Tidal torques and the orientations of galaxies in clusters

Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics

Scientific paper

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Galactic Clusters, Galactic Evolution, Many Body Problem, Torque, Astronomical Models, Computerized Simulation, Motion Stability, Spiral Galaxies

Scientific paper

Aspherical galaxies in the outer regions of a cluster are acted upon by a tidal torque due predominantly to the cluster core. The stability of the orientations of galaxies under the action of this torque is investigated, by using a simple analytic model augmented by computer simulations. It is found that a typical spiral galaxy, by virtue of its spin, has a mean orientation that is stable over times greater than the age of the Universe. An aspherical galaxy with little or no spin, such as elliptical, has a mean orientation that is unstable, but in this case the timescale of the motion is at least comparable to the age of the Universe. These results tend to confirm the widespread belief that the orientations of galaxies in the outer parts of clusters are primeval. Alignments of galaxies in clusters can therefore be interpreted as evidence of an asymmetric or pancake mode of cluster formation.

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