Milky Way-mass disc galaxies with low-mass stellar haloes have diverse merger histories

Abstract: We use the Eagle simulation to study the relationship between the stellar haloes of Milky-Way-mass galaxies and their recent merger histories. The stellar mass ratio of the most massive merger that occurred since $z=1$ is strongly correlated with the $z=0$ fraction of ex situ stars in the galaxy, $f_{\rm ex\ situ}$, but is weakly correlated with stellar halo mass fraction, $f_{\rm SH}$, particularly for disc galaxies. Contrary to common belief, our results suggest that disc galaxies with low mass stellar haloes do not necessarily have quiescent merger histories; in fact, roughly one quarter have experienced a merger with stellar mass ratio $> 0.1$ since $z=1$. We demonstrate that the population of disc galaxies with low $f_{\rm SH}$ and active merger histories undergo mergers with satellites whose orbits are more circular than average and are approximately co-planar with the disc; instead of contributing significantly to the stellar halo, these mergers lead to discs that contain a substantial fraction of ex situ stellar mass and are thicker and more extended than those of quiescent galaxies. Such mergers also supply fuel that often incites a significant episode of in situ star formation in the disc. Our results suggest that seemingly quiescent disc galaxies with low-mass stellar haloes actually have diverse merger histories, which limits the extent to which stellar haloes alone can act as observable tracers of the hierarchical assembly of galaxies.