Modeling the Tidal Tails of the Sagittarius Dwarf Galaxy

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dc.creatorLaw, David R.
dc.creatorMajewski, Steven R.
dc.creatorJohnston, Kathryn V.
dc.creatorSkrutskie, Michael F.
dc.date2003-09-21
dc.date.accessioned2026-07-07T02:09:41Z
dc.date.available2026-07-07T02:09:41Z
dc.descriptionN-body simulations are used to model the tidal disruption of the Sagittarius (Sgr) dwarf galaxy with constraints set by the positions and velocities of M giants in the Sgr tidal arms recently revealed by the Two Micron All-Sky Survey (2MASS). The simulated Sgr dwarf is placed on a variety of orbits within a Milky Way potential parameterized by variable circular velocities, halo flattenings and radial profiles. Two hundred separate test particle orbits have been used to explore a wide range of model Milky Way potentials and dwarf galaxy characteristics. The family of models is delimited by the data to a relatively narrow allowed range of parameters, and then input into N-body simulations. We present our best-fitting model, and discuss the orbital period, apoGalacticon distance, current space velocity, mass-to-light ratio, and other characteristics of the Sgr dwarf. In addition, we discuss the implications of this model for the flattening of the Galactic halo.
dc.description4 pages, 1 figure. Paper will be published in a volume of the ASP Conference Series
dc.identifierhttps://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0309567
dc.identifierhttp://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0309567
dc.identifier.urihttp://salesiana.dossiersoluciones.com/handle/123456789/6526
dc.subjectAstrophysics
dc.titleModeling the Tidal Tails of the Sagittarius Dwarf Galaxy
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