The Properties Of Surviving And Disrupted Satellites Of Simulated Milky Way Galaxies

The Milky Way was assembled in part from numerous progenitor dwarf galaxies. Studying Milky Way dwarf galaxies using cosmological simulations can guide and help in the interpretation of current observations designed to reveal the stellar assembly history of our galaxy. However, most research into the properties of dwarf satellites has focused on only analyzing satellites surviving until z=0. In this project, we use data from four high-resolution cosmological zoom-in simulations of Milky Way-mass galaxies from the DC Justice League suite of simulations. We expand our analysis of dwarf galaxies to include both surviving (at z=0) and disrupted satellites of the simulated Milky Way analogs. We compare these two satellite populations by examining properties such as stellar mass and time of accretion. We find that simulated Milky Way satellites must lie within a certain mass-range and be accreted after a certain time in order to survive at z= 0. Surviving satellites also capture a greater diversity in star formation histories and a greater range of stellar masses compared to disrupted satellites. Our results can inform studies of the stellar assembly of the Milky Way and aid our understanding of the mechanisms of satellite accretion and disruption.