# Dynamics of Galaxies in Clusters

## 1 Motivation: Spirals versus S0s

Recent observations by the Hubble Space Telescope show that spirals make up to 50% of the galaxies in clusters at redshift $`z0.5`$ (Dressler et al. 1997; Ellis 1998). Spectroscopic evidence suggests bursts of recent, or even current, star formation. This picture is drastically different from the nearby clusters, populated mostly by featureless elliptical or S0 galaxies. The change is due to the evolution of S0s, which are depleted by about a factor of two at $`z0.5`$. Observations suggest that star formation has ceased in the ellipticals by an epoch $`z0.6`$, but continued in the S0s until at least $`z0.3`$ (van Dokkum et al. 1998). It is apparent that a strong dynamical and morphological evolution of disk galaxies has occurred in clusters of galaxies.

## 2 Self-Consistent Cluster and Galactic Simulations

In order to study the self-consistent evolution of galaxies in the cosmological context, I use a large Particle-Mesh numerical simulation. The PM code is coupled with the Self-Consistent Field code to study the dynamics of individual galaxies with the very high effective resolution.

A cluster of galaxies is simulated using constrained Gaussian initial conditions in each of the three cosmological scenarios ($`\mathrm{\Omega }_0=1`$; $`\mathrm{\Omega }_0=0.4`$; and $`\mathrm{\Omega }_0=0.4`$, $`\mathrm{\Omega }_\mathrm{\Lambda }=0.6`$). The simulation box has the comoving size of 32 $`h^1`$ Mpc and $`512^3`$ grid cells. In these simulations, I follow the trajectories of the identified galaxies and calculate the external tidal field along them. Then, I use the tidal histories of the galaxies as an input to the galactic SCF simulations. Each galaxy is represented by $`10^6`$ star particles and $`10^6`$ dark matter particles, with the spherical halo being 20 times more massive than the stellar disk. I carefully document and, whenever possible, subtract the effects of numerical relaxation.

## 3 Results

In agreement with analytical models, the dark halos of the massive galaxies are truncated at 30 to 60 kpc, regardless of their initial extent. As a result, the galaxies lose a significant fraction of their mass. Inside the truncation radius, the halo density profile is perturbed very little. The stellar disk maintains most of its mass and the initially exponential surface density stays about the same. However, there is a substantial amount of heating in the vertical direction: the scale-height increases by a factor of 1.5 to 2.5, depending on the tidal history. Toomre’s $`Q`$ parameter increases to $`Q2`$, making the disk gravitationally very stable. In cooperation with the stripping of gas by the intracluster medium, this effect halts new star formation in the galaxies. The end result is the morphological transformation of spiral galaxies into the S0s.

Figure 1 shows an example of a large spiral galaxy at the end of the simulation. The visible extent of the galaxy is five radial scale-lengths, or about 15 kpc. The large outer spiral arms are caused by tidal perturbations, but any gas is likely to be stripped from the outer regions. Looking edge-on, the disk is thick and warps in the outer parts. It looks very similar to the image of an S0 galaxy NGC 4762 (Sandage 1961).

Overall, the predicted evolution of galaxies is more modest than in the similar study by Moore et al. (1996). The disks of large galaxies survive but thicken and cease star formation. The main cause of the difference is the time evolution of the tidal force during cluster formation. The low $`\mathrm{\Omega }_0`$ models agree with observations better than the $`\mathrm{\Omega }_0=1`$ model. Full results of this study will be published elsewhere (Gnedin 1999).

###### Acknowledgements.

I wish to thank Lars Hernquist and Renyue Cen for letting me use their SCF and PM codes, respectively. I am grateful to Jerry Ostriker for his continuous support and guidance.