“The formation, evolution, and dark matter content off barred galaxies in LCDM”
The advent of high resolution hydrodynamical cosmological simulations allows us to now study the internal dynamics of barred spiral galaxies — such as our own Milky Way — within the full ΛCDM cosmological context. I will present what we have learnt about the formation and evolution of barred galaxies by comparing cosmological simulations to observations of both the Milky Way and nearby spiral galaxies. In particular, I will address the “When?” and the “How?” of bar formation in ΛCDM, and discuss what this implies about our own Galaxy’s formation history, as well as why some galaxies form bars and others don’t. I will discuss how barred galaxies evolve throughout cosmic history, as well as the connection between bars and their host dark matter halos, which can help shed light on both the amount and the nature of dark matter.