Spiral Galaxies as Chiral Objects?
Abstract
Spiral galaxies show axial symmetry and an intrinsic 2D-chirality. Environmental effects can influence the chirality of originally isolated stellar systems and a progressive loss of chirality can be recognized in the Hubble sequence. We point out a preferential modality for genetic galaxies as in microscopic systems like aminoacids, sugars or neutrinos. This feature could be the remnant of a primordial symmetry breaking characterizing systems at all scales.
- Publication:
-
Astrophysics and Space Science
- Pub Date:
- January 2006
- DOI:
- 10.1007/s10509-006-1984-6
- arXiv:
- arXiv:astro-ph/0509487
- Bibcode:
- 2006Ap&SS.301..189C
- Keywords:
-
- Spiral galaxies;
- Hubble sequence;
- Chirality;
- Enantiomers;
- Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- 10 pages, 3 figures