On the Robustness of the Velocity Anisotropy Parameter in Probing the Stellar Kinematics in Milky Way-Like Galaxies: Takeaway from TNG50 Simulation

We analyze the velocity anisotropy of stars in real and energy space for a sample of Milky Way-like galaxies in the TNG50 simulation. We employ different selection criteria, including spatial, kinematic, and metallicity cuts, and make three halo classes ( A-C) that show mild-to-strong sensitivity to different selections. The above classes cover 48%, 16%, and 36% of the halos, respectively. We analyze the beta radial profiles and divide them into either monotonically increasing radial profiles or ones with peaks and troughs. We demonstrate that halos with monotonically increasing beta profiles are mostly from class A , while those with peaks/troughs are part of classes B and C . This means that care must be taken, as the observationally reported peaks/troughs might be a consequence of different selection criteria. We infer the anisotropy parameter beta energy space and compare that against the beta radial profile. It is seen than 65% of halos with very mild sensitivity to different selections in real space are those for which the beta radial and energy profiles are closely related. Consequently, we propose that comparing the beta radial and energy profiles might be a novel way to examine the sensitivity to different selection criteria and thus examining the robustness of the anisotropy parameter in tracing stellar kinematics. We compare simulated beta radial profiles against various observations and demonstrate that, in most cases, the model diversity is comparable with the error bars from different observations, meaning that the TNG50 models are in good overall agreement with observations.

Automated summary

In this study, we analyze the velocity anisotropy of Milky Way-like galaxies in the TNG50 simulation. We find that different selection criteria can affect the results and propose comparing the beta radial and energy profiles as a way to examine the robustness of the anisotropy parameter in stellar kinematics.