Related papers: Do strong bars exhibit strong non-circular motions…
The circular speed curve of the Milky Way provides a key constraint on its mass distribution, reflecting the axisymmetric component of the gravitational potential. This is especially critical in the inner Galaxy ($R \lesssim 4$ kpc), where…
We have measured the radial light profiles and global shapes of bars using two-dimensional 3.6 $\mu m $ image decompositions for 144 face-on barred galaxies from the Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies (S4G). The bar surface…
Boxy, peanut- or X-shaped "bulges" are observed in a large fraction of barred galaxies viewed in, or close to, edge-on projection, as well as in the Milky Way. They are the product of dynamical instabilities occurring in stellar bars, which…
The Milky Way as well as a majority of external galaxies possess a thick disc. However, the dynamical role of the (geometrically) thick disc on the bar formation and evolution is not fully understood. Here, we investigate the effect of…
(Abridged) By using an N-body simulation of a bulge that was formed via a bar instability mechanism, we analyse the imprints of the initial (i.e. before bar formation) location of stars on the bulge kinematics, in particular on the…
We present SAURON integral-field observations of a sample of 12 mid to high-inclination disk galaxies, to unveil hidden bars on the basis of their kinematics, i.e., the correlation between velocity and h3 profiles, and to establish their…
The central regions of disc galaxies hold clues to the processes that dominate their formation and evolution. The TIMER project has obtained high signal-to-noise and spatial resolution integral-field spectroscopy data of the inner few kpc…
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…
Non-axisymmetric forces are presented for 107 spiral galaxies using the 2 Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) images. We apply both Cartesian integration and a polar grid integration utilizing a limited number of azimuthal Fourier components of…
We investigate models of the Milky Way disc taking into account simultaneously the bar and a two-armed quasi-static spiral pattern. Away from major resonance overlaps, the mean stellar radial motions in the plane are essentially a linear…
This paper describes a framework for studying galaxy morphology, particularly bar strength, in a quantitative manner, and presents applications of this approach that reveal observational evidence for secular evolution in bar morphology. The…
The first results of the observational program of the study of 2D-kinematics in double-barred galaxies are presented. We show that, for the main part of the sample, the inner bars do not affect the circumnuclear stellar kinematics.…
Stellar bars are the most common non-axisymmetric structures in galaxies and their impact on the evolution of disc galaxies at all cosmological times can be significant. Classical theory predicts that stellar discs are stabilized against…
Boxy and peanut-shaped bulges are seen in about half of edge-on disc galaxies. Comparisons of the photometry and major-axis gas and stellar kinematics of these bulges to simulations of bar formation and evolution indicate that they are bars…
Boxy/peanut (b/p) bulges, the vertically extended inner parts of bars, are ubiquitous in barred galaxies in the local Universe, including our own Milky Way. At the same time, a majority of external galaxies and the Milky Way also possess a…
Constraints on the Galactic bulge/bar structure and formation history from stellar kinematics and metallicities mainly come from relatively high-latitude fields (|b|>4) where a complex mix of stellar population is seen. We aim here to…
Evolution of stellar bars in disk galaxies is accompanied by dynamical instabilities and secular changes. Following the vertical buckling instability, the bars are known to weaken dramatically and develop a pronounced boxy/peanut shape when…
The existence of a classical bulge in disk galaxies holds important clue to the assembly history of galaxies. Finding observational evidence of very low mass classical bulges particularly in barred galaxies including our Milky Way, is a…
We aim at investigating the formation process of weak bars by measuring their properties in a sample of 29 nearby SAB galaxies, spanning a wide range of morphological types and luminosities. The sample galaxies were selected to have an…
Results from the modelling of bars in nearly 300 galaxies are used to test predictions from theoretical work on the evolution of bars. Correlations are found between bar ellipticity and boxiness, between bar strength and normalised size,…