Search

Barred galaxies constitute about two-thirds of observed disc galaxies. Bars affect not only the mass distribution of gas and stars but also that of the dark matter. An elongation of the inner dark matter halo is known as the halo bar. We aim to characterize the structure of the halo bars, with the goal of correlating them with the properties of the stellar bars. We use a suite of simulated galaxies with various bar strengths, including gas and star formation. We quantify the strengths, shapes, and densities of these simulated stellar bars. We carry out numerical experiments with frozen and analytic potentials in order to understand the role played by a live responsive stellar bar. We find that the halo bar generally follows the trends of the disc bar. The strengths of the halo and stellar bars are tightly correlated. Stronger bars induce a slight increase in dark matter density within the inner halo. Numerical experiments show that a non-responsive frozen stellar bar would be capable of inducing a dark matter bar, but it would be weaker than the live case by a factor of roughly two. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Barred galaxies often develop a box/peanut pseudobulge, but they can also host a nearly spherical classical bulge, which is known to gain rotation due to the bar. We aim to explore how the presence of gas impacts the rotation of classical bulges. We carried out a comprehensive set of hydrodynamical N-body simulations with different combinations of bulge masses and gas fractions. In these models, both massive bulges and high gas content tend to inhibit the formation of strong bars. For low-mass bulges, the resulting bar is stronger in cases of low gas content. In the stronger bar models, bulges acquire more angular momentum and thus display considerable rotational velocity. Such bulges also develop anisotropic velocity dispersions and become triaxial in shape. We found that the rotation of the bulge becomes less pronounced as the gas fraction is increased from 0 to 30%. These results indicate that the gas content has a significant effect on the dynamics of the classical bulge, because it influences bar strength. Particularly in the case of the low-mass bulges (10% bulge mass fraction), all of the measured rotational and structural properties of the classical bulge depend strongly and systematically on the gas content of the galaxy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Barred galaxies constitute about two-thirds of observed disc galaxies. Bars affect not only the mass distribution of gas and stars but also that of the dark matter. An elongation of the inner dark matter halo is known as the halo bar. We aim to characterize the structure of the halo bars, with the goal of correlating them with the properties of the stellar bars. We use a suite of simulated galaxies with various bar strengths, including gas and star formation. We quantify the strengths, shapes, and densities of these simulated stellar bars. We carry out numerical experiments with frozen and analytic potentials in order to understand the role played by a live responsive stellar bar. We find that the halo bar generally follows the trends of the disc bar. The strengths of the halo and stellar bars are tightly correlated. Stronger bars induce a slight increase in dark matter density within the inner halo. Numerical experiments show that a non-responsive frozen stellar bar would be capable of inducing a dark matter bar, but it would be weaker than the live case by a factor of roughly two.

Barred galaxies often develop a box/peanut pseudobulge, but they can also host a nearly spherical classical bulge, which is known to gain rotation due to the bar. We aim to explore how the presence of gas impacts the rotation of classical bulges. We carried out a comprehensive set of hydrodynamical N-body simulations with different combinations of bulge masses and gas fractions. In these models, both massive bulges and high gas content tend to inhibit the formation of strong bars. For low-mass bulges, the resulting bar is stronger in cases of low gas content. In the stronger bar models, bulges acquire more angular momentum and thus display considerable rotational velocity. Such bulges also develop anisotropic velocity dispersions and become triaxial in shape. We found that the rotation of the bulge becomes less pronounced as the gas fraction is increased from 0 to 30%. These results indicate that the gas content has a significant effect on the dynamics of the classical bulge, because it influences bar strength. Particularly in the case of the low-mass bulges (10% bulge mass fraction), all of the measured rotational and structural properties of the classical bulge depend strongly and systematically on the gas content of the galaxy.

The CO-to-H2 conversion factor (αCO) is crucial for accurate estimation of the amount and properties of molecular gas. However, αCO is known to vary with environmental conditions, and previous kpc-scale studies have revealed lower αCO in the centers of some barred galaxies, including NGC 3351, 3627, and 4321. We present ALMA Band 3, 6, and 7 observations toward the inner ∼2 kpc of these galaxies tracing 12CO, 13CO, and C18O lines at ∼100 pc resolution. We show that dynamical effects resulting from turbulence/shear can lead to substantially lower αCO in the bar-driven inflows of NGC 3351 due to lower optical depth. A clear, positive correlation between αCO and 12CO optical depth is seen in all three galaxy centers. We also find that the CO/13CO(2–1) ratio mainly traces the 12CO optical depth, and thus it may be a useful observable in predicting αCO variation in galaxy centers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use an analytical gravitational model that describes the local motion of stars near the central region of a barred galaxy. By integrating and classifying large sets of starting conditions of trajectories we manage to determine how the important parameters of the bar, such as its mass, strength, scale length, and angular velocity influence the motion of stars. For the orbit taxonomy, we combine traditional dynamical methods such as the classical Poincaré surface of section along with modern chaos indicators such as the Smaller Alignment Index (SALI). Our results of the local galactic model are compared with previous studies using global gravitational models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A method, which we have developed for determining corotation radii, has allowed us to map in detail the radial resonant structures of barred spiral galaxies. Here, we have combined this information with new determinations of the bar strength and the pitch angle of the innermost segment of the spiral arms to find relationships between these parameters of relevance to the dynamical evolution of the galaxies. We show how (1) the bar mass fraction, (2) the scaled bar angular momentum, (3) the pitch angle, and (4) the shear parameter vary along the Hubble sequence, and we also plot along the Hubble sequence (5) the scaled bar length, (6) the ratio of bar corotation radius to bar length, (7) the scaled bar pattern speed, and (8) the bar strength. It is of interest to note that the parameters (2), (5), (6), (7), and (8) all show breaks in their behaviour at type Scd. We find that bars with high shear have only small pitch angles, while bars with large pitch angles must have low shear; we also find a generally inverse trend of the pitch angle with bar strength. An inference that at first seems counter-intuitive is that the most massive bars rotate most slowly but have the largest angular momenta. Among a further set of detailed results, we pick out here the 2:1 ratio between the number of spiral arms and the number of corotations outside the bar. These results give a guideline to theories of disc–bar evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The MaNGA project has obtained integral field unit (IFU) data for several thousand nearby galaxies, including barred galaxies. With the two-dimensional spectral and kinematic information provided by IFUs, we can measure the pattern speed of a barred galaxy, which determines the bar dynamics. We apply the non-parametric method proposed by Tremaine & Weinberg to estimate the bar pattern speed for 53 barred galaxies, making this the largest sample studied so far in this way. Our sample is selected from the MaNGA first public data release as part of SDSS Data Release 13 according mainly to the axial ratio and position angle difference between the bar and disc, while kinematic data are from the later SDSS Data Release 14. We have used both the photometric position angle from the photometric image and the kinematic position angle from the stellar velocity map to derive the pattern speed. Combining three independent bar length measurements and the circular velocity from Jeans anisotropic modelling (JAM), we also determine the dimensionless ratio |$\cal {R}$| of the corotation radius to the bar length. We find that the galaxy's position angle is the main uncertainty in determining the bar pattern speed. The kinematic position angle leads to fewer ultrafast bars than the photometric position angle, and this could be due to the method of measuring the kinematic position angle. We study the dependence of |$\cal {R}$| values on galaxy properties such as the dark matter fraction from JAM modelling and the stellar age and metallicity from stellar population synthesis. A positive correlation between the bar length and bar strength is found: the longer the bar, the stronger the bar. However, no other significant correlations are found. This may result from errors in deriving the |$\cal {R}$| values or from the complex formation and slowdown processes of galactic bars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We develop a dynamical theory for the origin of nuclear rings in barred galaxies. In analogy with the standard theory of accretion discs, our theory is based on shear viscous forces among nested annuli of gas. However, the fact that gas follows non-circular orbits in an external barred potential has profound consequences: it creates a region of reverse shear in which it is energetically favourable to form a stable ring that does not spread despite dissipation. Our theory allows us to approximately predict the size of the ring given the underlying gravitational potential. The size of the ring is loosely related to the location of the Inner Lindblad Resonance in the epicyclic approximation, but the predicted location is more accurate and is also valid for strongly barred potentials. By comparing analytical predictions with the results of hydrodynamical simulations, we find that our theory provides a viable mechanism for ring formation if the effective sound speed of the gas is low (⁠|$c_{\rm s}\lesssim 1\, {\rm km\, s^{-1}}$|⁠), but that nuclear spirals/shocks created by pressure destroy the ring when the sound speed is high (⁠|$c_{\rm s}\simeq 10\, {\rm km\, s^{-1}}$|⁠). We conclude that whether this mechanism for ring formation is relevant for real galaxies ultimately depends on the effective equation of state of the interstellar medium (ISM). Promising confirmation comes from simulations in which the ISM is modelled using state-of-the-art cooling functions coupled to live chemical networks, but more tests are needed regarding the role of turbulence driven by stellar feedback. If the mechanism is relevant in real galaxies, it could provide a powerful tool to constrain the gravitational potential, in particular the bar pattern speed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the non-axisymmetric potential of the central bar, in addition to their characteristic arms and bar, barred spiral galaxies form a variety of structures within the thin gas disk, such as nuclear rings, inner spirals, and dust lanes. These structures in the inner kiloparsec are extremely important in order to explain and understand the rate of black hole feeding. The aim of this work is to investigate the influence of stellar bars in spiral galaxies on the thin self-gravitating gas disk. We focus on the accretion of gas onto the central supermassive black hole and its time-dependent evolution. We conducted multi-scale simulations simultaneously resolving the galactic disk and the accretion disk around the central black hole. In all the simulations we varied the initial gas disk mass. As an additional parameter we chose either the gas temperature for isothermal simulations or the cooling timescale for non-isothermal simulations. Accretion was either driven by a gravitationally unstable or clumpy accretion disk or by energy dissipation in strong shocks. Most of the simulations show a strong dependence of the accretion rate at the outer boundary of the central accretion disk (r < 300 pc) on the gas flow at kiloparsec scales. The final black hole masses reach up to ~109 M⊙ after 1.6 Gyr. Our models show the expected influence of the Eddington limit and a decline in growth rate at the corresponding sub-Eddington limit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Smaller Alignment Index (SALI) is a mathematical tool, not yet conventional, for chaos detection in the phase space of Hamiltonian Dynamical Systems. The SALI values has temporal behaviors very specific to ordered or chaotic motions, what makes the distinction between order and chaos easily observable in these systems. In this paper, this method will be applied to the stability study of stellar orbits immersed in gravitational potential of barred galaxies, since the motion of a test particle in a rotating barred galaxy model is given by a Hamiltonian function. Extracting four parameter sets from the Manos and Athanassoula (2011) work and elaborating a different initial conditions set for each case, we were able to introduce another point of view of their stability study for two degrees of freedom. We have also introduced two new extreme models that corroborates with the conclusions that more axisymmetric bars create an environment with less chaos and that more massive bars create an environment with more chaos. Separate studies were carried out for prograde and retrograde orbits that showed that the retrograde orbits seem more conducive to chaos. To perform all the orbits integrations we used the LP-VIcode program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present new spectroscopic data for 21 barred spiral galaxies, which we use to explore the effect of bars on disc star formation, and to place constraints on the characteristic lifetimes of bar episodes. The analysis centres on regions of heavily suppressed star formation activity, which we term 'star formation deserts'. Long-slit optical spectroscopy is used to determine Hβ absorption strengths in these desert regions, and comparisons with theoretical stellar population models are used to determine the time since the last significant star formation activity, and hence the ages of the bars.We find typical ages of ~1 Gyr, but with a broad range, much larger than would be expected from measurement errors alone, extending from ~0.25 to >4Gyr. Low-level residual star formation, or mixing of stars from outside the 'desert' regions, could result in a doubling of these age estimates. The relatively young ages of the underlying populations coupled with the strong limits on the current star formation rule out a gradual exponential decline in activity, and hence support our assumption of an abrupt truncation event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We calculate the star formation quenching time-scales in green valley galaxies at intermediate redshifts (z~0.5-1) using stacked zCOSMOS spectra of different galaxy morphological types: spheroidal, disc-like, irregular and merger, dividing disc-like galaxies further into unbarred, weakly barred and strongly barred, assuming a simple exponentially decaying star formation history model and based on the Hδ absorption feature and the 4000 Å break. We find that different morphological types present different star formation quenching time-scales, reinforcing the idea that the galaxy morphology is strongly correlated with the physical processes responsible for quenching star formation. Our quantification of the star formation quenching time-scale indicates that discs have typical time-scales 60 per cent to five times longer than that of galaxies presenting spheroidal, irregular or merger morphologies. Barred galaxies, in particular, present the slowest transition time-scales through the green valley. This suggests that although secular evolution may ultimately lead to gas exhaustion in the host galaxy via bar-induced gas inflows that trigger star formation activity, secular agents are not major contributors in the rapid quenching of galaxies at these redshifts. Galaxy interaction, associated with the elliptical, irregular and merger morphologies, contributes, to a more significant degree, to the fast transition through the green valley at these redshifts. In light of previous works suggesting that both secular and merger processes are responsible for the star formation quenching at low redshifts, our results provide an explanation to the recent findings that star formation quenching happened at a faster pace at z ~ 0.8. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The escape dynamics of the stars in a barred galaxy composed of a spherically symmetric central nucleus, a bar, a flat thin disc and a dark matter halo component is investigated by using a realistic three degrees of freedom (3-d.o.f.) dynamical model. Modern colour-coded diagrams are used for distinguishing between bounded and escaping motion. In addition, the smaller alignment index method is deployed for determining the regular, sticky or chaotic nature of bounded orbits. We reveal the basins of escape corresponding to the escape through the two symmetrical escape channels around the Lagrange points L2 and L3 and also we relate them with the corresponding distribution of the escape times of the orbits. Furthermore, we demonstrate how the stable manifolds, around the index-1 saddle points, accurately define the fractal basin boundaries observed in the colour-coded diagrams. The development scenario of the fundamental vertical Lyapunov periodic orbit is thoroughly explored for obtaining a more complete view of the unfolding of the singular behaviour of the dynamics at the cusp values of the parameters. Finally, we examine how the combination of the most important parameters of the bar (such as the semimajor axis and the angular velocity) influences the observed stellar structures (rings and spirals), which are formed by escaping stars guided by the invariant manifolds near the saddle points. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dark gaps are commonly seen in early-to-intermediate-type barred galaxies having inner and outer rings or related features. In this paper, the morphologies of 54 barred and oval ringed galaxies have been examined with the goal of determining what the dark gaps are telling us about the structure and evolution of barred galaxies. The analysis is based mainly on galaxies selected from the Galaxy Zoo 2 data base and the Catalogue of Southern Ringed Galaxies. The dark gaps between inner and outer rings are of interest because of their likely association with the L4 and L5 Lagrangian points that would be present in the gravitational potential of a bar or oval. Since the points are theoretically expected to lie very close to the corotation resonance (CR) of the bar pattern, the gaps provide the possibility of locating corotation in some galaxies simply by measuring the radius rgp of the gap region and setting rCR=rgp.With the additional assumption of generally flat rotation curves, the locations of other resonances can be predicted and compared with observed morphological features. It is shown that this 'gap method' provides remarkably consistent interpretations of the morphology of early-tointermediate-type barred galaxies. The paper also brings attention to cases where the dark gaps lie inside an inner ring, rather than between inner and outer rings. These may have a different origin compared to the inner/outer ring gaps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We introduce a simple family of barred galaxy models with flat rotation curves. They are built by convolving the axisymmetric logarithmicmodel with a needle density. The density contours in the bar region are highly triaxial and elongated, but become spheroidal in the outer parts. The mass distribution differs markedly from the elliptical shape assumed in other analytical models, like Ferrers or Freeman bars. The surface density profile along the bar major axis is flattish, as befits models for bars in early-type galaxies (SB0, SBa). The 2D orbital structure of the models is analysed with surfaces of section and characteristic diagrams and it reveals qualitatively new features. For some pattern speeds, additional Lagrange points can exist along the major axis and give rise to off-centred, trapped orbits. When the bar is weak, the orbital structure is very simple, comprising just prograde, aligned x1 orbits and retrograde anti-aligned x4 orbits. As the bar strength increases, the x1 family becomes unstable and vanishes, with propeller orbits dominating the characteristic diagram. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine the properties of barred disc galaxies in a ΛCDM cosmological hydrodynamical simulation from the EAGLE project. Our study follows the formation of 269 discs identified at z = 0 in the stellar mass range 10.6 < logM∗/M⊙ < 11. These discs show a wide range of bar strengths, from unbarred discs (≈60 per cent) to weak bars (≈20 per cent) and to strongly barred systems (≈20 per cent). Bars in these systems develop after redshift ≈1.3, on timescales that depend sensitively on the strength of the pattern. Strong bars develop relatively quickly (in a few Gyr, or roughly∼10 disc rotation periods) in systems that are disc dominated, gas poor, and have declining rotation curves.Weak bars develop more slowly in systems where the disc is less gravitationally important, and are still growing at z = 0. Unbarred galaxies are comparatively gas-rich discs whose rotation speeds do not exceed the maximum circular velocity of the haloes they inhabit. Bar lengths compare favourably with observations, ranging from 0.2 to 0.8 times the radius containing 90 per cent of the stars. Bars slow down remarkably quickly as they grow, causing the inner regions of the surrounding dark halo to expand. At z = 0 strong bars in simulated galaxies have corotation radii roughly 10 times the bar length. Such slow bars are inconsistent with the few cases where pattern speeds have been measured or inferred observationally, a discrepancy that, if confirmed, might prove a challenge for disc galaxy formation in ΛCDM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. We present the physical and evolutionary properties of prestellar and protostellar clumps in the Herschel Infrared GALactic plane survey (Hi-GAL) in two large areas centered in the Galactic plane and covering the tips of the long Galactic bar at the intersection with the spiral arms. The areas fall in the longitude ranges 19° < ɭ < 33° and 340° < ɭ < 350°, while latitude is-1° < b < 1°. Newly formed high mass stars and prestellar objects are identified and their properties derived and compared. A study is also presented on five giant molecular complexes at the further edge of the bar, identified through ancillary 12CO(1-0) data from the NANTEN observatory. Aims. One of the goals of this analysis is assessing the role of spiral arms in the star-formation processes in the Milky Way. It is, in fact, still a matter of debate if the particular configuration of the Galactic rotation and potential at the tips of the bar can trigger star formation. Methods. The star-formation rate was estimated from the quantity of proto-stars expected to form during the collapse of massive turbulent clumps into star clusters. The expected quantity of proto-stars was estimated by the possible final cluster configurations of a given initial turbulent clump. This new method was developed by applying a Monte Carlo procedure to an evolutionary model of turbulent cores and takes into account the wide multiplicity of sources produced during the collapse. Results. The star-formation rate density values at the tips are 1:2 ± 0:3 × 10-3M/yr kpc2 and 1:5 ± 0:3 × 10-3M/yr kpc2 in the first and fourth quadrant, respectively. The same values estimated on the entire field of view, that is including the tips of the bar and background and foreground regions, are 0:9 ± 0:2 × 10-3M/yr kpc2 and 0:8 ± 0:2 × 10-3M yr kpc2. The conversion e°ciency indicates the percentage amount of material converted into stars and is approximately 0.8% in the first quadrant and 0.5% in the fourth quadrant, and does not show a significant di erence in proximity of the bar. The star forming regions identified through CO contours at the further edge of the bar show star-formation rate and star-formation rate densities larger than the surrounding regions but their conversion e°ciencies are comparable. Conclusions. The tips of the bar show an enhanced star-formation rate with respect to background and foreground regions. However, the conversion e°ciency shows little change across the observed fields suggesting that the star-formation activity at the bar is due to a large amount of dust and molecular material rather than being due to a triggering process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For several decades, it has been known that stellar bars in disc galaxies can be triggered by interactions, or by internal processes such as dynamical instabilities. In this work, we explore the differences between these two mechanisms using numerical simulations. We perform two groups of simulations based on isolated galaxies, one group in which a bar develops naturally, and another group in which the bar could not develop in isolation. The rest of the simulations recreate 1:1 coplanar fly-by interactions computed with the impulse approximation. The orbits we use for the interactions represent the fly-bys in groups or clusters of different masses accordingly to the velocity of the encounter. In the analysis, we focus on bars' amplitude, size, pattern speed and their rotation parameter, R = RCR/Rbar. The latter is used to define fast (R < 1.4) and slow rotation (R > 1.4). Compared with equivalent isolated galaxies, we find that bars affected or triggered by interactions: (i) remain in the slow regime for longer, (ii) are more boxy in face-on views and (iii) they host kinematically hotter discs. Within this set of simulations, we do not see strong differences between retrograde or prograde fly-bys. We also show that slow interactions can trigger bar formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a high-quality hard X-ray spectrum of the ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX) NGC 5643 X-1 measured with NuSTAR in 2014 May–June. We have obtained this spectrum by carefully separating the signals from the ULX and from the active nucleus of its host galaxyNGC 5643 located 0.8 arcmin away. Together with long XMM–Newton observations performed in 2009 July and 2014 August, the NuSTAR data confidently reveal a high-energy cutoff in the spectrum of NGC 5643 X-1 above ∼10 keV, which is a characteristic signature of ULXs. The NuSTAR and XMM–Newton data are consistent with the source having a constant luminosity ∼1.5 × 1040 erg s−1 (0.2–12 keV) in all but the latest observation (2014 August) when it brightened to ∼3 × 1040 erg s−1. This increase is associated with the dominant, hard spectral component (presumably collimated emission from the inner regions of a supercritical accretion disc), while an additional, soft component (with a temperature ∼0.3 keV if described by multicolour disc emission), possibly associated with a massive wind outflowing from the disc, is also evident in the spectrum but does not exhibit significant variability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We performed a series of 29 gas dynamical simulations of disc galaxies, barred and unbarred, with various stellar masses, to study the impact of the bar on star formation history. Unbarred galaxies evolve very smoothly, with a star formation rate (SFR) that varies by at most a factor of 3 over a period of 2 Gyr. The evolution of barred galaxies is much more irregular, especially at high stellar masses. In these galaxies, the bar drives a substantial amount of gas towards the centre, resulting in a high SFR, and producing a starburst in the most massive galaxies. Most of the gas is converted into stars, and gas exhaustion leads to a rapid drop of star formation after the starburst. In massive barred galaxies (stellar mass M∗> 2 × 1010M⊙) the large amount of gas funnelled towards the centre is completely consumed by the starburst, while in lower mass barred galaxies it is only partially consumed. Gas concentration is thus higher in lower mass barred galaxies than it is in higher mass ones. Even though unbarred galaxies funnelled less gas towards their centre, the lower SFR allows this gas to accumulate. At late times, the star formation efficiency is higher in barred galaxies than unbarred ones, enabling these galaxies to maintain a higher SFR with a smaller gas supply. Several properties, such as the global SFR, central SFR, or central gas concentration, vary monotonically with time for unbarred galaxies, but not for barred galaxies. Therefore one must be careful when comparing barred and unbarred galaxies that share one observational property, since these galaxies might be at very different stages of their respective evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a near-infrared (NIR) imaging study of barred low surface brightness (LSB) galaxies using the TIFR¹ NIR Spectrometer and Imager. LSB galaxies are dark matter dominated, late-type spirals that have low-luminosity stellar discs but large neutral hydrogen (H I) gas discs. Using Sloan Digital Sky Survey images of a very large sample of LSB galaxies derived from the literature, we found that the barred fraction is only 8.3 per cent. We imaged 25 barred LSB galaxies in the J, H, KS wavebands and 29 in the KS band. Most of the bars are much brighter than their stellar discs, which appear to be very diffuse. Our image analysis gives deprojected mean bar sizes of Rb/R25 = 0.40 and ellipticities e ≈ 0.45, which are similar to bars in high surface brightness galaxies. Thus, although bars are rare in LSB galaxies, they appear to be just as strong as bars found in normal galaxies. There is no correlation of Rb/R25 or e with the relative H I or stellar masses of the galaxies. In the (J - KS) colour images most of the bars have no significant colour gradient which indicates that their stellar population is uniformly distributed and confirms that they have low dust content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the evolution of galactic magnetic fields using 3D smoothed particle magnetohydrodynamics (SPMHD) simulations of galaxies with an imposed spiral potential. We consider the appearance of reversals of the field, and amplification of the field. We find magnetic field reversals occur when the velocity jump across the spiral shock is above ≈20 km s-1, occurring where the velocity change is highest, typically at the inner Lindblad resonance (ILR) in our models. Reversals also occur at corotation, where the direction of the velocity field reverses in the co-rotating frame of a spiral arm. They occur earlier with a stronger amplitude spiral potential, and later or not at all with weaker or no spiral arms. The presence of a reversal at a radii of around 4-6 kpc in our fiducial model is consistent with a reversal identified in the Milky Way, though we caution that alternative Galaxy models could give a similar reversal. We find that relatively high resolution, a few million particles in SPMHD, is required to produce consistent behaviour of the magnetic field. Amplification of the magnetic field occurs in the models, and while some may be genuinely attributable to differential rotation or spiral arms, some may be a numerical artefact. We check our results using ATHENA, finding reversals but less amplification of the field, suggesting that some of the amplification of the field with SPMHD is numerical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we use the two-dimensional version of a new analytical gravitational model in order to explore the orbital as well as the escape dynamics of the stars in a barred galaxy composed of a spherically symmetric central nucleus, a bar, a flat disc and a dark matter halo component. A thorough numerical investigation is conducted for distinguishing between bounded and escaping motion. Furthermore, bounded orbits are further classified into nonescaping regular and trapped chaotic using the Smaller ALingment Index method. Our aim is to determine the basins of escape through the two symmetrical escape channels around the Lagrange points L2 and L3 and also to relate them with the corresponding distribution of the escape rates of the orbits.We integrate initial conditions of orbits in several types of planes so as to obtain a more complete view of the overall orbital properties of the dynamical system.We also present evidence that the unstable manifolds which guide the orbits in and out the interior region are directly related with the formation of spiral and ring stellar structures observed in barred galaxies. In particular, we examine how the bar's semimajor axis determines the resulting morphologies. Our numerical simulations indicate that weak barred structures favour the formation of R1 rings or R'1 pseudo-rings, while strong bars on the other hand, give rise to R1R2 and open spiral morphologies. Our results are compared with earlier related work. The escape dynamics and the properties of the manifolds of the full three-dimensional galactic system will be given in an accompanying paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Barred galaxies have interesting morphological features whose presence and properties set constraints on galactic evolution. Here we examine barlenses, i.e. lens-like components whose extent along the bar major axis is shorter than that of the bar and whose outline is oval or circular. We identify and analyse barlenses in N-body plus SPH simulations, compare them extensively with those from the NIRS0S (Near-IR S0 galaxy Survey) and the S4G samples (Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies) and find very good agreement. We observe barlenses in our simulations from different viewing angles. This reveals that barlenses are the vertically thick part of the bar seen face-on, i.e. a barlens seen edge-on is a boxy/peanut/X bulge. In morphological studies, and in the absence of kinematics or photometry, a barlens, or part of it, may be mistaken for a classical bulge. Thus the true importance of classical bulges, both in numbers and mass, is smaller than currently assumed, which has implications for galaxy formation studies. Finally, using the shape of the isodensity curves, we propose a rule of thumb for measuring the barlens extent along the bar major axis of moderately inclined galaxies, thus providing an estimate of which part of the bar is thicker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The observed velocities of the gas in barred galaxies are a combination of the azimuthally averaged circular velocity and non-circular motions, primarily caused by gas streaming along the bar. These non-circular flows must be accounted for before the observed velocities can be used in mass modelling. In this work, we examine the performance of the tilted-ring method and the DISKFIT algorithm for transforming velocity maps of barred spiral galaxies into rotation curves (RCs) using simulated data. We find that the tilted-ring method, which does not account for streaming motions, under-/overestimates the circular motions when the bar is parallel/perpendicular to the projected major axis. DISKFIT, which does include streaming motions, is limited to orientations where the bar is not aligned with either the major or minor axis of the image. Therefore, we propose a method of correcting RCs based on numerical simulations of galaxies. We correct the RC derived from the tilted-ring method based on a numerical simulation of a galaxy with similar properties and projections as the observed galaxy. Using observations of NGC 3319, which has a bar aligned with the major axis, as a test case, we show that the inferred mass models from the uncorrected and corrected RCs are significantly different. These results show the importance of correcting for the non-circular motions and demonstrate that new methods of accounting for these motions are necessary as current methods fail for specific bar alignments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an analysis of the optical line emission from nearby barred galaxies, and in particular look at the radial range occupied by the bar. In many cases, this region is marked by what we term a 'star formation desert', with a marked deficit of H II regions in optical narrow-band H a imaging. Here we present long-slit spectroscopy revealing that such regions do have line emission, but that it is low-level, spatially smooth and almost ubiquitous. The relative strengths of the H a and the spectrally adjacent [N II] lines in the regions are completely discrepant from those associated with star formation regions, and more closely match expectations for 'LINER' regions. We quantify the total line emission from these extended, kpc-scale regions, and determine the spurious contribution it would make to the determined star formation rate of these galaxies if interpreted as normal H a emission. We concur with previous studies that link this 'LINER' emission to old stellar populations, e.g. post-asymptotic giant branch stars, and propose strongly barred early-type spirals as a prime location for further tests of such emission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we apply a method identified by Puerari & Dottori to find the corotation radii (CR) in spiral galaxies. We apply our method to 57 galaxies, 17 of which have already have their CR locations determined using other methods. The method we adopted entails taking Fourier transforms along radial cuts in the u, g, r, i, and z wavebands and comparing the phase angles as a function of radius between them. The radius at which the phase angles cross indicates the location of the corotation radius. We then calculated the relative bar pattern speed, R, and classified the bar as 'fast', where R < 1.4, slow, where R ≥ 1.4, or intermediate, where the errors on R are consistent with the bar being 'slow' or 'fast'. For the 17 galaxies that had their CR locations previously measured, we found that our results were consistent with the values of R obtained by the computer simulations of Rautiainen, Salo & Laurikainen. For the larger sample, our results indicate that 34 out of 57 galaxies (≃ 60 per cent) have fast bars. We discuss these results in the context of its implications for dark matter concentrations in disc galaxies. We also discuss these results in the context of different models for spiral structure in disc galaxies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]