Related papers: Cusps and Triaxiality
We have constructed realistic, self-consistent models of triaxial elliptical galaxies embedded in triaxial dark matter halos. Self-consistent solutions by means of the standard orbital superposition technique introduced by Schwarzschild…
We present self-consistent triaxial stellar systems that have analytic distribution functions (DFs) expressed in terms of the actions. These provide triaxial density profiles with cores or cusps at the centre. They are the first…
An origin is sought for the ubiquity of cusps, both in computer simulations of halo formation in hierarchical clustering cosmogonies and in observations of galactic nuclei by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The encounters of merging…
This talk provides a progress report on an extended collaboration which has aimed to address two basic questions, namely: Should one expect to see cuspy, triaxial galaxies in nature? And can one construct realistic cuspy, triaxial…
The orbital structure of triaxial models with weak central density cusps, $\rho\propto r^{-\gamma}, gamma < 1$, is investigated. The stability of the $x$- (long-) axis orbit -- and hence the existence of box orbits -- depends sensitively on…
(Abridged) This paper studies chaotic orbit ensembles evolved in triaxial generalisations of the Dehnen potential which have been proposed to model ellipticals with a strong density cusp that manifest significant deviations from…
We use numerical simulations to study the evolution of triaxial elliptical galaxies with central black holes. In contrast to earlier numerical studies which used galaxy models with central density ``cores,'' our galaxies have steep central…
Luminous galaxies and their dark halos are likely to have triaxial shapes. The construction of distribution functions for triaxial systems is a hard problem, due to the existence of only one exact integral of motion, the energy $E$. Even…
We apply the dynamical modeling approach of Statler (1994b) to 13 elliptical galaxies from the Davies and Birkinshaw (1988) sample of radio galaxies to derive constraints on their intrinsic shapes and orientations. We develop an iterative…
Recent work on the equilibrium and stability of ellipsoidal stellar systems is reviewed. The absence of constant-density cores in early-type galaxies implies that chaos and high-order resonances are generic features of the motion in…
We demonstrate that the nuclei of galaxies containing supermassive black holes can be triaxial in shape. Schwarzschild's method was first used to construct self-consistent orbital superpositions representing nuclei with axis ratios of…
Here I present a review of the work done on the presence and effects of chaos in elliptical galaxies plus some recent results we obtained on this subject. The fact that important fractions of the orbits that arise in potentials adequate to…
In several previous investigations we presented models of triaxial stellar systems, both cuspy and non cuspy, that were highly stable and harboured large fractions of chaotic orbits. All our models had been obtained through cold collapses…
The radial-orbit instability is a collective phenomenon that has heretofore only been observed in spherical systems. We find that this instability occurs also in triaxial systems, as we checked by performing extensive N-body simulations…
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…
Orbital motion in triaxial nuclei with central point masses, representing supermassive black holes, is investigated. The stellar density is assumed to follow a power law, rho ~ 1/r^gamma, with gamma=1 or gamma=2. At low energies the motion…
This paper constructs an analytic form for a triaxial potential that describes the dynamics of a wide variety of astrophysical systems, including the inner portions of dark matter halos, the central regions of galactic bulges, and young…
The stellar surface mass density profiles at the centers of typical ~L* and lower-mass spheroids exhibit power law 'cusps' with $\Sigma \propto R^(-n)$, where 0.5<n<1 for radii ~1-100 pc. Observations and theory support models in which…
The formation mechanism of high-concentration dwarf galaxies is still a mystery. We perform a comparative study of the intrinsic shape of nearby low-mass galaxies with different stellar concentration. The intrinsic shape is parameterized by…
Context. We have investigated the structure and kinematics of triaxial final models formed due to radial-orbit instability from a set of equilibrium anisotropic spherical systems of the Osipkov-Merritt type. Aims. We show that the…