Phase-space simulations of prompt cusps: simulating the formation of the first haloes without artificial fragmentation

Autor(en)
Lurdes Ondaro-Mallea, Raul E. Angulo, Jens Stücker, Oliver Hahn, Simon D. M. White
Abstrakt

The first generation of haloes forms from the collapse of the smallest peaks in the initial density field. N-body simulations of this process suggest a prompt formation of a steep power-law cusp, but these calculations are plagued by numerical artefacts that cast some doubt on this result. Here, we develop new simulation methods based on the dark matter phase-space sheet approach and present results that are entirely free of artificial clumps. We find that a cusp with densityr-1.5 is indeed formed promptly, subsequently accreting a more extended halo and participating in the hierarchical growth of later halo generations. However, our simulations also suggest that the presence of artificial clumps just before peak collapse can significantly shallow the inner profiles of the cusps. We use N-body simulations with controlled amounts of small-scale power to place a conservative upper limit on the scales affected by artificial clumps. Finally, we used these results to simulate the collapse of the first generation of peaks of various types and in different cosmologies, finding prompt cusps to form in all cases. We conclude that prompt cusps are a generic feature of the collapse of peaks on the free-streaming scale of the initial density field, and their structure can safely be studied using N-body simulations provided care is taken to excise the region potentially affected by artificial clumps.

Organisation(en)
Institut für Astrophysik, Institut für Mathematik
Externe Organisation(en)
Donostia International Physics Centre (DIPC), Max-Planck-Institut für Astrophysik
Journal
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Band
527
Seiten
10802-10821
Anzahl der Seiten
20
ISSN
0035-8711
Publikationsdatum
02-2024
Peer-reviewed
Ja
ÖFOS 2012
103004 Astrophysik, 103044 Kosmologie
Schlagwörter
ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete
Astronomy and Astrophysics, Space and Planetary Science
Link zum Portal
https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/de/publications/0fba1ba3-c762-4175-babb-498ab9418356