Dynamical friction in constant density cores: a failure of the Chandrasekhar formula
Using analytic calculations and N-body simulations we show that in constant density (harmonic) cores, sinking satellites undergo an initial phase of very rapid (super-Chandrasekhar) dynamical friction, after which they experience no dynamical friction at all. For density profiles with a central powe...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Journal article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2006
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| _version_ | 1797053886728503296 |
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| author | Read, J Goerdt, T Moore, B Pontzen, A Stadel, J Lake, G |
| author_facet | Read, J Goerdt, T Moore, B Pontzen, A Stadel, J Lake, G |
| author_sort | Read, J |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | Using analytic calculations and N-body simulations we show that in constant density (harmonic) cores, sinking satellites undergo an initial phase of very rapid (super-Chandrasekhar) dynamical friction, after which they experience no dynamical friction at all. For density profiles with a central power law profile, ρ ∝ r -α, the infalling satellite heats the background and causes α to decrease. For α < 0.5 initially, the satellite generates a small central constant density core and stalls as in the α = 0 case. We discuss some astrophysical applications of our results to decaying satellite orbits, galactic bars and mergers of supermassive black hole binaries. In a companion paper we show that a central constant density core can provide a natural solution to the timing problem for Fornax's globular clusters. © 2006 RAS. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-06T18:49:50Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:0fda732d-5643-4ead-925b-532448f7ead5 |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-06T18:49:50Z |
| publishDate | 2006 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:0fda732d-5643-4ead-925b-532448f7ead52022-03-26T09:53:15ZDynamical friction in constant density cores: a failure of the Chandrasekhar formulaJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:0fda732d-5643-4ead-925b-532448f7ead5EnglishSymplectic Elements at Oxford2006Read, JGoerdt, TMoore, BPontzen, AStadel, JLake, GUsing analytic calculations and N-body simulations we show that in constant density (harmonic) cores, sinking satellites undergo an initial phase of very rapid (super-Chandrasekhar) dynamical friction, after which they experience no dynamical friction at all. For density profiles with a central power law profile, ρ ∝ r -α, the infalling satellite heats the background and causes α to decrease. For α < 0.5 initially, the satellite generates a small central constant density core and stalls as in the α = 0 case. We discuss some astrophysical applications of our results to decaying satellite orbits, galactic bars and mergers of supermassive black hole binaries. In a companion paper we show that a central constant density core can provide a natural solution to the timing problem for Fornax's globular clusters. © 2006 RAS. |
| spellingShingle | Read, J Goerdt, T Moore, B Pontzen, A Stadel, J Lake, G Dynamical friction in constant density cores: a failure of the Chandrasekhar formula |
| title | Dynamical friction in constant density cores: a failure of the Chandrasekhar formula |
| title_full | Dynamical friction in constant density cores: a failure of the Chandrasekhar formula |
| title_fullStr | Dynamical friction in constant density cores: a failure of the Chandrasekhar formula |
| title_full_unstemmed | Dynamical friction in constant density cores: a failure of the Chandrasekhar formula |
| title_short | Dynamical friction in constant density cores: a failure of the Chandrasekhar formula |
| title_sort | dynamical friction in constant density cores a failure of the chandrasekhar formula |
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