Related papers: Dynamical Models for the Milky Way
We present a new framework for estimating a galaxy's gravitational potential, Phi(x), from its stellar kinematics by adopting a fully non-parametric model for the galaxy's unknown action-space distribution function, f(J). Having an…
Selection effects, such as interstellar extinction and varying survey depth, complicate efforts to determine the gravitational potential - and thus the distribution of baryonic and dark matter - throughout the Milky Way galaxy using stellar…
Stars are fossils that retain the history of their host galaxies. Elements heavier than helium are created inside stars and are ejected when they die. From the spatial distribution of elements in galaxies, it is therefore possible to…
A new class of models of stellar discs is introduced and used to build a self-consistent model of our Galaxy. The model is defined by the parameters that specify the action-based distribution functions (DFs) f(J) of four stellar discs…
We present new tools to establish axisymmetric equilibrium models of the Milky Way. The models we wish to establish are pairs (V,F) where V is the gravitational potential generated by the whole mass distribution including the dark matter,…
The gravitational potential of the Milky Way encodes information about the distribution of all matter -- including dark matter -- throughout the Galaxy. Gaia data release 3 has revealed a complex structure that necessitates flexible models…
Angle/action based distribution function (DF) models can be optimised based on how well they reproduce observations thus revealing the current matter distribution in the Milky Way. Gaia data combined with data from other surveys, e.g. the…
The morphology of a disk galaxy is closely linked to its kinematic state. This is because density wave features are likely made of spontaneously-formed modes which are allowed to arise in the galactic resonant cavity of a particular basic…
This paper shows how a self-consistent dynamical model can be obtained by fitting the gravitational potential of the Milky Way to the stellar kinematics and densities from Gaia data. Using the Besancon Galaxy Model we derive a potential and…
Two main features of the observable distribution of visible matter are the space correlations of galaxy positions and the mass function of galaxies. As discussed in Pietronero and Sylos Labini on this issue ([1], see also [2],[3]), the…
We consider the consequences of applying general relativity to the description of the dynamics of a galaxy, given the observed flattened rotation curves. The galaxy is modeled as a stationary axially symmetric pressure-free fluid. In spite…
We present a method for recovering the distribution functions of edge-on thin axisymmetric disks directly from their observable kinematic properties. The most generally observable properties of such a stellar system are the line-of-sight…
Evolution of galaxies is one of the most actual topics in astrophysics. Among the most important factors determining the evolution are two galactic components which are difficult or even impossible to detect optically: the gaseous disks and…
The Gaia mission has triggered major developments in the field of Galactic dynamics in recent years, which we discuss in this review. The structure and kinematics of all Galactic components - disc, bar/bulge and halo - are now mapped in…
We present a new iterative method for constructing equilibrium phase models of stellar systems. Importantly, this method can provide phase models with arbitrary mass distributions. The method is based on the following principle. Our task is…
The history of the formation and evolution of the Milky Way Galaxy is found in the spatial distribution, kinematics, age and chemical abundance distributions of long-lived stars. From this fossil record one can in principle extract the star…
Galaxy-scale outflows of gas, or galactic winds (GWs), driven by energy from star formation are a pivotal mechanism for regulation of star formation in the current model of galaxy evolution. Observations of this phenomenon have proliferated…
Gas morphology and kinematics in the Milky Way contain key information for understanding the formation and evolution of our Galaxy. We present a high resolution hydrodynamical simulation based on a realistic barred Milky Way potential…
I discuss the importance of dynamical models for exploiting survey data, focusing on the advantages of "torus" models. I summarize a number of applications of these models to the study of the Milky Way, including the determination of the…
We present a method for constructing dynamical models of stellar systems described by distribution functions and constrained by discrete-kinematic data. We implement various improvements compared to earlier applications of this approach,…