Bibcode
Buta, R.; Block, D. L.; Knapen, J. H.
Referencia bibliográfica
American Astronomical Society Meeting 202, #40.09; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 35, p.757
Fecha de publicación:
5
2003
Número de citas
0
Número de citas referidas
0
Descripción
Near-infrared images are useful for analyzing the stellar backbone of
disk galaxies, and in particular can be used to derive gravitational
potentials (Quillen, Frogel, and Gonzalez 1994, ApJ, 437, 162). We have
shown (Buta and Block 2001, ApJ, 550, 243) that from such potentials,
the maximum value of the ratio of the tangential force to the mean
radial force in the bar region is an easily derived quantity that can
represent the most reliable measure of "bar strength" in disk galaxies.
However, such maximum relative torques could also be affected by spirals
emanating from the ends of bars. In this poster, we describe a
Fourier-based method of separating bars from spirals in near-infrared
images, such that the maximum torques due to each of these features
alone can be derived. The method takes advantage of the fact that a bar
is typically a feature with a relatively fixed position angle, and uses
a simple assumption to extrapolate the relative Fourier amplitudes of
the bar into the spiral region. We outline the complete procedure for a
single, representative example, and summarize the main uncertainties in
the technique. We also present the first results of application of the
technique to a sample of 17 spiral galaxies, and find that the strongest
spirals tend to be associated with strong bars. This work was supported
by NSF Grant AST-0205143 to the University of Alabama and the
Anglo-American Chairman's Fund, University of the Witwatersrand.