Galaxies lacking dark matter in the Illustris simulation


Abstract in English

(Abridged) Any viable cosmological model in which galaxies interact predicts the existence of primordial and tidal dwarf galaxies (TDGs). In particular, in the standard model of cosmology ($Lambda$CDM), according to the dual dwarf galaxy theorem, there must exist both primordial dark matter-dominated and dark matter-free TDGs with different radii. We study the frequency, evolution, and properties of TDGs in a $Lambda$CDM cosmology. We use the hydrodynamical cosmological Illustris-1 simulation to identify tidal dwarf galaxy candidates (TDGCs) and study their present-day physical properties. We also present movies on the formation of a few galaxies lacking dark matter, confirming their tidal dwarf nature. TDGCs can however also be formed via other mechanisms, such as from ram-pressure-stripped material or, speculatively, from cold-accreted gas. We find 97 TDGCs with $M_{stellar} >5 times 10^7 M_odot$ at redshift $z = 0$, corresponding to a co-moving number density of $2.3 times 10^{-4} h^3 cMpc^{-3}$. The most massive TDGC has $M_{total} = 3.1 times 10^9 M_odot$, comparable to that of the Large Magellanic Cloud. TDGCs are phase-space-correlated, reach high metallicities, and are typically younger than dark matter-rich dwarf galaxies. We report for the first time the verification of the dual dwarf theorem in a self-consistent $Lambda$CDM cosmological simulation. Simulated TDGCs and dark matter-dominated galaxies populate different regions in the radius-mass diagram in disagreement with observations of early-type galaxies. The dark matter-poor galaxies formed in Illustris-1 have comparable radii to observed dwarf galaxies and to TDGs formed in other galaxy-encounter simulations. In Illustris-1, only 0.17% of all selected galaxies with $M_{stellar} = 5 times 10^7-10^9 M_odot$ are TDGCs or dark matter-poor dwarf galaxies. The occurrence of NGC 1052-DF2-type objects is discussed.

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