The no-spin zone: rotation vs dispersion support in observed and simulated dwarf galaxies

TL;DR

This study uses Bayesian analysis to show that most dwarf galaxies are dispersion-supported rather than rotation-supported, challenging traditional classifications and suggesting a common formation mechanism.

Contribution

It provides the first systematic Bayesian comparison of rotation versus dispersion support in observed and simulated dwarf galaxies across a wide mass range.

Findings

80% of observed dwarf galaxies are dispersion-supported.

Simulated isolated dwarf galaxies match observed kinematic properties.

Transforming a dIrr into a dSph may be as simple as removing gas.

Abstract

We perform a systematic Bayesian analysis of rotation vs. dispersion support ($v_{\rm rot} / \sigma$) in $40$ dwarf galaxies throughout the Local Volume (LV) over a stellar mass range $10^{3.5} M_{\rm \odot} < M_{\star} < 10^8 M_{\rm \odot}$. We find that the stars in $\sim 80\%$ of the LV dwarf galaxies studied -- both satellites and isolated systems -- are dispersion-supported. In particular, we show that $6/10$ *isolated* dwarfs in our sample have $v_{\rm rot} / \sigma < 1.0$. All have $v_{\rm rot} / \sigma \lesssim 2.0$. These results challenge the traditional view that the stars in gas-rich dwarf irregulars (dIrrs) are distributed in cold, rotationally-supported stellar disks, while gas-poor dwarf spheroidals (dSphs) are kinematically distinct in having dispersion-supported stars. We see no clear trend between $v_{\rm rot} / \sigma$ and distance to the closest $\rm L_{\star}$ galaxy, nor between $v_{\rm rot} / \sigma$ and $M_{\star}$ within our mass range. We apply the same Bayesian analysis to four FIRE hydrodynamic zoom-in simulations of isolated dwarf galaxies ($10^9 M_{\odot} < M_{\rm vir} < 10^{10} M_{\rm \odot}$) and show that the simulated *isolated* dIrr galaxies have stellar ellipticities and stellar $v_{\rm rot} / \sigma$ ratios that are consistent with the observed population of dIrrs *and* dSphs without the need to subject these dwarfs to any external perturbations or tidal forces. We posit that most dwarf galaxies form as puffy, dispersion-dominated systems, rather than cold, angular momentum-supported disks. If this is the case, then transforming a dIrr into a dSph may require little more than removing its gas.