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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0The Astrophysical Journal

Anisotropy of Satellite Galaxies-I: Contrasting Correlations with Central Galaxy, Host Halo, and Large-Scale Filament Structures

  • Zhuoming Zhang
  • Weiguang Cui
  • Yun Chen
  • Romeel Davé
  • Katarina Kraljic
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Abstract

Using the SIMBA, EAGLE, and IllustrisTNG-100 galaxy formation simulations, we examine the anisotropy of the satellite distribution and its dependencies on central galaxies, host halos, and cosmic filaments. We find that in all simulations the satellite anisotropy is robustly aligned with the halo/central galaxy major axis. This correlation is both redshift- and halo-mass-dependent and also extends to filamentary structures outside the halo to several virial radii. The alignment persists up to z=1.5 at high redshifts, and the mass dependence remains down to M200c ≈ 1011M⊙. We identify a clear 3σ scale-dependent transition in the structural tracers of satellite anisotropy: satellite distributions correlate with central galaxy morphology at small scales (<0.3R200c), are governed by host halo triaxiality at halo scales ($0.3−2R_{\rm 200c}$), and align with cosmic filaments beyond 2R200c. By tracing satellite trajectories in SIMBA, we uncover the kinematic origin of this transition, demonstrating that satellites prefer halo major-axis aligned regions because their trajectories intersect this axis far more frequently and stay in it for a longer time under the host's gravitational potential. This dynamical processing effectively erases primordial filament-related signals upon accretion (<2R200c), explaining the shift in dominant structural tracers across scales.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{zhang2026anisotropy,
  title = {{Anisotropy of Satellite Galaxies-I: Contrasting Correlations with Central Galaxy, Host Halo, and Large-Scale Filament Structures}},
  author = {Zhuoming Zhang and Weiguang Cui and Yun Chen and Romeel Davé and Katarina Kraljic},
  journal = {The Astrophysical Journal},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  doi = {10.3847/1538-4357/ae92fe},
  eprint = {2604.27845},
  archivePrefix = {arXiv},
  url = {https://hal.science/hal-05634428v1},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Anisotropy of Satellite Galaxies-I: Contrasting Correlations with Central Galaxy, Host Halo, and Large-Scale Filament Structures
AU  - Zhuoming Zhang
AU  - Weiguang Cui
AU  - Yun Chen
AU  - Romeel Davé
AU  - Katarina Kraljic
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/02
JO  - The Astrophysical Journal
DO  - 10.3847/1538-4357/ae92fe
UR  - https://hal.science/hal-05634428v1
AB  - Using the SIMBA, EAGLE, and IllustrisTNG-100 galaxy formation simulations, we examine the anisotropy of the satellite distribution and its dependencies on central galaxies, host halos, and cosmic filaments. We find that in all simulations the satellite anisotropy is robustly aligned with the halo/central galaxy major axis. This correlation is both redshift- and halo-mass-dependent and also extends to filamentary structures outside the halo to several virial radii. The alignment persists up to z=1.5 at high redshifts, and the mass dependence remains down to M_200c ≈ 10^11M_⊙. We identify a clear 3σ scale-dependent transition in the structural tracers of satellite anisotropy: satellite distributions correlate with central galaxy morphology at small scales (<0.3R_200c), are governed by host halo triaxiality at halo scales ($0.3−2R_{\rm 200c}$), and align with cosmic filaments beyond 2R_200c. By tracing satellite trajectories in SIMBA, we uncover the kinematic origin of this transition, demonstrating that satellites prefer halo major-axis aligned regions because their trajectories intersect this axis far more frequently and stay in it for a longer time under the host's gravitational potential. This dynamical processing effectively erases primordial filament-related signals upon accretion (<2R_200c), explaining the shift in dominant structural tracers across scales.
SN  - 0004-637X
SN  - 1538-4357
ER  -