Related papers: Lindblad's epicycles - valid method or bad science…
In this paper we explore several structural and dynamical effects on the projected velocity dispersion as possible causes of the fundamental plane (FP) tilt of elliptical galaxies. Specifically, we determine the size of the systematic trend…
N-body simulations of disc galaxies that display recurrent transient spiral patterns are comparatively easy to construct, but are harder to understand. In this paper, I summarise the evidence from such experiments that the spiral patterns…
We revise the statistical properties of the primordial cosmological density anisotropies that, at the time of matter radiation equality, seeded the gravitational development of large scale structures in the, otherwise, homogeneous and…
A significant fraction of galaxies show warps in their discs, usually noticeable at its periphery. The exact origin of this phenomenon is not fully established, although multiple warp formation mechanisms are proposed. In this study, we…
The stellar debris structures that have been discovered around the Milky Way and other galaxies are thought to be formed from the disruption of satellite stellar systems --- dwarf galaxies or globular clusters --- by galactic tidal fields.…
The distribution of gravitational torques and bar strengths in the local Universe is derived from a detailed study of 163 galaxies observed in the near-infrared. The results are compared with numerical models for spiral galaxy evolution. It…
Recent high-resolution, near-infrared images of protoplanetary disks have shown that these disks often present spiral features. Spiral arms are among the structures predicted decades ago by numerical simulations of disk-planet interaction…
Near-field observations may provide tight constraints - i.e. "boundary conditions" - on any model of structure formation in the Universe. Detailed observational data have long been available for the Milky Way (e.g. Freeman $\&$…
We find that, under certain conditions, protoplanetary disks may spontaneously generate multiple, concentric gas rings without an embedded planet through an eccentric cooling instability. Using both linear theory and non-linear…
Stars in disks of spiral galaxies are usually assumed to remain roughly at their birth radii. This assumption is built into decades of modelling of the evolution of stellar populations in our own Galaxy and in external systems. We present…
Tidal encounters are believed to be one of the key drivers of galactic spiral structure in the Universe. Such spirals are expected to produce different morphological and kinematic features compared to density wave and dynamic spiral arms.…
The properties and star formation processes in the far-outer disks of nearby spiral and dwarf irregular galaxies are reviewed. The origin and structure of the generally exponential profiles in stellar disks is considered to result from…
This chapter reviews theoretical work on the stellar dynamics of galaxy disks. All the known collective global instabilities are identified, and their mechanisms described in terms of local wave mechanics. A detailed discussion of warps and…
I argue that the widely adopted framework of stellar dynamics survived since 1940s, is not fitting the current knowledge on non-linear systems. Borrowed from plasma physics when several fundamental features of perturbed non-linear systems…
We investigate the origins of galaxy morphology (defined by bulge-to-total K-band luminosity) in the LambdaCDM cosmology using two galaxy formation models ,based on the Millennium simulation, by Bower et al. (the Durham model) and De Lucia…
Nearby clusters such as Virgo and Coma possess galaxy distributions which tend to be aligned with the principal axis of the cluster itself. This has also been confirmed by a recent statistical analysis of some 300 Abell clusters where the…
Thick discs are nearly ubiquitous components of the discs of present-day galaxies. It has been proposed that a fraction of their stars has been accreted. Here, we aim to find whether accretion of satellites is the main thick disc formation…
The obliquities of planet-hosting stars are clues about the formation of planetary systems. Previous observations led to the hypothesis that for close-in giant planets, spin-orbit alignment is enforced by tidal interactions. Here, we…
We present a new mechanism to explain the frequently observed and thus certainly permanent warping of spiral galaxies. We consider the possibility of non-linear coupling between the spiral wave of the galaxy and two warp waves, such that…
The formation of galactic discs and the efficiency of star formation within them are issues central to our understanding of galaxy formation. We have developed a detailed and versatile model of disc formation which combines the strengths of…