Relaxation properties of lower-mass galaxy groups

Establish whether more complete samples of lower-mass galaxy groups exhibit stronger signs of dynamical relaxation than indicated by the current IllustrisTNG analysis.

Background

The paper finds that only 15–23% of the analysed systems are fully relaxed at $z=0$, but the lowest-mass end is affected by limited simulation resolution and sample completeness. The authors therefore leave unresolved whether the observed relaxation fraction and the BHG-based indicators accurately describe less massive groups.

This question motivates targeted simulations and observations of lower-mass systems, including future group catalogues and surveys extending toward substantially smaller halo masses.