Homeoidally striated density profiles: sequences of virial equilibrium configurations with constant anisotropy parameters

Abstract

The formulation of the tensor virial equations is generalized to unrelaxed configurations, where virial equilibrium does not coincide with dynamical (or hydrostatic) equilibrium. Further investigation is devoted to special classes of homeoidally striated ellipsoids, defined as homeoidally striated, Jacobi ellipsoids. In particular, virial equilibrium configurations with constant anisotropy parameters are studied with more detail, including both flattened and elongated, triaxial configurations, and the determination of the related bifurcation points. The explicit expression of different rotation parameters is also determined. An application is made to dark matter haloes hosting giant, galaxies, with regard to assigned initial and final configuration, following and generalizing to many respects a procedure conceived by Thuan & Gott (1975). The dependence of the limiting axis ratios, below which no configuration is allowed for the sequence under consideration, on the change in mass, total energy, and angular momentum, during the evolution, is illustrated in some representative situations. The dependence of axis ratios and rotation parameters on an additional parameter, related to the initial conditions of the density perturbation, is analysed in connection with a few special cases. Within the range of Peebles (1969) rotation parameter, inferred from high-resolution numerical simulations, the shape of dark matter haloes is mainly decided by the amount of anisotropy in residual velocity distribution. On the other hand, the contribution of rotation has only a minor effect on the meridional plane, and no effect on the equatorial plane, as bifurcation points occur for larger values of Peebles (1969) rotation parameter. To this respect, dark matter haloes are found to resemble giant elliptical galaxies.