The formation of the exponential disk in spiral galaxies

Lin, Da-Bin; Pringle, J. E.

doi:10.1086/184981

Cited by 146 publications

(143 citation statements)

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“…If this effect is real, the disappearance of a trend of metallicity gradients in units of scale length may suggest a self-similar pattern in disk galaxies. As suggested by Combes (1998), a ''universal'' slope per disk scale length might be explained by the viscous disk models of Lin & Pringle (1987), although model predictions are not conclusive as of yet. The Garnett et al (1997) compilation of O/H gradients shows a similar signature, where abundance gradients in dex per kpc are steeper and exhibit greater scatter for lower luminosity disks, but this trend goes away when gradients are expressed in dex/h.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Structure of Disk‐dominated Galaxies. II. Color Gradients and Stellar Population Models

MacArthur

Courteau

Bell

et al. 2004

ASTROPHYS J SUPPL S

210

260

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We investigate optical and near-IR color gradients in a sample of 172 low-inclination galaxies spanning Hubble types S0-Irr. The colors are compared with stellar population synthesis models from which luminosityweighted average ages and metallicities are determined. We explore the effects of different underlying star formation histories and additional bursts of star formation. Our results are robust in a relative sense under the assumption that our galaxies shared a similar underlying star formation history and that no bursts involving more than $10% of the galaxy mass have occurred in the past 1-2 Gyr. Because the observed gradients show radial structure, we measure ''inner'' and ''outer'' disk age and metallicity gradients. Trends in age and metallicity and their gradients are explored as a function of Hubble type, rotational velocity, total near-IR galaxy magnitude, central surface brightness, and scale length. We find strong correlations in age and metallicity with Hubble type, rotational velocity, total magnitude, and central surface brightness in the sense that earlier-type, faster rotating, more luminous, and higher surface brightness galaxies are older and more metal-rich, suggesting an early and more rapid star formation history for these galaxies. The increasing trends with rotational velocity and total magnitude level off for V rot k120 km s À1 and M K P À23 mag, respectively. This effect is stronger for metallicity (than age), which could reflect a threshold potential above which all metals are retained and thus metallicity saturates at the yield. Outer disk gradients are found to be weaker than the inner gradients as expected for a slower variation of the potential and surface brightness in the outer parts. We find that stronger age gradients are associated with weaker metallicity gradients. Trends in gradients with galaxy parameters are compared with model predictions: these trends do not agree with predictions of semianalytic models of hierarchical galaxy formation, possibly owing to the effect of bar-induced radial flows. The observed trends are in agreement with chemo-spectrophotometric models of spiral galaxy evolution based on CDM-motivated scaling laws but none of the hierarchical merging characteristics, implying a strong dependence of the star formation history of spiral galaxies on the galaxy potential and halo spin parameter.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Structure of Disk‐dominated Galaxies. II. Color Gradients and Stellar Population Models

MacArthur

Courteau

Bell

et al. 2004

ASTROPHYS J SUPPL S

210

260

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“…After this evolution the gas distribution reached an equilibrium state that is described by our model. Lin & Pringle (1987b) and later Saio & Yoshii (1990) have shown that one obtains an exponential stellar disk if t ν ∼ t * . In our model this is only the case for a dominating stellar disk, whereṀ * ∼Ṁ.…”

Section: Application To the Galaxymentioning

confidence: 94%

Turbulent viscosity in clumpy accretion disks

Vollmer

Beckert

2002

A&A

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Abstract. The equilibrium state of a turbulent clumpy gas disk is analytically investigated. The disk consists of distinct self-gravitating clouds. Gravitational cloud-cloud interactions transfer energy over spatial scales and produce a viscosity, which allows mass accretion in the gas disk. Turbulence is assumed to be generated by instabilities involving self-gravitation and to be maintained by the energy input from differential rotation and mass transfer. Disk parameters, global filling factors, molecular fractions, and star formation rates are derived. The application of our model to the Galaxy shows good agreement with observations. They are consistent with the scenario where turbulence generated and maintained by gravitation can account for the viscosity in the gas disk of spiral galaxies. The rôle of the galaxy mass for the morphological classification of spiral galaxies is investigated.

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“…Models of viscous evolution were rst invoked to explain the nature of the exponential distribution of the stars in galactic disks (Silk & Norman 1981, Lin & Pringle 1987, Yoshii & Sommer-Larsen 1989, Saio & Yoshii 1990, Struck-Marcell 1991Olivier et al 1991). Given comparable timescales for star formation and viscous redistribution of the mass and angular momentum in the disk, one automatically recovers a disk with an exponential luminosity prole.…”

Section: An Overview Of Secular Evolutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Bulge/Disk Connection in Late-Type Spirals

Courteau

1996

New Extragalactic Perspectives in the New South Africa

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Abstract.Recent ground-based photometric investigations suggest that central regions of late-type spirals are closely coupled to the inner disk and probably formed via secular evolution. Evidence presented in support of this model includes the predominance of exponential bulges, the correlation of bulge and disk scale lengths, blueness of the bulge and small di erences between bulge and central disk colors, detection of spiral structure into the core, and rapid rotation. Recent HST observations show that our own bulge and that of M31, M32, and M33 probably harbor both an old and intermediateage populations in agreement with models of early collapse of the spheroid plus gas transfer from the disk. Secular evolution provides a mechanism to build-up central regions in late-type spirals; mergers or accretion of small satellites could explain the brighter, kinematically distinct bulges of Sa's and SO's.

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The formation of the exponential disk in spiral galaxies

Cited by 146 publications

References 0 publications

Structure of Disk‐dominated Galaxies. II. Color Gradients and Stellar Population Models

Structure of Disk‐dominated Galaxies. II. Color Gradients and Stellar Population Models

Turbulent viscosity in clumpy accretion disks

The Bulge/Disk Connection in Late-Type Spirals

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