Stellar and gas dynamics of interacting ring galaxies

Gerber, Richard Alan

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/28680 Copy

Description

Title

Stellar and gas dynamics of interacting ring galaxies

Author(s)

Gerber, Richard Alan

Issue Date

1993

Doctoral Committee Chair(s)

Lamb, Susan A.

Department of Study

Physics

Discipline

Physics

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Degree Level

Dissertation

Date of Ingest

2012-01-23T17:42:00Z

Keyword(s)

• ring galaxy
• axisymmetric collisions
• gas interactions

Language

en

Abstract

The development of ring and arc structure due to the collision of a spherical galaxy normal to the plane of a disk galaxy is studied with analytic and numerical models. In the numerical model, the disk contains one-tenth of its mass in gas and the hydrodynamics equations are solved using the method of Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics. It is found that axisymmetric collisions between equal mass galaxies produce a strong expanding ring with a complex three-dimensional structure. Density and velocity profiles for the disk are given. Off-center collisions produce greater gas density enhancements in the non-nuclear portion of the disk when compared to the axisymmetric case. Strong gas interactions in the off-center collisions cause the stellar and gaseous flows to follow separate trajectories. If star formation is associated with the strongest gas shocks and greatest gas densities, the morphology of ring galaxies is strongly dependent on a proper treatment of gas dynamical processes. A Rayleigh-Taylor instability is believed to be present in the strong shock regions, which could contribute to the knotty structure observed in ring galaxies.

Type of Resource

text

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/28680

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 1993 Richard Alan Gerber

Owning Collections