Numerical simulations of galactic wakes
Abstract
We have performed a series of numerical simulations which examine the simple but realistic case of a galaxy with a smooth potential corresponding to a King profile, and with no interstellar medium. This corresponds to the case of an early-type cluster galaxy that has previously been stripped of its gas. The simulations provide a numerical basis for future work involving galaxies with interstellar media. We use a time-explicit finite difference code (Lufkin & Hawley 1992, ApJ submitted) to obtain solutions to the nonlinear equations for adiabatic flow in axisymmetry. The computational grid covers a region extending 500 kpc from a stationary galaxy radially and along the symmetry axis. We use a graded mesh, allowing for full resolution near the galaxy. Because the assumed potential has a finite depth, no artificial inner boundary condition is necessary; reflection symmetry at the axis is assumed. With a total grid size of 64 radial x 128 vertical, each run requires approximately 5 minutes of cpu time on the NCSA Cray-2.
- Publication:
-
Evolution of Galaxies and their Environment
- Pub Date:
- January 1993
- Bibcode:
- 1993egte.conf..229L
- Keywords:
-
- Astronomical Models;
- Computerized Simulation;
- Galactic Structure;
- Galaxies;
- Interstellar Matter;
- Wakes;
- Adiabatic Flow;
- Boundary Conditions;
- Computational Grids;
- Finite Difference Theory;
- Nonlinear Equations;
- Symmetry;
- Astrophysics