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3D N-Body Simulations of the Milky Way

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 May 2016

R. Fux ,
L. Martinet  and
D. Pfenniger
R. Fux
Affiliation:
Geneva Observatory, Ch. des Maillettes 51, CH-1290 Sauverny, Switzerland
L. Martinet
Affiliation:
Geneva Observatory, Ch. des Maillettes 51, CH-1290 Sauverny, Switzerland
D. Pfenniger
Affiliation:
Geneva Observatory, Ch. des Maillettes 51, CH-1290 Sauverny, Switzerland

Extract

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While the existence of a central bar in our Galaxy now seems to be well established, its parameters (such as position angle, extension, axis ratio, angular speed etc…) still remain controversial. The large amount of photometrical and stellar kinematical data becoming now available within ∼ 30° of the Galactic Centre should provide potentially new constraints on these parameters. Unfortunately, a detailed barred model of the Milky Way, which would offer a powerful work frame to interpret such observations, does not exist yet. We therefore report here on a first attempt at constructing a 3D dynamically self-consistent barred model of the Galaxy. The idea is to follow the time evolution of a set of 400,000 particles initially distributed according to a plausible axisymmetric mass model of the Milky Way and in virial equilibrium, hoping that a bar will form spontaneously. Gas is not included so far, but will be introduced as a next step in this ongoing work. Some results presented at this meeting will be only quickly summarised here and explained in some more details elsewhere (Fux et al. 1995 and A&A paper in preparation).

Type
Chapter 2: Is the Milky Way a Barred Spiral Galaxy?
Information
Symposium - International Astronomical Union , Volume 169: Unsolved Problems of the Milky Way , 1996 , pp. 125 - 131
Copyright
Copyright © Kluwer 1996 

References

Fux, R. and Martinet, L. 1994, A&A , 287, L21 Google Scholar
Fux, R., Martinet, L. and Pfenniger, D. 1995, in Proceedings: The Formation of the Milky Way , Granada, september 1994, Cambridge University Press Google Scholar
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Pfenniger, D. and Friedli, D. 1993, A&A , 270, 561 Google Scholar
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