Dynamical modelling of stellar streams in a cosmological setting

Johannes Theodoor Buist

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Samenvatting

Stellar streams are created when small groups of stars such as dwarf galaxies and globular clusters are torn apart by tides as they move around a larger galaxy. In the case of the Milky Way, it is believed that the stellar halo is full of such structures. In this Thesis I analysed the behaviour of stellar streams under the influence of a growing galaxy, as expected in a cosmological context. Since a stream almost delineates an orbit around a galaxy, its properties depend only on the gravitational pull from the Milky Way, and on how this has grown with time. I discovered a particular signature of this evolution in the models developed in the thesis that will help uncover the growth of the Milky Way with upcoming datasets. I also found that the effect of a growing galaxy can bias the determination of the present-day mass distribution of the Milky Way.
Originele taal-2English
KwalificatieDoctor of Philosophy
Toekennende instantie
  • Rijksuniversiteit Groningen
Begeleider(s)/adviseur
  • Helmi, Amina, Supervisor
Datum van toekenning11-sep.-2015
Plaats van publicatie[Groningen]
Uitgever
Gedrukte ISBN's978-90-367-8041-4
Elektronische ISBN's978-90-367-8040-7
StatusPublished - 2015

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