Probing the kinematics of the Local Group with chemically enriched gas in the Hestia simulations

TL;DR

This study uses high-resolution simulations to analyze gas kinematics in the Local Group, revealing how different ions trace various gas phases and the large-scale motion towards the barycenter, with implications for observations of circumgalactic and intragroup media.

Contribution

It provides detailed simulation-based insights into the velocity patterns of multiple ions and the large-scale gas motions in the Local Group, highlighting observational signatures of these dynamics.

Findings

H I, Si III, C IV trace cold gas in galaxy haloes

Oxygen ions trace hot halo and intragroup gas

Pressures vary systematically with direction relative to the barycenter

Abstract

We present a study of the gas kinematics within the Hestia project, a state-of-the-art set of simulations of the Local Group, with a particular focus on the velocity patterns of different ions and the large-scale motion of gas and galaxies towards the Local Group barycentre. Using two high-resolution Hestia runs, we examine the distribution and velocities of H I, C IV, Si III, O VI, O VII, and O VIII and their imprints on sightlines observed from the Sun's location in different reference frames. To mimic observational strategies, we assess the contribution of rotating disc gas, assuming simple kinematic and geometrical considerations. Our results indicate that local absorption features in observed sightlines most likely trace material in the circumgalactic medium of the Milky Way. Some sightlines, however, show that intragroup material could be more easily observed towards the barycentre, which defines a preferred direction in the sky. In particular, H I, Si III, and C IV roughly trace cold gas inside the Milky Way and Andromeda haloes, as most of their mass flux occurs within the virial region of each galaxy, while oxygen high ions mostly trace hot halo and intragroup gas, with comparable mass fluxes in the Local Group outskirts and the circumgalactic medium of the two main galaxies. Additionally, we find that pressures traced by different ionic species outside the Milky Way halo show systematically higher values towards the barycentre direction in contrast to its antipode in the sky. Kinematic imprints of the global motion towards the barycentre can be seen at larger distances for all ionic species as the Milky Way rams into material in the direction of Andromeda, with gas towards the anti-barycentre lagging behind.