Gaia-Sausage/Enceladus Accretion Event

• Gaia-Sausage/Enceladus is a significant ancient merger where a massive dwarf galaxy merged with the Milky Way 9–11 Gyr ago, leaving distinct kinematic and chemical signatures.
• Its debris, marked by high radial anisotropy and a narrow metallicity distribution, underpins studies of galactic assembly and the evolution of the Milky Way’s halo and disk.
• Integrated chemo-dynamical models and simulations reveal detailed progenitor properties and star formation histories that explain chemical bimodality and the disk transition process.

The Gaia-Sausage/Enceladus (GSE) accretion event refers to a substantial ancient merger between the Milky Way and a massive dwarf galaxy, occurring approximately 8–11 Gyr ago. This event is responsible for the radially biased stellar halo component discovered through Gaia data and constitutes the last major galactic collision in the Milky Way’s history. The GSE remnant is identified through its distinct kinematics—highly eccentric, low-rotation orbits—and unique chemical abundance patterns, which together offer critical insight into both the merger itself and the broader context of early galactic assembly.

1. Progenitor Properties and Assembly Timeline

Multiple dynamical and chemical approaches converge on the following progenitor characteristics:

• Stellar Mass: Estimates from chemo-dynamical modeling and scaling relations yield $M_\star \sim 5\times10^8$–$2\times10^9\,M_\odot$ (Ernandes et al., 10 May 2025, Feuillet et al., 2021), comparable to the present-day LMC.
• Halo (Dark Matter) Mass: Abundance matching with globular cluster population implies $M_{\rm halo} \sim 10^{10}$–$10^{11}\,M_\odot$ (1904.03185, Lane et al., 2023).
• Orbit: Gaia proper motions reveal highly radial plunges ($e\gtrsim0.7$), no net rotation ($L_z \sim 0$), and velocity anisotropy $\beta \sim 0.8$–$0.9$ at large radii (Lane et al., 4 Sep 2025, Folsom et al., 5 Aug 2024).
• Accretion Epoch: The event occurred at redshift $z\simeq2$ (lookback $t_{\rm merge} \sim 9$–$11$ Gyr) (Ernandes et al., 10 May 2025, González-Koda et al., 27 Feb 2025, Merrow et al., 2023), and contributed up to 50% of the inner stellar halo’s mass.

Recent star formation history analyses (CMD fitting, globular cluster isochrones) reveal two distinct episodes: isolated formation ($\sim$13.5–12 Gyr, [M/H] $\sim$ –1.6) followed by merger-induced quenching at $\sim$11–10 Gyr ([M/H] $\sim$ –0.8), with a minor younger population ([M/H] $\sim$ –0.4, age $\sim$8.5 Gyr) of uncertain association (González-Koda et al., 27 Feb 2025, Aguado-Agelet et al., 27 Feb 2025).

2. Kinematics, Density Profile, and Structure

The GSE debris is best described as a prolate–triaxial, radially anisotropic halo component:

• Velocity Anisotropy:

$\beta(r) \simeq 0.9$ beyond $8$ kpc, declining to $\beta \sim 0.4$ at $2$–$3$ kpc; two-component Osipkov-Merritt DFs yield best matches (scale radii $r_{a,1}\sim 2$ kpc, $r_{a,2}\sim 550$ kpc, mixture $k_{\rm om} \simeq 0.88$) (Lane et al., 4 Sep 2025).

• Density Profile:

Triaxial broken power law, with inner slope $\alpha_{\rm in}\sim1.0$, outer slope $\alpha_{\rm out}\sim3.8$, and break radius $r_{\rm break}\sim24$ kpc (Lane et al., 2023).

• Mass:

Recent high-purity kinematic samples yield $$M_\star({\rm GSE})=2.3^{+0.95}_{-0.63} \times 10^8\,M_\odot$$, about 15–25% of halo stellar mass in the range $2Lane et al., 2023, Lane et al., 4 Sep 2025).

• Shape:

Axis ratios $a:b:c=1:0.55:0.45$, major axis inclined $\sim$16° below the plane, oriented toward Galactic rotation (Lane et al., 2023).

3. Chemical Abundance Signatures

Distinct abundance tracks as a result of the GSE's star formation history:

• [Fe/H] Distribution:

Narrow MDF centered at [Fe/H] $\sim$ –1.15, sigma $\sim$0.3 dex (Feuillet et al., 2021). The metal-weak tail is steeper than that of the full halo, indicating a lack of extremely metal-poor stars ([M/H] $<$ –2.0) compared to less massive accreted systems (Bonifacio et al., 2021).

• Heavy Elements:

[Eu/Ba] rises monotonically with increasing [Fe/H], revealing a $\sim$2 Gyr period of star formation and a sharp quenching at [Fe/H] $\sim$ –0.5 that prevented the late s-process resurgence (Ernandes et al., 10 May 2025).

• Alpha Elements:

[Mg/Fe] presents a high-$\alpha$ plateau for [Fe/H] $<$ –1.4, followed by a "knee" (Type Ia onset) leading to a low-$\alpha$ track—fundamental to the disk bimodality (Feuillet et al., 2021, Johnson et al., 9 Oct 2025).

Figurative abundance—age relations from globular cluster studies indicate a [Si/Fe] decline and [Eu/Fe] rise correlating ($d$[Si/Fe]/$dt$ $\sim$ –0.11 dex/Gyr; $d$[Eu/Fe]/$dt$ $\sim$ +0.15 dex/Gyr), with [Eu/Si] increasing at +0.26 dex/Gyr (Aguado-Agelet et al., 27 Feb 2025).

4. Metallicity Gradients and Internal Structure

Simulations and data reveal that the GSE progenitor had well-ordered, negative metallicity gradients prior to accretion; these were substantially blurred by merger:

• Pre-infall Gradients:

Radial: $\nabla_r$[Fe/H] $\sim$ –0.09 to –0.03 dex/kpc; energy-space: $\nabla_E$[Fe/H] $\sim$ –1.99 to –0.41 dex/($10^{-5}\,$km$^2$s$^{-2}$) (Carrillo et al., 29 Sep 2025).

• Present-day Debris:

The observed halo gradient, mapping mean orbital radius and energy, is –0.014 dex/kpc and –0.28 dex/($10^5$ km$^2$ s$^{-2}$) respectively (Khoperskov et al., 2023); the original progenitor likely had a true gradient $\sim$–0.1 dex/kpc.

• Chemical Tagging:

Stars' current energy or mean orbital radius act as proxies for their birth radius in the progenitor, reflecting the central metal-rich enrichment and the extended metal-poor outskirts (Khoperskov et al., 2023).

5. Star Formation History and Quenching

Detailed reconstruction using CMD fitting, elemental ratios, and globular cluster ages yields:

• Two Principal Epochs:

Initial isolated star formation ($\sim$13.5–12 Gyr), followed by a merger-induced burst and rapid quenching at $\sim$11–10 Gyr (González-Koda et al., 27 Feb 2025, Aguado-Agelet et al., 27 Feb 2025).

• Duration:

Total star formation over $\sim$3–4 Gyr, with each globular cluster formation burst lasting $\lesssim0.3$ Gyr and separated by $\sim$2 Gyr (Aguado-Agelet et al., 27 Feb 2025).

• SFR Quenching Mechanisms:

Merger-driven dynamical heating, gas consumption, and transition from cold to hot gas accretion suppressed SFR, marked by a dip in the gas disc scale length and an abrupt truncation of chemical enrichment at [Fe/H] $\sim$ –0.5 (Funakoshi et al., 30 Jul 2025).

6. Role in Disk Structure and Chemical Bimodality

The GSE event exerted profound influence on the Milky Way’s disk and halo structure:

• Disk Transition:

The merger coincided with the thick-to-thin disk switch at $\sim$10 Gyr, ending the "Great Galactic Starburst" and triggering gas-disc shrinkage and subsequent inside-out thin disk growth (Funakoshi et al., 30 Jul 2025).

• Chemical Bimodality:

Retrograde, radial merger models robustly generate the MW $\alpha$–Fe bimodality by temporally suppressing SFR, leaving a gap between high-$\alpha$ and low-$\alpha$ tracks that depend sensitively on orbit and feedback prescriptions (Johnson et al., 9 Oct 2025, Amarante et al., 1 Dec 2025). Prograde mergers fail to imprint such bimodality.

• Bar Formation:

Cosmological Auriga simulations show that GSE-like mergers (mass ratio $\mu\sim0.05$–0.1, high eccentricity) directly seed bar formation in $\lesssim1$ Gyr through tidal torque and induced central starbursts (Merrow et al., 2023).

7. Multiplicity of the GSE Event

Recent cosmological simulations suggest that not all GSE-like halos or debris structures are mono-genic:

• Multiple Progenitors:

IllustrisTNG50 analogues reveal %%%%69$10^{11}\,M_\odot$70%%%%32 GSE-like halos are constructed from two mergers, distinguished by star formation histories and chemical patterns (Folsom et al., 5 Aug 2024).

• Observational Discrimination:

Single-merger analogues infall later ($\sim$6 Gyr ago) with higher [Fe/H] and lower [Mg/Fe], whereas two-merger analogues infall earlier ($\sim$11 Gyr ago) and are more $\alpha$-enhanced. However, $β>0.8$ radial anisotropy as observed in the MW is rare—favoring a single, massive progenitor origin (Folsom et al., 5 Aug 2024, Kim et al., 2021).

• Outer Halo Debris:

Some studies argue for additional low-mass, high-inclination accretions (e.g., Sequoia-like events), contributing to outer-halo retrograde and tangential debris (Kim et al., 2021, 1904.03185).

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Summary Table: GSE Progenitor and Remnant Properties

Property	Value / Range	Reference
Stellar Mass	$5\times10^8$–$2\times10^9\,M_\odot$	(Ernandes et al., 10 May 2025Feuillet et al., 2021Vincenzo et al., 2019)
Halo Mass	$~10^{10}$–$10^{11}\,M_\odot$	(1904.03185Lane et al., 2023)
Orbit	$e \gtrsim 0.7$, $L_z \sim 0$, $\beta \sim 0.9$	(Lane et al., 4 Sep 2025Folsom et al., 5 Aug 2024)
MDF Peak	[Fe/H] $\sim$ –1.15 to –1.3, FWHM $\sim$0.6 dex	(Feuillet et al., 2021Bonifacio et al., 2021)
Pre-infall Gradient	$\sim$ –0.1 dex/kpc (radial)	(Carrillo et al., 29 Sep 2025Khoperskov et al., 2023)
Merger Epoch	$z \sim 2$ ($\sim$9–11 Gyr ago)	(Ernandes et al., 10 May 2025González-Koda et al., 27 Feb 2025Merrow et al., 2023)
Disk Transition	Thick-to-thin at $\sim$10 Gyr	(Funakoshi et al., 30 Jul 2025Merrow et al., 2023)
Key Event Types	Single/dual major merger, retrograde orbit	(Folsom et al., 5 Aug 2024Johnson et al., 9 Oct 2025)

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• (Ernandes et al., 10 May 2025, Feuillet et al., 2021, Lane et al., 2023, Lane et al., 4 Sep 2025, Carrillo et al., 29 Sep 2025, Funakoshi et al., 30 Jul 2025, González-Koda et al., 27 Feb 2025, Aguado-Agelet et al., 27 Feb 2025, Johnson et al., 9 Oct 2025, Amarante et al., 1 Dec 2025, Khoperskov et al., 2023, Bonifacio et al., 2021, 1904.03185, Folsom et al., 5 Aug 2024, Merrow et al., 2023, Kim et al., 2021, Vincenzo et al., 2019).

The GSE merger provides a unique laboratory for dissecting the interplay between orbital dynamics, chemical enrichment, star formation shutdown, disk structure evolution, and the origin of key stellar populations in the Milky Way. Its chemical and dynamical signatures remain benchmarks for accretion-driven galaxy assembly scenarios.