Self-consistent response of a galactic disc to vertical perturbations

We study the self-consistent, linear response of a galactic disc to vertical perturbations, as induced, say, by a tidal interaction. We calculate the self-gravitational potential corresponding to a non-axisymmetric, self-consistent density response of the disc using the Green's function method. The response potential is shown to oppose the perturbation potential because the self-gravity of the disc resists the imposed potential, and this resistance is stronger in the inner parts of a galactic disc. For the   m = 1  azimuthal wavenumber, the disc response opposes the imposed perturbation up to a radius that spans a range of 4–6 disc scalelengths, so that the disc shows a net warp only beyond this region. This physically explains the well known but so far unexplained observation that warps typically set in beyond this range of radii. We show that the inclusion of a dark matter halo in the calculation only marginally changes (by ∼10 per cent) the radius for the onset of warps. For perturbations with higher azimuthal wavenumbers, the net signature of the vertical perturbations can only be seen at larger radii – for example, beyond 7 exponential disc scalelengths for   m = 10  . Also, for the high- m cases, the magnitude of the negative disc response due to the disc self-gravity is much smaller. This is shown to result in corrugations of the mid-plane density, which explains the puzzling scalloping with   m = 10  detected in H  i in the outermost regions ∼30 kpc in the Galaxy.     

Density perturbations in a two-fluid component Universe

In a two-fluid component universe consisting of visible matter and neutrinos, the developed features of perturbations in the two components are quite different. If the densities ₁ and ₂, and the Jeans lengths _1J and _2J of the two components satisfy the relations ₁₂, _1J2J, the developed inhomogeneities in the non-dominant component 1 are larger than those in the dominant component 2. Moreover, the increase of perturbations is in some situations not monotonous but oscillatory, and such oscillations in the two components are contrary.     

Density distortion within a rotating body

This paper ascertains the distortion of the density distribution within a self-gravitating body in hydrostatic equilibrium under the influence of rotation.For this purpose, the Poisson equation has been solved by using the undistorted density profile _o(a) within the Laplacian to obtain the distorted density (a, ). The Laplacian has been expressed in terms of a system of curvilinear coordinates for which the equipotential surfaces constitute a family of fundamental surfaces.In performing the requisite algebraic manipulations, the Clairaut and Radau equations developed in a previous paper (Lanzano, 1974) were utilized to eliminate the derivatives of the elements pertaining to the equipotential surfaces.The density distortion has been obtained up to third-order terms in a small rotational parameter.     

Linear response of galactic haloes to adiabatic gravitational perturbations

We determine the response of a self-similar isothermal stellar system to small adiabatic gravitational perturbations. For odd spherical harmonics the response is identical to the response of the analogous isothermal fluid system. For even spherical harmonics the response can be regarded as an infinite series of wavetrains in log r , implying alternating compression and rarefaction in equal logarithmic radius intervals. Partly because of the oscillatory nature of the solutions, tidal fields from external sources are not strongly amplified by an intervening isothermal stellar system, except at radii ≲10^−3.5 times the satellite radius; at some radii the stellar system can even screen the external tidal field in a manner analogous to Debye screening. As Weinberg has pointed out, individual resonances in a stellar system can strongly amplify external tidal fields over a limited radial range, but we cannot address this possibility because we examine only adiabatic perturbations. We also discuss the application of our method to the halo response caused by the slow growth of an embedded thin disc.     

Density perturbations in cosmological models

Differential equations are derived, following the methods ofLifshitz (1946) andLifshitz andKhalatnikov (1963), for density perturbations in isotropic, spatially homogeneous cosmological models of arbitrary space curvature. The unperturbed models contain both matter and radiation. An explicit third-order equation is obtained for the time development of the perturbations, and it is shown that one of the solutions is not covariantly defined. The two remaining solutions are compared with existing solutions for the limiting cases of radiation-filled and dust-filled models. The results ofBonnor's (1957) Newtonian analysis are shown to be a valid limiting case of our equation when the pressurep is finite, but small compared with the densityp timesc ².A detailed analysis is given of a model containing coupled radiation (p=pc ²/3) and dust (p=0). It is shown that density perturbations with long wavelengths are unstable (with slow growth rate) for all time. The instability exists because for a long-wavelength disturbance, the time scale governing the propagation of pressure effects (which stabilize perturbations) is longer than the time scale for which pressure falls to the point of ineffectiveness. The present value of the critical wavelength is 60 Mpc in models based on flat space sections in which the present background radiation temperature is 3 °K.The research reported herein was supported in part by the Atomic Energy Commission under contract number AT(11-1)-34, Project Agreement No. 125, and by the National Science Foundation, under Grant GP-4975.     

Angular momentum coupling in differentially rotating galactic systems

The equations of motion are derived for a differentially rotating system, and the paper demonstrates the existence of a force term due to coupling of the angular momentum with the gradient of the angular frequency. Translation of the system of reference to the Local Standard of Rest (LSR) shows that the LSR executes a radial oscillatory motion as a necessary consequence of the coupling mentioned above. This mechanism could well provide the theoretical background for expanding galaxies without resorting to a violent explosion in their centre — a mechanism for which the evidence is rather scanty.     

Density distribution in massive galactic disks with a central black hole

We developed an efficient method for determining the surface-density distribution in a self-gravitating disk with an isolated central point mass from a specified angular-velocity distribution in the disk. An upper limit for the galactic-disk mass is shown to exist at a given black-hole mass. This limit significantly depends on the choice of rotation curves.     

Density perturbations in the Brans-Dicke theory

We give here the calculation of density perturbations in a gravitation theory with a scalar field non-minimally coupled to gravity, i.e., the Brans-Dicke theory of gravitation. The purpose is to show the influence of this scalar field on the dynamic behaviour of density perturbations along the eras where the equation of state for the matter can be put under the formp=, where is a constant. We analyse the asymptotic behaviour of this perturbations for the cases =0, =–1, =1/3 and =0. In general, we obtain a decaying and growing modes. In the very important case of inflation, =–1, there is no density perturbation, as it is well known. In the vacuum phase the perturbations on the scalar field and the gravitational field present growing modes at the beginning of the expansion and decaying modes at the end of this phase. In the case =0 it is possible, for some negative values of , to have an amplification of the perturbations with a superluminal expansion of the scale factor. We can also obtain strong growing modes for the density contrast for the case where there is a contraction phase which can have physical interest in some primordial era.     

Density perturbations in a Universe consisting of fluid plus collisionless neutrino gas

In a two-component Universe which consists of fluid (visible matter) plus collisinless massive neutrino gas (dark matter), the remarkable difference between the developed inhomogeneities in two components could be formed after the decoupling time. Whether the initial perturbation was in which of the two components, the inhomogeneities developed in visible matter are larger than that in neutrinos, especially on smaller scales. The necessary condition for such a situation to arise is only that the density of neutrinos in the Universe is dominant. That means the non-dominant visible component in the Universe is strongly clustered especially on smaller scales, while the distribution of the dominant dark matter (neutrinos) is fairly uniform.     

The multipole expansion of the radiation field from a relativistically rotating oblique magnetic dipole

Using the methods of Haxton and Ruffini the multipole expansion of the radiation field of an arbitrarily fast rotating magnetic dipole, with its axis inclined relative to the rotation axis, is obtained. This result is compared with the Fourier decomposition of the radiation emitted by the rotating dipole, obtained by Belinskyet al.     

Extension of the rotating dipole model with oblateness of both primaries

A rotating mass dipole can be used to understand the dynamical behaviors around elongated asteroids as well as binary asteroids. In this paper an improved dipole model with oblateness in both primaries is investigated. The dynamical equations of a particle around the improved model are first derived by introducing the oblateness coefficients. The characteristic equations of equilibrium points are obtained, resulting in the emergence of new equilibria in the equatorial plane and the plane xoz depending on the shape of the spheroid. Numerical simulations are performed to illustrate the distribution of these equilibrium points. Significant influence from the oblateness of the primaries on the topological structure is also analyzed via zero-velocity curves.     

Obliquity and magnetic dipole radiation from collapsing,rotating, magnetized stars

We consider in this paper the evolution of a collapsing (or exploding), uniformly rotating, uniformly magnetized spheroidal star with non-aligned rotational and magnetic axes. Analytical expressions were obtained for the change in angle (obliquity) between the two axes (based on the frozen field condition), and the energy loss via magnetic, dipole radiation. Numerical estimates with typical data show that the obliquity increases (asymptotically to /2) with the collapse from white dwarf to neutron star, and the energy loss could be as much as 4×10³⁹ ergs, about twice the amount emitted when the two axes are aligned.