Related papers: Should Elliptical Galaxies Be Idealised as Collisi…
If the statistics of quasar lensing are to be used to constrain the cosmological model, the various potential systematic uncertainties in the deflector population must be accounted for. One ambiguity in the lensing properties of the…
We prove the existence of static, asymptotically flat non-vacuum spacetimes with axial symmetry where the matter is modeled as a collisionless gas. The axially symmetric solutions of the resulting Einstein-Vlasov system are obtained via the…
The statistical properties of the ellipticities of galaxy images depend on how galaxies form and evolve, and therefore constrain models of galaxy morphology, which are key to the removal of the intrinsic alignment contamination of…
Modern cosmology is built on the assumption that the Universe is homogeneous and isotropic on large scales - but this is challenged by results of the Ellis-Baldwin test that show an unexplained anomaly in the distribution of distant…
In the standard cosmological paradigm, structure formation occurs via gravitational encounters and mergers between galaxies and dark matter halos. These collisionless self-gravitating systems therefore prevail in a state of non-equilibrium…
It is argued that a noncommutative geometry of spacetime leads to a reconciliation of electromagnetism and gravitation while providing an underpinning to Weyl's geometry. It also leads to a cosmology consistent with observation. A few other…
In hierarchical models of galaxy formation, ellipticals form from the merging of disk galaxies drawn together by gravity as their surrounding dark halos coalesce. Using semi-analytic techniques, we are able to follow the merging, star…
Validating the results of [A.M. Abrahams and C.R. Evans, Phys. Rev. Lett. 70, 2980] poses a numerical challenge and has been inspiring a lot of research. We join these efforts and present our first steps to achieve this goal: we discuss a…
We construct nonsingular cyclic cosmologies that respect the null energy condition, have a large hierarchy between the minimum and maximum size of the universe, and are stable under linearized fluctuations. The models are supported by a…
The evolution of self-gravitating systems, and long-range interacting systems more generally, from initial configurations far from dynamical equilibrium is often described as a simple two phase process: a first phase of violent relaxation…
We present fully nonparametric estimates of the frequency function of elliptical galaxy intrinsic shapes under the axisymmetric and triaxial hypotheses. If elliptical galaxies are assumed to be oblate or prolate, the frequency function of…
The origin of equilibrium gravitational configurations is sought in terms of the stability of their trajectories, as described by the curvature of their Lagrangian configuration manifold of particle positions --- a context in which subtle…
To solve some problems of celestial mechanics and astrophysics, three new models of an elliptical galaxy (EG) have been created, which are in good agreement with modern understanding of the structure of such galaxies. Based on these models,…
Self gravitating systems (SGS) in the Universe are generally thought to be non-extensive, and often show long-tails in various distribution functions. In principle, these non-Boltzmann properties are naturally expected from the peculiar…
We introduce a generalised relaxation-time-approximation form of the collision term in the Boltzmann kinetic equation that allows for using different relaxation times for elastic and inelastic collisions. The efficacy of the proposed…
This paper is concerned with the kinetic treatment of quasi-stationary axisymmetric collisionless accretion disc plasmas. The conditions of validity of the kinetic description for non-relativistic magnetized and gravitationally-bound…
A new kinetic theory Boltzmann-like collision term including correlations is proposed. In equilibrium it yields the one-particle distribution function in the form of a generalised-Lorentzian resembling but not being identical with the…
Here I review recent work, by other authors and by myself, on some particular topics related to the regular and chaotic motion in elliptical galaxies. I show that it is quite possible to build highly stable triaxial stellar systems that…
We present a comparative analysis of the plethora of nonextensive and/or nonadditive entropies which go beyond the standard Boltzmann-Gibbs formulation. After defining the basic notions of additivity, extensivity, and composability, we…
The behaviour of expanding cosmological models with collisionless matter and a positive cosmological constant is analysed. It is shown that under the assumption of plane or hyperbolic symmetry the area radius goes to infinity, the…