Energy-Space Analysis of Tidal Stripping in Stellar-Dark Matter Systems

TL;DR

This paper uses N-body simulations to analyze how tidal stripping affects stellar and dark matter components in dwarf galaxies, revealing that energy distributions are stripped similarly and that this process can produce dark matter-deficient galaxies.

Contribution

It introduces an energy-space analysis of tidal stripping in two-component systems, highlighting the evolution into dark matter-deficient galaxies and providing new insights into galaxy evolution.

Findings

Stellar and dark matter particles are stripped identically in energy space.

Dark matter-deficient galaxies can form through tidal stripping of cored dark matter and cuspy stellar profiles.

Energy distribution of stripped stars constrains dark matter structure.

Abstract

Observations reveal a striking diversity in dwarf galaxy structures, spanning a wide range of masses, inner density slopes, shapes, and sizes. Tidal stripping may play a crucial role in shaping the evolution of these galaxies, yet the underlying physical mechanisms remain poorly understood. Using idealized N-body simulations, we investigate the tidal evolution of two-component systems -- stellar and dark matter -- embedded in a host potential. We find that in terms of energy distributions, both stellar and dark matter particles are stripped identically, regardless of their initial profiles. This surprising result suggests that the energy distribution of stripped stars can provide direct constraints on the underlying dark matter structure. Furthermore, we show that systems with cored dark matter and cuspy stellar profiles naturally evolve into dark matter-deficient (DMD) galaxies, supporting tidal stripping as a viable DMD formation pathway. This energy-space analysis of multi-component systems offers new insights into the dynamical evolution of tidally stripped galaxies.