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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 May 2016
We have investigated the force of dynamical friction on a softened point mass orbiting inside a disc galaxy on a planar circular orbit both analytically and by means of numerical simulations. Including a velocity dispersion large enough to stabilise the disc markedly changes the physical picture of the mechanisms producing friction, whereas the numerical value of the friction is almost unaffected. Self-gravity of the disc enhances the friction only by a moderate amount.