The intricate Galaxy disk: velocity asymmetries in Gaia-TGAS
- Resource Type
- Authors
- S. Roca-Fabrega; F. Figueras; R. Mor; Timo Prusti; Teresa Antoja; J. H. J. de Bruijne
- Source
- Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
instname
Dipòsit Digital de la UB
Universidad de Barcelona
- Subject
- Milky Way
media_common.quotation_subject
FOS: Physical sciences
Astrophysics
Astrophysics::Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics
01 natural sciences
Asymmetry
Galactic kinematics
0103 physical sciences
Vertical direction
Galaxy formation and evolution
Disc
010303 astronomy & astrophysics
Astrophysics::Galaxy Astrophysics
media_common
Physics
Galaxy formation
Spiral galaxy
010308 nuclear & particles physics
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Formació de les galàxies
Astrophysics - Astrophysics of Galaxies
Galaxy
Space and Planetary Science
Astrophysics of Galaxies (astro-ph.GA)
Cinemàtica galàctica
Longitude
- Language
- English
We use the Gaia-TGAS data to compare the transverse velocities in Galactic longitude (coming from proper motions and parallaxes) in the Milky Way disk for negative and positive longitudes as a function of distance. The transverse velocities are strongly asymmetric and deviate significantly from the expectations for an axisymmetric Galaxy. The value and sign of the asymmetry changes at spatial scales of several tens of degrees in Galactic longitude and about 0.5 kpc in distance. The asymmetry is statistically significant at 95% confidence level for 57% of the region probed, which extends up to ~1.2 kpc. A percentage of 24% of the region studied shows absolute differences at this confidence level larger than 5 km/s and 7% larger than 10 km/s. The asymmetry pattern shows mild variations in the vertical direction and with stellar type. A first qualitative comparison with spiral arm models indicates that the arms are unlikely to be the main source of the asymmetry. We briefly discuss alternative origins. This is the first time that global all-sky asymmetries are detected in the Milky Way kinematics, beyond the local neighbourhood, and with a purely astrometric sample.
Accepted for publication in A&A Letters