Satellites around massive galaxies since z$\sim$2: confronting the Millennium simulation with observations

TL;DR

This study compares satellite galaxy populations around massive galaxies in simulations and observations, revealing discrepancies in satellite fractions and suggesting revisions to galaxy formation models to better match observed data.

Contribution

It provides a direct comparison of satellite populations in cosmological simulations versus observations, highlighting overpredictions and implications for galaxy size evolution mechanisms.

Findings

Simulations overpredict satellite fractions by a factor of 1.5 to 6.

Projected satellite distances and mass ratios are closer to observations.

Results suggest revising semi-analytical models to better match observed satellite populations.

Abstract

Minor merging has been postulated as the most likely evolutionary path to produce the increase in size and mass observed in the massive galaxies since z$\sim$2. In this Letter, we test directly this hypothesis comparing the population of satellites around massive galaxies in cosmological simulations versus the observations. We use state-of-the-art, publically available, Millennium I and II simulations and the associated semi-analytical galaxy catalogues to explore the time evolution of the fraction of massive galaxies that have satellites, the number of satellites per galaxy, the projected distance at which the satellite locate from the host galaxy, and the mass ratio between the host galaxies and their satellites. The three virtual galaxy catalogues considered here, overproduce the fraction of galaxies with satellites by a factor ranging between 1.5 and 6 depending on the epoch, whereas the mean projected distance and ratio of the satellite mass over host mass are in closer agreement with data. The larger pull of satellites in the semi-analytical samples could suggest that the size evolution found in previous hydrodynamical simulations is an artifact due to the larger number of infalling satellites compared to the real Universe. These results advise to revise the physical ingredients implemented in the semi-analytical models in order to reconcile the observed and computed fraction of galaxies with satellites, and eventually, it would leave some room to other mechanisms explaining the galaxy size growth not related to the minor merging.