Long-Time Evolution of Gas-Free Disc Galaxies in Binary Systems

Abstract

We present the results of several detailed numerical N-body simulations of the dynamical interactions of two equal mass disc galaxies. Both galaxies are embedded in spherical halos of dark matter and contain central bulges. Our analysis of the dynamical evolution of the binary system focuses on the morphological evolution of the stellar distribution of the discs. The satellite galaxy has coplanar or polar disc orientation in relation to the disc of the primary galaxy and their initial orbits are prograde eccentric ($e=0.1$, $e=0.4$ or $e=0.7$). Both galaxies have mass and size comparable to the Milky Way. We show that the merger of the two disc galaxies, depending on the relative orientation of the discs, can yield either a disc or lenticular remnant, instead of an elliptical one. These are the first simulations in the literature to show the formation of S0-like galaxies from protracted binary galaxy interactions. Additionally, we demonstrate that the time to merger increases linearly with the initial apocentric distance between the galaxies, and decreases with the initial orbital eccentricity. We also show that the tidal forces of the discs excite transient $m=1$ and $m=2$ wave modes, i.e., lopsidedness, spiral arms, and bars. However, after the merging of the discs, such instabilities fade completely, and the remnant is thicker and bigger than the original discs. The maximum relative amplitude of these waves is at most about 15 times greater compared to the control case. of these two wave modes. Finally, the disc settles down quickly, after the merger, in less than one outer disc rotation period.