On the spatial distribution of satellite galaxies around Milky-way-like galaxies in cosmological simulations

The spatial distribution of sub-halos in a large host halo is usually described as isotropic in the ${\Lambda}CDM$ cosmology. Recent observations, however, show that satellite galaxies around massive galaxies are often located within a preferred plane. In order to understand the origin of such planar alignment, we investigate the spatial distribution of sub-halos around their hosts by using the hydrodynamic cosmological simulation, Illustris. In particular, we analyze the systems resembling the Milky Way (MW) and its satellites, i.e. consisting of MW-sized central galaxy and its at least 11 satellites. The result shows that ~10 % of MW-like systems have the anisotropic satellite galaxy distribution at z = 0. The satellites that are accreted more recently tend to form a flattened structure more frequently, indicating a link of satellite distribution to the surrounding environment. We discuss the physical origin of the anisotropic satellite distribution from the viewpoint of the ${\Lambda}CDM$ paradigm.