On the formation of the Magellanic Stream
Abstract
We use high resolution N-Body/SPH simulations to study the hydro-dynamical and gravitational interaction between the Large Magellanic Cloud and the Milky Way. We model the dark and hot extended halo components as well as the stellar/gaseous disks of the two galaxies. Tidal forces distort the LMC's disk, forcing a bar and creating a diffuse stellar halo and a strong warp, although very few stars are unbound from the LMC. Ram-pressure from a low density ionised halo is then sufficient to remove of gas from the LMC's disk forming a great circle trailing stream around the Galaxy.
Cite
@article{arxiv.astro-ph/0309244,
title = {On the formation of the Magellanic Stream},
author = {C. Mastropietro and B. Moore and L. Mayer and J. Stadel and J. Wadsley},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:astro-ph/0309244},
year = {2007}
}
Comments
4 pages, 2 figures, to be published in the proceedings of the "Satellite and Tidal Streams", La Palma 26-30 May 2003, Spain, eds. F. Prada, D. Martinez-Delgado, T. Mahoney