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Galaxy Formation: Some Comparisons between Theory and Observation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 August 2017

S. Michael Fall
S. Michael Fall*
Affiliation:
Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge, England.

Extract

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Before theoretical ideas in this subject can be compared with observational data, it is necessary to consider the properties of galaxies that are likely to be relics of their formation. Most astronomers would agree that the list of important parameters should be headed by the total mass M, energy E and angular momentum J. Next on the list should probably be the relative contributions to these quantities from the disc and bulge components of galaxies and denoted D/B for the mass ratio. They can be estimated from the median (i.e. half-mass) radius R, velocity dispersion σ and rotation velocity v of each component, either through the virial theorem or through the luminosity L and an assumed value of M/L. As a first approximation, it is reasonable to suppose that galaxies of a given disc-to-bulge ratio or morphological type form a sequence with mass as the fundamental parameter. The comparison of theory with data is further simplified by considering the extreme cases of ellipticals, with D/B << 1, and late-type spirals, with D/B >> 1. The approach outlined below is to explore the consequences of relaxing in succession the constraints that E, J and M be conserved during the collapse of proto-galaxies. In this article I concentrate on theories that are based on some form of hierarchical clustering because the pancake and related theories are not yet refined enough for a detailed confrontation with observations.

Type
VII. Galaxy Formation
Information
Symposium - International Astronomical Union , Volume 100: Internal Kinematics and Dynamics of Galaxies , 1983 , pp. 391 - 399
Copyright
Copyright © Reidel 1983 

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