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Paper: |
Implications of Radial Migration for Stellar Population Studies |
Volume: |
448, 16th Cambridge Workshop on Cool Stars, Stellar Systems, and the Sun |
Page: |
371 |
Authors: |
Roškar, R.; Debattista, V. P.; Loebman, S. R.; Ivezić, Z.; Quinn, T. R. |
Abstract: |
Recent theoretical work suggests that it may be common
for stars in the disks of spiral galaxies to migrate radially
across significant distances in the disk. Such migrations
are a result of resonant scattering with spiral arms and
move the guiding centers of the stars while preserving the
circularities of their orbits. Migration can therefore efficiently
mix stars in all parts of the Galactic disk. We are rapidly
approaching an important confluence of theory and
observation, where we may soon be able to uncover
signatures of such processes in our own Milky Way. The
resolution and robustness of the physical modeling in
simulations has improved drastically, while observational
datasets are increasing in depth and astrometric accuracy.
Here, we discuss the results from our idealized N-body/SPH
simulations of disk formation and evolution, emphasizing
specifically the observational consequences of stellar
migration on the solar neighborhood and the vertical
structure of the disk. We demonstrate that radial mixing of
stars is a crucial dynamical process that we must try to
understand if we are to draw significant conclusions about
our Galactic history from the properties of stars in our vicinity. |
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