SIRIUS: Dark matter cusp evolution in dense dwarf galaxies

TL;DR

This study uses high-resolution cosmological simulations to explore how dark matter cusps evolve in dense dwarf galaxies, revealing that baryonic matter can deepen the cusp and influence galaxy structure.

Contribution

It presents new high-resolution simulations of dwarf galaxies showing baryonic effects on dark matter cusp steepening and galaxy properties, with detailed comparisons to observed satellite galaxies.

Findings

Baryonic matter deepens the dark matter cusp in dwarf galaxies.

Simulated galaxies exhibit properties similar to Milky Way satellites and ultra-compact dwarfs.

Dark matter halo growth and density are influenced by baryonic processes.

Abstract

Dwarf galaxies have a wide variety of structures, such as dark matter (DM) distribution, stellar-to-halo mass ratio, and stellar density. Recent high-resolution simulations have shown a variety of stellar-to-halo mass ratios for dwarf galaxies with a DM halo mass of $\sim 10^9 M_{\odot}$ at $z=0$. In this study, we performed cosmological $N$-body/smoothed-particle hydrodynamic zoom-in simulations of dwarf galaxies with the highest gas and DM particle mass resolutions of 2.37 $M_{\odot}$ and 12.8 $M_{\odot}$, respectively. The stellar-to-DM halo mass ratio of one of our simulated dwarf galaxies was $\sim 10^{-4}$, typical for satellites of the Milky Way. The stellar mass ($10^5 M_{\odot}$) and half-mass radius (68 pc) were also similar to those of the satellites of the Milky Way. The power-law slope of the DM halo was $\alpha = -1.1$. On the other hand, the other simulated galaxy exhibited a stellar-to-halo mass ratio of $\sim 10^{-3}$ and a steeper power-law slope ($\alpha=-1.9$) than the other; the presence of baryonic matter deepened the cusp. The mass of $>10^6 M_{\odot}$ and a half-mass radius of $\sim 36$ pc of this galaxy were similar to those of ultra-compact dwarf galaxies rather than the satellites of the Milky Way. This DM halo grew in mass earlier than the former one, and the central DM density was higher than that of the other even in the DM-only simulations.