High-resolution N-body Simulations of Galactic Cannibalism: The Magellanic Stream

Abstract

Hierarchical clustering represents the favoured paradigm for galaxy formation throughout the Universe; due to its proximity, the Magellanic system offers one of the few opportunities for astrophysicists to decompose the full six-dimensional phase-space history of a satellite in the midst of being cannibalised by its host galaxy. The availability of improved observational data for the Magellanic Stream and parallel advances in computational power has led us to revisit the canonical tidal model describing the disruption of the Small Magellanic Cloud and the consequent formation of the Stream. We suggest improvements to the tidal model in light of these recent advances.

arXiv comment6 pages, 4 figures, LaTeX (gcdv.sty). Refereed contribution to the 5th Galactic Chemodynamics conference held in Swinburne, July 2003. Accepted for publication in PASA. Version with high resolution figures available at http://astronomy.swin.edu.au/staff/tconnors/publications.html

References in corpus (21)

• First Year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) Observations: Determination of Cosmological Parameters
• New Understanding of Large Magellanic Cloud Structure, Dynamics and Orbit from Carbon Star Kinematics
• A dwarf galaxy remnant in Canis Major: the fossil of an in-plane accretion onto the Milky Way
• N-body Simulations of the Small Magellanic Cloud and the Magellanic Stream
• The Magellanic Stream, High-Velocity Clouds and the Sculptor Group
• The disruption of nearby galaxies by the Milky Way
• VLT/UVES Abundances in Four Nearby Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxies: II. Implications for Understanding Galaxy Evolution
• GCD+: A New Chemodynamical Approach to Modeling SNe and Chemical Enrichment
• The Origin of the Magellanic Stream
• A Method for Determining the Star Formation History of a Mixed Stellar Population
• H_alpha Emission from High-Velocity Clouds and their Distances
• Tracing out the Northern Tidal Stream of the Sagittarius Dwarf Spheoridal Galaxy
• The growth of galaxies in cosmological simulations of structure formation
• Detection of H-alpha emission from the Magellanic Stream: evidence for an extended gaseous Galactic halo
• The Star Formation History of the Large Magellanic Cloud
• The Metallicity and Dust Content of HVC 287.5+22.5+240: Evidence for a Magellanic Clouds Origin
• Metal Abundances in the Magellanic Stream
• Effect of the Milky Way on Magellanic Cloud structure
• Multi-wavelength Cosmological Simulations of Elliptical Galaxies
• Tidal radii of globular clusters and the mass of the Milky Way
• Galactic Cannibalism: the Origin of the Magellanic Stream

Cited by in corpus (18)

• Are the Magellanic Clouds on their First Passage about the Milky Way?
• The Role of Dwarf Galaxy Interactions in Shaping the Magellanic System and Implications for Magellanic Irregulars
• The Origin of the Magellanic Stream and Its Leading Arm
• The Parkes HI Survey of the Magellanic System
• The Magellanic Stream: Circumnavigating the Galaxy
• The gravitational and hydrodynamical interaction between the LMC and the Galaxy
• SMASH - Survey of the MAgellanic Stellar History
• Comparing the Ancient Star Formation Histories of the Magellanic Clouds
• Proper Motions of Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxies from Hubble Space Telescope Imaging. IV: Measurement for Sculptor
• Proper Motions of Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxies from Hubble Space Telescope Imaging. V: Final Measurement for Fornax
• SMASHing the LMC: A Tidally-induced Warp in the Outer LMC and a Large-scale Reddening Map
• The COS/UVES Absorption Survey of the Magellanic Stream: II. Evidence for a complex enrichment history of the Stream from the Fairall 9 sightline
• Mapping Substructures in Dark Matter Halos
• A search for star clusters in the outskirts of the Large Magellanic Cloud: indication of clusters in the age gap
• Revealing the character of orbits in a binary system consisting of a primary galaxy and a satellite companion
• Are external perturbations responsible for chaotic motion in galaxies?
• A Galactic Transformation -- Understanding the SMC's Structural and Kinematic Disequilibrium
• The orbital dynamics of the LMC and SMC about the Milky Way