Discreteness effects in cosmological N-body simulations

An estimate of the convergence radius of a simulated CDM halo is obtained under the assumption that the peak phase-space density in the system is set by discreteness effects that operate prior to relaxation. The predicted convergence radii are approximately a factor 2 larger than those estimated for...

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Main Author: Binney, J
Format: Journal article
Language:English
Published: 2003
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author Binney, J
author_facet Binney, J
author_sort Binney, J
collection OXFORD
description An estimate of the convergence radius of a simulated CDM halo is obtained under the assumption that the peak phase-space density in the system is set by discreteness effects that operate prior to relaxation. The predicted convergence radii are approximately a factor 2 larger than those estimated for numerical convergence studies. A toy model is used to study the formation of sheets of the cosmic web, from which DM haloes form later. This model demonstrates the interplay between phase mixing and violent relaxation that must also be characteristic of spherical collapse. In the limit that sheets contain arbitrarily many particles, it seems that power-law profiles are established in both distance and energy. When only a finite number of particles is employed, relaxation is prematurely terminated and the power laws are broken. In a given simulation, the sheets with the highest peak phase-space densities are those that form from the longest waves. Hence simulations with little small-scale power are expected to form the cuspiest haloes.
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spelling oxford-uuid:6744f294-6b9e-421c-b444-7020b4822c402022-03-26T18:37:05ZDiscreteness effects in cosmological N-body simulationsJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:6744f294-6b9e-421c-b444-7020b4822c40EnglishSymplectic Elements at Oxford2003Binney, JAn estimate of the convergence radius of a simulated CDM halo is obtained under the assumption that the peak phase-space density in the system is set by discreteness effects that operate prior to relaxation. The predicted convergence radii are approximately a factor 2 larger than those estimated for numerical convergence studies. A toy model is used to study the formation of sheets of the cosmic web, from which DM haloes form later. This model demonstrates the interplay between phase mixing and violent relaxation that must also be characteristic of spherical collapse. In the limit that sheets contain arbitrarily many particles, it seems that power-law profiles are established in both distance and energy. When only a finite number of particles is employed, relaxation is prematurely terminated and the power laws are broken. In a given simulation, the sheets with the highest peak phase-space densities are those that form from the longest waves. Hence simulations with little small-scale power are expected to form the cuspiest haloes.
spellingShingle Binney, J
Discreteness effects in cosmological N-body simulations
title Discreteness effects in cosmological N-body simulations
title_full Discreteness effects in cosmological N-body simulations
title_fullStr Discreteness effects in cosmological N-body simulations
title_full_unstemmed Discreteness effects in cosmological N-body simulations
title_short Discreteness effects in cosmological N-body simulations
title_sort discreteness effects in cosmological n body simulations
work_keys_str_mv AT binneyj discretenesseffectsincosmologicalnbodysimulations