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arXiv 0709.3439astro-ph
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多重次合并:椭圆星系的形成和螺旋盘生长的限制

Multiple minor mergers: formation of elliptical galaxies and constraints for the growth of spiral disks

Frederic Bournaud, Chanda J. Jog, Francoise Combes

摘要:

在星系的层次结构中,多次连续的合并是不可避免的,特别是对于大多数现代星系来说,频繁且极有可能发生多次的小合并。然而,到目前为止,还没有系统地研究重复的小合并对星系结构和演化的影响。我们提出了一个数值研究的多个,随后,小星系合并,各种质量比从4:1到50:1。N体模拟包括气体动力学和恒星形成。我们研究的残留物的形态和运动学特性,并表明,几个所谓的“小”合并可以导致形成的椭圆状星系,具有全球的形态和运动学特性类似于在真正的椭圆星系中观察到的。这些系统的属性进行比较与一个单一的主要合并的标准方案所产生的椭圆星系。因此,我们表明,重复的小合并理论上可以形成椭圆星系没有重大合并,可以更频繁地比主要合并,特别是在中等红移。这个过程一定形成了今天看到的一些椭圆星系,特别是可以解释大质量椭圆星系的高度方形,以及在椭圆星系中观察到的一些基本关系。此外,因为重复的微小合并,即使在高质量比下,也会将盘破坏成球状体,这些结果表明螺旋星系不可能仅仅通过一系列微小合并而成长。

英文摘要:

Multiple, sequential mergers are unavoidable in the hierarchical build-up picture of galaxies, in particular for the minor mergers that are frequent and highly likely to have occured several times for most present-day galaxies. However, the effect of repeated minor mergers on galactic structure and evolution has not been studied systematically so far. We present a numerical study of multiple, subsequent, minor galaxy mergers, with various mass ratios ranging from 4:1 to 50:1. The N-body simulations include gas dynamics and star formation. We study the morphological and kinematical properties of the remnants, and show that several so-called "minor" mergers can lead to the formation of elliptical-like galaxies that have global morphological and kinematical properties similar to that observed in real elliptical galaxies. The properties of these systems are compared with those of elliptical galaxies produced by the standard scenario of one single major merger. We thus show that repeated minor mergers can theoretically form elliptical galaxies without major mergers, and can be more frequent than major mergers, in particular at moderate redshift. This process must then have formed some elliptical galaxies seen today, and could in particular explain the high boxiness of massive ellipticals, and some fundamental relations observed in ellipticals. In addition, because repeated minor mergers, even at high mass ratios, destroy disks into spheroids, these results indicate that spiral galaxies cannot have grown only by a succession of minor mergers.

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