Shock and Splash: Gas and Dark Matter Halo Boundaries around LambdaCDM Galaxy Clusters

Universal at last? The splashback mass function of dark matter halos

The mass function of dark matter halos is one of the most fundamental statistics in structure formation. Many theoretical models (such as Press-Schechter theory) are based on the notion that it could be universal, meaning independent of redshift and cosmology, when expressed in the appropriate variables. However, simulations exhibit persistent non-universalities in the mass functions of the virial mass and other commonly used spherical overdensity definitions. We systematically study the universality of mass functions over a wide range of mass definitions, for the first time including the rece…

The splashback radius of halos from particle dynamics: III. Halo catalogs, merger trees, and host-subhalo relations

Virtually any investigation involving dark matter halos relies on a definition of their radius, mass, and of whether they are a subhalo. The halo boundary is most commonly defined to include a spherical overdensity contrast (such as R200c, Rvir, and R200m), but different thresholds lead to significant differences in radius and mass. The splashback radius has recently been suggested as a more physically motivated (and generally larger) halo boundary, adding to the range of definitions. It is often difficult to assess the impact of a particular choice because most halo catalogs contain only one …

一个晕，两个边界：在星系团中将吸积冲击波与溅射回边界联系起来

One Halo, Two Boundaries: Relating Accretion Shocks and Splashback Radii in Galaxy Clusters

研究通过模拟发现星系团中溅射回边界与冲击波边界存在偏移，原因在于气体耗散能量而暗物质未受此影响。

The impact of galaxy selection on the splashback boundaries of galaxy clusters

We explore how the splashback radius ($R_{\rm sp}$) of galaxy clusters, measured using the number density of the subhalo population, changes based on various selection criteria using the IllustrisTNG cosmological galaxy formation simulation. We identify $R_{\rm sp}$ by extracting the steepest radial gradient in a stacked set of clusters in 0.5 dex wide mass bins, with our clusters having halo masses $10^{13} \leq M_{\rm 200, mean} / {\rm M}_\odot \leq 10^{15}$. We apply cuts in subhalo mass, galaxy stellar mass, $i$-band absolute magnitude and specific star formation rate. We find that, genera…

Evolution of Splashback Boundaries and Gaseous Outskirts: Insights from Mergers of Self-similar Galaxy Clusters

A self-similar spherical collapse model predicts a dark matter (DM) splashback and accretion shock in the outskirts of galaxy clusters while misses a key ingredient of structure formation - processes associated with mergers. To fill this gap, we perform simulations of merging self-similar clusters and investigate their DM and gas evolution in an idealized cosmological context. Our simulations show that the cluster rapidly contracts during the major merger and the splashback radius $r_{\rm sp}$ decreases, approaching the virial radius $r_{\rm vir}$. While $r_{\rm sp}$ correlates with a smooth m…

The splashback radius as a physical halo boundary and the growth of halo mass

The boundaries of cold dark matter halos are commonly defined to enclose a density contrast $Δ$ relative to a reference (mean or critical) density. We argue that a more physical boundary of halos is the radius at which accreted matter reaches its first orbital apocenter after turnaround. This splashback radius, $R_{sp}$, manifests itself as a sharp density drop in the halo outskirts, at a location that depends upon the mass accretion rate. We present calibrations of $R_{sp}$ and the enclosed mass, $M_{sp}$, as a function of the accretion rate and alternatively peak height. We find that $R_{sp}…