TIDAL EFFECTS INDUCED IN A SPHERICAL GALAXY BY THE PASSAGE OF A COMPANION

TIDAL EFFECTS INDUCED IN A SPHERICAL GALAXY BY THE PASSAGE OF A COMPANION

A gravitational encounter between a spherical galaxy and a smaller companion is simulated by computing a large number of stellar orbits in the restricted three-body approximation. For the case considered, i.e., galaxies of 10¹¹ and 5 × 10¹ ⨀ passing in parabolic orbits at a closest distance of 20...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific Vol. 88; no. 524; pp. 374 - 376
Main Authors: GUTOWSKI, WILLIAM J., LARSON, RICHARD B.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: The Astronomical Society of the Pacific 01-08-1976
Subjects:
Average linear density
Galactic radii
Galaxies
Luminosity
Milky Way Galaxy
Point masses
Spherical shells
Stars
Stellar orbits
Stellar radii
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Summary:A gravitational encounter between a spherical galaxy and a smaller companion is simulated by computing a large number of stellar orbits in the restricted three-body approximation. For the case considered, i.e., galaxies of 10¹¹ and 5 × 10¹ ⨀ passing in parabolic orbits at a closest distance of 20 kpc, the larger galaxy loses about 8% of its mass, and its outer regions swell up by ~ 50% in radius. These effects may be important in interpreting the measured luminosities and light distributions of elliptical galaxies in cosmological studies.
ISSN:0004-6280
1538-3873
DOI:10.1086/129959