Asymptotic Orbits in Barred Spiral Galaxies

Abstract

We study the formation of the spiral structure of barred spiral galaxies, using an $N$-body model. The evolution of this $N$-body model in the adiabatic approximation maintains a strong spiral pattern for more than 10 bar rotations. We find that this longevity of the spiral arms is mainly due to the phenomenon of stickiness of chaotic orbits close to the unstable asymptotic manifolds originated from the main unstable periodic orbits, both inside and outside corotation. The stickiness along the manifolds corresponding to different energy levels supports parts of the spiral structure. The loci of the disc velocity minima (where the particles spend most of their time, in the configuration space) reveal the density maxima and therefore the main morphological structures of the system. We study the relation of these loci with those of the apocentres and pericentres at different energy levels. The diffusion of the sticky chaotic orbits outwards is slow and depends on the initial conditions and the corresponding Jacobi constant.

17 pages, 24 figures

References in corpus (5)

• The formation of spiral arms and rings in barred galaxies
• On the origin of rR_1 ring structures in barred galaxies
• Chaotic motion and spiral structure in self-consistent models of rotating galaxies
• Orbital structure in barred spiral galaxies
• The coalescence of invariant manifolds and the spiral structure of barred galaxies

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• Chaotic motion and the evolution of morphological components in a time-dependent model of a barred galaxy within a dark matter halo
• The relation between dynamics and star formation in barred galaxies
• Dynamical Monte Carlo Simulations of 3-D Galactic Systems in Axisymmetric and Triaxial Potentials
• Analytical forms of chaotic spiral arms
• Pitch Angle Restrictions in Late Type Spiral Galaxies Based on Chaotic and Ordered Orbital Behavior
• Fractal structures for the Jacobi Hamiltonian of restricted three-body problem
• Chaotic Spiral Galaxies
• Transient chaos and fractal structures in planetary feeding zones
• Controlling synchronization in coupled area-preserving maps using stickiness