Formation & Evolution of early-types galaxies : Numerical simulations of galaxy mergers
type: Dataset
description: A simple morphological classification of the galaxies in the local Universe shows two main families: (1) the disc galaxies, with spiral arms and in two-thirds of these galaxies a stellar bar; and (2) the elliptical and lenticular galaxies, labelled early-type galaxies (ETGs), which are dominated by a spheroidal stellar component. ETGs are among the most massive galaxies of the local Universe and present a red color, meaning that their stars are old. These galaxies also present a large diversity of stellar dynamics: they may have a regular rotation pattern aligned with the photometry or perpendicular to it; they can present no global rotation at all; or may hold a central stellar component with a rotation axis distinct from the outer stellar body called a Kinematically Distinct Core (KDC). These features observed in the dynamics of the ETGs and their large mass are clearly signs of past interactions, especially signs of galaxy mergers. The main goal of my thesis is to analyse a large sample of high-resolution numerical simulations of binary galaxy mergers. These binary mergers are called "idealized" because they do not take into account the full cosmological context of galaxy formation: two isolated spiral galaxies are launched in an orbit resulting in a merger of the galaxies, the final remnant is an ETG. The statistical analysis of this large sample of simulations enables us to link the initial conditions of the merger to the final merger remnant. I demonstrated that the mass ratio between the spiral progenitors and the orientation of their spins of angular momentum are the main drivers for the formation of fast and slow rotating ETGs and the KDCs. The morphology of the initial spiral (Bulge/Disc ratio) seems also to play a major role for the formation of the different types of ETGs but its impact is not completelly clear, and other simulations are planned to clarify this problem. During my thesis, I also studied the importance of the resolution in the numerical si…
identifier: NNT: 2011LYO10036
issued: 2026-05-10T07:37:29.107542
language: fr
modified: 2026-05-10T07:37:29.107547
contact point: Organization
  fn: CCSD
keyword: early-type-galaxies
keyword: formation-and-evolution-of-galaxies
keyword: formation-et-evolution-des-galaxies
keyword: galaxies-de-type-precoce
keyword: infoeu-reposemanticsdoctoralthesis
keyword: numerical-simulation
keyword: sduothersciences-of-the-universe-physicsother
keyword: simulations-numeriques
keyword: theses
landing page: https://theses.hal.science/tel-00845753

Formation & Evolution of early-types galaxies : Numerical simulations of galaxy mergers
type: Distribution
format: HTML
issued: 2026-05-10T07:37:29.119830
modified: 2026-05-10T07:37:29.097268
access URL: https://theses.hal.science/tel-00845753

test_moissonnage_selune
type: Agent