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Determining the character of motion in quiet and active galaxies with a satellite companion
Author(s) -
Caranicolas N.D.,
Innanen K.A.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
astronomische nachrichten
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.394
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1521-3994
pISSN - 0004-6337
DOI - 10.1002/asna.200811124
Subject(s) - physics , astrophysics , satellite galaxy , galaxy , astronomy , interacting galaxy , galaxy merger , stars , barred spiral galaxy , elliptical galaxy , galaxy formation and evolution
A galaxy model with a satellite companion is used to study the character of motion for stars moving in the x ‐ y plane. It is observed that a large part of the phase plane is covered by chaotic orbits. The percentage of chaotic orbits increases when the galaxy has a dense nucleus of mass M n . The presence of the dense nucleus also increases the stellar velocities near the center of the galaxy. For small values of the distance R between the two bodies, low energy stars display a chaotic region near the centre of the galaxy, when the dense nucleus is present, while for larger values of R the motion in active galaxies is regular for low energy stars. Our results suggest that in galaxies with a satellite companion, the chaotic character of motion is not only a result of galactic interaction but also a result caused by the dense nucleus. Theoretical arguments are used to support the numerical outcomes. We follow the evolution of the galaxy, as mass is transported adiabatically from the disk to the nucleus. Our numerical results are in satisfactory agreement with observational data from M51‐type binary galaxies (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)