We examine the properties of satellites found in high resolution simulations of the local group. We use constrained simulations designed to reproduce the main dynamical features that characterize the local neighborhood, i.e. within tens of Mpc around the Local Group (LG). Specifically, a LG-like object is found located within the 'correct' dynamical environment and consisting of three main objects which are associated with the Milky Way, M31 and M33. By running two simulations of this LG from identical initial conditions - one with and one without baryons modeled hydrodynamically - we can quantify the effect of gas physics on the $z=0$ population of subhaloes in an environment similar to our own. We find that above a certain mass cut, $M_{\rm sub} > 2\times10^{8}h^{-1} M_{\odot}$ subhaloes in hydrodynamic simulations are more radially concentrated than those in simulations with out gas. This is caused by the collapse of baryons into stars that typically sit in the central regions of subhaloes, making them denser. The increased central density of such a subhalo, results in less mass loss due to tidal stripping than the same subhalo simulated with only dark matter. The increased mass in hydrodynamic subhaloes with respect to dark matter ones, causes dynamical friction to be more effective, dragging the subhalo towards the centre of the host. This results in these subhaloes being effectively more radially concentrated then their dark matter counterparts.
We use two simulations performed within the Constrained Local UniversE Simulation (CLUES) project to study both the shape and radial alignment of (the dark matter component of) subhaloes; one of the simulations is a dark matter only model while the other run includes all the relevant gas physics and star formation recipes. We find that the involvement of gas physics does not have a statistically significant effect on either property -- at least not for the most massive subhaloes considered in this study. However, we observe in both simulations including and excluding gasdynamics a (pronounced)…
With this Paper we complete a comprehensive study of substructure in dark matter haloes. In Paper I we derived the radial distribution and mass function (MF) of accreted subhaloes (scaled to the radius and mass of the host halo) and showed they are essentially universal. This is not the case, however, for those of stripped subhaloes, which depend on halo mass and assembly history. In Paper II we derived these latter properties in the simplest case of purely accreting haloes. Here we extend the study to ordinary haloes having suffered major mergers. After showing that all the properties of subs…
In Paper I we used the CUSP formalism to derive from first principles and no single free parameter the accurate abundance and radial distribution of both diffuse DM (dDM) and subhaloes accreted onto haloes and their progenitors at all previous times. Here we use those results as initial conditions for the monitoring of the evolution of subhaloes and dDM within the host haloes. Specifically, neglecting dynamical friction, we accurately calculate the effects of repetitive tidal stripping and heating on subhaloes as they orbit inside the host halo and infer the amount of dDM and subsubhaloes they…
By analysing models of the young massive cluster R136 in 30 Doradus, set-up using the herewith introduced and publicly made available code McLuster, we investigate and compare different methods for detecting and quantifying mass segregation and substructure in non-seeing limited N-body data. For this purpose we generate star cluster models with different degrees of mass segregation and fractal substructure and analyse them. We quantify mass segregation by measuring, from the projected 2d model data, the mass function slope in radial annuli, by looking for colour gradients in radial colour prof…
Several recent studies have indicated that artificial subhalo disruption (the spontaneous, non-physical disintegration of a subhalo) remains prevalent in state-of-the-art dark matter-only cosmological simulations. In order to quantify the impact of disruption on the inferred subhalo demographics, we augment the semi-analytical SatGen dynamical subhalo evolution model with an improved treatment of tidal stripping that is calibrated using the DASH database of idealized high-resolution simulations of subhalo evolution, which are free from artificial disruption. We also develop a model of artifici…
In a recent publication, the flexion aperture mass statistic was found to provide a robust and effective method by which substructure in galaxy clusters might be mapped. Moreover, we suggested that the masses and mass profile of structures might be constrained using this method. In this paper, we apply the flexion aperture mass technique to HST ACS images of Abell 1689. We demonstrate that the flexion aperture mass statistic is sensitive to small-scale structures in the central region of the cluster. While the central potential is not constrained by our method, due largely to missing data in t…
We study the properties of the dark matter component of the radially anisotropic stellar population recently identified in the Gaia data, using magneto-hydrodynamical simulations of Milky Way-like halos from the Auriga project. We identify 10 simulated galaxies that approximately match the rotation curve and stellar mass of the Milky Way. Four of these have an anisotropic stellar population reminiscent of the Gaia structure. We find an anti-correlation between the dark matter mass fraction of this population in the Solar neighbourhood and its orbital anisotropy. We estimate the local dark matt…
The annihilation of dark matter (DM) particles in the Milky Way can contribute to the diffuse gamma-ray background (DGRB). Due to the presence of substructures, this emission will appear anisotropic in a predictable way. We generate full-sky maps of the gamma-ray emission in galactic substructures from results of the high-resolution Via Lactea II N-body simulation of the Milky Way DM halo. We calculate the anisotropy pattern, taking into account different radial profiles of the DM distribution in substructures, cosmic variance, and the detection threshold, and compare it to the anisotropy in t…
With galaxy groups constructed from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), we analyze the expected galaxy-galaxy lensing signals around satellite galaxies residing in different host haloes and located at different halo-centric distances. We use Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method to explore the potential constraints on the mass and density profile of subhaloes associated with satellite galaxies from SDSS-like surveys and surveys similar to the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST). Our results show that for SDSS-like surveys, we can only set a loose constraint on the mean mass of subhaloes. …
We study clusters in Warm Dark Matter (WDM) models of a thermally produced dark matter particle $0.5$ keV in mass. We show that, despite clusters in WDM cosmologies having similar density profiles as their Cold Dark Matter (CDM) counterparts, the internal properties, such as the amount of substructure, shows marked differences. This result is surprising as clusters are at mass scales that are {\em a thousand times greater} than that at which structure formation is suppressed. WDM clusters gain significantly more mass via smooth accretion and contain fewer substructures than their CDM brethren.…
This is the first of a series of three Papers devoted to the study of halo substructure in hierarchical cosmologies by means of the CUSP formalism. In the present Paper we derive the properties of subhaloes and diffuse dark matter (dDM) accreted onto haloes and their progenitors. Specifically, we relate the dDM present at any time in the inter-halo medium of the real Universe or a cosmological simulation with the corresponding free-streaming mass or the halo resolution mass, respectively, and establish the link between subhaloes and their seeds in the initial density field. By monitoring the c…
With the advent of wide-field cosmological surveys, we are approaching samples of hundreds of thousands of galaxy clusters. While such large numbers will help reduce statistical uncertainties, the control of systematics in cluster masses becomes ever more crucial. Here we examine the effects of an important source of systematic uncertainty in galaxy-based cluster mass estimation techniques: the presence of significant dynamical substructure. Dynamical substructure manifests as dynamically distinct subgroups in phase-space, indicating an 'unrelaxed' state. This issue affects around a quarter of…
Mahdavi et al. find that the degree of agreement between weak lensing and X-ray mass measurements is a function of cluster radius. Numerical simulations also point out that X-ray mass proxies do not work equally well at all radii. The origin of the effect is thought to be associated with cluster mergers. Recent work presenting the cluster maps showed an ability of X-ray maps to reveal and study cluster mergers in detail. Here we present a first attempt to use the study of substructure in assessing the systematics of the hydrostatic mass measurements using two-dimensional (2-D) X-ray diagnostic…
The two properties of the radial mass distribution of a gravitational lens that are well-constrained by Einstein rings are the Einstein radius R_E and xi2 = R_E alpha''(R_E)/(1-kappa_E), where alpha''(R_E) and kappa_E are the second derivative of the deflection profile and the convergence at R_E. However, if there is a tight mathematical relationship between the radial mass profile and the angular structure, as is true of ellipsoids, an Einstein ring can appear to strongly distinguish radial mass distributions with the same xi2. This problem is beautifully illustrated by the ellipsoidal models…
We identify ten -- seven for the first time -- elements of cold halo substructure (ECHOS) in the volume within 17.5 kpc of the Sun in the inner halo of the Milky Way. Our result is based on the observed spatial and radial velocity distribution of metal-poor main sequence turnoff (MPMSTO) stars in 137 Sloan Extension for Galactic Understanding and Exploration (SEGUE) lines of sight. We point out that the observed radial velocity distribution is consistent with a smooth stellar component of the Milky Way's inner halo overall, but disagrees significantly at the radial velocities that correspond t…
A Bayesian statistical formalism is developed to quantify the level at which the mass function slope (alpha) and the projected cumulative mass fraction (f) of (CDM) substructure in strong gravitational-lens galaxies, with arcs or Einstein rings, can be recovered as function of the lens-survey parameters and the detection threshold of the substructure mass. The method is applied to different sets of mock data to explore a range of observational limits: (i) the number of lens galaxies in the survey, (ii) the mass threshold, Mlow, for the detection of substructures and (iii) the uncertainty of th…
Multicomponent dark matter with self-interactions, which allows for inter-conversions of species into one another, is a promising paradigm that is known to successfully and simultaneously resolve major problems of the conventional $Λ$CDM cosmology at galactic and sub-galactic scales. In this paper, we present $N$-body simulations of the simplest two-component (2cDM) model aimed at studying the distribution of dark matter halos with masses $M\lesssim10^{12}M_\odot$. In particular, we investigate how the maximum circular velocity function of the halos is affected by the velocity dependence of th…
Galaxy cluster outskirts mark the transition region from the mildly non-linear cosmic web to the highly non-linear, virialised, cluster interior. It is in this transition region that the intra-cluster medium (ICM) begins to influence the properties of accreting galaxies and groups, as ram pressure impacts a galaxy's cold gas content and subsequent star formation rate. Conversely, the thermodynamical properties of the ICM in this transition region should also feel the influence of accreting substructure (i.e. galaxies and groups), whose passage can drive shocks. In this paper, we use a suite of…
Dark matter substructure on small scales is currently weakly constrained, and its study may shed light on the nature of the dark matter. In this work we study the gravitational effects of dark matter substructure on measured pulsar phases in pulsar timing arrays (PTAs). Due to the stability of pulse phases observed over several years, dark matter substructure around the Earth-pulsar system can imprint discernible signatures in gravitational Doppler and Shapiro delays. We compute pulsar phase correlations induced by general dark matter substructure, and project constraints for a few models such…
We investigate how strong lensing of dusty, star-forming galaxies by foreground galaxies can be used as a probe of dark matter halo substructure. We find that spatially resolved spectroscopy of lensed sources allows dramatic improvements to measurements of lens parameters. In particular we find that modeling of the full, three-dimensional (angular position and radial velocity) data can significantly facilitate substructure detection, increasing the sensitivity of observables to lower mass subhalos. We carry out simulations of lensed dusty sources observed by early ALMA (Cycle 1) and use a Fish…
Tidal debris from infalling satellites can leave observable structure in the phase-space distribution of the Galactic halo. Such substructure can be manifest in the spatial and/or velocity distributions of the stars in the halo. This paper focuses on a class of substructure that is purely kinematic in nature, with no accompanying spatial features. To study its properties, we use a simulated stellar halo created by dynamically populating the Via Lactea II high-resolution N-body simulation with stars. A significant fraction of the stars in the inner halo of Via Lactea share a common speed and me…
We determine the average metallicities of the elements of cold halo substructure (ECHOS) that we previously identified in the inner halo of the Milky Way within 17.5 kpc of the Sun. As a population, we find that stars kinematically associated with ECHOS are chemically distinct from the background kinematically smooth inner halo stellar population along the same Sloan Extension for Galactic Understanding and Exploration (SEGUE) line of sight. ECHOS are systematically more iron-rich, but less alpha-enhanced than the kinematically-smooth component of the inner halo. ECHOS are also chemically dist…
Probing Dark Matter Substructure with Image Number Anomaly in Strong Lensing Systems
School of Physics and Technology, Wuhan University(武汉大学物理科学与技术学院);National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences(中国科学院国家天文台);School of Astronomy and Space Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences(中国科学院大学天文与空间科学学院)
We use the distribution of accreted stars in SDSS-Gaia DR2 to demonstrate that a non-trivial fraction of the dark matter halo within Galactocentric radii of 7.5-10 kpc and $|z| > 2.5$ kpc is in substructure, and thus may not be in equilibrium. Using a mixture likelihood analysis, we separate the contributions of an old, isotropic stellar halo and a younger anisotropic population. The latter dominates and is uniform within the region studied. It can be explained as the tidal debris of a disrupted massive satellite on a highly radial orbit, and is consistent with mounting evidence from recent st…
A decade ago cosmological simulations of increasingly higher resolution were used to demonstrate that virialized regions of Cold Dark Matter (CDM) halos are filled with a multitude of dense, gravitationally-bound clumps. These dark matter subhalos are central regions of halos that survived strong gravitational tidal forces and dynamical friction during the hierarchical sequence of merging and accretion via which the CDM halos form. Comparisons with observations revealed that there is a glaring discrepancy between abundance of subhalos and luminous satellites of the Milky Way and Andromeda as a…
Recently, Meneghetti et al. reported an excess of small-scale gravitational lenses in galaxy clusters. We study its implications for self-interacting dark matter (SIDM), compared with standard cold dark matter (CDM). We design controlled N-body simulations that incorporate observational constraints. The presence of early-type galaxies in cluster substructures can deepen gravitational potential and reduce tidal mass loss. Both scenarios require a relatively high baryon concentration in the substructure to accommodate the lensing measurements, and their tangential caustics are similar. The SIDM …
We map the lensing-inferred substructure in the first three clusters observed by the Hubble Space Telescope Frontier Fields Initiative (HSTFF): Abell 2744 (z = 0.308), MACSJ0416, (z = 0.396) and MACSJ1149 (z = 0.543). Statistically resolving dark-matter subhaloes down to ~10^{9.5} solar masses, we compare the derived subhalo mass functions (SHMFs) to theoretical predictions from analytical models and with numerical simulations in a Lambda Cold Dark Matter (LCDM) cosmology. Mimicking our observational cluster member selection criteria in the HSTFF, we report excellent agreement in both amplitud…
A change in the mass of the Galaxy with time will leave its imprint on the motions of the stars, with stars having radially outward (mass loss) or inward (mass accretion) bulk motions. Here we test the feasibility of using the mean radial motion of stars in the stellar halo to constrain the rate of change of mass in the Galaxy, for example, due to decay of dark matter into invisible dark sector particles or more conservatively from the settling of baryons. In the current $Λ$CDM paradigm of structure formation, the stellar halo is formed by accretion of satellites onto the host galaxy. Over tim…
We present a new, semi-analytical model describing the evolution of dark matter subhaloes. The model uses merger trees constructed using the method of Parkinson et al. (2008) to describe the masses and redshifts of subhaloes at accretion, which are subsequently evolved using a simple model for the orbit-averaged mass loss rates. The model is extremely fast, treats subhaloes of all orders, accounts for scatter in orbital properties and halo concentrations, and uses a simple recipe to convert subhalo mass to maximum circular velocity. The model accurately reproduces the average subhalo mass and …