Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2001-12-13
Mon.Not.Roy.Astron.Soc. 328 (2001) 1064
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
19 pages, 12 figures. Accepted for publication in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. For a version with hi
Scientific paper
10.1046/j.1365-8711.2001.04924.x
Lopsidedness is a common feature in galaxies, both in the distribution of light and in the kinematics. We investigate the kinematics of a model for lopsided galaxies that consists of a disc lying off-centre in a dark halo, and circling around the halo centre. We search for families of stable, closed, non-crossing orbits, and assume that gas in our galaxies moves on these orbits. Several of our models show strong lopsided gas kinematics, especially the ones in which the disc spins around its axis in a retrograde sense compared to its motion around the halo centre. We are able to reproduce the HI velocity map of the kinematically lopsided galaxy NGC 4395. The lopsidedness in our models is most pronounced in the models where the halo provides a relatively large fraction of the total mass at small radii. This may explain why the gas shows lopsidedness more frequently in late-type galaxies, which are dominated by dark matter. Surfaces of section show large regions of irregular orbits in the models where the halo density is low. This may indicate that these models are unstable.
Levine Stephen E.
Noordermeer Edo
Sparke Linda S.
No associations
LandOfFree
The kinematics of lopsided galaxies does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with The kinematics of lopsided galaxies, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and The kinematics of lopsided galaxies will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-425323