2004/02/11 by Pierre–Alain Duc, Pierre-Alain Duc, F. Bournaud +6
Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy and Astrophysical Research #Astrophysics (astro-ph) #FOS: Physical sciences #Scientific Research and Discoveries #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.astro-ph/0402252
6 pages, 3 figures. to appear in "Recycling intergalactic and interstellar matter" IAU Symposium Series, Vol. 217, 2004, P.-A. Duc, J. Braine, E. Brinks (eds.)
arxiv created 2004/02/11 · openalex publication_date 2004/02/11 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2022/10/02 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Most Tidal Dwarf Galaxies (TDGs) so-far discussed in the literature may be\nconsidered as young ones or even newborns, as they are still physically linked\nto their parent galaxies by an umbilical cord: the tidal tail at the tip of\nwhich they are usually observed. Old Tidal Dwarf Galaxies, completely detached\nfrom their progenitors, are still to be found. Using N--body numerical\nsimulations, we have shown that tidal objects as massive as 109 solar masses\nmay be formed in interacting systems and survive for more than one Gyr. Old\nTDGs should hence exist in the Universe. They may be identified looking at a\npeculiarity of their "genetic identity card": a relatively high abundance in\nheavy elements, inherited from their parent galaxies. Finally, using this\ntechnique, we revisit the dwarf galaxies in the local Universe trying to find\narguments pro and con a tidal origin.\n