The multiple corrugations in the Galactic disk derived from the LAMOST and Gaia survey data

TL;DR

This study uses LAMOST and Gaia data to analyze wave-like features in the Milky Way disk, proposing radial corrugations as a plausible explanation for observed kinematic patterns.

Contribution

It introduces a simplified radial corrugation model fitted to observed data and validated with N-body simulations, offering new insights into Galactic disk structures.

Findings

Reproduction of wave-like patterns in Rg-Vphi-VR space from both datasets.

Identification of a transition between inner and outer Galactic disks.

Modeling shows radial corrugations can explain observed kinematic signatures.

Abstract

Large spectroscopic and astrometric surveys have revealed complex wave-like features in the Milky Way disk, suggesting that its kinematic and chemical structures are shaped by time-dependent perturbations. Recent studies have reported oscillatory patterns in the Rg-Vphi-VR space, hinting at a possible structural transition in the outer disk. We aim to characterise the transition between the inner and outer Galactic thin disk and to investigate whether radial corrugations can provide a plausible physical interpretation of the observed features. We analysed two large stellar samples from LAMOST DR8 and Gaia DR3, combining spatial, kinematic, and chemical diagnostics. A simplified corrugation model consisting of two radial waves propagating in opposite directions was constructed and fitted to the observed VR pattern. We further validated the model using N-body simulations. Both LAMOST and Gaia samples reproduce the previously reported wave-like pattern in the Rg-Vphi-VR plane. We identify a clear transition between the inner and outer disks via the variations in rotational velocity and metallicities. The corrugation model naturally reproduces the periodic variation of VR with galactocentric radius, and the superposition of the inward and outward propagating modes gives rise to a comparable oscillatory pattern in both observations and simulations. Our modelling suggests that radial corrugations can provide a plausible interpretation of the observed kinematic signatures. The results highlight the complex, multi-perturber nature of the Galactic disk and motivate further investigation with upcoming surveys.