VIRUS-W Observing trip: Uncovering the effect of spiral and bar resonances in disk galaxies

最近的理论工作表明，盘中非轴对称结构与晕之间的相互作用通过诱导恒星形成和盘混合来影响星系演化过程。我们已经建立了广泛的动力学模型，通过恒星运动学中不同的共振信号来区分两种主要的非轴对称结构(杆和螺线)的影响。我们模型的定量预测与病毒-W IFU的性质是一致的。为了验证这些预测，我们获得了2012年6月用病毒-W积分场光谱仪进行的6个晚上的观测时间。在这项初步研究中，我们将观测两个螺旋和两个棒状的盘状星系，以验证我们的模型，并加深我们对驱动星系演化的内部过程的理解。

Recent theoretical work shows that interaction between non-axisymmetric structures in disks and the halo affects galaxy evolution processes by inducing star formation and disk mixing. We have developed extensive dynamical models that separate the effects of the two main non-axisymmetric structures (bars and spirals) by their different resonance signatures in the stellar kinematics. The quantitative predictions of our models are compatible with the properties of the VIRUS-W IFU.To test these predictions we have been awarded six nights of observing time in June 2012 with the VIRUS-W Integral Field Spectrograph. In this pilot study we will observe two spiral- and two bar-dominated disk galaxies to validate our models and to improve our understanding of the internal processes that drive galaxy evolution.