Advances in Our Understanding of the Dynamics of Galaxies

Dear Colleagues,

The steady-state internal dynamics of stellar systems, the linear and non-linear development of large scale structure and the processes associated with galaxy formation and collisions, have been at the heart of modern astrophysics for the past 100 years. Despite the development of beautiful mathematical formalisms and the application of power computational techniques and algorithms, we are still faced with a number of challenges to our understanding of the current structure and evolution of galaxies. Why do the rotation curves of late-type spirals imply large dark matter halo core radii in apparent disagreement with CDM simulations? How much substructure is there in dark matter halos of galaxies and does it change with time? Is the angular momentum content and distribution of observed spiral disks consistent with the tidal-torquing paradigm? Are isolated disk galaxies stable and is the structure and formation of spiral bulges consistent with an encounter-free environment? Do velocity fields in elliptical galaxies contain clues to their formation process? Do we really understand polar disks around some spirals and what are they telling us about dark matter? All of these questions are largely unanswered and present significant challenges and opportunities. They may also probe the interface of dynamical and hydrodynamical processes in galaxy formation and evolution - an interface that can be constrained by a complete appreciation of the dynamical processes involved. This special volume is intended to outline our current level of understanding and our current dilemmas in applying dynamics to the origin and evolution of galaxies.

Prof. Dr. Peter J. Quinn
Guest Editor

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