Bulge formation by the coalescence of giant clumps in primordial disk galaxies

Abstract

Gas-rich disks in the early universe are highly turbulent and have giant star-forming clumps. Models suggest that the clumps form by gravitational instabilities, and if they resist disruption by star formation, then they interact, lose angular momentum, and migrate to the center to form a bulge. Here we study the properties of the bulges formed by this mechanism. They are all thick, slowly rotating, and have a high Sersic index, like classical bulges. Their rapid formation should also give them relatively high α-element abundances. We consider fourteen low-resolution models and four high-resolution models, three of which have supernova feedback. All models have an active halo, stellar disk, and gaseous disk; three of the models have a pre-existing bulge, and three others have a cuspy dark matter halo. All show the same basic result except the one with the highest feedback, in which the clumps are quickly destroyed and the disk thickens too much. The coalescence of massive disk clumps in the center of a galaxy is like a major merger in terms of orbital mixing. It differs by leaving a bulge with no specific dark matter component, unlike the merger of individual galaxies. Normal supernova feedback has little effect, because the high turbulent speed in the gas produces tightly bound clumps. A variety of indirect observations support the model, including clumpy disks with young bulges at high redshift and bulges with relatively little dark matter. © 2008, The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.