Periodic orbits in warped disk

Abstract

It is often assumed that a warped galaxy can be modeled by a set of rings. This paper verifies numerically the validity of this assumption by the study of periodic orbits populating a heavy self-gravitating warped disk. The phase space structure of a warped model reveals that the circular periodic orbits of a flat disk are transformed in quasi annular periodic orbits which conserve their stability. This lets us also explore the problem of the persistence of a large outer warp. In particular, the consistency of its orbits with the density distribution is checked as a function of the pattern speed.

9 pages, including 11 figures. Accepted for publication in A&A