Open AccessThree‐component Stäckel potentials satisfying recent estimates of Milky Way parameters
Author(s) -
Famaey B.,
Dejonghe H.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
monthly notices of the royal astronomical society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.058
H-Index - 383
eISSN - 1365-2966
pISSN - 0035-8711
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-8711.2003.06322.x
Subject(s) - milky way , physics , component (thermodynamics) , set (abstract data type) , statistical physics , theoretical physics , astrophysics , galaxy , quantum mechanics , computer science , programming language
We present a set of three‐component Stäckel potentials defined by five parameters and designed to model the Milky Way. We review the fundamental constraints that any model of the Milky Way must satisfy, including the most recent ones derived from Hipparcos data, and we study how the parameters of the presented potentials can vary in order to match these constraints. Five different valid potentials are presented and analysed in detail. These are designed to be confronted with kinematical surveys in the future, by the construction of three‐integral analytic distribution functions.