# Giant cold satellites from low-concentration haloes

**Authors:** Nicola C. Amorisco

arXiv: 1901.05460 · 2019-08-14

## TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that the unusual size and low density of certain dwarf galaxies can be explained by tidal evolution of low-concentration NFW dark matter haloes within the standard cosmological model, without invoking cored haloes.

## Contribution

It reveals that tidal heating in low-concentration NFW haloes can produce giant, cold satellites like Crater II and Antlia II, offering a new formation scenario within ΛCDM.

## Key findings

- Tidal heating causes inner halo expansion in low-concentration NFW haloes.
- Giant, kinematically cold satellites can form without significant mass loss.
- Extra-tidal material can inflate satellite appearance and be identified by kinematic signatures.

## Abstract

The dwarf satellite galaxies of the Milky Way Crater II and Antlia II have uncommonly low dynamical mass densities, due to their large size and low velocity dispersion. Previous work have failed to identify formation scenarios within the $\Lambda$CDM framework and have invoked cored dark matter haloes, processed by tides. I show that the tidal evolution of $\Lambda$CDM NFW haloes is richer than previously recognised: tidal heating causes the innermost regions of haloes that fall short of the mass-concentration relation to expand significantly, resulting in the formation of giant, kinematically cold satellites like Crater II and Antlia II. Furthermore, while the satellite is reaching apocenter, extra-tidal material can cause an even more inflated appearance. When present, as likely for the larger Antlia II, nominally unbound material can be recognised thanks to its somewhat hotter kinematics and line-of-sight velocity gradient. Contrary to other formation scenarios, Crater II and Antlia II may well have experienced very little mass loss, as in fact hinted by their observed metallicity. If indeed a satellite of NGC1052, tidal evolution of a low-concentration halo may similarly have led to the formation of NGC1052-DF2.

## Full text

_Full body text omitted from this summary view._ Fetch the complete paper as Markdown: https://tomesphere.com/paper/1901.05460/full.md

## Figures

4 figures with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/1901.05460/full.md

## References

37 references — full list in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/1901.05460/full.md

---
Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/1901.05460