Formation of elliptical galaxies by tidal interactions

Journal Article · Fri Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1977 · Astrophys. J.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1086/155330· OSTI ID:7219688

Marchant, A B; Shapiro, S L

We examine the suggestion that elliptical galaxies result from the collisional heating of initially flat galaxies. We adopt a Maclaurin spheroid model for a rotating galaxy and investigate the rate at which galaxies are thickened by tidal encounters (including interpenetrations) in the isothermal cores of rich clusters of galaxies. The heating rate of galaxies in the cores of the densest clusters (e.g., Coma) is sufficiently high to explain the observation that elliptical galaxies are concentrated in such regions. Collisional heating also places an upper limit to the typical masses of black holes assumed to be isothermally distributed and sufficiently numerous to account for the nonluminous (''missing'') mass of the Coma cluster.

• Research Organization: Center for Radiophysics and Space Research,dagger Cornell University
• OSTI ID: 7219688
• Journal Information: Astrophys. J.; (United States), Journal Name: Astrophys. J.; (United States) Vol. 215:1; ISSN ASJOA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640105* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Galaxies
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
BLACK HOLES
COLLISIONS
CONFIGURATION
ELLIPTICAL CONFIGURATION
GALACTIC EVOLUTION
GALAXIES
GALAXY CLUSTERS
HEATING
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MOTION
NUCLEAR MODELS
ROTATION
SPHERICAL MODEL
STAR ACCRETION
STAR CLUSTERS
STAR EVOLUTION
TIDE