Streams on FIRE: Populations of Detectable Stellar Streams in the Milky Way and FIRE. (arXiv:2208.02255v1 [astro-ph.GA])
<a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Shipp_N/0/1/0/all/0/1">Nora Shipp</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Panithanpaisal_N/0/1/0/all/0/1">Nondh Panithanpaisal</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Necib_L/0/1/0/all/0/1">Lina Necib</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Sanderson_R/0/1/0/all/0/1">Robyn Sanderson</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Erkal_D/0/1/0/all/0/1">Denis Erkal</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Li_T/0/1/0/all/0/1">Ting S. Li</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Santistevan_I/0/1/0/all/0/1">Isaiah B. Santistevan</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Wetzel_A/0/1/0/all/0/1">Andrew Wetzel</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Cullinane_L/0/1/0/all/0/1">Lara R. Cullinane</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Ji_A/0/1/0/all/0/1">Alexander P. Ji</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Koposov_S/0/1/0/all/0/1">Sergey E. Koposov</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Kuehn_K/0/1/0/all/0/1">Kyler Kuehn</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Lewis_G/0/1/0/all/0/1">Geraint F. Lewis</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Pace_A/0/1/0/all/0/1">Andrew B. Pace</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Zucker_D/0/1/0/all/0/1">Daniel B. Zucker</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Bland_Hawthorn_J/0/1/0/all/0/1">Joss Bland-Hawthorn</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Cunningham_E/0/1/0/all/0/1">Emily C. Cunningham</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Kim_S/0/1/0/all/0/1">Stacy Y. Kim</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Lilleengen_S/0/1/0/all/0/1">Sophia Lilleengen</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Moreno_J/0/1/0/all/0/1">Jorge Moreno</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Sharma_S/0/1/0/all/0/1">Sanjib Sharma</a>

We present the first detailed study comparing the populations of stellar
streams in cosmological simulations to observed Milky Way dwarf galaxy streams.
In particular, we compare streams identified around Milky Way analogs in the
FIRE-2 simulations to stellar streams observed by the Southern Stellar Stream
Spectroscopic Survey (S5). For an accurate comparison between the stream
populations, we produce mock Dark Energy Survey (DES) observations of the FIRE
streams and estimate the detectability of their tidal tails and progenitors.
The number and stellar mass distributions of detectable stellar streams is
consistent between observations and simulations. However, there are
discrepancies in the distributions of pericenters and apocenters, with the
detectable FIRE streams, on average, forming at larger pericenters (out to >
110 kpc) and surviving only at larger apocenters (> 40 kpc) than those observed
in the Milky Way. We find that the population of high-stellar mass dwarf galaxy
streams in the Milky Way is incomplete. Interestingly, a large fraction of the
FIRE streams would only be detected as satellites in DES-like observations,
since their tidal tails are too low-surface brightness to be detectable. We
thus predict a population of yet-undetected tidal tails around Milky Way
satellites, as well as a population of fully undetected low surface brightness
stellar streams, and estimate their detectability with the Rubin Observatory.
Finally, we discuss the causes and implications of the discrepancies between
the stream populations in FIRE and the Milky Way, and explore future avenues
for tests of satellite disruption in cosmological simulations.

We present the first detailed study comparing the populations of stellar
streams in cosmological simulations to observed Milky Way dwarf galaxy streams.
In particular, we compare streams identified around Milky Way analogs in the
FIRE-2 simulations to stellar streams observed by the Southern Stellar Stream
Spectroscopic Survey (S5). For an accurate comparison between the stream
populations, we produce mock Dark Energy Survey (DES) observations of the FIRE
streams and estimate the detectability of their tidal tails and progenitors.
The number and stellar mass distributions of detectable stellar streams is
consistent between observations and simulations. However, there are
discrepancies in the distributions of pericenters and apocenters, with the
detectable FIRE streams, on average, forming at larger pericenters (out to >
110 kpc) and surviving only at larger apocenters (> 40 kpc) than those observed
in the Milky Way. We find that the population of high-stellar mass dwarf galaxy
streams in the Milky Way is incomplete. Interestingly, a large fraction of the
FIRE streams would only be detected as satellites in DES-like observations,
since their tidal tails are too low-surface brightness to be detectable. We
thus predict a population of yet-undetected tidal tails around Milky Way
satellites, as well as a population of fully undetected low surface brightness
stellar streams, and estimate their detectability with the Rubin Observatory.
Finally, we discuss the causes and implications of the discrepancies between
the stream populations in FIRE and the Milky Way, and explore future avenues
for tests of satellite disruption in cosmological simulations.

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