The mass distribution in and around the Local Group

TL;DR

This study uses constrained $\Lambda$CDM simulations to show that the mass distribution around the Local Group is highly anisotropic and concentrated in a plane, reconciling observed dynamics with cosmological models.

Contribution

It demonstrates that the Local Group's mass distribution is consistent with $\Lambda$CDM when considering a planar, anisotropic structure, resolving previous modeling discrepancies.

Findings

Mass is concentrated in a plane extending to 10 Mpc.

The velocity field is quiet but strongly anisotropic.

The configuration matches known nearby galaxy structures.

Abstract

Our Galaxy, Andromeda and their companion dwarf galaxies form the Local Group. Most of the mass in and around it is believed to be dark matter rather than gas or stars, so its distribution must be inferred from the effect of gravity on the motion of visible objects. Modelling efforts have long struggled to reproduce the quiet Hubble flow around the Local Group, as they require unrealistically little mass beyond the haloes of the two main galaxies. Here we revisit this using $\Lambda$CDM simulations of Local Group analogues with initial conditions constrained to match the observed dynamics of the two main haloes and the surrounding flow. The observations are reconcilable within $\Lambda$CDM, but only if mass is strongly concentrated in a plane out to 10 Mpc, with the surface density rising away from the Local Group and with deep voids above and below. This configuration, dynamically inferred, mirrors known structures in the nearby galaxy distribution. The resulting Hubble flow is quiet yet strongly anisotropic, a fact obscured by the paucity of tracers at high supergalactic latitude. This flattened geometry reconciles the dynamical mass estimates of the Local Group with the surrounding velocity field, thus demonstrating full consistency within the standard cosmological model.