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Stellar orbits in a triaxial galaxy. I - Orbits in the plane of rotation

1983; IOP Publishing; Volume: 267; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1086/160894

1538-4357

P. T. de Zeeuw, David Merritt,

Scientific Research and Discoveries

view Abstract Citations (109) References (65) Co-Reads Similar Papers Volume Content Graphics Metrics Export Citation NASA/ADS Stellar orbits in a triaxial galaxy. I - Orbits in the plane of rotation de Zeeuw, T. ; Merritt, D. Abstract The nonspherical shape of elliptical galaxies is not usually a result of flattening due to rotation about an axis of symmetry but must be caused by some other mechanism. Simple numerical integration of the equations of motion in axisymmetric and triaxial potentials shows that the stellar orbits are often characterized by one or two isolating integrals in addition to the classical integrals. This fact can be used by de Zeeuw et al. (1983) in constructing self-consistent numerical models. It appears likely that only these so-called nonclassical integrals are needed in the general case to maintain elliptical galaxies in non-spherically-symmetric shapes. The present study has the objective to investigate by analytical means some of the properties of stellar orbits in a nonaxisymmetric elliptical galaxy. By comparing the results to 'actual' stellar orbits in a realistic mode potential, information can be obtained regarding the effect of nonclassical integrals on the density distribution. Publication: The Astrophysical Journal Pub Date: April 1983 DOI: 10.1086/160894 Bibcode: 1983ApJ...267..571D Keywords: Astronomical Models; Elliptical Galaxies; Galactic Rotation; Galactic Structure; Stellar Motions; Stellar Orbits; Angular Velocity; Equations Of Motion; Hamiltonian Functions; Orbit Calculation; Schwarzschild Metric; Stellar Rotation; Astrophysics full text sources ADS |