Related papers: Orthogonal vertical velocity dispersion distributi…
It has been suggested that the peanut-shaped bulges seen in some edge-on disk galaxies are due to the presence of a central bar. Although bars cannot be detected photometrically in edge-on galaxies, we show that barred potentials produce a…
Present in over 45% of local spirals, boxy and peanut-shaped bulges are generally interpreted as edge-on bars and may represent a key phase in the evolution of bulges. Aiming to test such claims, the kinematic properties of self-consistent…
Context. Bars are elongated structures developed by a large fraction of disk galaxies in their central few kiloparsecs. However, the bar formation process is still not fully understood, particularly the role played by the galaxy environment…
The stellar velocity dispersion as a function of the galactocentric radius of an early-type galaxy can generally be well approximated by a power law $\sigma \propto r^{\beta}$. However, some observed dispersion profiles show a deviation…
We review general observational properties of bars in galaxies, and relations between bars, their dynamics, and (circum)nuclear activity. We consider new measurements of bar fractions and of the distribution of bars with host type, bar…
We study the distribution of central velocity dispersion, sigma, for >100000 galaxies in the SDSS at 0.01 <= z <= 0.1. We construct the velocity dispersion function (VDF) from samples complete for all sigma, where galaxies with sigma…
Simulations have shown that bars are subject to a vertical buckling instability that transforms thin bars into boxy or peanut-shaped structures, but the physical conditions necessary for buckling to occur are not fully understood. We use…
Barred structures are widespread in a considerable fraction of galactic discs, spanning diverse environments and galaxy luminosities. The environment likely exerts a significant influence on bar formation. It is plausible that the…
Although at least one quarter of early-type barred galaxies host secondary stellar bars embedded in their large-scale primary counterparts, the dynamics of such double barred galaxies are still not well understood. Recently we reported…
Angular momentum redistribution within barred galaxies drives their dynamical evolution. Angular momentum is emitted mainly by near-resonant material in the bar region and absorbed by resonant material mainly in the outer disc and in the…
The secular evolution of disk galaxies is largely driven by resonances between the orbits of 'particles' (stars or dark matter) and the rotation of non-axisymmetric features (spiral arms or a bar). Such resonances may also explain kinematic…
Simulations predict that bars in galaxies should slow down over time. This is often attributed to the exchange of angular momentum between the bar and other regions of the galaxy, such as the outer disc and dark matter halo, which implies…
Barred galaxies constitute about two thirds of observed disc galaxies. Bars affect not only the mass distribution of gas and stars, but also that of the dark matter. An elongation of the inner dark matter halo is known as the halo bar. We…
We have obtained long-slit spectroscopy for a sample of 20 early-type barred galaxies to study the influence of bars in the building of galaxy bulges. Line strength indices were measured and used to derive age and metallicity gradients in…
From a sample of 50 predominantly inactive galaxies with direct supermassive black hole mass measurements, it has recently been established that barred galaxies tend to reside rightward of the M_bh-sigma relation defined by non-barred…
While bars are common in disk galaxies, their formation conditions are not well understood. We use $N$-body simulations to study bar formation and evolution in isolated galaxies consisting of a stellar disk, a classical bulge, and a dark…
Many strong simulated galactic bars experience buckling instability, which manifests itself as a vertical distortion out of the disk plane, and later dissipates. Using a simulation of an isolated Milky Way-like galaxy, I demonstrate that…
We demonstrate that in N-body simulations of isolated disc galaxies there is numerical vertical heating which slowly increases the vertical velocity dispersion and the disc thickness. Even for models with over a million particles in a disc,…
Recent spectroscopic and photometric surveys are providing a comprehensive view of the MW bulge stellar population properties with unprecedented accuracy. This in turn allows us to explore the correlation between kinematics and stellar…
Short (inner) bars of sub-kiloparsec radius have been hypothesized to be an important mechanism for driving gas inflows to small scales, thus feeding central black holes. Recent numerical simulations have shown that the growth of central…