy formation efficiency per unit mass is uniform throughout the volume. This suggests that the satellite population within the virial radii of the Milky Way and Andromeda should make up fewer than one third of all LG dwarfs within $3$ Mpc. This is consistent with the fraction of observed LG galaxies with stellar mass $M_*>10^7,M_{odot}$ that are satellites ($12$ out of $42$; i.e., $28$ per cent). For the apostle galaxy mass-halo mass relation, the total number of such galaxies further suggests a LG mass of $M_{rm 3 Mpc}sim 10^{13} , M_{odot}$. At lower galaxy masses, however, the observed satellite fraction is substantially higher ($42$ per cent for $M_*>10^5,M_{odot}$). If this is due to incompleteness in the field sample, then $sim 50$ dwarf galaxies at least as massive as the Draco dwarf spheroidal must be missing from the current LG {it field} dwarf inventory. The incompleteness interpretation is supported by the pronounced flattening of the LG luminosity function below $M_*sim 10^7, M_{odot}$, and by the scarcity of low-surface brightness LG field galaxies compared to satellites. The simulations indicate that most missing dwarfs should lie near the virial boundaries of the two LG primaries, and predict a trove of nearby dwarfs that await discovery by upcoming wide-field imaging surveys.
The Solo (Solitary Local) Dwarf Galaxy survey is a volume limited, wide-field g- and i- band survey of all known nearby (<3 Mpc) and isolated (>300 kpc from the Milky Way or M31) dwarf galaxies. This set of 44 dwarfs are homogeneously analysed for quantitative comparisons to the satellite dwarf populations of the Milky Way and M31. In this paper, an analysis of the 12 closest Solo dwarf galaxies accessible from the northern hemisphere is presented, including derivation of their distances, spatial distributions, morphology, and extended structures, including their inner integrated light properties and their outer resolved star distributions. All 12 galaxies are found to be reasonably well described by two-dimensional Sersic functions, although UGC 4879 in particular shows tentative evidence of two distinct components. No prominent extended stellar substructures, that could be signs of either faint satellites or recent mergers, are identified in the outer regions of any of the systems examined.
Recent observational and theoretical studies of the Local Group (LG) dwarf galaxies have highlighted their unique star formation history, stellar metallicity, gas content, and kinematics. We investigate the commonality of these tantalizing features by comparing constrained LG and field central dwarf halo simulations in the NIHAO project. For the first time, constrained LG simulations performed with NIHAO hydrodynamics which track the evolution of MW and M31 along with ~100 dwarfs in the Local Group are presented. The total gas mass and stellar properties (velocity dispersion, evolution history, etc.) of present-day LG dwarfs are found to be similar to field systems. Overall, the simulated LG dwarfs show representative stellar properties to other dwarfs in the Universe. However, relative to fields, LG dwarfs have more cold gas in their central parts and more metal-rich gas in the halo stemming from interactions with MW/M31 and/or feedback. The larger gas metal content in LG dwarfs results in early star formation events that lead to strong feedback and subsequent quenching. We also test for the impact of metal diffusion on the chemical evolution of LG dwarfs, and find that metal diffusion does not affect the stellar or gaseous content of LG relative to field dwarfs; the largest differences are found with the gas metallicity (~0.1 dex). Our results show that properties from LG dwarfs may be used as general constraints for studying the overall dwarf population in the Universe, providing a powerful local laboratory for galaxy formation tests and comparisons.