The response of stellar discs to perturbations

这个项目的目的是通过对来自GAIA和类似观测的数据进行动力学建模，来了解恒星盘--包括我们自己的星系--的动力学。理解自引力恒星盘的动力学结构的起点通常是建立一个轴对称的平衡模型。然而，真正的恒星盘从来不是轴对称的，所以下一步是应用微扰理论的方法来计算这样的模型对真实盘所经历的各种类型的噪声的定性和定量响应。到目前为止，大多数研究都集中在椎间盘的频率相关响应上，但这个项目采用了一种明确的时间相关方法，这也使得与N-Body模型的比较更直接。我们最近建造了对二维盘的非共振动力学进行建模的机器，该项目的目标是将其扩展到处理轨道共振和垂直结构。

The aim of this project is to understand the dynamics of stellar discs -- including that of our own Galaxy -- using dynamical modelling applied to data from Gaia and similar surveys.The starting point for understanding the dynamical structure of self-gravitating stellar discs is usually the construction of an axisymmetrized equilibrium model. Real stellar discs are never axisymmetric though and so the next step is to apply the methods of perturbation theory to calculate both the qualitative and quantitative response of such models to the various types of noise experienced by real discs. Most investigations to date have focused on the frequency-dependent response of the disc, but this project adopts an explicitly time-dependent approach, which also makes comparison with N-body models more straightforward. We have recently built machinery for modelling the non-resonant dynamics of 2d discs and the objectives of the project are to extend this to handle orbital resonances and to vertical structure.