Search arXiv⌕ Search

arXiv · 2209.02675

Symphony: Cosmological Zoom-in Simulation Suites over Four Decades of Host Halo Mass

Abstract

We present Symphony, a compilation of $262$ cosmological, cold-dark-matter-only zoom-in simulations spanning four decades of host halo mass, from $10^{11}$$-$$10^{15}~M_{\mathrm{\odot}}$. This compilation includes three existing simulation suites at the cluster and Milky Way$-$mass scales, and two new suites: $39$ Large Magellanic Cloud-mass ($10^{11}~M_{\mathrm{\odot}}$) and $49$ strong-lens-analog ($10^{13}~M_{\mathrm{\odot}}$) group-mass hosts. Across the entire host halo mass range, the highest-resolution regions in these simulations are resolved with a dark matter particle mass of $\approx 3\times 10^{-7}$ times the host virial mass and a Plummer-equivalent gravitational softening length of $\approx 9\times 10^{-4}$ times the host virial radius, on average. We measure correlations between subhalo abundance and host concentration, formation time, and maximum subhalo mass, all of which peak at the Milky Way host halo mass scale. Subhalo abundances are $\approx 50\%$ higher in clusters than in lower-mass hosts at fixed sub-to-host halo mass ratios. Subhalo radial distributions are approximately self-similar as a function of host mass and are less concentrated than hosts' underlying dark matter distributions. We compare our results to the semianalytic model $\mathrm{\texttt{Galacticus}}$, which predicts subhalo mass functions with a higher normalization at the low-mass end and radial distributions that are slightly more concentrated than Symphony. We use $\mathrm{\texttt{UniverseMachine}}$ to model halo and subhalo star formation histories in Symphony, and we demonstrate that these predictions resolve the formation histories of the halos that host nearly all currently observable satellite galaxies in the universe. To promote open use of Symphony, data products are publicly available at http://web.stanford.edu/group/gfc/symphony.

Explore related subjects

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Ethan O. Nadler, Philip Mansfield, Yunchong Wang, Xiaolong Du, Susmita Adhikari, Arka Banerjee, Andrew Benson, Elise Darragh-Ford, Yao-Yuan Mao, Sebastian Wagner-Carena, Risa H. Wechsler, Hao-Yi Wu. 2023-03-16. Symphony: Cosmological Zoom-in Simulation Suites over Four Decades of Host Halo Mass. https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357%2Facb68c

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

Angular BAO Measurements with the DESI DR1 BGS Sample

We employ a model-independent approach in both the correlation function estimation and the angular BAO feature estimation by computing the angular two-point correlation function. First, we conducted a series of tests to the available DESI tracers to check their representativeness to angular clustering; the result was that, considering the completeness of the first data release across the footprint, we could only make use of the BGS sample for the effective redshifts 0.21 (BGS1) and 0.25 (BGS2). For a reliable analysis in such low redshift, we use the bootstrap of the data itself to construct a covariance matrix that accounts for systematics. We use a purely statistical method to correct the projection effects and find that our results show reasonable agreement with the $θ_{\rm BAO}$ expected by the CPL parameters obtained by DESI DR1, being BGS1 $12.77 \pm 1.15$ degrees and BGS2 $11.70 \pm 1.21$ degrees. This means a tension at the $2.4σ$ ($2.7σ$) level for BGS1 (BGS2) CPL parametrization, while a $2.84σ$ ($3.02σ$) discrepancy within the predicted by $Λ$CDM. We conclude that, with the current sample available, the use of an angular correlation function serving as the BAO probe, although prefers the CPL parametrization, does not provide conclusive results regarding the best cosmological model.

astro-ph.CO↗

Dispersion Measure Distribution of Unlocalized Fast Radio Bursts as a Probe of the Hubble Constant

We present constraints on the Hubble constant ($H_0$) derived from the observed dispersion measure (DM) distribution of unlocalized fast radio bursts (FRBs). While localized FRBs with redshift measurements have been used to investigate the Hubble tension, their sample remains limited. Here we demonstrate that unlocalized FRBs---which are far more numerous---can independently constrain $H_0$ without requiring redshift information, as cosmic expansion imprints itself on their DM distribution. Analyzing a selected sample of 2124 unlocalized FRBs from the CHIME Catalog II, we obtain $H_0 = 69^{+17}_{-15}~\mathrm{km\,s^{-1}\,Mpc^{-1}}$ at the $1σ$ confidence level, corresponding to an uncertainty of about 22\%. Disentangling the parametric degeneracy among $H_0$, the FRB spectral index $α$, and the characteristic cutoff energy $E_*$ of the FRB energy distribution would reduce the fractional uncertainty in $H_0$ to 9\%. This work constitutes the first $H_0$ measurement derived solely from the DM distribution of unlocalized FRBs, highlighting their potential as a new cosmological probe. Future joint analyses with localized FRBs promise even tighter constraints.

astro-ph.CO↗

Illuminating the Local Universe: Large-Scale Structure from ZTF Type Ia Supernovae

Within the volume-limited subsample at $z<0.06$ of the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) DR2 sample, we confirm a statistically significant excess of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) around $z \simeq 0.02-0.04$, previously reported but not explained by survey selection effects. Forward simulations assuming a uniform volumetric SN Ia rate and realistic ZTF detection efficiencies fail to reproduce the feature, rejecting this hypothesis at a $12.2σ$ level for the volume-limited sample. We further detect excesses in the rates compared to our survey simulations at $z \simeq 0.08$ and $0.14$, increasing the significance to $14σ$ when extending the redshift range up to $0.12$. To investigate the origin of these inhomogeneities, we compare the observed SN Ia distribution to constrained reconstructions of the local matter density field from the Manticore project, based on Bayesian forward modelling of the 2M++ galaxy catalogue. While SN overdensities are spatially associated with prominent nearby structures such as the Perseus, Coma, and Hercules superclusters, the amplitude of the SN excesses significantly exceeds that expected from local matter overdensities alone. By reconstructing a redshift-dependent volumetric SN Ia rate, we find that local enhancements can reach factors of three to eight within specific clusters, while the sample-averaged rate remains consistent with previous low-redshift measurements. These results indicate that the SN Ia rate is not a linear tracer of the underlying matter density and suggest a strong environmental dependence in dense structures. We discuss possible physical origins and highlight the implications for low-redshift SN cosmology, including correlated peculiar velocities and additional covariance beyond standard linear corrections.

astro-ph.CO↗