Dynamics of interacting stellar disks through numerical simulations

• Grant number: 25/12468-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)
• Start date: January 01, 2026
• End date: December 31, 2030
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Astronomy - Extragalactic Astrophysics
• Principal Investigator: Gastão Cesar Bierrenbach Lima Neto
• Grantee: Carlos Augusto Moreira Coelho
• Host Institution: Instituto de Astronomia, Geofísica e Ciências Atmosféricas (IAG). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The objective of this PhD work is to study disks of interacting spiral galaxies through numerical simulations. Collisions, in many cases followed by mergers, play a fundamental role in the formation and morphological evolution of galaxies, in particular of the stellar disk. Collisions and mergers of galaxies of comparable masses can destroy stellar disks of spiral galaxies, form early-type galaxies, stimulate bursts of star formation, and tear off and scatter galactic material. In this work, the student will model these interacting systems (generate initial conditions and simulate their dynamical evolution) and analyze them. The systems to be simulated will be chosen from the catalog of Arp (1966) and Darg et al. (2010), which have publicly available images from the SDSS and DESI Legacy Surveys. In addition, the student will search in cosmological simulations for this type of interaction to verify what is the effect of the environment on the dynamical evolution of disks. (AU)