Notes
Slide Show
Outline
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Astr 5460     Wed., Oct. 6, 2004
  •    This week: Finish up galaxy interactions
  • (Ch. 7, Combes et al., parts)


  •   Unless noted, all figs and eqs from Combes et al or Longair.
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Homework old and new
  • Old: HW#2 returned.  Some small issues, but overall I am pretty happy with the effort.
    • Discuss assumptions in first problem, different data, inclination
    • For the Coma problems, more thought into discussions, about all the assumptions, the dark matter, stars, gas, etc.
    • Pretty nice overall.
    • Discuss the pros/cons of the galaxy spectrum modeling as currently implemented.  Also, what of the redshift business?

  • New: for several problems you will need to run a galaxy simulator described in the hand-out from Caroll & Ostlie’s appendix H.  There is a Windows based implementation that can be downloaded from http://tnewton.solarbotics.net/galaxy.html which you should get and verify ASAP.  I will demonstrate in class.
    • Also, five parts to a scientific article.
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Three-Body Simualtions
  • Toomre & Toomre (1972) is pretty simple, as is GALAXY based on their work.
  • Most of the simulations we watched on Monday are n-body codes.  These simpler ones are three-body codes.
  • Please look at the GALAXY code to see how it works.
  • All the stars are really just test particles, no self gravity, moving in the average potential of the two galaxies.
  • This illustrates tidal effects very well (1/D3) but not effects like dynamic friction (later today).
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Tidal Filaments
  • Already saw filaments, tidal “tails” as in the Antennae system and the Mice.  Tidal forces strong distance dependence draws these structures out.  Duration is 1-2 Gyrs, and are relics of an interaction that persist.
  • Star-forming knots can and do form in the filaments, and can become dwarf galaxies in their own right.


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Ring Galaxies
  • Cartwheel is an example we’ve already seen.  Appear to result from small impact parameters.
  • The core of the impacted galaxy can be pulled out entirely!
  • The rings are kinematic waves.  Companion temporarily draws stars into the center.  Oscillations are set up and driven by disk gravity, and a density wave slowly propogates toward the outer part of the disk.  Density waves cause star formation!
  • Will examine some aspects of this in the homework.  Watch carefully!
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Ring Galaxies
  • Toomre (1977) on Ring Galaxies from Arp’s 1996 Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies.
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Ring Galaxies
  • Lynds and Toomre (1976) in the system II Hz 4.
  • A Double Ring Galaxy.
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Vertical Oscillations and Warps
  • Talked about companions driving spiral structure, rings, tidal tails.  All can be relatively confined to disk plane.
  • Distortions out of plane as well, e.g., “warped disks.”
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3D Halos and Polar Ring Galaxies
  • Merger product probes TWO dimensions.
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Dynamic Friction
  • This is the effect of braking of a massive body P by the stars of a galaxy when P penetrates or passes nearby.
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Dynamic Friction
  • Dissipates energy and causes mergers to be relatively fast as seen in n-body simulations.
  • See Chandrasekhar (1943).
  • Highlights here.
  • Estimating the “frictional force” associated with an interaction.  Extend to a multi-body interaction.
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Dynamic Friction
  • Start with a two-body interaction.  Top consider as a reduced mass undergoing a deflection.
  • Bottom, lab reference.  Collision is elastic, treated in center of mass frame.
  • Velocity is perturbed, break into parallel and perpendicular components.
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Dynamic Friction
  • Chandrasekhar’s (1960) formula:
  • dv/dt = -(v/v3)16π2(ln Λ)G2m(m+M)∫f(v)v2dv
  • where Λ is a factor of order 1 involving the masses, impact parameter and initial velocity, f is the stellar density, M is the intruder, m is the stellar mass.
  • If the intruder is mass, M >> m, then
  • dv/dt ~ -v 16π2(ln Λ)G2mM f(0)
  • So the force proportional to velocity in this case, a viscous friction.  Concerned with the mass density of stars, not individual masses.  Force dependent on M, intruder mass.  The FORCE goes as mass squared.
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Chandrasekhar and Simulations
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Merger Conditions
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Merger Products
  • Messes, yes that’s what I call them.  Tidal tails.  Loops, arcs, shells, lumps.  Messes.  Cool!  Things fade and may result in triaxial systems.
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“Magic” Shells
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“Magic” Shells
  • Schweizer (1986)
  • Top: Fornax
  • Middle: Centaurus
  • Bottom: NGC 7252


  • Left is direct images.
  • Right is filtering low-order frequencies to increase contrast.


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“Magic” Shells
  • Giant elliptical consuming a small spiral (1/100 the mass).  Giant elliptical hardly perturbed.  Spiral shredded.  Peter Quinn did simulations in 1984 and succeeded in reproducing effect.
  • Shells form from “quasi-radial” orbits that are eccentric, so spend most of their time at large radii, depending on energy.  Different distribution than the elliptical galaxy stars.
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“Magic” Shells
  • Quinn (1984): stars arrive at right and oscillate in the potential of the major galaxy.
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Shells and 3D Galaxy shape
  • Top: Simulation of large prolate elliptical eating small galaxy.  Shells aligned with major axis.
  • Bottom: Oblate.  Shells spiral randomly.
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Formation of Ellipticals
  • Many have shells (20%).  Not every merger event will produce shells (average consumed then is 4-5).
  • Are all ellipticals merger products?
  • Globular clusters and issue (common around ellipticals, less so around spirals).
  • Remember that starbursts accompany mergers – ULIRGS – and make new GCs?
  • Issue of heirarchical galaxy formation coming…
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For Next Time
  • Chapter 8 in Combes et al. on radio sources.
  • Continue on Data Reduction and Analysis
  • WIRO open house, anyone?