The Once and Future Andromeda Stream

Abstract

We study the interaction between an accreting satellite and the Andromeda galaxy (M31) analytically and numerically, using a high-resolution N-body simulation with 4 × 10⁷ particles. For the first time, we show the self-gravitating response of the disk, the bulge, and the dark matter halo of M31 to an accreting satellite. We reproduce the stream and the shells at the east and west sides of M31 by following the evolution of the collision 4 Gyr into the future, and show that recently discovered diffuse arcs on the south side of the minor axis are the remnants of a similar collision that occurred 3-4 Gyr earlier than the stream event. The present-day integrity of the M31 disk constrains the satellite mass to be M <= 5 × 10⁹ M_⊙. The stars that were originally in the center of the satellite are now in the east shell. Therefore, observations in this region might reveal additional clues about the nature of satellite, such as the central core and any metallicity gradient.