Proper Motions of Bulge Stars

Gough-Kelly, Steven orcid iconORCID: 0000-0003-4799-5079 (2019) Proper Motions of Bulge Stars. Masters thesis, University of Central Lancashire.

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Abstract

Galactic bulges make up a signi_cant portion of a spiral galaxies mass. Yet for a
long period they have been generally understudied in comparison to the rest of the galaxy. The hardest galaxy to study is our own.
Being in the plane, observations
of the centre of the Milky Way (MW) is blocked by the stars and dust making
measurements of its internal structures a challenge. To make predictions of the inner workings of the Bulge, star forming simulations are created to qualitatively
compare the kinematics of the simulations and observations with the goal of inferring
the formation mechanism of the MW bulge. This project was able to reproduce
observed trends in chemically separated stellar proper motions within the MW with
the age separated proper motions of a N- body+SPH simulation. This simulations bulge was formed through a kinematic
fractionation process producing a Box/Peanut distribution. The results of this thesis give further evidence to the MW hosting a
bar at its centre and a B/P bulge distribution formed through secular evolution.


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