Honors College Theses

Publication Date

4-20-2015

Major

Physics (B.S.P.)

Document Type and Release Option

Thesis (restricted to Georgia Southern)

Faculty Mentor

Dr. Clayton Heller

Abstract

In this study we examine the response of galactic disks to a changing triaxial potential. Under specific conditions, the embedded disk becomes unstable, tilts away from its initial plane, and undergoes precession. This precession is found to be differential in pure stellar models, leading to shearing and a final spherical distribution of stars. However, with the inclusion of a viscous gas component, it is found the disk can resist the shearing and remain planar, continuing to precess at a fixed angle to the initial plane.

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