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Session: Extragalactic Astronomy and Astrophysics

Name: Dr. Panos Patsis (RCAAM, Academy of Athens)
Coauthors: No coauthors were included.
Type: Oral
Title: THE GAS INFLOW IN THE CENTRAL KILOPARSEC OF GALACTIC BARS
Abstract:

We discuss the gas inflow in barred spiral galaxies from the scale of kiloparsecs towards the central parsecs. It is now well known that the presence of bars in galactic potentials is crucial in triggering such inflow. However, the clear picture we have about the gas flow in bars ends at nuclear rings formed at an Inner Lindblad Resonance (ILR). In our study we investigate the flow in the zone inside the ILR by means of Lagrangian and Eulerian hydrodynamical models. High resolution models using the grid-based algorithm RAMSES, allow us to get a detailed picture of the gas dynamics down to about a few pc from the galaxy center. We explore the conditions under which the gas may reach the central regions of the galaxy feeding nuclear activity, as well as the properties of the model that block this process. We evaluate the role of the hydrodynamical properties of the gas in comparison with the role of the gravitational forces determined by the underlying potential at the central regions and we discuss the presence of trailing and leading nuclear spirals in the models.