The mechanics of tidal streams
We present an analysis of the mechanics of thin streams, which are formed following the tidal disruption of cold, low-mass clusters in the potential of a massive host galaxy. The analysis makes extensive use of action-angle variables, in which the physics of stream formation and evolution is express...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Journal article |
| Language: | English |
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2010
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| _version_ | 1797053176495472640 |
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| author | Eyre, A Binney, J |
| author_facet | Eyre, A Binney, J |
| author_sort | Eyre, A |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | We present an analysis of the mechanics of thin streams, which are formed following the tidal disruption of cold, low-mass clusters in the potential of a massive host galaxy. The analysis makes extensive use of action-angle variables, in which the physics of stream formation and evolution is expressed in a particularly simple form. We demonstrate the formation of streams by considering examples in both spherical and flattened potentials, and we find that the action-space structures formed in each take on a consistent and characteristic shape. We demonstrate that tidal streams formed in realistic galaxy potentials are poorly represented by single orbits, contrary to what is often assumed. We further demonstrate that attempting to constrain the parameters of the Galactic potential by fitting orbits to such streams can lead to significant systematic error. However, we show that it is possible to predict accurately the track of streams from simple models of the action-space distribution of the disrupted cluster. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-06T18:40:20Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:0ca733aa-8f8d-40c1-b9da-e269cfb70a75 |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-06T18:40:20Z |
| publishDate | 2010 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:0ca733aa-8f8d-40c1-b9da-e269cfb70a752022-03-26T09:36:12ZThe mechanics of tidal streamsJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:0ca733aa-8f8d-40c1-b9da-e269cfb70a75EnglishSymplectic Elements at Oxford2010Eyre, ABinney, JWe present an analysis of the mechanics of thin streams, which are formed following the tidal disruption of cold, low-mass clusters in the potential of a massive host galaxy. The analysis makes extensive use of action-angle variables, in which the physics of stream formation and evolution is expressed in a particularly simple form. We demonstrate the formation of streams by considering examples in both spherical and flattened potentials, and we find that the action-space structures formed in each take on a consistent and characteristic shape. We demonstrate that tidal streams formed in realistic galaxy potentials are poorly represented by single orbits, contrary to what is often assumed. We further demonstrate that attempting to constrain the parameters of the Galactic potential by fitting orbits to such streams can lead to significant systematic error. However, we show that it is possible to predict accurately the track of streams from simple models of the action-space distribution of the disrupted cluster. |
| spellingShingle | Eyre, A Binney, J The mechanics of tidal streams |
| title | The mechanics of tidal streams |
| title_full | The mechanics of tidal streams |
| title_fullStr | The mechanics of tidal streams |
| title_full_unstemmed | The mechanics of tidal streams |
| title_short | The mechanics of tidal streams |
| title_sort | mechanics of tidal streams |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT eyrea themechanicsoftidalstreams AT binneyj themechanicsoftidalstreams AT eyrea mechanicsoftidalstreams AT binneyj mechanicsoftidalstreams |