Thesis
Spin parameter of dark matter halos as a function of large-scale environment
Master of Science (M.S.), Drexel University
May 2026
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00011397
Abstract
The large-scale structure of the Universe imprints itself on the properties of the dark matter halos that form within it through the action of the tidal gravitational field. In this work, we investigate the relationship between the spin parameter of dark matter halos and two complementary descriptions of the large-scale environment: the tidal tensor classification, which identifies voids, walls, filaments, and halos from the eigenvalue signature of the gravitational potential Hessian, and the tidal anisotropy [alpha], a continuous scalar that quantifies the degree to which the tidal field acts unequally across its principal axes. Using the TNG300 simulation with a smoothing scale of 1h⁻¹ Mpc, the tidal anisotropy is computed for each voxel within the volume and the spin parameter is computed for dark matter halos with a mass above 5 * 10⁸ M_[Sun] and at least 300 dark matter particles. While the tidal anisotropy and tidal tensor classification align with prior work, the spin parameter value does not show a difference with the tidal tensor classification of the environment. When the spin parameter is compared directly against the tidal anisotropy, the Pearson correlation coefficient of r = -0.034 indicates no correlation between the two quantities, a result that persists across all mass bins and halo types. These findings motivate future work by extending the analysis across multiple redshifts to trace the evolutionary history of halo spin, and the application of these methods to observational data to test the robustness of these conclusions.
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Details
- Title
- Spin parameter of dark matter halos as a function of large-scale environment
- Creators
- Rachel Schneider
- Contributors
- Michael Scott Vogeley (Advisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Master of Science (M.S.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University
- Number of pages
- 29 pages
- Resource Type
- Thesis
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- College of Arts and Sciences; Physics; Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 991022185675104721