The Local Group is a galaxy group that includes the Milky Way (MW) and the Andromeda Galaxy (M31), among other smaller galaxies. The Milky Way and Andromeda Galaxy are the two most massive members, together containing most of the mass of the group.
The dynamics within the Local Group provide insights into galaxy formation and evolution. As it contains some of the closest galaxies, the Local Group allows for detailed astronomical observations that are not possible with more distant galaxies.
The Local Group is relatively isolated from other galaxy groups. The Local Group's peculiar velocity (motion relative to the cosmic microwave background) keeps it somewhat isolated as it moves relative to this general expansion.
The goal of this project is to quantify the relationship between:
- the barycenter velocity vector,
- the relative position vector that points from the MW towards M31,
- and the relative velocity vector of M31 with respect to the MW.
We aim to make a comparison between the values observed for our Local Group and simulated Local Groups in large N-body cosmological simulations in the ΛCDM framework. The question that drives our comparison is: to what extent are the observed kinematic configurations similar to the expected values from ΛCDM simulations?