The curvature condition for self-consistent scale-free galaxies

Abstract

We modify the curvature condition for the existence of self-consistent scale-free discs, introduced by Zhao, Carollo & de Zeeuw. We survey the parameter space of the power-law discs, and show that the modified curvature condition is in harmony with the results of Schwarzschild's numerical orbit superposition method. We study the orbital structure of the power-law discs, and find a correlation between the population of centrophobic banana orbits and the non-self-consistency index. We apply the curvature condition to other families of scale-free elongated discs and find that it rules out a large range of power-law slopes and axis ratios. We generalize the condition, and apply it, to three-dimensional scale-free axisymmetric galaxy models.

14 pages, 14 figures, Accepted for publication in MNRAS