Galaxy morphology, kinematics and clustering in a hydrodynamic simulation of a LambdaCDM universe

TL;DR

This study uses high-resolution hydrodynamic simulations to analyze galaxy properties, their environmental dependence, and clustering at redshift z=1, revealing qualitative relationships and the evolution of the density-morphology relation.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed simulation incorporating black hole physics and star formation models to study galaxy morphology and clustering at z=1.

Findings

Qualitative galaxy property relationships are consistent with observations.

Black hole physics does not significantly alter angular momentum results.

The density-morphology relation at z=1 differs from z=0, with late types showing higher clustering.

Abstract

We explore galaxy properties and their link with environment and clustering using a population of ~1000 galaxies formed in a high resolution hydrodynamic simulation of the Lambda CDM cosmology. At the redshift we concentrate on, z=1, the spatial resolution is 1.4 proper kpc/h and Milky-way sized disk galaxies contain ~10^5 particles within their virial radii. We include supermassive black hole accretion and feedback as well as a multiphase model for star formation. We find that a number of familiar qualitative relationships hold approximately between galaxy properties, for example, galaxies lie between two broad extremes of type, where ``late'' types tend to be smaller in size, have lower circular velocities, younger stars, higher star formation rates, larger disk to bulge ratios and lower Sersic indices than ``early types''. As in previous studies the stellar component of disk galaxies is not as rotationally supported as in observations. Bulges contain too much of the stellar mass, although disks do have scale lengths compatible with observations. The addition of black hole physics to the simulations does not appear to have an impact on the angular momentum results, nor do we find that it is affected in an identical simulation with significantly lower mass resolution. Despite this, we can profitably use the rank order of either disk to total ratio, Sersic index, or galaxy age to separate galaxies into morphological classes and examine the density-morphology relation and morphology dependence of clustering. We find that while at redshift z=0, the well known preponderance of early types in dense environments is seen, at z=1 the density-morphology relation becomes flatter and late type galaxies are even seen to have a higher clustering amplitude than early types (abridged).