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We investigate the effect of observational constraints such as signal-to-noise, resolution and column density level on the HI morphological asymmetry ($\mathrm{A}_\mathrm{mod}$) and the effect of noise on the HI global profile ($\mathrm{A}_\mathrm{flux}$) asymmetry indices. Using mock galaxies from the EAGLE simulations we find an optimal combination of the observational constraints that are required for robust measurement of the $\mathrm{A}_\mathrm{mod}$ value of a galaxy: a column density threshold of $5\times10^{19}cm^{-2}$ or lower at a minimal signal-to-noise of 3 and a galaxy resolved with at least 11 beams. We also use mock galaxies to investigate the effect of noise on the $\mathrm{A}_\mathrm{flux}$ values and conclude that a global profile with signal-to-noise ratio greater than 5.5 is required to achieve a robust measurement of asymmetry. We investigate the relation between $\mathrm{A}_\mathrm{mod}$ and $\mathrm{A}_\mathrm{flux}$ indices and find them to be uncorrelated which implies that $\mathrm{A}_\mathrm{flux}$ values cannot be used to predict morphological asymmetries in galaxies., Comment: 19 pages, 12 figures and 2 appendices. Accepted for publication in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Soceity

We examine the outskirts of galaxy clusters in the C-EAGLE simulations to quantify the `edges' of the stellar and dark matter distribution. The radius of the steepest slope in the dark matter, commonly used as a proxy for the splashback radius, is located at ~r_200m; the strength and location of this feature depends on the recent mass accretion rate, in good agreement with previous work. Interestingly, the stellar distribution (or intracluster light, ICL) also has a well-defined edge, which is directly related to the splashback radius of the halo. Thus, detecting the edge of the ICL can provide an independent measure of the physical boundary of the halo, and the recent mass accretion rate. We show that these caustics can also be seen in the projected density profiles, but care must be taken to account for the influence of substructures and other non-diffuse material, which can bias and/or weaken the signal of the steepest slope. This is particularly important for the stellar material, which has a higher fraction bound in subhaloes than the dark matter. Finally, we show that the `stellar splashback' feature is located beyond current observational constraints on the ICL, but these large projected distances (>> 1 Mpc) and low surface brightnesses (mu >> 32 mag/arcsec^2) can be reached with upcoming observational facilities such as the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, and Euclid., 12 pages, 9 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRAS

We test a non-parametric higher-order Jeans analysis method, GravSphere, on 32 simulated dwarf galaxies comparable to classical Local Group dwarfs like Fornax. The galaxies are selected from the APOSTLE suite of cosmological hydrodynamics simulations with Cold Dark Matter (CDM) and Self-Interacting Dark Matter (SIDM) models, allowing us to investigate cusps and cores in density distributions. We find that, for CDM dwarfs, the recovered enclosed mass profiles have a bias of no more than 10 per cent, with a 50 per cent scatter in the inner regions and a 20 per cent scatter near the half-light radius, consistent with standard mass estimators. The density profiles are also recovered with a bias of no more than 10 per cent and a scatter of 30 per cent in the inner regions. For SIDM dwarfs, the mass and density profiles are recovered within our 95 per cent confidence intervals, but are biased towards cuspy dark matter distributions. This is mainly due to a lack of sufficient constraints from the data. We explore the sources of scatter in the accuracy of the recovered profiles and suggest a $\chi^2$ statistic to separate successful models from biased ones. Finally, we show that the uncertainties on the mass profiles obtained with GravSphere are smaller than those for comparable Jeans methods, and that they can be further improved if stronger priors, motivated by cosmological simulations, are placed on the velocity anisotropy. We conclude that GravSphere is a promising Jeans-based approach for modelling dark matter distributions in dwarf galaxies., Comment: 22 pages, 13 figures. Accepted in MNRAS

We use cosmological simulations of isolated Milky Way-mass galaxies, as well as Local Group analogues, to define the "edge" -- a caustic manifested in a drop in density or radial velocity -- of Galactic-sized haloes, both in dark matter and in stars. In the dark matter, we typically identify two caustics: the outermost caustic located at ~1.4r_200m corresponding to the "splashback" radius, and a second caustic located at ~0.6r_200m which likely corresponds to the edge of the virialized material which has completed at least two pericentric passages. The splashback radius is ill defined in Local Group type environments where the halos of the two galaxies overlap. However, the second caustic is less affected by the presence of a companion, and is a more useful definition for the boundary of the Milky Way halo. Curiously, the stellar distribution also has a clearly defined caustic, which, in most cases, coincides with the second caustic of the dark matter. This can be identified in both radial density and radial velocity profiles, and should be measurable in future observational programmes. Finally, we show that the second caustic can also be identified in the phase-space distribution of dwarf galaxies in the Local Group. Using the current dwarf galaxy population, we predict the edge of the Milky Way halo to be 292 +/- 61 kpc., Comment: 14 pages, 11 figures. MNRAS in press

We study the shape and kinematics of simulated dwarf galaxy discs in the APOSTLE suite of $\Lambda$CDM cosmological hydrodynamical simulations. We find that a large fraction of these gas-rich, star-forming discs show weak bars in their stellar component, despite being dark matter-dominated systems. The bar pattern shape and orientation reflect the ellipticity of the dark matter potential, and its rotation is locked to the slow figure rotation of the triaxial dark halo. The bar-like nature of the potential induces non-circular motions in the gas component, including strong bisymmetric flows that can be readily seen as m=3 harmonic perturbations in the HI line-of-sight velocity fields. Similar bisymmetric flows are seen in many galaxies of the THINGS and LITTLE THINGS surveys, although on average their amplitudes are a factor of ~2 weaker than in our simulated discs. Our results indicate that bar-like patterns may arise even when baryons are not dominant, and that they are common enough to warrant careful consideration when analyzing the gas kinematics of dwarf galaxy discs., Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures, submitted to MNRAS

We use mock interferometric HI measurements and a conventional tilted-ring modelling procedure to estimate circular velocity curves of dwarf galaxy discs from the APOSTLE suite of {\Lambda}CDM cosmological hydrodynamical simulations. The modelling yields a large diversity of rotation curves for an individual galaxy at fixed inclination, depending on the line-of-sight orientation. The diversity is driven by non-circular motions in the gas; in particular, by strong bisymmetric fluctuations in the azimuthal velocities that the tilted-ring model is ill-suited to account for and that are difficult to detect in model residuals. Large misestimates of the circular velocity arise when the kinematic major axis coincides with the extrema of the fluctuation pattern, in some cases mimicking the presence of kiloparsec-scale density 'cores', when none are actually present. The thickness of APOSTLE discs compounds this effect: more slowly-rotating extra-planar gas systematically reduces the average line-of-sight speeds. The recovered rotation curves thus tend to underestimate the true circular velocity of APOSTLE galaxies in the inner regions. Non-circular motions provide an appealing explanation for the large apparent cores observed in galaxies such as DDO 47 and DDO 87, where the model residuals suggest that such motions might have affected estimates of the inner circular velocities. Although residuals from tilted ring models in the simulations appear larger than in observed galaxies, our results suggest that non-circular motions should be carefully taken into account when considering the evidence for dark matter cores in individual galaxies., Comment: 29 pages, 19 figures, 4 tables, supplementary materials available in arXiv tarball. MNRAS accepted version

We examine the baryon content of low-mass A cold dark matter (ACDM) haloes (10(8)

We examine the spatial distribution of the oldest and most metal poor stellar populations of Milky Way-sized galaxies using the APOSTLE cosmological hydrodynamical simulations of the Local Group. In agreement with earlier work, we find strong radial gradients in the fraction of the oldest (tform < 0.8 Gyr) and most metal poor ([Fe/H]< -2.5) stars, both of which increase outwards. The most metal poor stars form over an extended period of time; half of them form after z = 5.3, and the last 10% after z = 2.8. The age of the metal poor stellar population also shows significant variation with environment; a high fraction of them are old in the galaxy's central regions and an even higher fraction in some individual dwarf galaxies, with substantial scatter from dwarf to dwarf. Overall, over half of the stars that belong to both the oldest and most metal-poor population are found outside the solar circle. Somewhat counter-intuitively, we find that dwarf galaxies with a large fraction of metal poor stars that are very old are systems where metal poor stars are relatively rare, but where a substantial old population is present. Our results provide guidance for interpreting the results of surveys designed to hunt for the earliest and most pristine stellar component of our Milky Way., 14 pages, 9 figures. Submitted to MNRAS, revised after referee comments

We examine the origin of the mass discrepancy--radial acceleration relation (MDAR) of disk galaxies. This is a tight empirical correlation between the disk centripetal acceleration and that expected from the baryonic component. The MDAR holds for most radii probed by disk kinematic tracers, regardless of galaxy mass or surface brightness. The relation has two characteristic accelerations; $a_0$, above which all galaxies are baryon-dominated; and $a_{\rm min}$, an effective minimum aceleration probed by kinematic tracers in isolated galaxies. We use a simple model to show that these trends arise naturally in $\Lambda$CDM. This is because: (i) disk galaxies in $\Lambda$CDM form at the centre of dark matter haloes spanning a relatively narrow range of virial mass; (ii) cold dark matter halo acceleration profiles are self-similar and have a broad maximum at the centre, reaching values bracketed precisely by $a_{\rm min}$ and $a_0$ in that mass range; and (iii) halo mass and galaxy size scale relatively tightly with the baryonic mass of a galaxy in any successful $\Lambda$CDM galaxy formation model. Explaining the MDAR in $\Lambda$CDM does not require modifications to the cuspy inner mass profiles of dark haloes, although these may help to understand the detailed rotation curves of some dwarf galaxies and the origin of extreme outliers from the main relation. The MDAR is just a reflection of the self-similar nature of cold dark matter haloes and of the physical scales introduced by the galaxy formation process., Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, MNRAS submitted