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| EAGLE simulation project | |
|---|---|
| Name | EAGLE simulation project |
| Caption | Visualization of simulated galaxy distribution |
| Institution | University of Oxford, Leiden University, Max Planck Society |
| Lead | Vincent Springel, Carlos S. Frenk, James W. Trayford |
| Start | 2012 |
| Funding | Science and Technology Facilities Council, European Research Council |
| Code | GADGET |
| Resolution | varied (up to 100 pc) |
| Website | EAGLE |
EAGLE simulation project The EAGLE simulation project is a suite of cosmological hydrodynamical simulations designed to model galaxy formation and evolution across cosmic time. It aims to reproduce observed properties of Milky Way, Andromeda Galaxy, Virgo Cluster galaxies and large-scale structure connecting to surveys like Sloan Digital Sky Survey, COSMOS (survey), and CANDELS. The collaboration involves teams from institutions such as University of Durham, University College London, and Leiden Observatory and builds on techniques developed in projects like Millennium Run, Illustris, and OWLS.
EAGLE was conceived to address failures of earlier projects such as Millennium Simulation and Illustris to match observables including the stellar mass function, galaxy sizes, Tully–Fisher relation, and black hole mass–stellar mass relation. Its primary aims include reproducing the galaxy luminosity function, the distribution of neutral hydrogen in galaxies, the cosmic star formation history compared against Hubble Space Telescope deep fields, and linking simulated feedback processes to observations from Chandra X-ray Observatory, Spitzer Space Telescope, and ALMA.
The project uses a modified version of the GADGET smoothed-particle hydrodynamics code implemented with subgrid physics calibrated to reproduce key observables. Initial conditions are generated with transfer functions from CAMB consistent with cosmological parameters from Planck (spacecraft), and large volumes are evolved using massively parallel computing on systems like ARCHER (supercomputer), Blue Waters, and facilities at Max Planck Society. Outputs are post-processed with radiative transfer and synthetic photometry tools to compare to surveys including 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey, VIPERS, and DEEP2 Galaxy Redshift Survey.
EAGLE implements subgrid models for star formation, stellar evolution, metal enrichment from Type Ia supernova, Type II supernova, and asymptotic giant branch stars, radiative cooling, and thermal feedback from accreting supermassive black holes tied to models influenced by Springel, Di Matteo, & Hernquist 2005. The project calibrates models for active galactic nucleus feedback inspired by observations from XMM-Newton, constraints from Event Horizon Telescope studies, and empirical scalings like the Magorrian relation. Chemical evolution tracks elements used in comparisons to SDSS spectra, Keck Observatory observations, and Very Large Telescope integral field spectroscopy.
Calibration targeted the present-day stellar mass function and galaxy size–mass relation using comparisons with datasets from Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA), COSMOS, and GALEX. Multiple runs span boxes from tens to hundreds of comoving megaparsecs with particle masses and gravitational softening lengths tuned for convergence tests echoing methods from Aquarius Project and Bolshoi Simulation. Resolution studies address issues raised by Santa Barbara cluster comparison project and use re-simulations similar to approaches in FIRE and IllustrisTNG to test sensitivity to subgrid parameter choices.
EAGLE produced realistic galaxy populations matching the stellar mass density evolution, the mass–metallicity relation, and the bimodality of galaxy colors observed in surveys like SDSS and GAMA. It clarified the role of stellar and AGN feedback in quenching star formation across halos comparable to Milky Way and M87, and provided predictions for circumgalactic medium absorption lines compared against observations from Hubble Space Telescope Cosmic Origins Spectrograph programs. EAGLE results informed interpretations of galaxy clustering measured by BOSS and eBOSS, and yielded synthetic catalogs for lensing studies relevant to Euclid (spacecraft) and LSST.
Compared with Illustris, IllustrisTNG, Horizon-AGN, and FIRE projects, EAGLE emphasized calibration to a small set of low-redshift observables while maintaining predictive power at high redshift probed by JWST and Hubble Deep Field. Differences arise in implementation choices: EAGLE uses modified smoothed-particle hydrodynamics, whereas AREPO-based Illustris employed a moving-mesh scheme; Horizon-AGN uses adaptive mesh refinement techniques akin to RAMSES. Cross-comparisons leverage metrics from the AGORA project and community efforts like the nIFTy cluster comparison to understand systematic model dependencies.
The collaboration released curated public data including particle files, halo catalogs produced with SUBFIND, merger trees compatible with VELOCIraptor and Consistent-Trees, and synthetic photometry matched to filters from SDSS, WISE, and GALEX. Data access is provided through an online database used by teams in Oxford, Durham, Leiden, and external users from institutions such as Harvard University and Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics. These releases support community science comparable to legacy archives like Millennium database and enable reproducibility for analyses tied to surveys such as DESI and KiDS.