A Low-mass Model of the Milky Way: The Disk Warp Resulting from a Galaxy Merger

Abstract Previous studies have shown that disk warps can result from galaxy mergers. Recent research indicates a noticeable decline in the rotation curve (RC) of the Milky Way, suggesting the need for a new low-mass model to describe its dynamical features. This study constructs a new Gaia–Sausage–Enceladus merger model to characterize the RC features of our Galaxy. We use the GIZMO code to simulate mergers with various orbital parameters to investigate how the disk warp evolves under different conditions. This simulation demonstrates the evolutionary mechanism of disk warp, which arises due to the asymmetric gravitational potential of the dark matter (DM) halo generated universally by galaxy mergers. The results indicate that the tilt angle of the DM halo partly reflects the gravitational strength at the Z = 0 plane, while the gravitational strength on the disk plane reflects the amplitude of disk warp. We identify a dual-regime interaction mechanism driven by the asymmetric halo potential. On short timescales, we find a distinct anticorrelation between the halo’s tilt angle and the disk’s warp amplitude, indicating a “seesaw” mechanism of angular momentum exchange. On secular timescales, however, dynamical friction drives a global alignment, causing both the halo tilt and the warp amplitude to decay simultaneously. Furthermore, we demonstrate that high-inclination mergers can sustain long-lived prograde precession, where the persistent yet decaying gravitational torque maintains the prograde bending mode against differential windup.