Galactic Disk Formation and the Angular Momentum Problem
arXiv:0908.1409
Abstract
Galactic disk formation requires knowledge about the initial conditions under which disk galaxies form, the boundary conditions that affect their secular evolution and the micro-physical processes that drive the multi-phase interstellar medium and regulate their star formation history. Most of these ingredients are still poorly understood. Recent high-resolution observations of young high-redshift disk galaxies provide insight into early phases of galactic disk formation and evolution. Combined with low-redshift disk data these observations should eventually allow us to reconstruct the origin and evolution of late-type galaxies. I summarize some of the major problems that need to be addressed for a more consistent picture of galactic disk formation and evolution.
7 pages, 1 figure, to appear in "Galaxy Evolution: Emerging Insights and Future Challenges" eds. S. Jogee, L. Hao, G. Blanc & I. Marinova, ASP Conf. Ser