Accreted Globular Clusters in External Galaxies: Why Adaptive Dynamics is not the Solution

Author(s)
Sophia Lilleengen, Wilma H. Trick, Glenn van de Ven
Abstract

Many astrophysical and galaxy-scale cosmological problems require a well determined gravitational potential which is often modeled by observers under strong assumptions. Globular clusters (GCs) surrounding galaxies can be used as dynamical tracers of the luminous and dark matter distribution at large (kpc) scales. A natural assumption for modeling the gravitational potential is that GCs accreted in the same dwarf galaxy merger event move at the present time on similar orbits in the host galaxy and should therefore have similar actions. We investigate this idea in one realistic Milky Way like galaxy of the cosmological N-body simulation suite Auriga. We show how the actions of accreted stellar particles in the simulation evolve and that minimizing the standard deviation of GCs in action space, however, cannot constrain the true potential. This approach known as 'adaptive dynamics' does therefore not work for accreted GCs.

Organisation(s)
Department of Astrophysics
External organisation(s)
European Southern Observatory (Germany), Scientific Software Center, Max-Planck-Institut für Astrophysik
Journal
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union
Volume
14
Pages
266-270
ISSN
1743-9213
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1017/S1743921319008196
Publication date
01-2019
Peer reviewed
Yes
Austrian Fields of Science 2012
103003 Astronomy, 103004 Astrophysics
Keywords
ASJC Scopus subject areas
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Nutrition and Dietetics, Medicine (miscellaneous), Space and Planetary Science
Portal url
https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/d2788606-e75f-4ab0-a34b-162820f60d30