To appear in: Astronomicheskii Zhurnal, 1997, vol. 74, No.4, pp.509-535
Translation: Astronomy Reports, 1997, vol.41, No. 4, pp.447-471

A method of the reconstruction of 3D velocity field of gas in disks of spiral galaxies.

Lyakhovich V.V., Fridman A.M., Khoruzhii O.V., Pavlov A.I.

A reconstruction method of 3D vector velocity field (three components of velocities) of gas in disks of spiral galaxies from observed line-of-sight velocity field is proposed. This method is based on Fourier analysis of observed velocity field. The Fourier harmonics are interpretated in the frame of a model with account for the motions in spiral arms which are considered as spiral density waves. This method can be used for: 1) the determination of non-circular velocities associated with a spiral-vortex structure; 2) the determination of fundamental parameters of this structure: pattern speed, corotation radius, location of giant anticyclons; 3) a refinement of galactic rotation curve with regard to the existence of non-circular motion in the spiral density wave, that allows to build a more accurate model of the mass distribution in the galaxy; 4) refinements of parameters of a rotating gaseous galactic disk: inclination angle, position of rotation center and position angle of major dynamical galactic axis.

The knowledge of velocity field in spiral galaxies allows to clarify the nature of the galactic structures and mechanisms of their formation.

Back to Project Vortex.