The long-term evolution of Ultra Faint Dwarf Galaxies and observational implications

TL;DR

This study uses direct N-body simulations to explore the dynamical evolution of ultra-faint dwarf galaxies without dark matter, highlighting the impact of binaries on velocity dispersion measurements and stellar population changes.

Contribution

It provides a detailed stellar dynamical model of UFDs over a Hubble time, emphasizing the roles of binaries, stellar evolution, and mass segregation without assuming dark matter.

Findings

UFDs remain quasi-stationary for ~3000 Myr before core collapse.

Binaries can significantly inflate velocity dispersion measurements.

Red giants dominate luminosity; white dwarfs are the main non-luminous component.

Abstract

Context. In the Local Group, dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSphs) and ultra-faint dwarf galaxies (UFDs) exhibit large velocity dispersions. These values are generally attributed to the presence of substantial amounts of dark matter (DM), in line with the predictions of the standard model of galaxy formation. However, alternative, more conservative explanations exist, such as non-virialized dynamical states induced by tidal interactions, the presence of stellar streams, and artificial inflation of the velocity dispersion caused by binary-star orbital motion. Aims. We study the dynamical evolution of UFDs using purely stellar ("dry") dynamics, without invoking DM. We dynamically evolve our systems up to a Hubble time and compare our results with observational studies and previous theoretical work. Methods. We employ direct high precision NBODY simulations performed with the NBODY6++GPU code. We explore the role of binaries in inflating the velocity dispersion of low-mass host galaxies. We also present both the stellar and dynamical evolution of the stellar population, which is necessary to properly interpret our results. Results. We find that, in all our models, the UFD remains globally quasi-stationary for approximately 3000 Myr. Subsequently, the system undergoes mass segregation and experiences a phase resembling core collapse. Red giants and white dwarfs (WD) are found to play significant, but distinct, roles. Red giants provide the dominant contribution to the luminosity, whereas WDs constitute the largest fraction of the non-luminous component, accounting for approximately 13% of the total stellar population. Finally, if not taken into account properly, velocity dispersion measurements can be strongly biased by the presence of a significant binary population, which can lead to substantial overestimates of velocity dispersion in UFDs