Were thick galactic disks made by levitation?

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/2289/4862

Title:	Were thick galactic disks made by levitation?
Authors:	Sridhar, S. Touma, Jihad R.
Issue Date:	1996
Publisher:	American Association for the Advancement of Science
Citation:	Science, 1996, Vol.271, p973
Abstract:	The thick disk of our galaxy displays kinematic and chemical properties that are intermediate between those of the halo and the (thin) disk stellar populations. Not all disk galaxies have a thick disk. A theory of the origins of a thick disk can potentially provide insights into the physical state of our galaxy in its infancy. Levitation, a process that relies on adiabatic capture into resonance of stellar orbits in a growing disk, is presented as a plausible formation mechanism; a 22 resonance between vertical and epicyclic oscillations drifts to large vertical energies as the disk grows adiabatically. Resonant stars levitate several kiloparsecs above the plane, forming a thick disk whose spatial distributions, kinematics, and ages leave unique observational signatures on the sky. The same process can also produce the disk globular cluster system.
Description:	Restricted Access
URI:	http://hdl.handle.net/2289/4862
ISSN:	0036-8075 1095-9203 (Online)
Alternative Location:	http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.271.5251.973
Copyright:	1996 American Association for the Advancement of Science
Appears in Collections:	Research Papers (A&A)

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