Disruption of satellites in cosmological haloes

Abstract

We investigate how the survival of dark matter satellites inside virialized halos depends on tidal stripping and dynamical friction. We use an analytic approach and then compare the results with N-Body simulations. Both the satellites and the primary halos are similar to cosmological haloes and have NFW density profiles. Satellites can either merge with the primary halo or continue to move on barely perturbed orbits, eventually being disrupted, depending on the relative strength of friction and tidal forces. We propose that their actual fate depends simply on their mass ratio relative to the primary halo.