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Publications of the Astronomical Society of AustraliaVolume 40, 6 November 2023, Article number e054

Dynamical aspects of Galactic habitability in N-body simulations(Article)(Open Access)

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  • Astronomical Observatory, Volgina 7, Belgrade, 11060, Serbia

Abstract

Recent studies of Galactic evolution revealed that the dynamics of the stellar component might be one of the key factors when considering galactic habitability. We run an N-body simulation model of the Milky Way, which we evolve for 10 Gyr, to study the secular evolution of stellar orbits and the resulting galactic habitability related properties, i.e., the density of the stellar component and close stellar encounters. The results indicate that radial migrations are not negligible, even in a simple axisymmetric model with mild levels of dynamical heating, and that the net outward diffusion of the stellar component can populate galactic outskirts with habitable systems. Habitable environment is also likely even at sub-Solar galactocentric radii, because the rate of close encounters should not significantly degrade habitability. Stars that evolve from non-circular to stable nearly circular orbits typically migrate outwards, settling down in a broad Solar neighbourhood. The region between kpc and kpc represents the zone of radial mixing, which can blur the boundaries of the Galactic Habitable Zone (GHZ), as it has been conventionally understood. The present-day stable population of the stars in the Solar neighbourhood originates from this radial mixing zone, with most of the stars coming from the inner regions. The Solar system can be considered as a typical Milky Way habitable system because it migrated outwards from the metal-rich inner regions of the Disk and has a circular orbit in the present epoch. We conclude that the boundaries of the GHZ cannot be sharply confined for a given epoch because of the mixing caused by the stellar migrations and secular evolution of stellar orbits. © 2023 The Author(s).

Author keywords

galaxy: evolutiongalaxy: kinematics and dynamicsmethods: numerical

Funding details

  • 1

    We thank the anonymous reviewer for insightful comments and suggestions that improved the quality of our paper. The python packages matplotlib (Hunter, 2007), seaborn (Waskom, 2021), numpy (Harris et al., 2020), scipy (Virtanen et al., 2020), pandas (Wes McKinney, 2010), and pynbody (Pontzen et al., 2013) were all used in parts of this analysis.

  • ISSN: 13233580
  • Source Type: Journal
  • Original language: English
  • DOI: 10.1017/pasa.2023.54
  • Document Type: Article
  • Publisher: Cambridge University Press

  Mitrašinović, A.; Astronomical Observatory, Volgina 7, Belgrade, Serbia;
© Copyright 2023 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.

Cited by 1 document

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