Sinking, tidally stripped, galactic satellites

Tidally interacting galaxies offer an interesting field for the investigation of chaotic phenomena in stellar systems. When the galaxies are gravitationally bound, and one of them is much larger than the other, the latter can be regarded as a satellite of the former. The study of their dynamics is somewhat simplified in this case, which presents well observed examples in nature (e.g., globular clusters). Galactic satellites suffer orbital decay due to dynamical friction, a process that may be greatly enhanced in the presence of chaotic motions. Besides, the satellite is stripped by the field of tidal forces and, in the long run, it will disintegrate completely. Modern observations are able to show the signature of these processes taking place at present.