Secular Evolution of Self-Gravitating Systems Over Cosmic Age

Description

Tackling galactic evolution in a truly novel way, this outstanding thesis statistically explores the long-term evolution of galaxies, using recent theoretical breakthroughs that explicitly account for their self-gravity. While treating processes statistically, the astrophysical differences on each scale are also captured. As the archetype of self-amplified diffusion, the implications of the thesis go far beyond astrophysics. Gravity is the driving force in galaxies, from their far outskirts to their innermost cores. These “extended kinetic theories” offer unique physical insights into the competing dynamical processes at play, complementing N-body approaches. The thesis successfully gauges the role of nature and nurture in est ablishing the galaxies’ observed properties, using kinetic equations to capture both sources of fluctuations. Further, it shows how secular diffusion shapes the phase space structure of cold stellar disks. The thesis subsequently determines the characteristic timescales and examines the signatures of secular evolution in this framework on two scales: from the kinetic evolution in galactic disks and their thickening via giant molecular clouds; all the way down to the stellar resonant relaxation of the central cluster and its black hole. Front Matter ....Pages i-xv Introduction (Jean-Baptiste Fouvry)....Pages 1-15 Secular Diffusion (Jean-Baptiste Fouvry)....Pages 17-67 Razor-Thin Discs (Jean-Baptiste Fouvry)....Pages 69-111 Razor-Thin Discs and Swing Amplification (Jean-Baptiste Fouvry)....Pages 113-160 Thickened Discs (Jean-Baptiste Fouvry)....Pages 161-219 Quasi-Keplerian Systems (Jean-Baptiste Fouvry)....Pages 221-267 Conclusion (Jean-Baptiste Fouvry)....Pages 269-274