Evolutionary pathways of disk galaxies with different sizes

¹ Department of Astronomy, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China
² Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
³ Department of Astronomy, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
⁴ Key Laboratory for Computational Astrophysics, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China

Received: 16 April 2024
Accepted: 1 July 2024

Abstract

Aims. This work delves into the complex interaction between disk galaxies and their host dark matter halos. It specifically focuses on scenarios with minimal external (“nurture”) influences such as mergers and substantial tidal interactions. The study uncovers the varied evolutionary paths of disk galaxies of different sizes, shaped by the initial conditions of their parent dark matter halos and subsequent internal processes. Thus, we can explore the “nature” of these galaxies.

Methods. From the TNG50 simulation, a sample of 836 central disk galaxies with tiny stellar halos is chosen to study the inherent evolution of galaxies driven by nature. These galaxies are classified as compact, normal, or extended by referencing their locations on the mass-size (M_⋆ − R_½) diagram. Scaling relations were then established to measure the correlations driven by internal mechanisms.

Results. This research demonstrates the distinctive evolutionary pathways of galaxies with different sizes in IllustrisTNG simulations, primarily driven by their nature. It is confirmed that disk galaxies inherit the angular momentum of their parent dark matter halos. More compact galaxies form earlier within halos that exhibit a lower specific angular momentum through heightened star formation during the early phase at redshifts above 2. During the later phase, the size of extended galaxies experiences more pronounced growth by accreting gas with a high angular momentum. Additionally, we reveal that many key characteristics of galaxies are linked to their mass and size: (1) compact galaxies tend to exhibit higher metal content, proportional to the potential well, M_⋆/R_½; (2) compact galaxies host more massive bulges and black holes, along with a higher central concentration. Furthermore, our analysis indicates that galaxies of all types continue to actively engage in star formation, with no evident signs of quenching attributed to their varying sizes and angular momenta.