Mutual dynamical evolution of the Galaxy and the nearby Local Group

马萨诸塞大学的马丁·温伯格博士和尼尔·卡茨博士将开展两个相互关联但又相互独立的项目，旨在总体上了解星系的结构、演化以及晕和发光成分之间的相互作用，但主要关注我们的星系--银河系。银河系是理想的，也可能是唯一有资格作为这项研究对象的星系。不同的进化史可能会产生独特但微妙的不同反应。对这些多组分相互作用的测试将需要只有我们自己的星系才能提供的光度和运动学细节。同样，银河系的同伴--大小麦哲伦云--通过相同的动力机制同时演化，将进一步限制所推断的情景。2MASS项目提供的近红外恒星计数以及漫射和分子气体测量使深入的理论数据比较成为可能，并有助于为即将到来的高精度运动学数据计划计划。该项目将首次在理论上统一这些动力学机制，并对它们的后果提供详细的观测诊断。最后，基于对银河系和麦哲伦云的研究得出的结论将对整个星系的演化产生重大影响。

Drs. Martin Weinberg and Neal Katz of the University of Massachusetts will carry out two interrelated, but independent, projects aimed at understanding the structure, evolution, and interaction between the halo and luminous components of galaxies in general, but focused primarily on our galaxy, the Milky Way. The Milky Way is the ideal and possibly the only galaxy that qualifies as a subject for this study. Different evolutionary histories are likely to produce unique but subtly different responses. Tests of these multi-componentinteractions will require the photometric and kinematic detail that only our own galaxy can offer. Similarly, the simultaneous evolution of the Milky Way's companions, the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, by the same dynamical mechanisms will further constrain inferred scenarios. The near-infrared star counts offered by the 2MASS project together with diffuse and molecular gas surveys enable a deep theory-data comparison and help plan programs for upcoming high-precision kinematic data. This project will for the first time unify these dynamical mechanisms theoretically and provide detailed observational diagnoses for their consequences. In the end, conclusions based on the study of the Milky Way and the Magellanic Clouds will have significant implications for galaxy evolution in general.