Abstract
The evolution of dwarf satellites of the Milky Way is affected by the
combination of ram pressure and tidal stripping, and internal feedback from
massive stars. We investigate gas loss processes in the smallest satellites of
the Milky Way using three-dimensional, high resolution, idealized wind tunnel
simulations, accounting for gas loss through both ram pressure stripping and
expulsion by supernova feedback. Using initial conditions appropriate for a
dwarf galaxy like Leo T, we investigate whether or not environmental gas
stripping and internal feedback can quench these low mass galaxies on the
expected timescales, shorter than 2 Gyr. We find that supernova feedback
contributes negligibly to the stripping rate for these low star formation rate
galaxies. However, we also find that ram pressure stripping is less efficient
than expected in the stripping scenarios we consider. Our work suggests that,
although ram pressure stripping can eventually completely strip these galaxies,
other physics is likely at play to reconcile our computed stripping times with
the rapid quenching timescales deduced from observations of low mass Milky Way
dwarf galaxies. We discuss the roles additional physics may play in this
scenario, including host-satellite tidal interactions, cored vs. cuspy dark
matter profiles, reionization, and satellite pre-processing. We conclude that a
proper accounting of these physics together is necessary to understand the
quenching of low mass Milky Way satellites.
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