Related papers: Spiral density waves in the outer galactic gaseous…
Context: Several spiral galaxies, as beautifully exhibited by the case of NGC 6946, display a prominent large-scale spiral structure in their gaseous outer disk. Such structure is often thought to pose a dynamical puzzle, because…
By means of 3D hydrodynamical simulations, in a separate paper we have discussed the properties of non-axisymmetric density wave trains in the outermost regions of galaxy disks, based on the picture that self-excited global spiral modes in…
Circumstellar asymmetries such as central warps have recently been shown to cast shadows on outer disks. We investigate the hydrodynamical consequences of such variable illumination on the outer regions of a transition disk, and the…
We produce a detailed map of the perturbed surface density of neutral hydrogen in the outer Milky Way disk demonstrating that the Galaxy is a non-axisymmetric multi-armed spiral. Spiral structure in the southern half of the Galaxy can be…
Recent HI observations reveal that the discs of spiral galaxies are surrounded by extended gaseous haloes. This extra-planar gas reaches large distances (several kpc) from the disc and shows peculiar kinematics (low rotation and inflow). We…
The most important theory of the spiral arms of galaxies is the density wave theory based on the Lin-Shu dispersion relation. However, the density waves move with the group velocity towards the inner Lindblad resonance and tend to…
We analyze formation of grand-design two-arm spiral structure in the nuclear regions of disk galaxies. Such morphology has been recently detected in a number of objects using high-resolution near-infrared observations. Motivated by the…
The outer regions of disk galaxies show a drop-off in optical and Halpha emission, suggesting a star formation threshold radius, assumed to owe to a critical surface density below which star formation does not take place. Signs of…
The causes of spiral structure in galaxies remain uncertain. Leaving aside the grand bisymmetric spirals with their own well-known complications, here we consider the possibility that multi-armed spiral features originate from density…
We employ very high resolution simulations of isolated Milky Way-like galaxies to study the effect of triaxial dark matter haloes on exponential stellar discs. Non-adiabatic halo shape changes can trigger two-armed grand-design spiral…
The density-wave theory of spiral structure proposes that star formation occurs in or near a spiral-shaped region of higher density that rotates rigidly within the galactic disk at a fixed pattern speed. In most interpretations of this…
We present a new face-on map of dense neutral atomic hydrogen (HI) gas in the outer Galaxy. Our map has been produced from the Leiden/Argentine/Bonn (LAB) HI 21-cm line all-sky survey by finding intensity maxima along every line of sight…
We use hydrodynamic simulations to investigate nonlinear gas responses to an imposed stellar spiral potential in disk galaxies. The gaseous medium is assumed to be infinitesimally thin, isothermal, and unmagnetized. We consider various…
Spiral density wave theory attempts to describe the spiral pattern in spiral galaxies in terms of a long-lived wave structure with a constant pattern speed in order to avoid the winding dilemma. The pattern is consequently a rigidly…
Bars and spiral arms have played an important role as constraints on the dynamics and on the distribution of dark matter in the optical parts of disk galaxies. Dynamics linked to the dissipative nature of gas, and its transformation into…
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…
In the best observed spiral galaxies, the HI is observed to decline slowly with radius for up to 90% of the maximum extent, before experiencing a rapid truncation. Early models predicted that the outer parts of spirals would be fully…
We present results from a detailed dynamical analysis of five high surface brightness, late type spirals, studied with the aim to quantify the luminous-to-dark matter ratio inside their optical radii. The galaxies' stellar light…
The density-wave theory of galactic spiral-arm structure makes a striking prediction that the pitch angle of spiral arms should vary with the wavelength of the galaxy's image. The reason is that stars are born in the density wave but move…
This paper, the first of two, introduces an observational study of spiral structure in galaxies chosen from the SINGS survey. Near infrared (NIR) and optical data are used to produce mass surface density maps, and from these the morphology…