Connecting Angular Momentum and Galactic Dynamics: The complex Interplay
  between Spin, Mass, and Morphology
  The evolution and distribution of the angular momentum of dark matter (DM)
halos have been discussed in several studies over the past decades. In
particular, the idea arose that angular momentum conservation should allow to
infer the total angular momentum of the entire DM halo from measuring the
angular momentum of the baryonic component, which is populating the center of
the halo, especially for disk galaxies. To test this idea and to understand the
connection between the angular momentum of the DM halo and its galaxy, we use
the Magneticum simulations. We successfully produce populations of spheroidal
and disk galaxies self-consistently. Thus, we are able to study the dependence
of galactic properties on their morphology. We find that (1) the specific
angular momentum of stars in disk and spheroidal galaxies as a function of
their stellar mass compares well with observational results; (2) the specific
angular momentum of the stars in disk galaxies is slightly smaller compared to
the specific angular momentum of the cold gas, in good agreement with
observations; (3) simulations including the baryonic component show a dichotomy
in the specific stellar angular momentum distribution when splitting the
galaxies according to their morphological type (this dichotomy can also be seen
in the spin parameter, where disk galaxies populate halos with slightly larger
spin compared to spheroidal galaxies); (4) disk galaxies preferentially
populate halos in which the angular momentum vector of the DM component in the
central part shows a better alignment to the angular momentum vector of the
entire halo; and (5) the specific angular momentum of the cold gas in disk
galaxies is approximately 40 percent smaller than the specific angular momentum
of the total DM halo and shows a significant scatter.
