Connection between galaxy morphology and dark-matter halo structure I: A running threshold for thin discs and size predictors from the dark sector

Jinning Liang, Fangzhou Jiang*, Houjun Mo, Andrew Benson, Avishai Dekel, Noa Tavron, Philip F. Hopkins, Luis C. Ho

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

We study the connection between galaxy morphology and host dark matter (DM) halo structure using cosmological simulations. Introducing a new kinematic decomposition scheme, we robustly separate thin and thick discs and measure halo properties, including cosmic web locations, internal structures, and assembly histories. In the TNG50 simulation, we find that the orbital-circularity threshold for disc differentiation varies systematically with galaxy mass and redshift. Similarly, the energy threshold between stellar haloes and inner galaxies depends on mass and redshift, minimizing at sub-Galactic halo mass where the circularity threshold approaches its peak. Revisiting galaxy size predictors, we show that disc sizes in TNG50 correlate with three structural parameters beyond virial mass and redshift: (1) a positive correlation with halo spin across redshifts - stronger than previously reported for zoom-in simulations but still weaker than the simple scaling; (2) an anticorrelation with DM concentration c; (3) larger discs in more actively accreting haloes. Disc mass fraction is higher in rounder haloes and in cosmic knots and filaments, implying that disc development needs both stable halo conditions and continuous material supply. Our methodology is public and adaptable to other simulations.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2304-2323
Number of pages20
JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Volume541
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Aug 2025

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 The Author(s). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Royal Astronomical Society.

Keywords

  • galaxies: haloes
  • galaxies: kinematics and dynamics
  • galaxies: structure

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