Mutual dynamical evolution of the Galaxy and the nearby Local Group

University Of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst MA

Investigators

Abstract

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-component interactions 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.