Galaxy properties and the cosmic web in simulations

Ofer Metuki, Noam I. Libeskind, Yehuda Hoffman, Robert A. Crain, Tom Theuns

Published 2014-05-01, updated 2014-12-09Version 2

We seek to understand the relationship between galaxy properties and their local environment, which calls for a proper formulation of the notion of environment. We analyse the GIMIC suite of cosmological hydrodynamical simulations within the framework of the cosmic web as formulated by Hoffman et al., focusing on properties of simulated DM haloes and luminous galaxies with respect to voids, sheets, filaments and knots - the four elements of the cosmic web. We find that the mass functions of haloes depend on environment, which drives other environmental dependence of galaxy formation. The web shapes the halo mass function, and through the strong dependence of the galaxy properties on the mass of their host haloes, it also shapes the galaxy-(web) environment dependence.