Lindblad Zones: Resonant eccentric orbits to aid bar and spiral formation in galaxy discs

Abstract

The apsidal precession frequency in a fixed gravitational potential increases with the radial range of the orbit (eccentricity). Although the frequency increase is modest, it can have important implications for wave dynamics in galaxy discs, which have not been previously explored in detail. One of the most interesting consequences is that for a given pattern frequency, each Lindblad resonance does not exist in isolation, but rather is the parent of a continuous sequence of resonant radii, a Lindblad Zone, with each radius in this zone characterized by a specific eccentricity. In the epicyclic approximation, the precession or epicyclic frequency does not depend on epicycle size, and this phenomenon is not captured. A better approximation for eccentric orbits is provided by p-ellipse curves, which do exhibit this effect. Here, the p-ellipse approximation and precession-eccentricity relation are used as tools for finding the resonant radii generated from various Lindblad parent resonances. Simple, idealized examples, in flat rotation curve and near solid-body discs, are used to show that ensembles of eccentric resonant orbits excited in Lindblad Zones can provide a backbone for generating a variety of (kinematic) bars and spiral waves. In cases balancing radius-dependent circular frequencies and eccentricity-dependent precession, a range of resonant orbits can maintain their form in the pattern frame, and do not wind up. Eccentric resonance orbits require a strong perturbation to excite them, and may be produced mostly in galaxy interactions or by strong internal disturbances.