{
  "abstract": "Characterising the assembly history of the inner Milky Way is a key goal of upcoming spectroscopic surveys, yet disentangling its overlapping stellar components remains challenging. We investigate the chemodynamics of the centre of a Milky Way analogue in the Auriga Superstars cosmological hydrodynamical simulation suite, focusing on a high-resolution halo (~ 800 M_sun star particles) with a realistic galactic bar and accretion history. We classify stars within the inner 4 kpc into proto-galaxy, subsequent in-situ, and accreted components to assess their distinguishability using kinematics, dynamics, ages, and metallicities. Stellar net rotation declines sharply between [Fe/H]=0 and [Fe/H]=-1, marking the transition from disc-like in-situ stars to the proto-galaxy. While significant chemical and dynamical overlaps complicate the search for structures in energy-angular momentum (E-Lz) space, metal-poor stars ([Fe/H]<-1) at low energy form a remarkably pure (>97%) sample of proto-galaxy stars. Conversely, the high-energy, metal-poor tail offers the best chance of detecting accreted debris. However, at high energies the inner accreted halo is dominated by low-mass systems (M_star ~ 10^7 - 10^9 M _sun), not the earliest massive mergers. Dynamically, few clues remain from early mergers, and early enrichment is rapid and similar across progenitors. In-situ contamination is an issue for [Fe/H]>-1 throughout E-Lz space. Overall, while accurate stellar ages and high-precision chemical abundances may help further constrain the Milky Way's history, we should be cautious when associating stars with individual merger events in the inner galaxy.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": "2610.36164",
  "author_total": 10,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Thomas Tomlinson"
    },
    {
      "name": "Francesca Fragkoudi"
    },
    {
      "name": "Andreia Carrillo"
    },
    {
      "name": "Alis Deason"
    },
    {
      "name": "Azadeh Fattahi"
    },
    {
      "name": "Rüdiger Pakmor"
    },
    {
      "name": "Robert J. J. Grand"
    },
    {
      "name": "Facundo A. Gómez"
    },
    {
      "name": "Freeke van de Voort"
    },
    {
      "name": "Rebekka Bieri"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4r2g18dcpde8n.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.48550/arxiv.2610.36164",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "4r2g18dcpde8n",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.36164",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": "CC0-1.0",
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "arxiv",
      "astro-ph.GA"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "3103|Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7224083946",
  "pdf_url": "https://arxiv.org/pdf/2610.36164",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-26",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4r2g18dcpde8n.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:35:50Z",
      "native_id": "2610.36164",
      "source": "arxiv",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.36164"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "astronomy",
      "origin": "arxiv:astro-ph.GA",
      "subfield": "galaxies"
    }
  ],
  "title": "The inner galaxy as a window on its early assembly: lessons from a cosmological Milky Way analogue",
  "title_text": "The inner galaxy as a window on its early assembly: lessons from a cosmological Milky Way analogue",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:35:50Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4r2g18dcpde8n",
  "venue": "arXiv",
  "versions": []
}