87 research outputs found
Boxy/Peanut bulges, vertical buckling and galactic bars
Boxy/peanut bulges in disk galaxies have been associated to stellar bars. In
this talk, we discuss the different properties of such bulges and their
relation with the corresponding bar, using a very large sample of a few hundred
numerical N-body simulations. We present and inter-compare various methods of
measuring the boxy/peanut bulge properties, namely its strength, shape and
possible asymmetry. Some of these methods can be applied to both simulations
and observations. Our final goal is to get correlations that will allow us to
obtain information on the boxy/peanut bulge for a galaxy viewed face-on as well
as information on the bars of galaxies viewed edge-on.Comment: 4 pages. To appear in the proceedings of IAU Symposium 245 "Formation
and Evolution of Galaxy Bulges", M. Bureau, E. Athanassoula, and B. Barbuy,
ed
Boxy/peanut bulges : formation, evolution and properties
We discuss the formation and evolution of boxy/peanut bulges (B/Ps) and
present new simulations results. Orbital structure studies show that B/Ps are
parts of bars seen edge-on, they have their origin in vertical instabilities of
the disc material and they are somewhat shorter in extent than bars. When the
bar forms it is vertically thin, but after a time of the order of a Gyr it
experiences a vertical instability and buckles. At that time the strength of
the bar decreases, its inner part becomes thicker, so that, seen edge-on, it
acquires a peanut or boxy shape. A second buckling episode is seen in
simulations with strong bars, accompanied by a further thickening of the B/P
and a weakening of the bar. Quantitatively, this evolution depends considerably
on the properties of the halo and particularly on the extent of its core. This
influences the amount of angular momentum exchanged within the galaxy, emitted
by near-resonant material in the bar region and absorbed by near-resonant
material in the halo and in the outer disc. Haloes with small cores generally
harbour stronger bars and B/Ps and they often witness double buckling.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, contribution to the conference "Chaos in
Astronomy", Athens, sept. 2007, eds. G. Contopoulos & P.A. Patsi
Made-to-Measure models of the Galactic Box/Peanut bulge: stellar and total mass in the bulge region
We construct dynamical models of the Milky Way's Box/Peanut (B/P) bulge,
using the recently measured 3D density of Red Clump Giants (RCGs) as well as
kinematic data from the BRAVA survey. We match these data using the NMAGIC
Made-to-Measure method, starting with N-body models for barred discs in
different dark matter haloes. We determine the total mass in the bulge volume
of the RCGs measurement (+-2.2 x +- 1.4 x +- 1.2 kpc) with unprecedented
accuracy and robustness to be 1.84 +- 0.07 x10^10 Msun. The stellar mass in
this volume varies between 1.25-1.6 x10^10 Msun, depending on the amount of
dark matter in the bulge. We evaluate the mass-to-light and mass-to-clump
ratios in the bulge and compare them to theoretical predictions from population
synthesis models. We find a mass-to-light ratio in the K-band in the range
0.8-1.1. The models are consistent with a Kroupa or Chabrier IMF, but a
Salpeter IMF is ruled out for stellar ages of 10 Gyr. To match predictions from
the Zoccali IMF derived from the bulge stellar luminosity function requires
about 40% or 0.7 x10^10 Msun dark matter in the bulge region. The BRAVA data
together with the RCGs 3D density imply a low pattern speed for the Galactic
B/P bulge of 25-30 km.s-1.kpc-1. This would place the Galaxy among the slow
rotators (R >= 1.5). Finally, we show that the Milky Way's B/P bulge has an
off-centred X structure, and that the stellar mass involved in the peanut shape
accounts for at least 20% of the stellar mass of the bulge, significantly
larger than previously thought.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRA
Stellar kinematics in double-barred galaxies: the sigma-hollows
We present SAURON integral-field stellar velocity and velocity dispersion
maps for four double-barred early-type galaxies: NGC2859, NGC3941, NGC4725 and
NGC5850. The presence of the inner bar does not produce major changes in the
line-of-sight velocity, but it appears to have an important effect in the
stellar velocity dispersion maps: we find two sigma-hollows of amplitudes
between 10 and 40 km/s on either side of the center, at the ends of the inner
bars. We have performed numerical simulations to explain these features. Ruling
out other possibilities, we conclude that the sigma-hollows are an effect of
the contrast between two kinematically different components: the high velocity
dispersion of the bulge and the more ordered motion (low velocity dispersion)
of the inner bar.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures. Accepted for publication in ApJ Letter
The GIRAFFE Inner Bulge Survey (GIBS). I. Survey Description and a kinematical map of the Milky Way bulge
The Galactic bulge is a massive, old component of the Milky Way. It is known
to host a bar, and it has recently been demonstrated to have a pronounced
boxy/peanut structure in its outer region. Several independent studies suggest
the presence of more than one stellar populations in the bulge, with different
origins and a relative fraction changing across the bulge area. This is the
first of a series of papers presenting the results of the Giraffe Inner Bulge
Survey, carried out at the ESO-VLT with the multifibre spectrograph FLAMES.
Spectra of ~5000 red clump giants in 24 bulge fields have been obtained at
resolution R=6500, in the infrared Calcium triplet wavelength region at 8500
{\AA}. They are used to derive radial velocities and metallicities, based on
new calibration specifically devised for this project. Radial velocities for
another ~1200 bulge red clump giants, obtained from similar archive data, have
been added to the sample. Higher resolution spectra have been obtained for 450
additional stars at latitude b=-3.5, with the aim of investigating chemical
abundance patterns variations with longitude, across the inner bulge. In total
we present here radial velocities for 6392 RC stars. We derive a radial
velocity, and velocity dispersion map of the Milky Way bulge, useful to be
compared with similar maps of external bulges, and to infer the expected
velocities and dispersion at any line of sight. The K-type giants kinematics is
consistent with the cylindrical rotation pattern of M-giants from the BRAVA
survey. Our sample enables to extend this result to latitude b=-2, closer to
the Galactic plane than probed by previous surveys. Finally, we find strong
evidence for a velocity dispersion peak at (0,-1) and (0,-2), possibly
indicative of a high density peak in the central 250 pc of the bulgeComment: A&A in pres
Observational constraints to boxy/peanut bulge formation time
Boxy/peanut bulges are considered to be part of the same stellar structure as
bars and both could be linked through the buckling instability. The Milky Way
is our closest example. The goal of this letter is determining if the mass
assembly of the different components leaves an imprint in their stellar
populations allowing to estimate the time of bar formation and its evolution.
To this aim we use integral field spectroscopy to derive the stellar age
distributions, SADs, along the bar and disc of NGC 6032. The analysis shows
clearly different SADs for the different bar areas. There is an underlying old
(>=12 Gyr) stellar population for the whole galaxy. The bulge shows star
formation happening at all times. The inner bar structure shows stars of ages
older than 6 Gyrs with a deficit of younger populations. The outer bar region
presents a SAD similar to that of the disc. To interpret our results, we use a
generic numerical simulation of a barred galaxy. Thus, we constrain, for the
first time, the epoch of bar formation, the buckling instability period and the
posterior growth from disc material. We establish that the bar of NGC 6032 is
old, formed around 10 Gyr ago while the buckling phase possibly happened around
8 Gyr ago. All these results point towards bars being long-lasting even in the
presence of gas.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS Letter
Halo properties and secular evolution in barred galaxies
The halo plays a crucial role in the evolution of barred galaxies. Its
near-resonant material absorbs angular momentum emitted from some of the disc
particles and helps the bar become stronger. As a result, a bar (oval) forms in
the inner parts of the halo of strongly barred disc galaxies. It is thinner in
the inner parts (but still considerably fatter than the disc bar) and tends to
spherical at larger radii. Its length increases with time, while always staying
shorter than the disc bar. It is roughly aligned with the disc bar, which it
trails only slightly, and it turns with roughly the same pattern speed. The
bi-symmetric component of the halo density continues well outside the halo bar,
where it clearly trails behind the disc bar. The length and strength of the
disc and halo bars correlate; the former being always much stronger than the
latter. If the halo is composed of weakly interacting massive particles, then
the formation of the halo bar, by redistributing the matter in the halo and
changing its shape, could influence the expected annihilation signal. This is
indeed found to be the case if the halo has a core, but not if it has a steep
cusp. The formation and evolution of the bar strongly affect the halo orbits. A
fraction of them becomes near-resonant, similar to the disc near-resonant
orbits at the same resonance, while another fraction becomes chaotic. Finally,
a massive and responsive halo makes it harder for a central mass concentration
to destroy the disc bar.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, to appear in "Island Universes - Structure and
Evolution of Disk Galaxies" ed. R. S. de Jon
Caught in the act: direct detection of Galactic Bars in the buckling phase
The majority of massive disk galaxies, including our own, have stellar bars with vertically thick inner region, known as âboxy/peanut-shapedâ (B/P) bulges. The most commonly suggested mechanism for the formation of B/P bulges is a violent vertical âbucklingâ instability in the bar, something that has been seen in N-body simulations for over 20 years, but never identiïŹed in real galaxies. Here, we present the ïŹrst direct observational evidence for ongoing buckling in two nearby galaxies (NGC 3227 and NGC 4569), including characteristic asymmetric isophotes and (in NGC 4569) stellar kinematic asymmetries that match buckling in simulations. This conïŹrms that the buckling instability takes place and produces B/P bulges in real galaxies. A toy model of bar evolution yields a local fraction of buckling bars consistent with observations if the buckling phase lasts
âŒ0.5â1 Gyr, in agreement with simulations
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