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Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons

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1998

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Galaxies : kinematics and dynamics

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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Fluctuations In Finite-N Equilibrium Stellar Systems, Md Weinberg Jan 1998

Fluctuations In Finite-N Equilibrium Stellar Systems, Md Weinberg

Astronomy Department Faculty Publication Series

Gravitational amplification of Poisson noise in stellar systems is important on large scales. For example, it increases the dipole noise power by roughly a factor of 6 and the quadrupole noise by 50 per cent for a King model profile. The dipole noise is amplified by a factor of 15 for the core-free Hernquist model. The predictions are computed by summing over the wakes caused by each star in the system — the dressed-particle formalism of Rostoker & Rosenbluth — and are demonstrated by N-body simulation. This result implies that a collisionless N-body simulation is impossible; the fluctuation noise which …


Dynamics Of An Interacting Luminous Disc, Dark Halo And Satellite Companion, Md Weinberg Jan 1998

Dynamics Of An Interacting Luminous Disc, Dark Halo And Satellite Companion, Md Weinberg

Astronomy Department Faculty Publication Series

This paper describes a method, based on linear perturbation theory, to determine the dynamical interaction between extended halo and spheroid components and an environmental disturbance. One finds that resonant interaction between a galaxy and passing interlopers or satellite companions can carry the disturbance inward, deep inside the halo, where it can perturb the disc. Applied to the Milky Way for example, the LMC and SMC appear to be sufficient to cause the observed Galactic warp and possibly seed other asymmetries. This is a multi-scale interaction in which the halo wake has a feature at roughly half the satellite orbital radius …