Comparing the behavior of orbits in different 3D dynamical models for elliptical galaxies

TL;DR

This study compares the orbital behaviors in two different 3D dynamical models of elliptical galaxies, revealing similar properties and chaotic regions, thus supporting the use of various potentials for modeling galactic motion.

Contribution

It provides a detailed comparison of orbital dynamics in two models, demonstrating their similar behaviors and validating the use of different gravitational potentials.

Findings

Both models exhibit regular and chaotic orbital regions.

Properties of motion are quantitatively similar across models.

Different potentials can be used interchangeably for triaxial galaxy modeling.

Abstract

We study the behavior of orbits in two different galactic dynamical models, describing the motion in the central parts of a triaxial elliptical galaxy with a dense nucleus. Numerical experiments show that both models display regular motion together with extended chaotic regions. A detailed investigation of the properties of motion is made for the 2D and 3D Hamiltonian systems, using a number of different dynamical parameters, such as the Poincare surface of section, the maximal Lyapunov Characteristic Exponent, the S(c) spectrum, the S(w) spectrum and the P(f) indicator. The numerical calculations suggest that the properties of motion in both potentials are very similar. Our results show that one may use different kinds of gravitational potentials in order to describe the motion in triaxial galaxies while obtaining quantitatively similar results.