Improved Particle Spray Algorithm for Modeling Globular Cluster Streams
Stellar streams that emerge from globular clusters (GCs) are thin stellar structures spread along the orbits of progenitor clusters. Numerical modeling of these streams is essential for understanding their interaction with the host galaxy's mass distribution. Traditional methods are either comp...
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| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2025-01-01
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| Series: | The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4365/ad9904 |
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| author | Yingtian Chen Monica Valluri Oleg Y. Gnedin Neil Ash |
| author_facet | Yingtian Chen Monica Valluri Oleg Y. Gnedin Neil Ash |
| author_sort | Yingtian Chen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Stellar streams that emerge from globular clusters (GCs) are thin stellar structures spread along the orbits of progenitor clusters. Numerical modeling of these streams is essential for understanding their interaction with the host galaxy's mass distribution. Traditional methods are either computationally expensive or oversimplified, motivating us to develop a fast and accurate approach using a particle spray algorithm. By conducting a series of N -body simulations of GCs orbiting a host galaxy, we find that the position and velocity distributions of newly escaped stream particles are consistent across various GC masses and orbital parameters. Based on these distributions, we develop a new algorithm that avoids computing the detailed internal cluster dynamics by directly drawing tracer particles from these distributions. This algorithm correctly reproduces the action space distribution of stream particles and achieves a 10% accuracy in stream morphology and velocities compared to N -body simulations. To facilitate broader use, we have implemented this algorithm in galactic dynamics codes agama , gala , galax , and galpy . |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-da8c767f5b4542ad8f38aeba234e56f2 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0067-0049 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series |
| spelling | doaj-art-da8c767f5b4542ad8f38aeba234e56f22025-01-13T05:52:27ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series0067-00492025-01-0127623210.3847/1538-4365/ad9904Improved Particle Spray Algorithm for Modeling Globular Cluster StreamsYingtian Chen0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5970-2563Monica Valluri1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6257-2341Oleg Y. Gnedin2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9852-9954Neil Ash3https://orcid.org/0009-0003-7613-3109Department of Astronomy, University of Michigan , Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA ; ybchen@umich.eduDepartment of Astronomy, University of Michigan , Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA ; ybchen@umich.eduDepartment of Astronomy, University of Michigan , Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA ; ybchen@umich.eduDepartment of Astronomy, University of Michigan , Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA ; ybchen@umich.eduStellar streams that emerge from globular clusters (GCs) are thin stellar structures spread along the orbits of progenitor clusters. Numerical modeling of these streams is essential for understanding their interaction with the host galaxy's mass distribution. Traditional methods are either computationally expensive or oversimplified, motivating us to develop a fast and accurate approach using a particle spray algorithm. By conducting a series of N -body simulations of GCs orbiting a host galaxy, we find that the position and velocity distributions of newly escaped stream particles are consistent across various GC masses and orbital parameters. Based on these distributions, we develop a new algorithm that avoids computing the detailed internal cluster dynamics by directly drawing tracer particles from these distributions. This algorithm correctly reproduces the action space distribution of stream particles and achieves a 10% accuracy in stream morphology and velocities compared to N -body simulations. To facilitate broader use, we have implemented this algorithm in galactic dynamics codes agama , gala , galax , and galpy .https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4365/ad9904Stellar streamsGlobular star clustersGalaxy dynamicsGalaxy structureComputational astronomyN-body simulations |
| spellingShingle | Yingtian Chen Monica Valluri Oleg Y. Gnedin Neil Ash Improved Particle Spray Algorithm for Modeling Globular Cluster Streams The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series Stellar streams Globular star clusters Galaxy dynamics Galaxy structure Computational astronomy N-body simulations |
| title | Improved Particle Spray Algorithm for Modeling Globular Cluster Streams |
| title_full | Improved Particle Spray Algorithm for Modeling Globular Cluster Streams |
| title_fullStr | Improved Particle Spray Algorithm for Modeling Globular Cluster Streams |
| title_full_unstemmed | Improved Particle Spray Algorithm for Modeling Globular Cluster Streams |
| title_short | Improved Particle Spray Algorithm for Modeling Globular Cluster Streams |
| title_sort | improved particle spray algorithm for modeling globular cluster streams |
| topic | Stellar streams Globular star clusters Galaxy dynamics Galaxy structure Computational astronomy N-body simulations |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4365/ad9904 |
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