Unveiling the Milky Way’s Past: Insights from Dwarf Galaxies and Simulations

The study by François Hammer and collaborators examines the Milky Way's accretion history by comparing observational data, including globular clusters and dwarf galaxies, to predictions from cosmological simulations. They find that older mergers align well with simulations, but most dwarf galaxies appear to have been captured relatively recently, contradicting simulation predictions. The study highlights mismatches in rotation curves and binding energy distributions, suggesting current models need refinement. The work concludes that more realistic simulations are required to accurately capture the Milky Way's mass distribution and evolutionary history.